Official Answer Key & Detailed Solution
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Correct Answer: Option (B) — Inter-tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference VerifiedOption (b) is correct: Tropical cyclones require significant low-level convergence and high vertical instability. In the tropical South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific, the ITCZ rarely shifts southward into these basins, resulting in unfavorable atmospheric dynamics and high vertical wind shear that inhibit cyclone genesis. Option (a) is insufficient as a standalone primary atmospheric reason because localized warming occurs without cyclone development. Option (c) is incorrect as Coriolis force at these latitudes is sufficient for cyclogenesis. Option (d) is incorrect as cyclones form over open warm ocean waters, not land.
Cyclone formation requires both ocean thermal energy and atmospheric convergence/low vertical wind shear provided by the ITCZ. The absence/weakness of the ITCZ in these basins is a classic climatological reason.
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