UPSC Geography of India – Chapter 4: The Northern Plains and the Thar (22 MCQs)

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UPSC Geography of India – Chapter 4: The Northern Plains and the Thar (22 MCQs) – 22 questions, subject: Geography. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The bhabar is:

Correct Answer: D [a narrow belt of pebbles at the foot of the Shiwaliks where streams disappear]

Explanation:

The bhabar is a narrow pebble-and-boulder belt at the foot of the Shiwaliks where streams sink and disappear underground.

2.  

The terai belt is marked by:

Correct Answer: A [marshy land where streams re-emerge]

Explanation:

Streams that vanished in the bhabar re-emerge in the terai, making it a wet, marshy and once thickly forested belt.

3.  

Khadar refers to:

Correct Answer: C [new alluvium of the floodplains]

Explanation:

Khadar is the newer, finer alluvium of the floodplains, renewed by floods almost every year and very fertile.

4.  

Kankar nodules are typical of the:

Correct Answer: D [bhangar]

Explanation:

The bhangar, the older alluvium above flood level, contains calcareous kankar nodules.

5.  

The doab between the Beas and the Satluj is the:

Correct Answer: D [Bist–Jalandhar doab]

Explanation:

The Bist–Jalandhar doab lies between the Beas and the Satluj, the easternmost of the Punjab doabs.

6.  

The river-island district of Majuli lies in the:

Correct Answer: A [Brahmaputra]

Explanation:

Majuli is the largest inhabited river island in India, in the Brahmaputra in Assam; it became a district in 2016.

7.  

The only large river of the Thar Desert, which ends in the Rann of Kachchh, is the:

Correct Answer: C [Luni]

Explanation:

The Luni rises near Ajmer, crosses the arid west of Rajasthan and ends in the Rann of Kachchh.

8.  

Sambhar Lake is located in:

Correct Answer: A [Rajasthan]

Explanation:

Sambhar, India's largest inland saline lake and a Ramsar site since 1990, lies in Rajasthan.

9.  

Crescent-shaped sand dunes are called:

Correct Answer: B [barchans]

Explanation:

Barchans are crescent-shaped dunes whose horns point downwind; they are common in the Thar.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. The Northern Plains were formed by the deposits of the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
2. The Sundarbans delta is formed by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
3. The Thar Desert lies east of the Aravalli.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2 are true; statement 3 is false because the Thar lies west of the Aravalli.

11.  

Assertion (A): The Rann of Kachchh turns into a shallow sheet of water during the monsoon.

Reason (R): The Rann is a low, flat salt marsh lying close to sea level.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true, and the Rann's low, flat surface near sea level is what lets monsoon rain and tides flood it.

12.  

The Harappan city of Dholavira lies in the:

Correct Answer: B [Great Rann of Kachchh]

Explanation:

on Khadir island.

13.  

The Indira Gandhi Canal draws its water from the:

Correct Answer: B [Harike barrage]

Explanation:

The Indira Gandhi Canal takes off from the Harike barrage at the meeting of the Satluj and the Beas in Punjab.

14.  

The Indian wild ass is found in the:

Correct Answer: D [Little Rann of Kachchh]

Explanation:

The Indian wild ass survives in Gujarat, its main home being the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary in the Little Rann (1973).

15.  

The term "Bagar" refers to the:

Correct Answer: D [semi-arid area between the Marusthali and the Aravalli]

Explanation:

The Bagar is the semi-arid strip east of the sandy Marusthali, between it and the Aravalli.

16.  

"Reh" or "kallar" refers to:

Correct Answer: C [saline and alkaline patches in the plains]

Explanation:

Reh or kallar are saline and alkaline patches where salts collect on the surface of irrigated plains land.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Kachchh (Bhuj) earthquake
2. Sambhar Lake declared a Ramsar site
3. Dholavira inscribed as a World Heritage Site
4. Pokhran-II nuclear tests

Select the correct answer:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-1-3]

Explanation:

1990, 1998, 2001, 2021.

18.  

The Ganga Plains extend between the rivers:

Correct Answer: D [Ghaggar and Teesta]

Explanation:

NCERT places the Ganga plains between the Ghaggar in the west and the Teesta in the east.

19.  

The Marusthali, the western part of the Thar, receives an annual rainfall of:

Correct Answer: B [less than 150 mm]

Explanation:

The Marusthali, the sandy western Thar, receives less than 150 mm of rain a year (NCERT).

20.  

The Northern Plains cover an area of about:

Correct Answer: B [7 lakh km²]

Explanation:

NCERT gives the Northern Plains an area of about 7 lakh km², 2,400 km long and 240–320 km wide.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2023

Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

Correct Answer: D [Rann of Kutch]

Explanation:

once an arm of the sea, now a seasonal salt marsh.

22.  
UPSC Prelims 2021

With reference to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are the names of

Correct Answer: D [saline lakes]

Explanation:

saline lakes of Rajasthan.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U09 · Geography of India (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-geography-of-india

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