GS Paper I — Q14
Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with…
Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
विश्व की प्रमुख पर्वत श्रृंखलाओं के संरेखण का संक्षिप्त उल्लेख कीजिए तथा उनके स्थानीय मौसम पर पड़े प्रभावों का सोदाहरण वर्णन कीजिए । (250 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Alignment Young fold mountains form two great belts: the Circum-Pacific (Rockies and Andes, running north–south along the Americas' western edge) and the Alpine–Himalayan (Atlas, Alps, Caucasus, Himalaya, running east–west across Eurasia). Old ranges such as the Urals (north–south) and Appalachians (northeast–southwest) also lie across wind flows.
Orographic rain and rain shadow Moist air forced up a windward slope cools adiabatically and gives rain; descending leeward air warms and dries. The north–south Western Ghats catch the southwest monsoon and leave the Deccan interior drier; the Andes shadow Patagonia, and the Sierra Nevada the Great Basin.
Climatic barriers East–west ranges block air masses. The Himalayas stop cold Siberian air in winter and force monsoon rain onto the foothills and Terai, leaving Tibet arid; the Alps divide Mediterranean from continental climate.
Local winds Descending warm, dry air forms the chinook on the eastern Rockies and the foehn in the Alps, sharply raising temperatures and melting snow; cold air draining into valleys causes inversions, fog and frost.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS1 Geography: Physical Geography (Mountain Ranges & Climate)
What earns full marks: Clear alignment map + mechanism of rain shadow/orographic lift + specific examples.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Describe global mountain alignment and analyze their climatic impact with examples. 15 marks · 250 words
explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Identify major ranges (Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alps)
- Explain alignment (Circum-Pacific, Alpine-Himalayan belts)
- Explain rain shadow effect mechanism
- Explain orographic precipitation mechanism
Loses marks
- Listing ranges without explaining alignment
- Describing weather without linking to mountains
- Narrating chronology of mountain formation
Earns more
- Mention specific local weather changes (e.g., Gobi desert)
- Reference jet stream deflection
- Mention temperature lapse rate
- Reference specific wind patterns (Westerlies/Monsoon)
Extra mark
- 30-second sketch map of global ranges
- Specific statistic on rainfall difference (windward vs leeward)
What "Explain" is asking you to do
Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.
Structure that answers it
State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces
Where marks are lost
Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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