Q200. Which is the largest inland saline wetland in India?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I (20 June 2025, Shift 2)]
(A) Wular Lake
(B) Pulicat Lake
(C) Chilika Lake
(D) Sambhar Lake
Answer: (D) Sambhar Lake
Explanation: Sambhar Lake is a broad saline depression in Rajasthan. Seasonal streams deliver water and dissolved minerals, which concentrate when water evaporates. Chilika and Pulicat are coastal lagoons, whereas Wular contains fresh water. The balance of rainfall, inflowing streams, evaporation and coastal connections determines the waterbody’s character.
Q199. Which of the following is the longest river?
[MPPSC State Service Prelims (16 February 2025)]
(A) Narmada
(B) Cauvery
(C) Krishna
(D) Godavari
Answer: (D) Godavari
Explanation: The Godavari runs approximately 1,465 kilometres from its source near Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra to the Bay of Bengal. It is the longest river of peninsular India, ahead of Krishna, Narmada and Cauvery. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q198. Amarkantak, near the Son River’s origin, is associated with which range?
[70th BPSC Prelims Re-exam (2024)]
(A) Rajmahal Hills
(B) Mahadev Hills
(C) Makalu Range
(D) Maikal Range
Answer: (D) Maikal Range
Explanation: Amarkantak lies in Madhya Pradesh in the Maikal highlands near the meeting of major peninsular uplands. The Son emerges here and flows towards the Ganga. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q197. Which river forms part of the India–Nepal border?
[BPSC TRE-3 (July 2024)]
(A) Kosi
(B) Kali or Mahakali
(C) Gandak
(D) Burhi Gandak
Answer: (B) Kali or Mahakali
Explanation: The Kali, also called Mahakali or Sharda, marks sections of the India–Nepal boundary. It eventually joins the Ghaghara drainage network. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q196. Divi Island is situated amid the distributaries of which river?
[70th BPSC Prelims Re-exam (2024)]
(A) Mahananda
(B) Vamsadhara
(C) Godavari
(D) Krishna
Answer: (D) Krishna
Explanation: Divi Island lies in the Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh. Delta channels surround low-lying tracts formed by the river’s deposited sediments. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q195. Which river is unlike the other three in its direction of flow?
[70th BPSC Prelims (2024)]
(A) Tungabhadra
(B) Narmada
(C) Penganga
(D) Mahanadi
Answer: (B) Narmada
Explanation: Narmada flows west towards the Arabian Sea. Tungabhadra, Penganga and Mahanadi drain into east-flowing systems reaching the Bay of Bengal. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q194. What is the west-to-east order of the Himalayan tributaries joining the Ganga below Prayagraj?
[UPSC CSE Prelims (2024)]
(A) Ghaghara, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi
(B) Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi
(C) Ghaghara, Gomti, Kosi, Gandak
(D) Gomti, Ghaghara, Kosi, Gandak
Answer: (B) Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi
Explanation: Downstream from Prayagraj the Gomti joins before the Ghaghara, followed farther east by the Gandak and Kosi. Their confluences lie along the middle and lower Ganga. The wider drainage network links Himalayan tributaries with major alluvial floodplains and downstream deltas.
Q193. Examine waterfall–region–river triples:
1. Dhuandhar–Malwa–Narmada;
2. Hundru–Chota Nagpur–Subarnarekha;
3. Gersoppa–Western Ghats–Netravati.
How many are correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims (2024)]
(A) Only one
(B) Only two
(C) All three
(D) None
Answer: (A) Only one
Explanation: Hundru on the Subarnarekha in Chota Nagpur is correct. Dhuandhar is at Bhedaghat on the Narmada, not in Malwa, and Gersoppa or Jog is on the Sharavati, not Netravati. Waterfalls develop where river gradients shift abruptly, often across resistant rock or geological breaks.
Q192. On which stretch is National Waterway 2 located?
[CDS-I General Knowledge (2024)]
(A) Ganga: Haldia–Prayagraj
(B) West Coast Canal: Kottapuram–Kollam
(C) Brahmaputra: Sadiya–Dhubri
(D) Godavari–Krishna: Kakinada–Puducherry
Answer: (C) Brahmaputra: Sadiya–Dhubri
Explanation: National Waterway 2 is the Brahmaputra navigation stretch from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam. National Waterway 1 instead extends along the Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly route. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q191. Which statements about river meanders are correct?
1. A meander is a U-shaped bend.
2. A gooseneck may be cut off into an oxbow lake.
3. Incised meanders can result from renewed downcutting after uplift.
[CDS-I General Knowledge (2024)]
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Meanders are pronounced river bends. During floods a narrow neck can be cut through, leaving an oxbow lake; uplift may preserve winding courses as deeply incised valleys. The balance of rainfall, inflowing streams, evaporation and coastal connections determines the waterbody’s character.
