Coastal Region
Q200. Which protected area was recognised by UNESCO in 1987 for its mangrove delta ecosystem?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 18 March 2026, Shift 2 (2026)]
(A) Kaziranga National Park
(B) Gir National Park
(C) Jim Corbett National Park
(D) Sundarbans National Park
Answer: (d) Sundarbans National Park
Explanation: Sundarbans National Park lies within the tidal delta formed by the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna system. Its low islands, channels and mangrove forests reflect dynamic coastal sedimentation and tides. UNESCO inscribed the Indian national park in 1987.
Southern and Central Hills
Q199. Which state among the options is crossed by the Western Ghats?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 28 August 2025, Shift 1 (2025)]
(A) Punjab
(B) Bihar
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: (c) Tamil Nadu
Explanation: The Western Ghats extend along western Peninsular India and continue into Tamil Nadu near the Nilgiri and southern highland blocks. Punjab, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh lie far from this range and occupy largely northern Indian plains.
Southern and Central Hills
Q198. Shola forests are especially associated with which Indian geographical region?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 5 June 2025, Shift 3 (2025)]
(A) Eastern Ghats
(B) Thar Desert
(C) Western Ghats
(D) Sundarbans
Answer: (c) Western Ghats
Explanation: Sholas are patches of evergreen montane forest, usually occupying sheltered valleys among high-altitude grasslands of the southern Western Ghats. They occur particularly in the Nilgiri, Anaimalai and Palani hill systems and thrive under cool, moist upland conditions.
Southern and Central Hills
Q197. Which range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted for exceptional biodiversity?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 8 August 2025, Shift 3 (2025)]
(A) Satpura Range
(B) Western Ghats
(C) Eastern Ghats
(D) Chota Nagpur Plateau
Answer: (b) Western Ghats
Explanation: The Western Ghats are recognised for their extensive endemic flora and fauna and distinctive evergreen and montane ecosystems. Several protected landscape clusters within the mountain range form a UNESCO World Heritage property, rather than the entire western coastal plain.
Coastal Region
Q196. Which physiographic region lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 20 August 2025, Shift 1 (2025)]
(A) Malwa Plateau
(B) Deccan Plateau
(C) Eastern Coastal Plain
(D) Western Coastal Plain
Answer: (d) Western Coastal Plain
Explanation: India’s western coastal plain forms a long, comparatively narrow strip immediately west of the Western Ghats. It faces the Arabian Sea and includes Konkan, Karnataka and Malabar sectors with distinct estuaries, beaches, lagoons and coastal settlements.
Plateaus
Q195. The Western and Eastern Ghats border opposite sides of which plateau?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 21 August 2025, Shift 2 (2025)]
(A) Shillong Plateau
(B) Chota Nagpur Plateau
(C) Malwa Plateau
(D) Deccan Plateau
Answer: (d) Deccan Plateau
Explanation: The Deccan Plateau occupies extensive southern peninsular highlands between the Western Ghats and the generally discontinuous Eastern Ghats. It slopes mainly eastward, helping many large rivers such as Godavari and Krishna drain into the Bay of Bengal.
Physical Divisions
Q194. Which is not a physiographic subdivision of the Northern Plains?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 12 June 2025, Shift 1 (2025)]
(A) Vindhyan Plateau
(B) Bhangar
(C) Tarai
(D) Khadar
Answer: (a) Vindhyan Plateau
Explanation: Bhangar and Khadar are older and newer alluvial tracts of the Northern Plains, while Tarai lies south of the porous Bhabar foothill belt. The Vindhyan Plateau belongs to the ancient Peninsular uplands and is geographically distinct.
Coastal Region
Q193. What mainly creates lagoons on the eastern coastal plain?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I, 8 August 2025, Shift 2 (2025)]
(A) Only sand deposition without river action
(B) Tectonic fault shifts
(C) Coral reefs and volcanic islands
(D) River deposition together with coastal wave action
Answer: (d) River deposition together with coastal wave action
Explanation: Eastern coastal lagoons often form where river-borne sediment and wave-driven sand barriers isolate shallow water from the open Bay of Bengal. Such depositional processes explain features including coastal sandbars and lagoon systems alongside the broad eastern plain.
Coastal Region
Q192. The Utkal Plains are part of which Indian coastal region?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 10 June 2025, Shift 1 (2025)]
(A) Eastern Coastal Plain
(B) Konkan Coast
(C) Western Coastal Plain
(D) Malabar Coast
Answer: (a) Eastern Coastal Plain
Explanation: The Utkal coastal tract lies mainly in Odisha beside the Bay of Bengal. It forms part of the Eastern Coastal Plain, where rivers and coastal currents have built alluvial lowlands, deltas, barrier bars and important lagoons including Chilika.
Coastal Region
Q191. Between which two features does the narrow Western Coastal Plain extend?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-I, 23 June 2025, Shift 1 (2025)]
(A) Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal
(B) Himalayas and Indian Ocean
(C) Vindhya and Arabian Sea
(D) Western Ghats and Arabian Sea
Answer: (d) Western Ghats and Arabian Sea
Explanation: The narrow western plain lies immediately between the steep Western Ghats escarpment and the Arabian Sea. Its irregular coast supports estuaries and harbours, whereas the generally broader eastern plain lies beside the Bay of Bengal and many deltas.
