Rivers of India — Set 9

Correct Answer: B. Godavari

• **Godavari** = the longest river in Peninsular India at ~1,465 km; India's second-longest national river after Ganga. • **1,465 km** — Godavari's length; its basin covers nearly 10% of India's territory across Maharashtra, Telangana, and AP. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Narmada: ~1,312 km, shorter than Godavari; Mahanadi: ~858 km, much shorter; Krishna: ~1,400 km, shorter than Godavari by about 65 km.

Correct Answer: C. Ganga

• **Ganga** = declared the National River of India in 2008; the holiest river for Hindus and the largest river basin in the country. • **2008** — year Ganga was declared India's National River, along with the launch of the National Ganga River Basin Authority. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Brahmaputra: a major river but not declared the National River; Indus: historically important but mostly in Pakistan; Yamuna: a significant tributary of Ganga, not a national river.

Correct Answer: B. Ganga and Brahmaputra

• **Sundarbans Delta** = world's largest mangrove delta, created by the Ganga-Brahmaputra system; home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. • **1,00,000 sq km** — approximate area of the Sundarbans delta, shared between India (West Bengal) and Bangladesh. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ganga and Indus: Indus flows into the Arabian Sea, not the Bay of Bengal; Indus and Brahmaputra: these two rivers drain opposite sides of the subcontinent; Godavari and Krishna: both east-flowing peninsular rivers with separate deltas in AP.

Correct Answer: D. Yamuna

• **Yamuna** = originates from the Yamunotri glacier in the Banderpoonch Massif of Uttarakhand; passes through Delhi and Agra. • **1,376 km** — Yamuna's length, the largest tributary of the Ganga and the second-longest river in the Ganga system. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ganga: originates from the Gangotri glacier, not Yamunotri; Satluj: originates from Rakas Lake in Tibet; Indus: originates near Senge Khabab north of Mansarovar Lake.

Correct Answer: D. Brahmaputra

• **Brahmaputra** = known as 'Tsangpo' in Tibet, flowing parallel to the Himalayas before making a sharp U-turn at Namcha Barwa to enter India. • **2,900 km** — total length of the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra system, one of Asia's most powerful rivers. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Gandak: known as 'Narayani' in Nepal, not Tsangpo; Ganga: called 'Bhagirathi' at its source; Indus: called 'Singi Khamban' in Tibet, not Tsangpo.

Correct Answer: B. Narmada

• **Narmada** = flows westward through a rift valley between the Vindhyas and Satpuras; forms an estuary at its mouth, not a delta. • **1,312 km** — length of Narmada; the Sardar Sarovar Dam is the biggest dam on this river. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Mahi: flows through central Gujarat plains, not a rift valley between Vindhya and Satpura; Luni: desert river in Rajasthan; Tapi: flows through a separate rift valley south of Satpura, not between Vindhya and Satpura.

Correct Answer: C. Krishna

• **Vijayawada** = located on the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh; the Prakasam Barrage is a major feature here, and the river forms a large delta below the city. • **1,400 km** — length of Krishna; Vijayawada is near the Krishna delta region, one of the most fertile in India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Godavari: Rajahmundry is the major city on Godavari in AP, not Vijayawada; Vaigai: flows through Madurai in Tamil Nadu; Cauvery: passes through Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Correct Answer: C. Godavari

• **Godavari** = originates at Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra; the principal river of the Deccan plateau. • **1,465 km** — Godavari's length; it is an east-flowing river that drains into the Bay of Bengal. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Tapi: originates in Multai (Betul district), Madhya Pradesh; Mahanadi: originates in Sihawa hills of Chhattisgarh; Krishna: originates at Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra — different location from Trimbakeshwar.

Correct Answer: A. Ganga

• **Teesta River** = historically a tributary of the Ganga, but the catastrophic 1787 floods caused it to change its course and join the Brahmaputra instead. • **1787** — year of the great flood that caused Teesta's avulsion (course change), a landmark event in the geomorphology of Bengal. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Yamuna: Teesta was never a tributary of Yamuna; Meghna: forms in Bangladesh after the Ganga-Brahmaputra confluence; Brahmaputra: Teesta now flows into Brahmaputra, but this is post-1787, not the historical connection.

Correct Answer: B. Arkavathi

• **Arkavathi River** = a major right-bank tributary of the Cauvery in Karnataka; important for water supply to Bengaluru city. • **160 km** — length of Arkavathi; the Thippagondanahalli and Chamarajasagar reservoirs on it once supplied Bengaluru. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Bhima: a major tributary of the Krishna river; Indravati: a major tributary of the Godavari flowing through Chhattisgarh; Sabari: another Godavari tributary flowing through Telangana and AP.