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GeographyMediumAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper I

Consider the following statements : 1. The Great Northern Plains are formed by basins of three distinct river systems - the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. 2. They are one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. 3. Between the Yamuna at Delhi and the Bay of Bengal, nearly 1600 km away, there is a drop of only 200 metres in elevation. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A.1, 2 and 3
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 2 only
  4. D.1 and 3 only

Correct answer

A. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

The correct answer is A, 1, 2 and 3. All three statements correctly describe the Northern Plains of India.

The Northern Plains were built from alluvium laid down by the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their tributaries, which together drain the Himalayas. They stretch about 2,400 km from west to east and are 240–320 km wide. Fertile soil, a good water supply and a favourable climate have made them the most productive farmland in India, and they hold one of the densest populations on Earth. The plains are extremely flat: Delhi stands only about 200 metres above sea level, so the land falls just about 200 metres over the roughly 1,600 km to the Bay of Bengal. This gentle slope makes the rivers slow and winding, forming meanders and oxbow lakes.

B is wrong: it leaves out statement 1, which is correct.

C is wrong: it leaves out statement 3, which is correct.

D is wrong: it leaves out statement 2, which is correct.

Exam tip: Northern Plains: Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra; parts from the hills down are bhabar, terai, bhangar (old alluvium) and khadar (new alluvium).

Practice Questions

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Q1.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2018, GKHard

Statement I : Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth.

Statement II : The Earth rotates from west to east.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I

Both statements are true, but the direction in which the Earth spins does not explain why tides occur. Tides are caused mainly by the Moon's pull, with the Sun adding a smaller pull; the Moon's tide-raising force is roughly twice the Sun's because it is so much closer.

Q3.GeographyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Many of the world's largest mountain chains exist beneath the sea.

2. Some mountain chains are revealed as island arcs.

3. The mid-oceanic ridges form the longest mountain chains.

4. The mid-Atlantic ridge rises thirty-three metres above the floor of the Atlantic.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.3 and 4 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 4 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3 only

Statement 4 is wrong: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rises thousands of metres above the ocean floor, not thirty-three metres. The ocean floor has relief as varied as the land.