Drainage Systems MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika in Odisha lies in the delta formed by the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers near the Bay of Bengal; the Brahmani rises in Jharkhand (as the Sankh and South Koel) while the Baitarani rises in Odisha, and the area is a protected mangrove ecosystem famous for crocodiles, so option (a) fits perfectly. Chandipur-on-sea and Gopalpur-on-sea are coastal beach locations, not river-confluence biodiversity reserves. Simlipal is a hilly tiger reserve and biosphere in the interior, not a coastal river confluence. Only Bhitarkanika matches all the clues.

Correct answer: B - 2 and 4

The Nagavali and the Vamsadhara both originate in the Eastern Ghats region near the Odisha-Andhra border and flow southeast into the Bay of Bengal, so statements 2 and 4 are correct. The Brahmani is formed by the Sankh and South Koel and the Subarnarekha rises near Ranchi, both originating on the Chota Nagpur plateau rather than the Eastern Ghats, so 1 and 3 are wrong. Hence the correct pair is 2 and 4.

Correct answer: A - 1 only

The Narmada flows westward because it occupies a linear rift (fault) valley that slopes to the west, so statement 1 is the correct reason and option (a) is right. Statement 2 merely describes its location between the Vindhyas and Satpuras, which does not by itself dictate westward flow. Statement 3 is factually wrong because the peninsular plateau generally slopes from west to east, which is why most peninsular rivers like the Godavari and Krishna flow eastward.

Correct answer: B - Gomati - Ghaghara - Gandak - Kosi

Moving downstream from Prayagraj toward the east, the Gomati joins the Ganga first, followed by the Ghaghara, then the Gandak, and finally the Kosi near the Bihar plains. This west-to-east order matches option (b). The other sequences either place the Ghaghara before the Gomati or invert the Gandak and Kosi, both of which contradict the actual confluence positions along the Ganga's course.

Correct answer: C - Only three pairs

Ghataprabha reservoir is in Karnataka, not Telangana, so pair 1 is wrongly matched. Gandhi Sagar on the Chambal is correctly in Madhya Pradesh. Indira Sagar is on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, not Andhra Pradesh, so pair 3 is wrong, and Maithon on the Barakar is in Jharkhand, not Chhattisgarh, so pair 4 is wrong. Three pairs are therefore not correctly matched.

Correct answer: B - Syntaxial bending of geologically young Himalayas

Correct answer (b) Syntaxial bending of geologically young Himalayas. Near Namcha Barwa the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo) takes its sharp U-shaped bend because of the syntaxial bend, the acute hairpin warping of the still-rising young Himalayan ranges at their eastern terminus, which deflects the river around the structure into India. (a) names only a partial cause, the uplift, without the bending geometry, and (c) describes general tectonic disturbance too vaguely. The precise structural cause is the eastern syntaxis, so (b) is the best answer and (d) is unnecessary.

Correct answer: D - 2 and 3 only

Indravati and Pranahita are both major left-bank tributaries of the Godavari; the Pranahita itself carries the combined waters of the Wardha, Wainganga and Penganga before joining the Godavari at Kaleshwaram. Vamsadhara is an independent east-flowing river between the Mahanadi and the Godavari, draining parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh directly into the Bay of Bengal. Pennar is likewise an independent river rising in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka and flowing through Andhra Pradesh to the sea. So only 2 and 3 are Godavari tributaries.

Correct answer: A - 1, 2 and 4

The Bandarpunch glacier in Uttarakhand feeds the Yamuna, the Bara Shigri glacier in Himachal Pradesh drains into the Chenab, and the Siachen glacier is the source of the Nubra river, so pairs 1, 2 and 4 are correctly matched. The Milam glacier gives rise to the Goriganga, a tributary of the Kali river, not the Mandakini, which originates from the Chorabari glacier. The Zemu glacier in Sikkim feeds the Teesta, not the Manas, which rises in Bhutan. Hence only the combination 1, 2 and 4 is correct.