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Q33 (IAS/2025) Geography › World Physical Geography › Earth rotation and time Answer Verified

Consider the following statements : Statement I : Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis. Statement II : Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy. Statement III : As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is option C because only Statement III is correct and it explains Statement I, while Statement II is incorrect.

Statement I is accurate: shifts in mass cause the planet to wobble as it spins and its axis to shift location (polar motion), and also cause Earth's rotation to slow[1]. About 90% of the periodic oscillations in polar motion can be explained by melting ice sheets and glaciers, diminishing groundwater, and sea level rise[2].

Statement III is correct and explains Statement I. Melting ice, dwindling groundwater, and rising seas are nudging the planet's spin axis and lengthening days[3]. When polar ice melts, the water redistributes toward the equatorial regions, causing mass redistribution that affects Earth's rotation.

Statement II, however, is factually incorrect regarding its impact on Earth's rotation. Although solar flares and coronal mass ejections can bombard Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amounts of energy, most of that energy is reflected back into space by Earth's magnetic field, and because the energy does not reach our planet's surface, it has no measurable influence on surface temperature[4]—and consequently no effect on Earth's rotation or axis shift. Therefore, only Statement III correctly explains Statement I.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-funded-studies-explain-how-climate-is-changing-earths-rotation/
  2. [2] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-funded-studies-explain-how-climate-is-changing-earths-rotation/
  3. [3] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-funded-studies-explain-how-climate-is-changing-earths-rotation/
  4. [4] https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/do-solar-storms-cause-heat-waves-earth
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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. Consider the following statements : Statement I : Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and a…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2/10 · 8/10
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Statement 1
Do recent scientific studies report a measurable shift in Earth's rotation rate or the orientation of its rotation axis (polar motion/true polar wander)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"These resulting shifts in mass cause the planet to wobble as it spins and its axis to shift location — a phenomenon called polar motion. They also cause Earth’s rotation to slow, measured by the lengthening of the day. Both have been recorded since 1900."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states that mass redistribution causes polar motion (axis shifts) and a slowing rotation (longer day).
  • Says both polar motion and length-of-day changes have been recorded since 1900, indicating measurable shifts.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The location of Earth’s spin axis moved about 30 feet (10 meters) between 1900 and 2023, as shown in this animation. A recent study found that about 90% of the periodic oscillations in polar motion could be explained by melting ice sheets and glaciers, diminishing groundwater, and sea level rise."
Why this source?
  • Gives a quantified change in pole position: the spin axis moved about 30 feet (10 meters) between 1900 and 2023.
  • Cites a study attributing ~90% of polar motion oscillations to measurable recent mass changes (ice melt, groundwater loss, sea level rise).
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Past papers have drawn connections between more recent polar motion and human activities, including one authored by Adhikari that attributed a sudden eastward drift of the axis (starting around 2000) to faster melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and groundwater depletion in Eurasia."
Why this source?
  • Notes recent research linking a sudden eastward drift of the rotation axis (starting around 2000) to accelerated ice melt and groundwater depletion.
  • Indicates recent, measurable changes in polar motion tied to human-influenced mass redistribution.

Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun > 12.1 Rotation of the Earth > p. 171
Strength: 4/5
“In which way is the Earth turning around itself? To visualise this, let us recall some of the objects which turn around themselves. Have you watched a top spinning around its spindle (Fig. 12.2a)? Or a spinning fan (Fig. 12.2b)? Or tried spinning a ball (Fig. 12.2c)? In a similar manner, the Earth also spins (or rotates) on its own axis in space as shown in Fig. 12.3. The Earth's axis of rotation passes through its geographic North Pole and the South Pole. The Earth completes one rotation in about 24 hours. When viewed from the top of the North Pole (Fig.”
Why relevant

Gives the standard baseline that Earth completes one rotation in about 24 hours and defines the rotation axis through geographic poles.

