Consider the following climatic and geographical phenomena: Thunder cloud development is due to which of these phenomena?

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

All four help build thunderclouds.

Statement by statement

1. ✓ YES Condensation releases latent heat that fuels the cloud.

2. ✓ YES Hot, humid air is the raw material.

3. ✓ YES Mountains force air to rise.

4. ✓ YES Strong updrafts build tall cumulonimbus.

The idea

A thundercloud grows when moist air is lifted in an unstable atmosphere. Cooling causes condensation, which releases latent heat and helps the rising air remain buoyant. A mountain can supply lift, just as strong surface heating or convergence can. These are helping factors, not a requirement that every storm form over a mountain.

Warm, moist air is available → Heating, convergence or a mountain provides lift → Rising air expands and cools → Water vapour condenses → Latent heat strengthens the updraught → A tall cumulonimbus develops

Why the others are wrong

(a) Drops orography and updrafts.

(b) Drops condensation.

(c) Drops orography.

Also know

Convectional, orographic and frontal lifting are three common ways to raise moist air. A storm can contain both updraughts and rain-cooled downdraughts. Hail grows when strong updraughts keep ice particles in the cloud. Thunder comes from rapid expansion of lightning-heated air, not from the clouds colliding.