Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.

Statement-II: The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2023: General Studies (SET - A - Held on 28 May)

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-l
Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Statement-I is incorrect Statement-II is correct

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 4Key Points

Temperature Contrast:
- The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during winter than in summer.
- During winter, the land cools down faster and to a larger extent compared to oceans, leading to a significant temperature difference.
- In summer, while land heats up quickly, the difference in temperature between land and sea is less extreme compared to winter.
- Hence, Statement-I is incorrect.
Specific Heat of Water:
- The specific heat of water is higher than that of land. This means it takes more heat energy to raise the temperature of water compared to land.
- Due to this property, water heats up and cools down more slowly than land, affecting temperature variations between oceans and continents.
- Hence, Statement-II is correct.
Relation Between the Statements:
- The higher specific heat of water causes oceans to change temperature more slowly than land, resulting in a greater temperature contrast during winter rather than summer.
Therefore, the correct answer is Option 4: Statement-I is incorrect, Statement-II is correct.