50 MCQs on Indian Drainage Systems: Rivers & Lakes
50 MCQs on Indian Drainage Systems: Rivers & Lakes
Test your knowledge of the Indian drainage system with these 50 multiple-choice questions covering Himalayan and Peninsular rivers, lakes, and their economic significance. Perfect for students preparing for exams or geography enthusiasts exploring India’s river systems!
MCQs on Indian Drainage Systems
1. What is the term used for the area drained by a single river system?
a) Water divide
b) Drainage basin
c) Riverine island
d) Delta
Correct Answer: b) Drainage basin
Explanation: A drainage basin is the area drained by a single river system, as defined in the document. It includes all the land where water flows into a specific river or its tributaries.
2. Which river has the largest drainage basin in India?
a) Indus
b) Ganga
c) Brahmaputra
d) Godavari
Correct Answer: b) Ganga
Explanation: The document states that the Ganga has the largest river basin in India, supporting extensive agriculture and livelihoods.
3. What separates two drainage basins?
a) River
b) Lake
c) Water divide
d) Delta
Correct Answer: c) Water divide
Explanation: A water divide, such as a mountain or upland, separates two drainage basins, as explained in the document (e.g., Ambala between Indus and Ganga).
4. Which river is known as the world’s largest drainage basin?
a) Nile
b) Amazon
c) Ganga
d) Mississippi
Correct Answer: b) Amazon
Explanation: The document mentions that the Amazon River has the world’s largest drainage basin.
5. Which of the following is a Himalayan river?
a) Godavari
b) Indus
c) Narmada
d) Kaveri
Correct Answer: b) Indus
Explanation: The Indus is a Himalayan river, originating near Lake Mansarowar in Tibet, as per the document.
6. Himalayan rivers are primarily:
a) Seasonal
b) Perennial
c) Dry
d) Estuarine
Correct Answer: b) Perennial
Explanation: Himalayan rivers are perennial, receiving water from rain and snowmelt, as noted in the document.
7. Where does the Indus River originate?
a) Gangotri Glacier
b) Lake Mansarowar
c) Amarkantak
d) Western Ghats
Correct Answer: b) Lake Mansarowar
Explanation: The Indus rises in Tibet near Lake Mansarowar, according to the document.
8. Which river forms a picturesque gorge in Ladakh?
a) Ganga
b) Brahmaputra
c) Indus
d) Yamuna
Correct Answer: c) Indus
Explanation: The document highlights that the Indus forms a picturesque gorge in Ladakh.
9. Which treaty regulates the use of Indus water?
a) Ganga Water Treaty
b) Indus Water Treaty
c) Brahmaputra Agreement
d) Yamuna Accord
Correct Answer: b) Indus Water Treaty
Explanation: The Indus Water Treaty (1960) allows India to use 20% of the Indus river system’s water, as per the document.
10. What is the length of the Indus River?
a) 1,500 km
b) 2,900 km
c) 2,500 km
d) 760 km
Correct Answer: b) 2,900 km
Explanation: The document states that the Indus is 2,900 km long, one of the world’s longest rivers.
11. The headwaters of the Ganga are called:
a) Bhagirathi
b) Alaknanda
c) Yamuna
d) Ghaghara
Correct Answer: a) Bhagirathi
Explanation: The Ganga’s headwaters, called Bhagirathi, are fed by the Gangotri Glacier, as per the document.
12. Where do the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet to form the Ganga?
a) Haridwar
b) Devaprayag
c) Allahabad
d) Farakka
Correct Answer: b) Devaprayag
Explanation: The Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand to form the Ganga, as per the document.
13. Which river joins the Ganga at Allahabad?
a) Ghaghara
b) Yamuna
c) Kosi
d) Gandak
Correct Answer: b) Yamuna
Explanation: The Yamuna, a right-bank tributary, meets the Ganga at Allahabad, as noted in the document.
14. What is the world’s largest and fastest-growing delta?
a) Sundarban Delta
b) Godavari Delta
c) Krishna Delta
d) Nile Delta
Correct Answer: a) Sundarban Delta
Explanation: The Sundarban Delta, formed by the Ganga and Brahmaputra, is the world’s largest and fastest-growing delta, per the document.
