Which of the following peninsular rivers flows westward through a rift valley and forms an estuary?
- A.Godavari
- B.Narmada
- C.Krishna
- D.Mahanadi
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Narmada. The Narmada flows west between the Vindhyan range and the Satpuras along a trough formed by faulting, that is, a rift valley, and it empties into the Gulf of Khambhat through a broad estuary rather than a delta. The Tapi behaves in the same way a little to the south. Because the land falls steeply on the western side and the rivers carry little silt to a submerging coast, estuaries rather than deltas are the rule there. Option A is wrong because the Godavari, the largest peninsular river, flows east across the Deccan and builds a large delta in Andhra Pradesh. Option C is wrong because the Krishna also drains east to the Bay of Bengal and forms a delta next to the Godavari. Option D is wrong because the Mahanadi flows east through Chhattisgarh and Odisha and builds the delta on the Utkal coast.
Read the full article: Peninsular Plateau and Coastal Plains: Relief and Rivers
Practice Questions
View allWhich state has the largest coast line?
- A.Karnataka
- B.Kerala
- C.Tamil Nadu
- D.Gujarat
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Gujarat has the longest coastline of any Indian state. Its shore runs from the Rann of Kachchh round the Gulf of Kachchh, along the whole Saurashtra or Kathiawar peninsula and down the Gulf of Khambhat, and this deeply indented outline gives it far more shore than any other state.
Read the full explanation →Dodabetta is the highest peak of which of the following mountain ranges?
- A.Vindhya
- B.Satpura
- C.Aravalli
- D.Nilgiri
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Doddabetta, about 2,637 metres high, is the highest point of the Nilgiri hills, the block where the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats meet, and it overlooks the hill station of Udhagamandalam or Ooty in Tamil Nadu.
Read the full explanation →Anaimudi, the highest peak of peninsular India, lies in which state?
- A.Tamil Nadu
- B.Kerala
- C.Karnataka
- D.Andhra Pradesh
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Anaimudi rises to about 2,695 metres in the Anaimalai hills of Kerala, south of the Palakkad Gap, and it is the highest summit anywhere in the Peninsular Plateau and indeed in India south of the Himalayas.
Read the full explanation →Which gap in the Western Ghats carries the main road and rail link between Kochi and Coimbatore?
- A.Thal Ghat
- B.Bhor Ghat
- C.Palakkad Gap
- D.Sen Kottai Pass
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The Palakkad Gap, also spelt Palghat, is the widest break in the Western Ghats, lying between the Nilgiri hills to the north and the Anaimalai hills to the south.
Read the full explanation →Which is the largest brackish-water lagoon in India?
- A.Vembanad Lake
- B.Chilika Lake
- C.Pulicat Lake
- D.Kolleru Lake
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Chilika lies on the Utkal coast of Odisha, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a long sandbar, and it is the largest brackish-water lagoon in India, famous for its migratory birds and for its population of Irrawaddy dolphins.
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