Assertion (A): Bangalore receives much higher average annual rainfall than that of Mangalore. Reason (R): Bangalore has the benefit of receiving rainfall both from south-west and north-east monsoons.

Answer: (d) A is false but R is true

Mangalore, on the windward coast, gets ~3,500 mm; Bangalore, on the plateau, ~900 mm. But Bangalore does get both monsoons.

The idea

Orographic rain falls when hills force moist air upward. Rising air cools, and its water vapour condenses. Air descending on the opposite side warms and becomes drier, creating a rain shadow. The strength of this lifting matters more than simply counting rainy seasons.

Moist sea wind arrives → Western Ghats force it upward → Air cools → Vapour condenses → Heavy rain falls on the windward side → Air descends inland → Warming reduces its relative humidity

Why the others are wrong

(a) A is false — Mangalore gets roughly four times Bangalore’s rain.

(b) Accepts A because R is true and sounds like it should make Bangalore wetter. Two light seasons don’t beat one orographic deluge.

(c) Keeps A and rejects R. Bangalore does get both monsoons — it just gets little from either, sitting in the rain-shadow.

The trap

R is true, and it sounds like it should make Bangalore wetter. Two light seasons don’t beat one huge orographic season on the coast.

Elimination technique

Test the assertion before looking for a causal link. Knowing that the windward Mangalore coast is wetter makes A false, so (a), (b) and (c) cannot survive. Then confirm that Bengaluru receives rain in both seasons.

Also know

Mumbai and Pune show a similar coast–plateau contrast across the Ghats. Agumbe is another very wet windward location. Ladakh is a cold rain-shadow region behind Himalayan barriers, whereas the Deccan rain shadow is warm.