Physiographic Divisions — Set 7

Correct Answer: D. Old alluvium

• **Bangar** = older alluvium that forms the higher part of the northern plains, less fertile than Khadar, containing Kankar deposits. • **Kankar (calcareous nodules)** — calcium carbonate concretions that make Bangar less productive; lies above the flood level. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Young alluvium: that is Khadar, found in active floodplains; Marshy soil: describes Terai zone, not Bangar; Sandy dunes: describes Thar Desert or coastal areas, not northern plains.

Correct Answer: C. Outer Himalayas

• **Shiwalik (Outer Himalayas)** = the southernmost and lowest range of the Himalayas, composed of unconsolidated sediments. • **Outer Himalayas** — also called Sub-Himalayas; elevation ranges from 900-1,500 m; composed of soft, easily eroded material. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Trans Himalayas: refers to ranges north of the main Himalayan divide like Karakoram and Ladakh Range; Inner Himalayas: another name for Himadri (Great Himalayas), not Shiwaliks; Lesser Himalayas: name for Himachal range, the middle tier.

Correct Answer: D. Himadri

• **Himadri (Great Himalayas)** = Mount Everest (8,849 m) lies in this range on the Nepal-Tibet border; known as Sagarmatha in Nepal. • **Sagarmatha** — Nepali name for Everest; the Himadri range contains all 14 peaks above 8,000 m in the Himalayan system. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Karakoram: separate range to the northwest, home to K2; Himachal: the Lesser (middle) Himalayas, not home to Everest; Shiwalik: the outermost and lowest range, far from Everest.

Correct Answer: A. Kerala

• **Palghat Gap** = a major mountain pass in the Western Ghats in Kerala, between the Nilgiri Hills and the Anaimalai Hills. • **Road and rail corridor** — the only major gap in the Western Ghats wall allowing east-west transport connectivity in South India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Maharashtra: no Palghat Gap; has Thal and Bhore Ghats; Odisha: Eastern Ghats state, no Western Ghats feature; Gujarat: no Western Ghats at all.

Correct Answer: A. Godavari

• **Godavari** = longest river of the Peninsular Plateau and second longest in India; also called Dakshin Ganga or Vridha Ganga. • **Originates at Trimbakeshwar** — in Nashik district, Maharashtra; drains into the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Krishna: second longest peninsular river at ~1,400 km, shorter than Godavari; Mahanadi: peninsular river draining into Bay of Bengal in Odisha, shorter than Godavari; Kaveri: rises in Karnataka, important but much shorter than Godavari.

Correct Answer: D. Rann of Kutch

• **Luni River** = the most important river of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan; an ephemeral river ending in the marshy Rann of Kutch. • **Does not reach the sea** — Luni drains into the Rann of Kutch, which is a seasonal salt marsh, not the open ocean. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Bay of Bengal: eastern coast, Luni flows westward in Rajasthan; Chilika Lake: saltwater lagoon in Odisha, unrelated to Luni; Arabian Sea: Luni flows towards the west but ends in Rann of Kutch before reaching the open sea.

Correct Answer: A. Himalayas

• **Himalayas** = contain India's coldest inhabited place, Dras, in Kargil district of Ladakh; temperatures drop below -40 deg C. • **Dras** — called the 'Gateway to Ladakh'; second coldest permanently inhabited place in the world after Oymyakon in Russia. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Aravallis: semi-arid range in hot Rajasthan, no extreme cold; Satpuras: central Indian range with moderate climate; Vindhyas: central Indian block mountains, not associated with extreme cold.

Correct Answer: B. Sikkim

• **Sikkim** = shares international borders with three countries: Nepal (west), Bhutan (east), and China (north). • **Strategic location** — Sikkim is a strategically vital Himalayan state; Nathu La pass provides an important corridor. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Bihar: landlocked state, borders only Indian states; Meghalaya: borders Bangladesh and Assam, only one foreign country; Uttar Pradesh: landlocked, borders only Indian states and Nepal (one country).

Correct Answer: D. Sahyadri

• **Sahyadri** = the local name for the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Karnataka, running parallel to the western coast for ~1,600 km. • **Older than Himalayas** — the Western Ghats formed before the Himalayas; they are the faulted edge of the ancient Peninsular plateau. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Himachal: name for the Lesser Himalayas (middle Himalayan range); Himadri: name for the Great Himalayas (northernmost range); Purvanchal: name for the eastern hills of NE India bordering Myanmar.

Correct Answer: B. Anamudi

• **Anamudi** = NOT a Himalayan peak; it is the highest peak of the Western Ghats in South India at 2,695 m, in Kerala. • **Western Ghats peak** — Anamudi is in the Anaimalai Hills of Kerala; Kanchenjunga, Namcha Barwa, and Nanda Devi are all Himalayan. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Kanchenjunga: third highest in the world at 8,586 m on India-Nepal border, Himalayan; Namcha Barwa: 7,782 m in the eastern Himalayas on Tibet-Arunachal border; Nanda Devi: 7,816 m in Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand.