Which of the following is NOT correctly matched ? (Wind) ; (Country)

The correct answer is D. Mistral is a cold, dry, strong northwesterly wind that blows from the Alps and Massif Central down the Rhone valley towards the Gulf of Lion. It is a French and Mediterranean wind, not an Australian one, so the pairing with Australia is wrong.

• A (Santa Ana, California): A hot, dry, downslope wind from the desert interior into Southern California, linked to autumn fire weather. Correctly matched.
• B (Haboob, Sudan): An Arabic term for a violent dust or sand storm, common over Sudan and the Sahel. Correctly matched.
• C (Yamo, Japan): A local wind name associated with Japan, so this pairing is treated as correct here.

The core concept is local wind systems, which are classified by their regional names and their origin, such as foehn-type downslope winds and dust-bearing winds. This connects to the Geography syllabus on atmospheric circulation and to Mains questions on extreme weather and disaster management.

Trap: Aspirants often assume that every wind name with a Mediterranean or European origin has a counterpart elsewhere, or they try to match Australian winds such as the Brickfielder and Southerly Buster to Mistral. Learn each wind with its region, not just its name.