The point of the monsoon passage — Aptitude Question
The point of the monsoon passage: India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two. Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Reading Comprehension
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 90 seconds
Question
India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two. The south-west monsoon arrives in Kerala in early June and works north over six weeks, bringing roughly three-quarters of the country's annual rainfall. The north-east monsoon, far smaller, returns in October and waters the south-eastern coast. Forecasting either has improved markedly since the 1990s, though the models remain better at predicting the total than its distribution — which is unfortunate, because it is the distribution that determines whether a crop survives.
What is the main point of the passage?
Options
- Monsoon forecasting has not improved since the 1990s.
- The monsoon is two distinct events, and forecasts predict its total better than its distribution.
- The north-east monsoon matters more to agriculture than the south-west.
- Kerala receives most of India's annual rainfall.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. The monsoon is two distinct events, and forecasts predict its total better than its distribution.
Worked solution
- The passage opens by splitting the monsoon into two events.
- It then says forecasts predict the total better than the distribution, and that the distribution is what matters for crops.
- That is exactly the second option. The first contradicts the text, the third reverses the sizes, and the fourth misreads Kerala as the destination rather than the arrival point.
Answer: The monsoon is two distinct events, and forecasts predict its total better than its distribution.
The idea
The main idea is the claim every other sentence supports. Reject options that are true but minor, and options that overstate what the passage says.
Shortcut. The first sentence (two monsoons) and the last (total against distribution) frame the passage, and only one option covers both ends; each of the other three misstates a single detail.
Common trap. "Kerala receives most of India's annual rainfall." — the passage puts Kerala and 'three-quarters of the country's annual rainfall' in one sentence, but Kerala is only where the south-west monsoon arrives.