15. What is the Brahmaputra called in Tibet?
a) Jamuna
b) Tsang Po
c) Dihang
d) Meghna
Correct Answer: b) Tsang Po
Explanation: The Brahmaputra is known as Tsang Po in Tibet, as mentioned in the document.
16. Which is the largest riverine island formed by the Brahmaputra?
a) Majuli
b) Diu
c) Andaman
d) Lakshadweep
Correct Answer: a) Majuli
Explanation: The document implies that Majuli, formed by the Brahmaputra in Assam, is the world’s largest riverine island.
17. Which river flows through a braided channel in Assam?
a) Ganga
b) Indus
c) Brahmaputra
d) Godavari
Correct Answer: c) Brahmaputra
Explanation: The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in Assam, forming riverine islands, as per the document.
18. Which is the largest Peninsular river?
a) Narmada
b) Godavari
c) Krishna
d) Kaveri
Correct Answer: b) Godavari
Explanation: The Godavari, at 1,500 km, is the largest Peninsular river, also called Dakshin Ganga, per the document.
19. Where does the Narmada River originate?
a) Western Ghats
b) Amarkantak
c) Satpura
d) Brahmagiri
Correct Answer: b) Amarkantak
Explanation: The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh, as stated in the document.
20. Which rivers flow through a rift valley?
a) Godavari and Krishna
b) Narmada and Tapi
c) Kaveri and Mahanadi
d) Brahmaputra and Ganga
Correct Answer: b) Narmada and Tapi
Explanation: The Narmada and Tapi flow through rift valleys formed due to faulting, as per the document.
21. Which river forms the Shivasamudram Falls?
a) Godavari
b) Krishna
c) Kaveri
d) Narmada
Correct Answer: c) Kaveri
Explanation: The Kaveri River forms the Shivasamudram Falls, India’s second-largest waterfall, per the document.
22. Which river is known as Dakshin Ganga?
a) Krishna
b) Godavari
c) Kaveri
d) Mahanadi
Correct Answer: b) Godavari
Explanation: The Godavari is called Dakshin Ganga due to its length and extensive basin, as per the document.
23. Where does the Tapi River originate?
a) Satpura
b) Western Ghats
c) Amarkantak
d) Brahmagiri
Correct Answer: a) Satpura
Explanation: The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges in Madhya Pradesh, as noted in the document.
24. Which river’s basin covers Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh?
a) Godavari
b) Krishna
c) Kaveri
d) Mahanadi
Correct Answer: b) Krishna
Explanation: The Krishna’s drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as per the document.
25. Which lake is the largest freshwater lake in India?
a) Dal
b) Wular
c) Chilika
d) Sambhar
Correct Answer: b) Wular
Explanation: The Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir is India’s largest freshwater lake, formed by tectonic activity, per the document.
26. Which lake is a saltwater lake?
a) Wular
b) Dal
c) Sambhar
d) Bhimtal
Correct Answer: c) Sambhar
Explanation: The Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan is a saltwater lake used for salt production, as per the document.
27. Which lake is formed by the damming of a river?
a) Wular
b) Gobind Sagar
c) Chilika
d) Loktak
Correct Answer: b) Gobind Sagar
Explanation: Gobind Sagar is an artificial lake formed by the Bhakra Nangal Project, as mentioned in the document.
28. Which rivers form deltas at their mouths?
a) Narmada and Tapi
b) Godavari and Krishna
c) Indus and Brahmaputra
d) Satluj and Beas
Correct Answer: b) Godavari and Krishna
Explanation: The document states that east-flowing Peninsular rivers like Godavari and Krishna form deltas at their mouths.
29. What is the name of the Ganga’s distributary in West Bengal?
a) Bhagirathi-Hooghly
b) Yamuna
c) Meghna
d) Tsang Po
Correct Answer: a) Bhagirathi-Hooghly
Explanation: The Bhagirathi-Hooghly is a distributary of the Ganga flowing through West Bengal to the Bay of Bengal, per the document.