Q190. Which statements about Indian rivers are correct?
1. Barak originates in Meghalaya.
2. Ghaggar ends in desert inland drainage.
3. Puthimari and Manas are Brahmaputra tributaries.
[CDS-II General Knowledge (2024)]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) 2 and 3 only
Answer: (D) 2 and 3 only
Explanation: The Barak rises in the Manipur hill region, making the first statement wrong. Ghaggar is an ephemeral inland-drainage river, and both Puthimari and Manas feed the Brahmaputra. Himalayan sediment, seasonal floodwater and heavy rainfall strongly shape the river channels and adjoining plains.
Q189. Which peninsular river receives the Kabini as a tributary?
[CDS-II General Knowledge (2024)]
(A) Godavari
(B) Krishna
(C) Mahanadi
(D) Cauvery
Answer: (D) Cauvery
Explanation: Kabini rises in the Western Ghats region and joins the Cauvery in Karnataka. The Cauvery flows onward into Tamil Nadu and eventually reaches the Bay of Bengal. Plateau slopes and underlying geological structures are especially important in determining peninsular drainage patterns.
Q188. In which state is Ghepang Ghat glacial lake situated?
[CDS-II General Knowledge (2024)]
(A) Jammu and Kashmir
(B) Ladakh
(C) Himachal Pradesh
(D) Uttarakhand
Answer: (C) Himachal Pradesh
Explanation: Ghepang Ghat lies in the Lahaul area of Himachal Pradesh. Its changing area is relevant to monitoring Himalayan glacial-lake outburst flood risks. The balance of rainfall, inflowing streams, evaporation and coastal connections determines the waterbody’s character.
Q187. Which of these Peninsular Indian rivers empties into the Arabian Sea?
[SSC CGL Tier-I (17 September 2024, Shift 2)]
(A) Mahanadi
(B) Krishna
(C) Sabarmati
(D) Godavari
Answer: (C) Sabarmati
Explanation: The Sabarmati originates in the Aravalli hills and passes through Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, before emptying into the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea. The other three listed rivers flow to the Bay of Bengal.
Q186. The river originating near a cow-mouth spout at the ancient Mahadev temple of Mahabaleshwar belongs to which river basin?
[SSC CGL Tier-I (17 September 2024, Shift 2)]
(A) Cauvery
(B) Krishna
(C) Godavari
(D) Narmada
Answer: (B) Krishna
Explanation: The Krishna rises near Mahabaleshwar in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. It crosses the Deccan plateau and runs eastwards into the Bay of Bengal, receiving tributaries including Bhima and Tungabhadra. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q185. Which is the longest dam in India?
[WBCS Mains (2023)]
(A) Hirakud Dam
(B) Bhakra Nangal Dam
(C) Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
(D) Sardar Sarovar Dam
Answer: (A) Hirakud Dam
Explanation: Hirakud, constructed across the Mahanadi in Odisha, is widely described as India’s longest dam when its associated dykes are included. Its scheme regulates floods and supplies irrigation water and power. Reservoir location, river discharge and terrain affect the supply of water for irrigation and electricity.
Q184. Which is India’s largest brackish-water lake?
[WBCS Mains (2023)]
(A) Chilika Lake
(B) Pulicat Lake
(C) Vembanad Lake
(D) Loktak Lake
Answer: (A) Chilika Lake
Explanation: Chilika is a coastal lagoon in Odisha that receives freshwater inflows and exchanges water with the Bay of Bengal. These conditions produce a mixture of fresh and saline water. The balance of rainfall, inflowing streams, evaporation and coastal connections determines the waterbody’s character.
Q183. Which river crosses the Tropic of Cancer twice?
[WBCS Mains (2023)]
(A) Mahi
(B) Mahananda
(C) Narmada
(D) Chambal
Answer: (A) Mahi
Explanation: The Mahi rises in Madhya Pradesh, runs northward into Rajasthan and then turns southwest through Gujarat. This unusual bend carries it across the Tropic of Cancer twice. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q182. Which project–state match is incorrect?
[WBCS Mains (2023)]
(A) Ramganga Project–Madhya Pradesh
(B) Shivasamudram–Karnataka
(C) Hirakud–Odisha
(D) Nagarjuna Sagar–Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (A) Ramganga Project–Madhya Pradesh
Explanation: The Ramganga multipurpose project is associated with Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh rather than Madhya Pradesh. The other projects are linked to the indicated southern or eastern states. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
Q181. Where does the Son River originate?
[WBCS Mains (2023)]
(A) Maikal Hills
(B) Amarkantak Hills
(C) Kaimur Hills
(D) Rajmahal Hills
Answer: (B) Amarkantak Hills
Explanation: The Son begins near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and then flows generally northeastwards. It enters the Ganga as a major right-bank tributary in Bihar. Regional relief, river outlets and tributary connections help distinguish the surrounding drainage basin geographically.
