Geography of India (Part -V) (UPSC)

Total Questions: 46

31. With reference to the Indus River system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one which joins the Indus directly. Among the following, which one is such a river that joins the Indus directly? [2021-I]

Correct Answer: (d) Sutlej
Solution:Chenab empties into Satluj which finally meets Indus.
 Satluj receives the collective drainage of the Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers.
 It joins the Indus a few kilometers above Mithankot.
 It is joined by the Chenab in Pakistan.
About Indus River System
• The Indus River system is one of the three major river basins that comprise the Himalayan drainage system.
• The Indus River System and its numerous tributaries flow through the western part of the Indian subcontinent, carving deep gorges and sustaining diverse ecosystems along its course.
• With a total length of over 3,000 kilometres, the Indus is the longest river in Pakistan and one of the longest in Asia.

32. With references to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol, and Khatu are the names of [2021-I]

Correct Answer: (d) Saline lakes
Solution:
  • Not common lakes - Difficult to remember
  • Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are saline lakes of Rajasthan.
  • Didwana is a town in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan. It has a famous Didwana salt-water lake of Rajasthan.
  • Kuchaman lake is located in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.
  • Therefore, correct option "d".

33. Consider the following rivers: [2021-I]

  1. Brahmani
  2. Nagavali
  3. Subarnarekha
  4. Vamsadhara

 

Which of the above rise from the Eastern Ghats?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 and 4
Solution:Brahamani and Subarnarekha do not originate in eastern ghats. So, by elimination we can get the correct answer "b".
Eastern Ghats
• Eastern Ghats run almost parallel to the east coast of India leaving broad plains between their base and the coast.
• It is a chain of highly broken and detached hills starting from the Mahanadi in Odisha to the Vaigai in Tamil Nadu. They almost disappear between the Godavari and the Krishna.
• They neither have structural unity nor physiographic continuity. Therefore these hill groups are generally treated as independent units.
• It is only in the northern part, between the Mahanadi and the Godavari that the Eastern Ghats exhibit true mountain character. This part comprises the Maliya and the Madugula Konda ranges.
• Between the Godavari and the Krishna rivers, the Eastern Ghats lose their hilly character and are occupied by Gondwana formations (KG Basin is here).
• The Eastern Ghats reappear as more or less a continuous hill range in Cuddapah and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh where they are called as Nallamalai Range with general elevation of 600-850 m.
• The southern part of this range is called the Palkonda range.
• To the south, the hills and plateaus attain very low altitudes; only Javadi Hills and the Shevroy-Kalrayan Hills form two distinct features of 1,000 m elevation.
• The Biligiri Rangan Hills in Karnataka (at its border with Tamil Nadu) attain a height of 1,279 m.
• Further south, the Eastern Ghats merge with the Western Ghats.

34. With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements: [2022-I]

  1. It is a fungus.
  2. It grows in some Himalayan forest areas.
  3. It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.

 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 2
Solution:Statement 1 is correct: Guchhi mushroom is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae of the Ascomycota.

Statement 2 is correct- it is growth in the foothills in Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Jammu and Kashmir. Statement 3 is not correct: These mushrooms cannot be cultivated commercially because they grow in conifer forests across temperature regions so villagers have to collect them from forest.

35. Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers? [2022-I]

Correct Answer: (c) Pennar
Solution:Option (c) is correct: Gandikota Canon is situated on the Pennar River in Andhra Pradesh and is known as the Grand Canyon of India. It is formed by the river Pennar.
Pennar River
• The Pennar (also known as Uttara Pinakini) is one of the major rivers of the peninsula.
• The Pennar rises in the Chenna Kasava hill of the Nandidurg range, in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka and flows towards east eventually draining into the Bay of Bengal.
• The total length of the river from origin to its outfall in the Bay of Bengal is 597 km.
• Located in peninsular India, the Pennar basin extends over states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka having an area of ~55 thousand Sq.km
• The fan shaped basin is bounded by the Erramala range on the north, by the Nallamala and Velikonda ranges of the Eastern Ghats on the east, by the Nandidurg hills on the south and by the narrow ridge separating it from the Vedavati valley of the Krishna Basin on the west.
• The other hill ranges in the basin to the south of the river are the Seshachalam [famous for Red Sanders] and Paliconda ranges.
• The major part of basin is covered with agriculture accounting to 58.64% of the total area.

36. Consider the following pairs: [2022-II]

PeakMountains
1. Namcha BarwaGarhwal Himalaya
2. Nanda DeviKumaon Himalaya
3. NokrekSikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:Pair 1 is not correct: Namcha Barwa is part of Assam Himalayas Pair 2 is correct: Nanda Devi is part of Kumaun Himalayas. Pair 3 is not correct: The Nokrek is part of Garo hills, which forms part of the Meghalaya Plateau.

37. With reference to India, consider the following statements: [2022-I]

  1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
  2. Monazite contains thorium.
  3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
  4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.

 

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 4 only
Solution:Statement 3 is wrong: Monazite doesn't occur naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India. It is found only in certain parts. So #3 is wrong. Therefore by elimination the answer is (b).
Globally, the largest deposits of monazite sands were found in India, Madagascar, and South Africa. The largest concentration of monazite deposits is on the Kerala coast.
According to the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent Unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India has 10.70 million tonnes of Monazite which contains 9,63,000 tonnes of Thorium Oxide.
The main producers are Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan.

38. Consider the following statements: [2022-I]

  1. Gujarat has the largest solar park in India.
  2. Kerala has a fully solar-powered International Airport.
  3. Goa has the largest floating solar photovoltaic project in India.

 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:Statement 1 is not correct: Rajasthan's Bhadla Solar Park is the largest solar power park in the world. Statement 2 is correct: Kerala's Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is the first airport in the world that would be running fully on solar power. Statement 3 is not correct: India's largest Floating Solar PV plant is Located at NTPC Simhadri in Andhra Pradesh.

39. Consider the following States: [2022-I]

  1. Andhra Pradesh
  2. Kerala
  3. Himachal Pradesh
  4. Tripura

 

How many of the above are generally known as tea-producing States?

Correct Answer: (d) All four States
Solution:As per NCERT Class10: Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country. So All four are correct. Answer is "(d)".

40. Consider the following pairs: [2022-I]

ReservoirsStates
1. GhataprabhaTelangana
2. Gandhi SagarMadhya Pradesh
3. Indira SagarAndhra Pradesh
4. MaithonChhattisgarh

 

How many pairs given above are not correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (c) Only three pairs
Solution:Ghatprabha-Karnataka (Pair 1 is not correct) Gandhi Sagar- Madhya Pradesh (Pair 2 is correct) Indira Sagar-Madhya Pradesh (Pair 3 is not correct) Maithon- Jharkhand (Pair 4 is not correct)
Dams have been pivotal in India's development, providing crucial irrigation for agriculture, clean hydroelectric power, and flood control. According to the 7th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, water management falls under state jurisdiction. With 5,334 dams, including 447 significant ones, India's water infrastructure is extensive.
However, a recent study by the United Nations University- Institute on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), raises concerns about sediment accumulation, predicting a 26% loss in storage capacity for around 3,700 Indian dams by 2050..