Question
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?
Explanation
Statement I is incorrect: The land-ocean temperature contrast is actually more pronounced in winter, not summer, since land cools much faster than the ocean during colder months.
Statement II is correct: Water genuinely has a higher specific heat than land, meaning it takes more energy to change water’s temperature — this is why oceans warm and cool more slowly than continents, driving the seasonal temperature contrasts in the first place.
Since Statement I is wrong but Statement II is accurate, the answer is Option D.