UPSC Prelims 2021 GS Paper I · Q54 of 98 Geography medium

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

  1. (a) glaciers
  2. (b) mangrove areas
  3. (c) Ramsar sites
  4. (d) saline lakes ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• Didwana and Kuchaman (Nagaur district), Sargol and Khatu are inland saline lakes/playas of the Thar region of Rajasthan — option (d).

• Along with Sambhar, Pachpadra and Lunkaransar they are sources of salt, with brine evaporated in salt pans.

• These depressions fill in the monsoon and dry into salt crusts in summer; they are not glaciers (a), mangroves (b) or Ramsar sites (c) — Sambhar is Rajasthan's only Ramsar saline lake.

• Hence option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) glaciers
These are Rajasthan desert lakes, not glaciers.
(b) mangrove areas
They are inland, not coastal mangrove areas.
(c) Ramsar sites
They are not Ramsar-designated wetlands.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. 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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