IAS Prelims Exam: Physical Geography of India NCERT Questions: DRAINAGE SYSTEM Set 2

1. Which of the following is/are true about Kaveri River?

1.  Its upper catchment receives rainfall during Northeast monsoon and lower catchment receives from southwest monsoon.
2. Majority of Kaveri basin lies in Tamil Nadu.
3. Kabini is important tributary of Kaveri.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation:

The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Since the upper catchment area receives rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (summer) and the lower part during the northeast monsoon season (winter), the river carries water throughout the year with comparatively less fluctuation than the other Peninsular Rivers. About 3 per cent of the Kaveri basin falls in Kerala, 41 per cent in Karnataka and 56 per cent in Tamil Nadu. It’s important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.

2. Which of the following is/are true regarding Narmada River?

1. It originates in eastern flank of Amarkantak plateau.
2. It flows in rift valley between Vindhayan in south and Satpura in North.
3. Sardar Sarovar project and Dhaudhar waterfalls are located on this river

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 3
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: a

Explanation:

The Narmada originates on the western flank of the Amarkantak plateau. Flowing in a rift valley between the Satpura in the south and the Vindhyan range in the north, it forms a picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur. The Sardar Sarovar Project has been constructed on this river.

3. Consider the following statements

1. Nearly 50% of river basin of Tapi lies in Madhya Pradesh.
2. River Saraswati and Sabarmati join with each other and flow ass Luni.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: b

Explanation: 

Luni is the largest river system of Rajasthan, west of Aravali. It originates near Pushkar in two branches, i.e. the Saraswati and the Sabarmati, which join with each other at Govindgarh. From here, the river comes out of Aravali and is known as Luni. Nearly 79 per cent of Tapi basin lies in Maharashtra, 15 percent in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 6 per cent in Gujarat.

4. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?

 Rivers                Origin
1.Tapi           -      Multai
2.Luni           -      Aravalli
3.Bedti         -       Hubli Dharwar

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation:The Tapi is the other important westward flowing river. It originates from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. The source of Bedti River lies in Hubli Dharwar and traverses a course of 161 km.

5. Which of the following is/are rivers of Goa?

1. Vaitarna river
2. Mandovi
3. Juari

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation:

Goa has two important rivers one is Mandovi and the other is Juari.

6. Which of the following is/are west flowing rivers of Kerala?

1. Shravati
2. Ponnai
3. Periyai

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation:

The longest river of Kerala, Bharathapuzha rises near Annamalai hills. It is also known as Ponnani. The Periyar is the second largest river of Kerala. Another river of Kerala worth mentioning is the Pamba River which falls in the Vemobanad Lake after traversing a course of 177 km.

7. Which of the following is/are true about Indus river system?

1. Indus flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake.
2. Jhelum flows in India only through Leh district.
3. Beas meets Ravi near Harike wetland.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation:

The Indus flows in India only through the Leh district in Jammu and Kashmir. The Jhelum, an important tributary of the Indus, rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of the valley of Kashmir. It flows through Srinagar and the Wular Lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge. The river Beas flows through the Kullu valley and forms gorges at Kati and Largi in the Dhaoladhar range. It enters the Punjab plains where it meets the Satluj near Harike.

8. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?

 Rivers                    Origin
1.Chenab           -     Rohtang Pass
2.Satluj              -     Rakas Lake
3.Brahmaputra   -     Chemayung dung Glacier

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation:

The Chenab is the largest tributary of the Indus. It is formed by two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga, which join at Tandi near Keylong in Himachal Pradesh. Hence, it is also known as chandrabhaga.  The Satluj originates in the Rakas Lake near Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m in Tibet. The Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers of the world, has its origin in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar Lake.

9. River with following features is?

1. It feeds Bhagra Nangal project.
2. It passes through Shipki la.
3. It meets Beas River near Harike wetland.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Ravi
b.Jhelum
c.Ghaggra
d. Satluj

Answer: d

Explanation:

Satluj flows almost parallel to the Indus for about 400 km before entering India, and comes out of a gorge at Rupar. It passes through the Shipki La on the Himalayan ranges and enters the Punjab plains. It is an antecedent river. It is a very important tributary as it feeds the canal system of the Bhakra Nangal project.

10. Which of the following is/are true about Ganga river system?

1. It Discharges into Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island.
2. It has both perennial and non perennial rivers.
3. Confluence of Bhagirathi and Alakanada is known as Ganga.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: d

Explanation:

IAS Prelims Exam, India Physical Geography Questions, Drainage SystemThe Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq. km area in India alone. The Ganga river system is the largest in India having a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers originating in the Himalayas in the north and the Peninsula in the south, respectively. The river finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal near the Sagar Island.

11. Consider the following statements

1. Ganga river system is longest in UttarPradesh.
2. Confluence of Ganga and Yamuna occurs at Allahabad.

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: c

Explanation: 

The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. From here, it flows first to the south, then to the south-east and east before splitting into two distributaries, namely the Bhagirathi and the Hugli. The river has a length of 2,525 km. It is shared by Uttaranchal (110 km) and Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar (445 km) and West Bengal (520 km). The Yamuna, the western most and the longest tributary of the Ganga, has its source in the Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of Banderpunch range (6,316 km). It joins the Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad).

12. Which of the following rivers does not have origin in India?

1. Gandak
2. Sarda
3. Son

Select the correct answer from the following codes

a.Only 1
b.Only 1 and 2
c.Only 2 and 3
d.1,2 and 3

Answer: b

Explanation:

The Gandak rises in the Nepal Himalayas between the Dhaulagiri and Mount Everest and drains the central part of Nepal. The Sarda or Saryu River rises in the Milan glacier in the Nepal Himalayas. The Son is a large south bank tributary of the Ganga, originating in the Amarkantak plateau.