Consider the following pairs : Peak — Mountains 1. Namcha Barwa — Garhwal Himalaya 2. Nanda Devi — Kumaon Himalaya 3. Nokrek — Sikkim Himalaya Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 only ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) 1 and 3
- (d) 3 only
Why the answer is (b)
• Pair 2 is correct: Nanda Devi (7,816 m), India's second-highest peak, stands in the Kumaon Himalaya of Uttarakhand.
• Pair 1 is wrong: Namcha Barwa (7,782 m) is the eastern anchor of the Himalaya where the Brahmaputra bends, in Tibet near Arunachal Pradesh — the Assam/Eastern Himalaya, not Garhwal.
• Pair 3 is wrong: Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, a biosphere reserve, and is not part of the Himalaya at all.
• Hence 2 only, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 and 2
- Namcha Barwa is in the Eastern Himalaya, not Garhwal.
- (c) 1 and 3
- Namcha Barwa and Nokrek are both wrongly placed.
- (d) 3 only
- Nokrek is in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, not the Sikkim Himalaya.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.