Q 01/05

Traditionally, how is a monsoon defined?

A) A rotating tropical wind

B) A dry downslope wind

C) A seasonal reversing wind

D) A daily coastal breeze

Answer · why

C) A seasonal reversing wind

The word is now also used for the seasonal swing in rainfall tied to the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Q 02/05

The English word "monsoon" ultimately derives from an Arabic word meaning what?

A) Rain

B) Wind

C) Season

D) Flood

Answer · why

C) Season

It reached English through Portuguese monção, and partly through early modern Dutch.

Q 03/05

Which language did "monsoon" pass through on its way from Arabic into English?

A) Hindi

B) Portuguese

C) Persian

D) Malay

Answer · why

B) Portuguese

Portuguese sailors were the first Europeans to work the Indian Ocean trade winds regularly.

Q 04/05

The migration of which atmospheric feature is now considered the driver of monsoons?

A) The subtropical jet stream core

B) The Intertropical Convergence Zone

C) The polar-front jet stream

D) The Hadley cell boundary zone

Answer · why

B) The Intertropical Convergence Zone

Its northern and southern limits shift with the land–sea heating contrast each year.

Q 05/05

Why do continents warm up more quickly than the sea in summer, setting up monsoon winds?

A) Land has a lower heat capacity

B) Land reflects more sunlight

C) Land is darker than water

D) Land is closer to the sun

Answer · why

A) Land has a lower heat capacity

Water also mixes heat down to about 50 metres by convection, while rock and sand can only conduct it.