Physiography of India MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - Andaman and Nicobar

The Ten Degree Channel, lying roughly along the 10 degree north latitude, separates the Andaman group of islands from the Nicobar group, so option (a) is correct. Nicobar and Sumatra are separated by the Great Channel, ruling out (b). Maldives and Lakshadweep lie in the Arabian Sea and are unrelated to this channel, ruling out (c). Sumatra and Java are separated by the Sunda Strait, ruling out (d).

Correct answer: D - North of Nubra Valley

The Siachen Glacier lies in the eastern Karakoram range and its meltwater feeds the Nubra river, with the glacier sitting to the north of the Nubra Valley. It is not east of Aksai Chin, which lies far to the east, nor simply east of Leh, and it is well to the east, not the north, of Gilgit. Hence Siachen Glacier is situated to the north of the Nubra Valley.

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: D - Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat

Arunachal Pradesh extends to about 97 degrees E near Kibithu, making it India's easternmost state, while Gujarat's Kutch region stretches to about 68 degrees E near Guhar Moti, making it the westernmost. Assam lies well to the west of Arunachal Pradesh's eastern tip, so any pair naming Assam as easternmost fails. Rajasthan's westernmost point is still east of Gujarat's western extremity, so pairs naming Rajasthan as westernmost are also wrong.

Correct answer: D - saline lakes

Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are all saline (salt) lakes located in the semi-arid Nagaur and adjoining districts of Rajasthan, important for inland salt production, so the correct answer is saline lakes. They are not Himalayan glaciers, nor coastal mangrove formations, and although Rajasthan has Ramsar wetlands like Sambhar and Keoladeo, these particular salt lakes are not the designated Ramsar sites, so the other three options are wrong.

Correct answer: B - 2 only

Namcha Barwa lies in the eastern Himalaya in Tibet near the Arunachal border, not in the Garhwal Himalaya, so pair 1 is wrong. Nanda Devi is correctly located in the Kumaon Himalaya of Uttarakhand, so pair 2 is correct. Nokrek is a peak in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, part of the Meghalaya plateau, not the Sikkim Himalaya, so pair 3 is wrong. Hence only pair 2 is correctly matched.

Correct answer: A - 1, 2 and 3 only

Coral reefs in India occur off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the Gulf of Kachchh and in the Gulf of Mannar, so 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Sundarbans (4) is a deltaic mangrove ecosystem with muddy, brackish, sediment-laden waters unsuitable for reef-building corals, so it is excluded. Hence 1, 2 and 3 only.

Correct answer: C - 3 and 4

Pairs 3 and 4 are correct: the Mahadeo Hills lie in central India (Satpura range, Madhya Pradesh) and the Mikir (Karbi Anglong) Hills are in the North-East. Pair 1 is wrong because the Cardamom Hills are in the Western Ghats (Kerala-Tamil Nadu), not the Coromandel Coast. Pair 2 is wrong because the Kaimur Hills lie in central-eastern India (UP-Bihar), not the Konkan Coast. Hence 3 and 4.