Question

Lightning occurs because of:
(A) rain
(B) electric discharge
(C) wind
(D) shaking of earth

Answer 1

Hint:Lightning is a discharge of electricity. A single stroke of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000°C (54,000°F). Due to opposite charge interaction the negative layer at the lower part of the cloud gets interacted towards the positively charged earth surface causing lighting.

Complete step by step answer:
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one gigajoule of energy.

Therefore lightning occurs because of electric discharge.

Additional information:
Lightning is caused due to an electrical discharge which is the result of imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or most often within the clouds themselves. During a rainy storm, there is an increase in the imbalance between the clouds and the ground due to the colliding particles of rain, ice, or snow inside the cloud. The lower layer or region of the storm cloud becomes negatively charged. The ground i.e. the earth itself becomes positively charged. As we know, opposite charges tend to attract each other. Lightning occurs to remedy this natural imbalance.

Note: As the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud becomes large enough, a flow of negative charge called a stepped leader flows toward the Earth. The positive charges at the ground are attracted to the stepped leader, so positive charge flows upward from the ground causing lightning.