Which branch of the Indian southwest monsoon first hits the Western Ghats of Kerala, bringing the majority of rainfall?

• A. Northeast monsoon
• B. Southwest monsoon
• C. Retreating monsoon
• D. Summer monsoon

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the moist, onshore winds from the southwest bring the main monsoon rainfall, and Kerala is the first land to feel them. As the southwest monsoon advances, air from the Arabian Sea moves onto the land and is forced upward by the Western Ghats. This orographic lifting causes heavy condensation and showers, so Kerala experiences the onset and the early, intense rainfall that characterizes the season. Because this event marks the arrival and the principal rainfall phase of the southwest monsoon, it is the branch that first hits the Western Ghats and delivers the majority of the rainfall. The other options describe different monsoon timings or seasons, but they do not represent the initial landfall of the southwest monsoon over Kerala.