Indian Geography Mixed Practice — MCQs with Answers (Set 2)

The NDMA has finalised 189 high-risk lakes out of nearly 7,500 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalaya.

The answer is OSL dating, short for optically stimulated luminescence. Why the others fail: remote sensing spots channels, provenance matches grains to source rocks, and archaeology counts sites. Memory hook: OSL tells the time.

The answer is Prayagraj, at the Triveni Sangam. Why the others fail: the Yamuna’s last big city before the confluence is Prayagraj, not these. Memory hook: Triveni Sangam is at Prayagraj.

The answer is Japan. Phase I built sewage treatment plants in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Why the others fail: the source names Japanese assistance only. Memory hook: YAP began in 1993 with Japan.

The answer is Wazirabad to Okhla, about 22 km in Delhi. The CPCB places it in Priority I, with BOD above 30 mg/L. Why the others fail: the river is in fair condition from Yamunotri to Wazirabad. Memory hook: the city stretch takes the city’s waste.

The answer is the Hindon. It rises in the Shivalik foothills near Saharanpur. Why the others fail: the Chambal, Sind and Ken all join from the right. Memory hook: peninsular rivers come from the right.

The answer is the Tons. It comes from the Himalaya. Why the others fail: the Chambal, Betwa and Ken are peninsular rivers. The Hindon is a smaller left-bank stream. Memory hook: Tons carries the most water.

The answer is the Yamunotri glacier. It lies on the Bandarpunch massif in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. Why the others fail: they are different glaciers and feed other rivers. Memory hook: Yamuna starts at Yamunotri.

The Surat Municipal Corporation gives the source as Multai near Betul, in the Satpura Range. The Betul district website says the district has the distinction of being the origin of the river Tapti. Jabalpur and Indore are other districts. Betwa is a river, not a district.

NCERT says the Narmada and Tapi flow through a rift valley in trough faults, so they have no deltaic deposits. NCERT lists the rift valleys of the Narmada, the Tapi and the Mahanadi as examples of block faulting.

The Surat Municipal Corporation says the Tapi rises at Multai near Betul in the Satpura Range. The Betul district website places the district in the Satpura mountain ranges and lists the valley of the Tapti among its natural divisions.

The answer is Nanda Devi, at 7,816 m. Why the others fail: Kangchenjunga is taller but sits on the border with Nepal. Kamet is 7,756 m. Memory hook: Kangchenjunga is first, but shared.

The Bureau of Indian Standards withdrew the 2025 code by a gazette notice dated 3 March 2026. The 2016 standard returned, with four zones, II to V.

Eruptions at Barren Island were reported in 1787, 1789, 1795 and 1803. The volcano then slept for almost a century and a half before 1991.

The western shores of the Andaman Islands rose while the eastern shores sank. The line between them lies west of Port Blair.

Bilham and colleagues judged that the southern end of Great Nicobar sank by 4.25 m, give or take 0.2 m. The lighthouse base ended up level with low tide.

The answer is Har Shikhar Tiranga. The mission aimed to hoist the flag on the highest peak of each of India’s 28 states. Why the others fail: the other names belong to different campaigns. Memory hook: shikhar means peak.

The answer is that they had promised the Chogyal of Sikkim. The top would stay untouched. Climbers have kept this custom since. Why the others fail: no source ties the stop to oxygen, a storm or a rope. The reason was a promise. Memory hook: a promise, not a problem.

The answer is 1955. They reached the top area on 25 May 1955. They were on a British expedition led by Charles Evans. Why the others fail: 1953 is the year of the first Everest ascent. 1960 and 1975 are not linked to this climb. Memory hook: Everest in 1953, Kangchenjunga two years later.

Vembanad is the longest lake in India. It stretches along the Kerala coast across four districts. These are Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur. It is a lagoon and floodplain complex and a Ramsar site since 2002. Memory hook: longest lake, locked by a bund, farmed below the sea.

The wetland was designated on 19 August 2002. It covers 1,51,250 hectares across four districts. The Ramsar factsheet lists it as a lagoon and floodplain complex. The other years are real dates in the Vembanad story, which makes them tempting. Memory hook: Ramsar in 2002.

The bund keeps tidal salt water from the Arabian Sea out of the low lands of Kuttanad. Paddy needs fresh water. It was built across the lake in 1975. The lake is now split into brackish and fresh parts. Memory hook: the bund locks out the salt.

Kuttanad is the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level. Farmers wall in fields called polders. The water is then pumped out by oil engines or electric motors. It got the FAO status in 2013. Memory hook: rice below the sea.

The first official race was held in 1954 at Kainakari Meenappilli. The Kavalam Chundan won it. The 1952 race was only an exhibition race for Nehru’s visit. Nehru then sent a silver trophy, and the race became yearly. Memory hook: show in 1952, official in 1954.

The answer is CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL). PIB records that NPL realises, maintains and disseminates IST. Why the others fail: the IMD forecasts weather. The Survey of India makes maps. ISRO’s NavIC helps spread the time signal but does not keep the standard. Memory hook: NPL keeps the clock.