Southern and Central Hills
Q50. Which is India’s oldest fold mountain range?
[UPPCS Prelims (2009)]
(A) Himalaya
(B) Aravalli
(C) Satpura
(D) Nilgiri
Answer: (b) Aravalli
Explanation: The Aravalli system is an extremely ancient mountain belt that has been deeply denuded through geological time. The Himalayas are much younger, and the Satpura and Nilgiri uplands occupy other parts of the Peninsular relief structure.
Mountain Passes
Q49. Arrange Shipki La, Lipulekh, Nathu La and Bomdi La from west to east.
[UPPCS Lower Subordinate Prelims (2009)]
(A) Shipki La, Nathu La, Bomdi La, Lipulekh
(B) Nathu La, Bomdi La, Lipulekh, Shipki La
(C) Shipki La, Lipulekh, Nathu La, Bomdi La
(D) Bomdi La, Nathu La, Shipki La, Lipulekh
Answer: (c) Shipki La, Lipulekh, Nathu La, Bomdi La
Explanation: Shipki La is in Himachal Pradesh, Lipulekh in Uttarakhand, Nathu La in Sikkim and Bomdi La in Arunachal Pradesh. Their longitudes therefore increase broadly in that order across the Himalayan borderlands.
Plateaus
Q48. What plateau lies between the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges?
[MPPSC Prelims (2008)]
(A) Malwa Plateau
(B) Chotanagpur Plateau
(C) Deccan Plateau
(D) Meghalaya Plateau
Answer: (a) Malwa Plateau
Explanation: The Malwa Plateau lies in western Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Rajasthan between the Aravalli highlands toward the northwest and Vindhyan uplands toward the south. It is part of central India’s broader Peninsular plateau system.
Mountain Passes
Q47. Which mountain pass is situated in Uttarakhand?
[UPPCS Special Mains (2008)]
(A) Jelep La
(B) Lipulekh
(C) Nathu La
(D) Shipki La
Answer: (b) Lipulekh
Explanation: Lipulekh lies in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh region and is a route toward Tibet and Kailash Mansarovar. Jelep La and Nathu La are in Sikkim, while Shipki La belongs to Himachal Pradesh.
Coastal Region
Q46. Match the beaches Digha, Gopalpur, Calangute and Marina with states.
[UPPCS Special Mains (2008)]
(A) Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Goa, West Bengal
(B) West Bengal, Odisha, Goa, Tamil Nadu
(C) West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Goa
(D) Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu
Answer: (b) West Bengal, Odisha, Goa, Tamil Nadu
Explanation: Digha is in West Bengal, Gopalpur in Odisha, Calangute in Goa and Marina Beach in Tamil Nadu. Two are on the Bay of Bengal coast, one on the Arabian Sea coast and one near Chennai.
Mountain Peaks
Q45. Give the east-to-west order of Namcha Barwa, Kangchenjunga, Everest and Nanda Devi.
[UPPCS Special Mains (2008)]
(A) Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest
(B) Namcha Barwa, Kangchenjunga, Nanda Devi, Everest
(C) Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Kumaon, Namcha Barwa
(D) Namcha Barwa, Kangchenjunga, Everest, Nanda Devi
Answer: (d) Namcha Barwa, Kangchenjunga, Everest, Nanda Devi
Explanation: The eastern Himalayan bend is near Namcha Barwa. Moving west comes Kangchenjunga on the Sikkim–Nepal border, Everest in Nepal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand. Their approximate longitudinal positions establish the required sequence.
Plateaus
Q44. Dandakaranya is associated most closely with which two states in the older question?
[UPPCS Special Mains (2008)]
(A) Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh
(B) Chhattisgarh and Odisha
(C) Jharkhand and Odisha
(D) Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand
Answer: (b) Chhattisgarh and Odisha
Explanation: Dandakaranya is a broad forested upland and plateau region most strongly associated with southern Chhattisgarh and adjoining Odisha. The wider historical–geographical region extends into other neighbouring states, but the listed examination pair is Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Southern and Central Hills
Q43. The Cardamom Hills are near which state boundary?
[UPPCS Special Prelims (2008)]
(A) Karnataka–Tamil Nadu
(B) Karnataka–Kerala
(C) Kerala–Tamil Nadu
(D) Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh
Answer: (c) Kerala–Tamil Nadu
Explanation: The Cardamom Hills lie within the southern Western Ghats along the Kerala–Tamil Nadu highlands. The humid slopes support cardamom cultivation, from which the name derives. They are separate from the northern Sahyadri sections.
Mountain Peaks
Q42. Guru Shikhar Peak is in which state?
[UPSC CSE Prelims (2007)]
(A) Rajasthan
(B) Gujarat
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Maharashtra
Answer: (a) Rajasthan
Explanation: Guru Shikhar is the Aravalli Range’s highest summit, near Mount Abu in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district. Its elevation exceeds 1,700 metres. The peak illustrates the ancient, heavily eroded character of India’s northwestern highlands.
Northern Mountains
Q41. What name is given to the porous plain just south of the Himalayan foothills?
[UPPCS Prelims (2007)]
(A) Tarai
(B) Doon
(C) Khadar
(D) Bhabar
Answer: (d) Bhabar
Explanation: The Bhabar belt is a narrow, gravelly piedmont zone where streams often disappear into porous deposits after leaving the Siwaliks. Farther south, the water re-emerges in the swampier Tarai belt. Doons are longitudinal valleys within the foothills.
