UPSC Prelims 2017 GS Paper I · Q58 of 100 Geography medium

Consider the following statements : 1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only. 2. Western Ghats are spread over five States only. 3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 3 only ✓ UPSC's answer
  3. (c) 2 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1 and 3 only

Why the answer is (b)

• Statement 3 is correct: Pulicat Lake, India's second-largest brackish lagoon, straddles Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

• Statement 1 is wrong: the Himalayas span more than ten States/UTs — J&K, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal, and parts of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura.

• Statement 2 is wrong: the Western Ghats run through six States — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Hence 3 only, option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are wrong: Himalayas cover 10+ States and Western Ghats six.
(c) 2 and 3 only
Statement 2 is wrong: Western Ghats span six States.
(d) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is wrong: Himalayas span far more than five States.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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