Q. Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): The interior part of Australia is desert and semi-desert.
Reason (R): Northern Australia is situated in the temperate zone.
Select the correct answer from the code given below:
a) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
b) (A) is false, but (R) is true
c) (A) is true, but (R) is false
d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Correct Answer: c) (A) is true, but (R) is false
Question from UPPSC Prelims 2025
Explanation:
Assertion (A) is true: Much of interior Australia (the Outback) is arid or semi-arid, including the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Gibson, and Simpson Deserts. This is due to the subtropical high-pressure belt (descending dry air around 25–35°S), continentality and distance from coasts, rain shadow from the Great Dividing Range in the east, and the cool West Australian Current reducing moisture along the west coast.
Reason (R) is false: Northern Australia lies largely north of the Tropic of Capricorn (~23.5°S) and is in the tropical zone with a tropical monsoon climate. The temperate zone mainly applies to southern Australia and Tasmania.
Therefore, (A) is true but (R) is false. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
