Southern and Central Hills
Q100. Which of these mountain ranges is confined to a single state?
[MPPSC Prelims (2017)]
(A) Aravalli
(B) Satpura
(C) Ajanta
(D) Sahyadri
Answer: (c) Ajanta
Explanation: The Ajanta hill range lies within Maharashtra. The Aravalli, Satpura and Western Ghats cross multiple state boundaries. This question tests regional distribution of mountain systems rather than their height or age.
Northern Mountains
Q99. Arrange the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga hills from west to east.
[UPPCS RO/ARO Prelims (2017)]
(A) Khasi–Garo–Naga–Jaintia
(B) Naga–Jaintia–Khasi–Garo
(C) Garo–Khasi–Jaintia–Naga
(D) Jaintia–Naga–Garo–Khasi
Answer: (c) Garo–Khasi–Jaintia–Naga
Explanation: Within Meghalaya, the Garo Hills are to the west, Khasi Hills occupy the middle and Jaintia Hills extend eastward. The Naga Hills lie still farther east near Nagaland and the Indo-Myanmar highlands.
Southern and Central Hills
Q98. Kodaikanal is situated in which hills?
[Chhattisgarh PSC Prelims (2017)]
(A) Anamalai
(B) Bundi
(C) Palani
(D) Amarkantak
Answer: (c) Palani
Explanation: Kodaikanal is a hill station of the Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu. These southern highlands form part of the Western Ghats system and should not be confused with the Anamalai hills or the Amarkantak plateau farther north.
Coastal Region
Q97. Assess the Western Ghats: 1. They are associated with block relief. 2. Their eastern slope merges gradually into the plateau. 3. Northern sectors contain basalt. Which statements are correct?
[UPPCS RO/ARO Mains (2017)]
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) 1 and 3
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: The Western Ghats mark the elevated western margin of the Deccan Plateau. Their eastern slopes are generally less abrupt than the western escarpment, and their northern region contains Deccan Trap basalt. All three features support the given answer.
Islands
Q96. The northern segment of India’s western coastal plain is called what?
[UPPCS Prelims (2016)]
(A) Karnataka Coast
(B) Malabar Coast
(C) Konkan Coast
(D) Coromandel Coast
Answer: (c) Konkan Coast
Explanation: The Konkan coast occupies the northern western coastal plain, especially Maharashtra and Goa. Southward lie the Kanara and Malabar sections. Coromandel belongs to India’s eastern coast, so it cannot describe the northern Arabian Sea shore.
Mountain Passes
Q95. Choose the correct match: Mana, Nathu La, Zoji La, Shipki La with Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh respectively.
[UPPCS Prelims (2016)]
(A) Zoji La–Sikkim; Nathu La–Uttarakhand
(B) Mana–Himachal; Shipki La–Sikkim
(C) Mana–Uttarakhand; Nathu La–Sikkim; Zoji La–Jammu and Kashmir; Shipki La–Himachal
(D) Mana–Sikkim; Zoji La–Himachal
Answer: (c) Mana–Uttarakhand; Nathu La–Sikkim; Zoji La–Jammu and Kashmir; Shipki La–Himachal
Explanation: Mana is in Uttarakhand, Nathu La in Sikkim, Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh, and Zoji La on the Kashmir–Ladakh corridor. The 2016 examination used Jammu and Kashmir for Zoji La, before Ladakh became a separate Union Territory.
Mountain Passes
Q94. Which pass–state pairing is incorrect?
[RAS Prelims (2016)]
(A) Jelep La–Sikkim
(B) Mana and Niti–Uttarakhand
(C) Shipki La–Jammu and Kashmir
(D) Bomdi La–Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: (c) Shipki La–Jammu and Kashmir
Explanation: Shipki La lies in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh on the India–Tibet frontier, not in Jammu and Kashmir. The remaining pairs correctly identify Himalayan passes in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
Mountain Passes
Q93. Kingri-Wingri and Niti–Mana are names of what?
[Uttarakhand PSC Prelims (2016)]
(A) Mountain passes
(B) Rivers
(C) Mountain peaks
(D) Religious places
Answer: (a) Mountain passes
Explanation: Kingri-Wingri, Niti and Mana are mountain passes in Uttarakhand’s Himalayan frontier zone. Passes provide routes through otherwise difficult terrain and have historically supported movement and trade between Himalayan valleys and the Tibetan Plateau.
Valleys
Q92. In which state is Nelang Valley located?
[UPPCS Prelims (2016)]
(A) Himachal Pradesh
(B) Sikkim
(C) Jammu and Kashmir
(D) Uttarakhand
Answer: (d) Uttarakhand
Explanation: Nelang Valley is located in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand near the Tibetan frontier and Gangotri National Park. This high Himalayan valley is different from the Kullu and Sangla valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
Valleys
Q91. Kashmir Valley is located between which mountain systems?
[MPPSC Prelims (2016)]
(A) Ladakh and Zanskar
(B) Great Himalaya and Pir Panjal
(C) Great Himalaya and Zanskar
(D) Karakoram and Ladakh
Answer: (b) Great Himalaya and Pir Panjal
Explanation: The Kashmir Valley forms a major longitudinal depression between the Pir Panjal Range to the southwest and the Greater Himalaya to the northeast. The Ladakh and Karakoram systems are farther north and not its immediate bounding ranges.
