Which of the following group of districts of Rajasthan is correctly arranged in ascending order as per average rainfall during South-West Monsoon ?
- (1)Jalore, Jaipur, Kota
- (2)Jaisalmer, Banswara, Rajsamand
- (3)Nagaur, Dhaulpur, Ajmer
- (4)Churu, Baran, Bhilwara
Answer
Why
Correct — option (1), Jalore, Jaipur, Kota.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gives each district a normal rainfall for the South-West Monsoon season, June to September. Its Meteorological Centre Jaipur lists these normals, based on 1971–2020 data, in the Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2024.
For the three districts in option (1): Jalore 417.8 mm, Jaipur 524.3 mm, Kota 732.2 mm. Each figure is higher than the one before it, so Jalore, Jaipur, Kota is in ascending order.
The pattern behind it: monsoon rain in Rajasthan generally increases from the north-west towards the south-east. Jalore is in IMD's West Rajasthan subdivision, Jaipur in the east-centre, and Kota on the Hadoti plateau in the south-east.
Check every step, not just the first district. In each of the other three options the first district is the driest, but the middle district is wetter than the last one.
Why the others are wrong
- (2)Jaisalmer, Banswara, Rajsamand — Jaisalmer (176.9 mm) rightly comes first, but Banswara (886 mm) is far wetter than Rajsamand (538.1 mm), so the order falls at the last step.
Banswara, in the humid south, has one of the highest monsoon normals in the state. The right ascending order for these three is Jaisalmer, Rajsamand, Banswara.
- (3)Nagaur, Dhaulpur, Ajmer — Nagaur (369.5 mm) is the driest of the three, but Dhaulpur (584.1 mm; IMD spells it Dholpur) is wetter than Ajmer (458.3 mm).
Dhaulpur, in the far east of the state, gets more monsoon rain than central Ajmer. The right ascending order is Nagaur, Ajmer, Dhaulpur.
- (4)Churu, Baran, Bhilwara — Churu (334 mm) is correctly first, but Baran (832 mm) is wetter than Bhilwara (604.5 mm).
Baran lies on the Hadoti plateau in the south-east, one of the wettest parts of Rajasthan, while Bhilwara is on the drier central plain. The right ascending order is Churu, Bhilwara, Baran.
Concept
Most of Rajasthan's rain comes from the South-West Monsoon between June and September. IMD's monsoon-season normal for the state as a whole is 435.6 mm. Its East Rajasthan subdivision has a normal of 626.6 mm and West Rajasthan 283.6 mm.
The gradient runs roughly from north-west to south-east. The Thar districts of the west get the least rain, while the southern hill districts and the Hadoti plateau get the most.
One explanation for the dry west is the lie of the Aravallis. A branch of the Arabian Sea monsoon passes over western Rajasthan and along the range rather than across it, so the range does little to force that air to rise and shed rain.
RPSC's 2024 Prelims syllabus lists "Climatic characteristics" under the Geography of Rajasthan. The monsoon rainfall map falls under that head, because rain decides the state's farming seasons, its desert margin and its drought risk.
The broad map is simple: dry west, wetter south and south-east. The detail is not. Some districts in different parts of the state have close normals — Dholpur and Rajsamand differ by less than 50 mm.
IMD's district normals describe the long-term pattern. Actual rain in any one season can depart widely from normal, as the 2024 monsoon showed.
Key facts
- IMD's normal South-West Monsoon rainfall (June–September) for Rajasthan as a whole is 435.6 mm, based on 1971–2020 data.
- IMD's June–September normals: Jalore 417.8 mm, Jaipur 524.3 mm and Kota 732.2 mm.
- In IMD's 33-district Rajasthan table, Jaisalmer has the lowest monsoon normal, at 176.9 mm.
- In the same table, Pratapgarh has the highest monsoon normal (914.2 mm), followed by Banswara (886 mm).
- IMD's East Rajasthan subdivision has a monsoon normal of 626.6 mm, against 283.6 mm for West Rajasthan.
Source: IMD Meteorological Centre Jaipur, Rajasthan Monsoon Report 2024 (normals based on 1971–2020).
Study next
Common traps
- All three wrong options start with the driest district and break at the last step. Checking only the first district against the rest does not catch the error.
- A simple west-to-east rule puts the wettest districts in the east, but IMD's highest monsoon normals belong to Pratapgarh and Banswara in the south.
- One season's actual rain is not the normal. In 2024 Jaisalmer received 248% of its normal, so a single year's figures can overturn a ranking built on normals.
A question can give three or four districts and ask for ascending or descending order of monsoon rainfall, as this one does.
A question can also ask which district is the driest or wettest, which areas get winter rain from western disturbances, or which climatic type matches a district.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2023, 2021 and 2013 here once those papers are published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following districts of Rajasthan has the highest normal South-West Monsoon rainfall?
- (a)Jalore
- (b)Banswara
- (c)Churu
- (d)Nagaur
Answer(2) — Banswara's June–September normal is 886 mm. Option (1), Jalore, is 417.8 mm. Option (4), Nagaur, is 369.5 mm. Option (3), Churu, is 334 mm. All figures are IMD normals based on 1971–2020. - practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following groups of districts is arranged in descending order of normal South-West Monsoon rainfall?
- (a)Baran, Bhilwara, Churu
- (b)Bhilwara, Baran, Churu
- (c)Churu, Bhilwara, Baran
- (d)Baran, Churu, Bhilwara
Answer(1) — Baran 832 mm, Bhilwara 604.5 mm, Churu 334 mm: each is lower than the one before. Option (2) puts Bhilwara above the wetter Baran. Option (3) is the ascending order. Option (4) puts Churu above the wetter Bhilwara.