Question

Which one of the following places is unlikely to be affected by a cyclone?
A) Chennai
B) Mangalore
C) Amritsar
D) Puri

Answer 1

Hint: Cyclone is a large-scale air mass that rotates the water in clockwise or anticlockwise direction causing destruction in the nearby regions. Cyclone hits places that are surrounded by water bodies ie. seas or oceans. The answer to this question is the area that is not surrounded by water bodies.

Complete answer:
The answer is Amritsar is located far away from the coastal area, So Amritsar is unlikely to be affected by a cyclone. This is because the city doesn't lie near any coastal region and generally coastal regions are affected by the cyclones and so here Amritsar fits the best.

A Cyclone is a natural disaster defined as the rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low-pressure centre which circles counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern. Cyclones are called by different names in different regions. Like in China, it is called Typhoons, Tropical Cyclones i Indian Ocean, Hurricanes in Carribean Sea, Tornadoes in USA, Baguio in Philippines and Taifu in Japan.

Cyclones are formed in low pressure regions and the topography, intensity and frequency of the cyclone decides the vulnerability of the place. The warm, moist air above the oceans and seas rises upwards from near the surface causing an area of low pressure below. From the surrounding areas, high pressure air gets into the low pressure region and this cycle continues. The water in the air forms clouds and this whole system fed by ocean’s heat and evaporating water from the ocean surface grows. The storm rotates faster and faster forming a centre and this is how cyclones are formed.

Here the remaining options Chennai, Mangaluru and Puri are located near the sea so these are incorrect answers.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: There are three types of cyclones -
i) Tropical Cyclones occur in tropical regions namely Hurricanes which are found in Atlantic Northeast Pacific and Typhoons found in Northwest Pacific.
ii) Polar Cyclones occur in Polar regions of Greenland, Siberia and Antarctica and are strong during winters.
iii) Mesocyclone is a vortex of air within a convective storm. The air rises and rotates around a vertical axis, usually in the same direction as low-pressure systems in a hemisphere.