Use the climatic data to answer the question below Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec…

Step 1: Analyze the data

• Temperature: 26-28°C all year, so the annual range is only about 2°C. It is hot throughout.
• Rainfall: it totals about 1,683 mm a year (35+50+104+139+195+228+248+243+245+250+91+55).
• There is a clear dry season (Nov to Feb, with 35-91 mm) and a long wet season (Mar to Oct, with over 100 mm each month).

Step 2: Compare with each climatic region

• A. Desert: Rainfall would be under 250 mm a year and temperatures would have a large range. This doesn't fit.
• B. Mediterranean: Summers are dry and winters are wet, and the temperature range is larger. This doesn't fit, because here the wet months are the warm ones.
• C. Equatorial: Rainfall is heavy in every month (usually over 2,000 mm a year) with no real dry season, and the temperature range is very small (about 1-2°C). The data show a distinct dry season of about four months with rainfall as low as 35 mm, which is not equatorial.
• D. Tropical Monsoon: Temperatures are high with a small range, and rainfall is high (1,500-2,500 mm) with a short dry season. Rain is concentrated in the high-sun months. The data fit this well.

Step 3: Conclusion

The high, uniform temperatures, the heavy rainfall of about 1,683 mm, and the short but definite dry season (Nov to Feb) point to a Tropical Monsoon climate.

Answer: D. Tropical Monsoon

Exam tip: For climate-data questions, check these three things in order:

1. The temperature range (small means tropical or equatorial).
2. The total rainfall.
3. Whether there is a dry season. Equatorial has none, Monsoon has a short one, and Savanna has a long one.