Consider the following pairs : River — Flows into 1. Mekong — Andaman Sea 2. Thames — Irish Sea 3. Volga — Caspian Sea 4. Zambezi — Indian Ocean Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 3 only
- (c) 3 and 4 only ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) 1, 2 and 4 only
Why the answer is (c)
• Pair 3 is correct: the Volga, Europe's longest river, ends in the Caspian Sea, an endorheic basin.
• Pair 4 is correct: the Zambezi flows through Victoria Falls and Mozambique into the Indian Ocean.
• Pair 1 is wrong: the Mekong empties into the South China Sea through Vietnam's delta, not the Andaman Sea.
• Pair 2 is wrong: the Thames flows east through London into the North Sea, not the Irish Sea.
• Hence 3 and 4 only, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- Both pairs 1 and 2 are wrong.
- (b) 3 only
- Pair 4 (Zambezi–Indian Ocean) is also correct.
- (d) 1, 2 and 4 only
- Pairs 1 and 2 are wrong; pair 3 is correct.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2020, held on 4 October 2020. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.