The radiation that is absorbed by ozone present in the atmosphere is

Answer: C, Ultraviolet. Ozone in the stratosphere, roughly 15 to 35 km up, absorbs almost all the UV-C and a large part of the UV-B that reaches the top of the atmosphere. The core concept is selective absorption: each gas absorbs specific wavelengths based on its molecular bonds, and ozone's strong absorption band lies in the UV region.

• Infrared (A): Terrestrial infrared is absorbed mainly by water vapour and carbon dioxide. Ozone plays only a minor role here.
• Visible (B): The atmosphere is transparent to visible light. That is why we can see the sun and the sky, and why plants can photosynthesise.
• Microwave (D): Microwaves pass through the atmosphere largely unabsorbed. That is the basis of satellite communication and radar.

Mains link: ozone depletion from CFCs led to the Vienna Convention (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987), a model of successful international environmental action. Recent UN assessments project Antarctic ozone recovery around 2066.

Trap: aspirants remember that ozone is a greenhouse gas and pick infrared. Its greenhouse effect in the troposphere is real but secondary; its key role in the stratosphere is UV absorption.