Physiographic Divisions — Set 6

Correct Answer: C. Doda Betta

• **Doda Betta** = highest peak of the Nilgiri Hills at 2,637 m, located near Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Tamil Nadu. • **2,637 m** — second highest peak in South India after Anamudi (2,695 m); part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Kalsubai: highest peak of Maharashtra at ~1,646 m, not in Nilgiris; Guru Shikhar: highest peak of Aravallis in Rajasthan at 1,722 m; Anamudi: highest in South India at 2,695 m, in Anaimalai Hills of Kerala not Nilgiris.

Correct Answer: A. Kanyakumari

• **Kanyakumari** = also called Cape Comorin, is the southernmost tip of mainland India, meeting point of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean. • **Indira Point** — the southernmost point of the entire Indian territory (not mainland), located in the Nicobar Islands. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Indira Point: southernmost of Indian territory but in Nicobar Islands, not mainland; Kovalam: a beach in Kerala, not the southernmost tip; Point Calimere: a cape in Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal coast, not the southernmost tip.

Correct Answer: D. Aravallis

• **Aravallis** = geologically the oldest mountain range in India, dating back to the Proterozoic era, billions of years old. • **Residual mountains** — Aravallis are heavily eroded and now exist as low discontinuous hills; highest peak Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Himalayas: youngest major range, formed ~50 million years ago; Vindhyas: ancient block mountains but younger than Aravallis; Western Ghats: faulted edge of Peninsular plateau, much younger than Aravallis.

Correct Answer: D. Jindhagada

• **Jindhagada Peak** = the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats at 1,690 m, located in Andhra Pradesh. • **Revised 1,690 m** — modern surveys corrected older textbooks that cited Mahendragiri; Jindhagada is the true highest. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Mahendragiri: in Odisha, cited in older texts as highest Eastern Ghats peak but now superseded by Jindhagada; Nallamala: a range in Andhra Pradesh, not the highest peak name; Malayagiri: highest peak of Odisha at 1,187 m, lower than Jindhagada.

Correct Answer: A. Sri Lanka

• **Palk Strait** = a narrow strip of water between Tamil Nadu (India) and Sri Lanka, connecting Bay of Bengal to Palk Bay. • **Named after Robert Palk** — former Governor of Madras (1755-1763); the strait is about 53-80 km wide. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Myanmar: separated from India by the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, no strait; Maldives: island nation in the Indian Ocean, separated by deep ocean waters; Indonesia: far southeast of India, no common strait.

Correct Answer: C. Sunderbans Delta

• **Sunderbans Delta** = world's largest delta, formed by the confluence of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. • **Mangrove forests** — Sunderbans is the world's largest mangrove forest; home to the Royal Bengal Tiger; spans WB and Bangladesh. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Mississippi Delta: in the USA, much smaller than Sunderbans; Amazon Delta: in Brazil, the river has no large delta as it enters the Atlantic Ocean directly; Nile Delta: in Egypt, a major delta but smaller than Sunderbans.

Correct Answer: B. Indira Col

• **Indira Col** = northernmost point of Indian territory, located in the Siachen Glacier near the India-Pakistan-China trijunction. • **Siachen Glacier** — world's second longest non-polar glacier; Indira Col is at the head of the glacier at ~5,765 m. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Dras: a town in Ladakh, second coldest inhabited place in the world, not the northernmost point; Kibithu: easternmost village of India in Arunachal Pradesh, not northernmost; Sir Creek: a disputed creek on India-Pakistan border in Gujarat, not northernmost.

Correct Answer: A. Gujarat

• **Gujarat** = has the longest coastline among all Indian states at over 1,600 km, including the Gulf of Kutch and Saurashtra peninsula. • **1,600 km** — Gujarat's coastline length; it is followed by Andhra Pradesh (~974 km) and Tamil Nadu (~906 km). • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Andhra Pradesh: second longest state coastline at ~974 km; Maharashtra: third or fourth, has significant coast but shorter than Gujarat and AP; Tamil Nadu: large coastline but shorter than Gujarat.

Correct Answer: D. West to East

• **Deccan Plateau** = tilted towards the East, causing most of its major rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) to flow into the Bay of Bengal. • **West-to-East slope** — the Eastern Ghats are lower than the Western Ghats because the plateau drains eastward. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: North to South: incorrect; the rivers prove the eastward tilt; South to North: no major Indian river flows this way from the Deccan; East to West: only Narmada and Tapti flow westward due to rift valleys, not the general slope.

Correct Answer: D. Andaman and Nicobar

• **Andaman and Nicobar Islands** = called the Emerald Islands due to their lush green forest cover; over 500 islands and islets in the Bay of Bengal. • **Volcanic and tectonic origin** — unlike Lakshadweep (coral), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are of volcanic and tectonic origin. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: New Moore Island: a disputed uninhabited island in the Bay of Bengal, now submerged; Daman and Diu: coastal UTs on western coast, not island groups; Lakshadweep: coral islands in Arabian Sea, called coral islands not Emerald Islands.