Northern Mountains
Q80. Which of these states does NOT adjoin the Patkai Hills?
[UPPCS Mains (2015)]
(A) Nagaland
(B) Tripura
(C) Manipur
(D) Mizoram
Answer: (b) Tripura
Explanation: Tripura lies west of the main Patkai–Indo-Myanmar highlands. Nagaland and adjoining northeastern states occupy the eastern mountain zone. Identifying this distinction helps separate Tripura’s local north–south hill ranges from the frontier highlands.
Mountain Peaks
Q79. Kangchenjunga rises on the border of which Indian state and Nepal?
[MPPSC Prelims (2014)]
(A) Kashmir
(B) Himachal Pradesh
(C) Sikkim
(D) Uttarakhand
Answer: (c) Sikkim
Explanation: Kangchenjunga stands in the eastern Himalaya on the Sikkim–Nepal border. It is one of the world’s highest peaks and is closely identified with Sikkim’s mountainous geography. Other listed northern states lie much farther west.
Southern and Central Hills
Q78. In which state is the Aravalli Range particularly extensive?
[UPPSC RO/ARO Prelims (2014)]
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Himachal Pradesh
(C) Odisha
(D) Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (a) Rajasthan
Explanation: The ancient Aravalli system trends through Rajasthan and continues into parts of Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi. The state of Rajasthan contains its most prominent stretches, including Mount Abu and Guru Shikhar in the southwest.
Glaciers
Q77. Which glacier lies in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region?
[UPPSC Revenue Inspector (2014)]
(A) Hispar
(B) Zemu
(C) Milam
(D) Rupal
Answer: (c) Milam
Explanation: Milam Glacier is in the Kumaon Himalaya of Uttarakhand and feeds the Goriganga river system. Zemu is in Sikkim, while Hispar and Rupal lie far to the northwest outside the Kumaon region.
Northern Mountains
Q76. Which of these relief features is south of the Karakoram, after Dhauladhar, Zanskar and Ladakh in the south-to-north sequence?
[UPPCS RO/ARO Prelims (2013)]
(A) Dhauladhar, Zanskar, Ladakh, Karakoram
(B) Zanskar, Dhauladhar, Karakoram, Ladakh
(C) Karakoram, Ladakh, Zanskar, Dhauladhar
(D) Ladakh, Karakoram, Dhauladhar, Zanskar
Answer: (a) Dhauladhar, Zanskar, Ladakh, Karakoram
Explanation: Dhauladhar belongs to the Lesser Himalaya. Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram lie progressively farther north in the Trans-Himalayan sector. Their positions explain the marked relief transition from the populated Himalayan valleys toward high cold-desert plateaus.
Northern Mountains
Q75. Choose the northward order of Pir Panjal, Zanskar, Ladakh and Karakoram.
[RAS Prelims (2013)]
(A) Zanskar, Pir Panjal, Ladakh, Karakoram
(B) Pir Panjal, Zanskar, Ladakh, Karakoram
(C) Karakoram, Ladakh, Zanskar, Pir Panjal
(D) Pir Panjal, Ladakh, Zanskar, Karakoram
Answer: (b) Pir Panjal, Zanskar, Ladakh, Karakoram
Explanation: Pir Panjal forms part of the Lesser Himalaya and lies south of the higher Trans-Himalayan ranges. Moving northward the sequence runs through Zanskar, Ladakh and finally Karakoram, near the northern edge of the Indian subcontinent.
Islands
Q74. Which is a coral island group?
[UPPSC RO/ARO Prelims (2013)]
(A) New Moore
(B) Car Nicobar
(C) Andaman
(D) Lakshadweep
Answer: (d) Lakshadweep
Explanation: Lakshadweep is a group of predominantly coral islands and atolls in the Arabian Sea. The Andaman and Nicobar chains have a different tectonic origin, while New Moore was a disputed sandbar in the Bay of Bengal.
Plateaus
Q73. Meghalaya Plateau is structurally associated with which larger Indian physical division?
[UPPSC UDA/LDA Prelims (2013)]
(A) Himalaya
(B) Peninsular Plateau
(C) Eastern Ghats
(D) Satpura Range
Answer: (b) Peninsular Plateau
Explanation: The Meghalaya Plateau is an extension of the ancient Peninsular shield in northeast India. Lowlands and geological faulting separate it from the main plateau block, yet its underlying crystalline structures differ from the young folded Himalayas.
Glaciers
Q72. Among Siachen, Baltoro, Chogo Lungma and Biafo, which glacier is the longest?
[UPPSC UDA/LDA Prelims (2013)]
(A) Siachen
(B) Baltoro
(C) Chogo Lungma
(D) Biafo
Answer: (a) Siachen
Explanation: Siachen Glacier, in the eastern Karakoram, is commonly reported at roughly 76 kilometres long, exceeding the listed Karakoram glaciers. It is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions and feeds the Nubra drainage system.
Coastal Region
Q71. Which reference coast did the cited Indian mean-sea-level question identify?
[UPPSC UDA/LDA Prelims (2013)]
(A) Mumbai
(B) Chennai
(C) Kochi
(D) Visakhapatnam
Answer: (b) Chennai
Explanation: The original examination identified Chennai as its reference in a mean-sea-level question. Modern Indian vertical datums and surveying procedures have a more complex history, so the exam answer should be interpreted in its historical question context.
