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Q20 (IAS/2019) Geography › World Physical Geography › Earth rotation and time Official Key

On 21st June, the Sun

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is option A because on 21st June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, and the rays of the sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer[1]. At the Arctic Circle, the Sun never 'sets' at mid-summer (21 June) and there is a complete 24-hour period of continuous daylight[2]. This phenomenon occurs because of the axial tilt of the Earth, the Sun does not set at high latitudes in local summer[3].

Option B is incorrect because on 21st June it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so the Antarctic Circle experiences polar night, not midnight sun. Option C is incorrect because the Sun is vertically overhead at the equator on two days each year, usually 21 March and 23 September[4] (the equinoxes), not on 21st June. Option D is incorrect because on 22nd December, the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct rays of the sun[5], not on 21st June when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.

Sources
  1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252
  2. [2] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
  3. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Midnight Sun > p. 253
  4. [4] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > THE ALTITUDE OF THE MIDDAY SUN > p. 7
  5. [5] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Winter Solstice > p. 253
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. On 21st June, the Sun [A] does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle [B] does not set below the horizon at Antarctic Circle […
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a textbook 'Sitter' question found in the first 10 pages of any standard Geography resource (NCERT Class 6 or GC Leong). It tests the fundamental definition of the Summer Solstice. If you get this wrong, you are statistically out of the race because 95% of serious aspirants will mark this correctly in under 30 seconds.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
On 21st June, does the Sun remain above the horizon (midnight sun) at the Arctic Circle?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Midnight Sun > p. 253
Presence: 5/5
“• Because of the axial tilt of the Earth, the Sun does not set at high latitudes in local summer. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases as one goes closer to the poles. The Sun remains continuously visible for one day during the summer solstice (21st June in the Northern Hemisphere and 22nd December in the Southern Hemisphere) at the polar circle, for several weeks only 100 km closer to the pole, and for six months at the poles. The Sun sets and rises very close to the horizon at the higher latitudes”
Why this source?
  • Explains that due to Earth's axial tilt the Sun does not set at high latitudes in local summer.
  • Specifically states the Sun remains continuously visible for one day during the summer solstice at the polar circle (21st June).
Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > The Earth's Revolution > p. 7
Presence: 5/5
“The Sun never 'rises' and there is darkness for the whole day in mid-winter on 22 December. Beyond the Arctic Circle, the number of days with complete darkness increases, until we reach the North Pole (90° N) when half the year will have darkness. [In the summer (June), conditions are exactly reversed. Daylight increases as we go polewards. At the Arctic Circle, the Sun never 'sets' at mid-summer (21 June) and there is a complete 24-hour period of continuous daylight. In the southern hemisphere, the same process takes place, except that the conditions are reversed. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere will experience winter.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly asserts that at the Arctic Circle the Sun never sets at mid-summer (21 June) giving a complete 24-hour period of daylight.
  • Presents the mid-summer/mid-winter symmetry that underpins polar day/night at polar circles.
Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Summer Solstice > p. 252
Presence: 5/5
“• On 21st June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, and the rays of the sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer. As a result, these areas receive more heat. Since a large portion of the northern hemisphere is getting light from the sun, it is summer in the regions north of the equator. The longest day and the shortest night across the northern hemisphere occur on the 21st of June. This position of the earth is called the summer solstice. During summer solstice the whole Arctic region falls within the 'zone of illumination' all day long.• At this time in the southern hemisphere, all these conditions are reversed.”
Why this source?
  • States that on 21st June the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and the whole Arctic region falls within the zone of illumination all day.
  • Links the summer solstice geometry to the longest day and continuous daylight in Arctic latitudes.
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