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RAS question

How many of the following biome–climate characteristic pairs are CORRECTLY matched? 1. Tropical Rainforest — Mean annual temperature above 20°C with uniform rainfall throughout the year 2. Taiga (Boreal Forest) — Short cool summers, long severe winters, 40–100 cm precipitation mostly as snowfall 3. Tundra — Permafrost layer beneath the surface, very low precipitation (< 25 cm), no true trees 4. Savanna — Distinct wet and dry seasons, annual rainfall 50–130 cm, dominated by C4 grasses 5. Mediterranean — Hot dry summers and cool wet winters, rainfall 35–75 cm annually

Correct answer: (D) All five.

The tropical rainforest, taiga, tundra, savanna and Mediterranean climate descriptions in the question are all correctly matched to their biomes.

  1. (A)

    Only two

  2. (B)

    Only three

  3. (C)

    Only four

  4. (D)

    All five

Explanation

The five matches work because each pair points to the diagnostic climate or vegetation signal of that biome. NASA's Mission: Biomes pages describe rainforests as warm year-round, with average daily temperatures of 20-25°C and very high rainfall; rainforests also have a no-dry-season pattern. Taiga fits the coniferous or boreal profile: a short growing season, severe winters and 40-100 cm precipitation, mostly as snow. Tundra is identified by permafrost, very low precipitation and treeless vegetation. Savanna is the tropical grassland case: clear wet-dry seasonality, 50-130 cm rain and C4 grasses. Mediterranean shrubland matches hot dry summers, cool wet winters, and mainly winter rainfall. Since none of the five pairings misstates its biome, the count is five.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Only two is too low because the rainforest, taiga, tundra, savanna and Mediterranean pairs all match their stated climate or vegetation signatures.
  • (B) Only three would require two erroneous pairs, but none of the five descriptions conflicts with the biome characteristics.
  • (C) Only four is wrong because the Mediterranean pair is also valid, along with the rainforest, taiga, tundra and savanna pairs.

Concept

This tests world biomes through climate controls, precipitation regimes and vegetation response. It recurs in RAS because biome questions often ask candidates to separate look-alike ecosystems by seasonality, rainfall and temperature thresholds.

Source

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