What could be the main reason /reasons for the formation of African and Eurasian desert belts? Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context?

Answer: (a) 1 only

Subtropical highs create the desert belts.

Statement by statement

1. ✓ CORRECT Subtropical high-pressure cells bring sinking, dry air.

2. ✗ WRONG Deserts on west coasts are linked to COLD currents, not warm ones.

The idea

A subtropical high is a belt where air descends. Descending air is compressed and warms, lowering its relative humidity and discouraging rain clouds. On some west coasts, cold water also keeps the lower air stable. These conditions explain aridity better than high temperature alone.

Air rises in the tropics → It spreads poleward aloft → Air descends near the subtropics → Compression warms it → Relative humidity falls → Cloud growth and rainfall are suppressed

Why the others are wrong

(b) Accepts warm currents.

(c) Accepts warm currents.

(d) Rejects the subtropical high.

The trap

Cold currents dry the air; warm currents bring rain.

Elimination technique

The west-coast current clue is reversed: the textbook coastal-desert association is with cold currents. Reject statement 2 and every code containing it; sinking air under a subtropical high supplies the remaining explanation.

Also know

The Namib is associated with Benguela, the Atacama with Humboldt and the north-west African coast with Canary. Kalahari is an inland dry region and should not simply be labelled a cold-current coastal desert. Cold currents can favour fog while suppressing deep rain clouds. Ladakh and the Gobi show that deserts need not be hot.