Consider the following statements : Statement I : The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions. Statement II : Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- (a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I
- (b) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I
- (c) Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct
Why the answer is (c)
• Statement I is correct: atmospheric dust is concentrated in the subtropical and temperate belts, which contain the world's great deserts and dry, bare soils, whereas the humid equatorial belt washes dust out with heavy rain and the polar regions are ice-covered.
• Statement II is not correct: subtropical and temperate regions have more, not less, dry wind — the trade winds and the dry descending air of the subtropical highs lift dust from the Sahara, Arabia, Thar and Gobi.
• Because statement II inverts the real cause, it cannot explain statement I; the true explanation is exactly the opposite of what it says.
• Dust from these belts is a major source of condensation nuclei and even fertilises the Amazon.
• Hence Statement I is correct but Statement II is not, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I
- Statement II is wrong: these belts have more dry winds, not fewer.
- (b) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement…
- Statement II is factually wrong, so both cannot be correct.
- (d) Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct
- It is Statement I that is correct and Statement II that is wrong.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.