Consider the following statements: Statement-I: The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. Statement-II: The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

The key accepts both: water’s high specific heat keeps oceans cooler than land in summer, widening the contrast.

The idea

Specific heat is the energy needed to raise a unit mass by one degree. Water needs more energy than most land materials for the same rise. Ocean mixing and evaporation also slow changes at its surface. These explain seasonal land-sea contrasts, but do not establish one universal summer-versus-winter ordering.

Sun heats land and ocean → Land stores heat in a shallow layer → Water needs more energy per degree → Mixing spreads ocean heat downward → Evaporation uses some energy → Land temperature changes more sharply

Why the others are wrong

(b) II is the physical reason the key accepts.

(c) II is certainly true.

(d) The key treats I as true.

The trap

In the northern hemisphere, land–sea contrasts are often larger in winter — which makes I debatable.

Also know

In summer, land can develop a thermal low; in winter, cold land can develop a thermal high. Sea and land breezes are daily versions of this heating contrast, while monsoons involve a wider seasonal circulation. Winter contrasts can be very large over northern continents. Latitude and the places compared matter when comparing the two seasons.