Consider the following statements : 1. The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form. 2. No water enters the Red Sea from rivers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2 ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Why the answer is (c)
• The Red Sea lies between the Sahara and Arabian deserts in one of the driest regions on Earth; rainfall is under 10 cm a year and mostly negligible — statement 1 is correct.
• No permanent river drains into the Red Sea; only occasional wadis flow briefly after rare storms — statement 2 is correct.
• With no river inflow and very high evaporation, the Red Sea is one of the saltiest open seas (about 40 parts per thousand) and its water is replaced only through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
• These conditions make its coral reefs unusually tolerant of heat and salinity.
• Hence both 1 and 2, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 only
- Statement 2 is also correct: no rivers flow into the Red Sea.
- (b) 2 only
- Statement 1 is also correct: the region receives negligible rain.
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
- Both statements correctly describe the Red Sea.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.