How to extend

A student could compare this textbook baseline to precise modern measurements (e.g., reported day length variations or leap-second records) to judge whether the rotation rate has measurably changed.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 7: Tectonics > 7.1. Major Concepts That Tried to Explain the Tectonic Processes > p. 93
Strength: 5/5
“• Continental Drift Theory (CDT): Continental drift refers to the movement of the continents relative to each other.• Polar wandering (similar to Continental Drift Theory): Polar wandering is the relative movement of the earth's crust and upper mantle with respect to the rotational poles of the earth.• Seafloor Spreading Theory (SST): It describes the movement of oceanic plates relative to one another.• Plate Tectonics (PT): Plate tectonics is the movement of lithospheric plates relative to each other.• Convection Current Theory (CCT): Convection current theory forms the basis for SST and PT. It explains the force behind plate movements.”
Why relevant

Defines 'polar wandering' as relative movement of Earth's crust/upper mantle with respect to the rotational poles—introducing the concept of poles moving relative to surface features.

How to extend

One could use this definition to look up geodetic/tectonic studies (IERS or plate reconstructions) to see whether observed polar motion or true polar wander has been reported recently.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 5: Earths Magnetic Field (Geomagnetic Field) > 5.6. Compass > p. 76
Strength: 4/5
“• A compass needle points towards the magnetic north because the earth, which acts like a giant magnet, has the south pole of its magnetic field at the magnetic north.• Earth's magnetic dipole field (simple north-south field like that of a simple bar magnet) is usually aligned fairly closely with the Earth's rotational axis, which is why a compass works. However, the compass doesn't always point exactly north (geographic north). This is because the Earth's magnetic North Pole is not the same as "True North (Earth's Geographic North Pole)." Although the magnetic declination (deviation from true north) does shift with time, this wandering is slow enough that a simple compass remains useful for navigation.• Using magnetoreception various organisms, ranging from some types of bacteria, sea turtles, some migratory birds, pigeons, etc. use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation and navigation.”
Why relevant

Explains that Earth's magnetic poles wander over time and that magnetic north is distinct from geographic (rotational) north; it notes that pole positions can shift slowly.

How to extend

A student could use the analogy of magnetic pole wandering to distinguish magnetic-field changes from actual changes in the rotation axis, and then consult geodetic data to test which is occurring.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > 19.1. Rotation of Earth > p. 251
Strength: 3/5
“• The spinning movement of the earth is called rotation. The earth rotates around its axis in the west to east direction. It takes earth approximately 24 hrs (23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds) to complete one rotation.• Earth's axis is an imaginary line that is antipodal ― meaning it passes through the centre of the earth connecting two exactly opposite ends. It passes through the North Pole, the earth's centre, and the South Pole• Days and nights occur due to the rotation of the earth. The circle dividing day from night on the globe is called the circle of illumination.• Earth rotates on a tilted axis.”
Why relevant

States the precise traditional rotation period (23:56:04) and that the axis is tilted—providing a concrete value and geometry to compare against high-precision modern determinations.

How to extend

Use this canonical rotation period and axis orientation as a reference when checking recent high-precision geodetic or astronomical measurements for small deviations.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 23: Pressure Systems and Wind System > UPSC Prelims 2011] Which one of the following weather conditions is indicated by a sudden fall in barometer reading? > p. 308
Strength: 3/5
“• Due to the earth's rotation, winds do not cross the isobars at right angles as the pressure gradient force directs but get deflected from their original path. This deviation is the result of the earth's rotation and is called the Coriolis effect. Due to this effect, winds in the northern hemisphere get deflected to the right of their path and those in the southern hemisphere to their left (Farrell's Law). This deflection force does not seem to exist until the air is set in motion and increases with wind velocity and an increase in latitude.”
Why relevant

Describes observable effects (Coriolis deflection) that depend on Earth's rotation, implying that changes in rotation rate/orientation would have measurable physical consequences.

How to extend

A student could reason that measurable changes in rotation should produce detectable changes in such dynamical phenomena and therefore seek measurements (meteorological/oceanographic records, inertial sensors) to test for them.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

NDA-I · 2010 · Q5 Relevance score: -0.50

Statement I : Winds are deflected to their right in the northern hemisphere and to their left in the southern hemisphere. Statement II : The Earth’s axis is inclined.