Q270. For the Peninsular Block, assess:
1. Some western coastal sections submerged because of tectonic processes.
2. Veliconda and Mahendragiri are residual hills.
3. Deep V-shaped youthful river valleys characterise the block.
Which statements are correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims GS-I (2026)]
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 3 only
Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Explanation: The Peninsular Block is composed mainly of ancient crystalline rocks. Its western margin experienced tectonic submergence, and prolonged denudation left residual hills. Most Peninsular rivers have mature, relatively broad valleys rather than the deep V-shaped valleys typical of young Himalayan terrain.
Islands
Q269. Regarding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
1. Their climate is humid, tropical and coastal.
2. Both southwest and northeast monsoons bring rain.
3. Maximum rainfall occurs December–May.
Which statements are correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims GS-I (2026)]
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 3 only
Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Explanation: The islands have a warm and humid maritime climate because they are surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Both seasonal monsoons supply rain, but the southwest monsoon months are much wetter than the drier January–April period.
Northern Mountains
Q268. Which ranges form the Trans-Himalayan mountain region in India?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 19 March 2026, Shift 1 (2026)]
(A) Himalaya, Aravalli and Vindhya
(B) Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and Satpura
(C) Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram
(D) Himalaya, Satpura and Karakoram
Answer: (c) Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram
Explanation: The Trans-Himalayan belt lies to the north of the Greater Himalaya. Its principal chains include the Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram ranges. The Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura and Ghats belong instead to central or peninsular India.
Coastal Region
Q267. Which part of India’s coast is associated with Vembanad Lagoon, separated from the Arabian Sea by narrow barriers?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 27 March 2026, Shift 2 (2026)]
(A) Northern Circars
(B) Coromandel Coast
(C) Malabar Coast
(D) Konkan Coast
Answer: (c) Malabar Coast
Explanation: Vembanad lies in Kerala, within the Malabar coastal plain. Sand barriers and spits separate much of this backwater system from the Arabian Sea. Such lagoons, locally called kayals, are a distinctive physical feature of the southwestern Indian coast.
Islands
Q266. Barren Island’s active volcano is classified as which type?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 17 March 2026, Shift 1 (memory-based) (2026)]
(A) Shield volcano
(B) Stratovolcano
(C) Caldera volcano
(D) Cinder-cone volcano
Answer: (b) Stratovolcano
Explanation: Barren Island in the Andaman Sea hosts India’s only active volcano. The volcano is generally described as a stratovolcano, built by layers of erupted materials. It belongs to the volcanic island arc associated with subduction along the Andaman–Sumatra region.
Coastal Region
Q265. Which Indian coastal region has extensive lagoons and backwater systems along the western coastal plain?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 15 June 2026, Shift 1 (2026)]
(A) Andhra Coast
(B) Coromandel Coast
(C) Malabar Coast
(D) Northern Circars
Answer: (c) Malabar Coast
Explanation: The Malabar Coast of Kerala is noted for interconnected brackish lagoons called kayals. Coastal currents constructed sandbars and barrier islands, trapping water from rivers descending the Western Ghats. Vembanad and Ashtamudi are major examples of this characteristic coastal relief.
Southern and Central Hills
Q264. Which Indian mountain range is among the oldest fold mountain systems on Earth?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 15 June 2026, Shift 2 (2026)]
(A) Himalayas
(B) Aravalli Range
(C) Karakoram Range
(D) Eastern Ghats
Answer: (b) Aravalli Range
Explanation: The Aravalli hills are ancient, heavily denuded remnants of Precambrian mountain-building events. They extend across northwestern India, especially Rajasthan, and are vastly older than the young fold Himalayas. Guru Shikhar near Mount Abu is their highest peak.
Islands
Q263. Approximately what is the combined geographical area of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 18 March 2026, Shift 3 (2026)]
(A) 6,249 square kilometres
(B) 7,567 square kilometres
(C) 5,163 square kilometres
(D) 8,249 square kilometres
Answer: (d) 8,249 square kilometres
Explanation: The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago covers about 8,249 square kilometres. Its island groups occupy the eastern part of India’s maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, with the Andaman group to the north of Nicobar.
Coastal Region
Q262. Which pair of an Indian coastal plain and its state is correctly matched?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 8 May 2026, Shift 1 (2026)]
(A) Malabar Plain – Gujarat
(B) Utkal Plain – Odisha
(C) Konkan Plain – Tamil Nadu
(D) Coromandel Plain – Kerala
Answer: (b) Utkal Plain – Odisha
Explanation: The Utkal coastal plain lies in Odisha along the Bay of Bengal and includes major deltaic tracts near the Mahanadi. The Malabar plain belongs mainly to Kerala, the Konkan to Maharashtra–Goa, and the Coromandel to southeastern India.
Coastal Region
Q261. Arrange the principal western coastal stretches from north to south.
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 15 June 2026, Shift 1 (2026)]
(A) Konkan, Karnataka, Malabar
(B) Kathiawar, Malabar, Konkan
(C) Karnataka, Konkan, Malabar
(D) Malabar, Konkan, Karnataka
Answer: (a) Konkan, Karnataka, Malabar
Explanation: South of Gujarat, India’s western coastal plain is usually divided into Konkan, Karnataka or Kannad, and Malabar sectors. They follow one another southward between the Arabian Sea and Western Ghats, with local differences in breadth, lagoons, estuaries and sedimentation.