30. Which river is known as Jamuna in Bangladesh?
a) Ganga
b) Brahmaputra
c) Indus
d) Yamuna
Correct Answer: b) Brahmaputra
Explanation: The Brahmaputra is called Jamuna in Bangladesh, as noted in the document.
31. Which river forms the Marble Rocks near Jabalpur?
a) Godavari
b) Narmada
c) Tapi
d) Krishna
Correct Answer: b) Narmada
Explanation: The Narmada creates the scenic Marble Rocks near Jabalpur, as per the document.
32. Which river’s basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat?
a) Tapi
b) Godavari
c) Krishna
d) Kaveri
Correct Answer: a) Tapi
Explanation: The Tapi’s basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, as per the document.
33. Which river is associated with the Namami Devi Narmade scheme?
a) Ganga
b) Narmada
c) Godavari
d) Kaveri
Correct Answer: b) Narmada
Explanation: The Namami Devi Narmade is a conservation mission for the Narmada River, as mentioned in the document.
34. Which river powers Mysuru and Bengaluru?
a) Krishna
b) Kaveri
c) Godavari
d) Mahanadi
Correct Answer: b) Kaveri
Explanation: The Kaveri’s Shivasamudram Falls generates hydroelectric power for Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Kolar Gold Fields, per the document.
35. Which river rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh?
a) Mahanadi
b) Godavari
c) Krishna
d) Narmada
Correct Answer: a) Mahanadi
Explanation: The Mahanadi rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh, as per the document.
36. What is the length of the Kaveri River?
a) 1,500 km
b) 760 km
c) 1,400 km
d) 860 km
Correct Answer: b) 760 km
Explanation: The Kaveri River is approximately 760 km long, as stated in the document.
37. Which lake is formed by tectonic activity?
a) Dal
b) Wular
c) Chilika
d) Sambhar
Correct Answer: b) Wular
Explanation: The Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir is formed by tectonic activity, as per the document.
38. Which rivers are west-flowing Peninsular rivers?
a) Godavari and Krishna
b) Narmada and Tapi
c) Mahanadi and Kaveri
d) Yamuna and Ghaghara
Correct Answer: b) Narmada and Tapi
Explanation: The Narmada and Tapi are the only major west-flowing Peninsular rivers, forming estuaries, as per the document.
39. What is the primary source of water for Peninsular rivers?
a) Snowmelt
b) Rainfall
c) Glaciers
d) Underground springs
Correct Answer: b) Rainfall
Explanation: Peninsular rivers are seasonal, primarily dependent on rainfall, as noted in the document.
40. Which river forms oxbow lakes in its floodplain?
a) Narmada
b) Tapi
c) Ganga
d) Kaveri
Correct Answer: c) Ganga
Explanation: The Ganga forms meanders and oxbow lakes in its middle and lower courses, as per the document.
41. Which program aims to clean the Ganga River?
a) Namami Devi Narmade
b) Namami Gange
c) Ganga Action Plan
d) National River Conservation Plan
Correct Answer: b) Namami Gange
Explanation: The Namami Gange Programme is a flagship initiative to clean and conserve the Ganga, as mentioned in the document.
42. Which river is known as the ‘Sorrow’ of West Bengal?
a) Damodar
b) Brahmaputra
c) Ganga
d) Hooghly
Correct Answer: a) Damodar
Explanation: The Damodar River is historically called the ‘Sorrow’ of West Bengal due to its flooding, as implied in the document’s crossword clues.
43. Which river originates near Rohtang Pass?
a) Beas
b) Satluj
c) Ravi
d) Chenab
Correct Answer: a) Beas
Explanation: The Beas River originates near Rohtang Pass, as per the document’s crossword clues.
44. Which river supplies water to the Indira Gandhi Canal?
a) Satluj
b) Beas
c) Ravi
d) Jhelum
Correct Answer: a) Satluj
Explanation: The Satluj River’s reservoir supplies water to the Indira Gandhi Canal, as per the document’s crossword clues.
45. Which river is a tributary of the Indus originating from Himachal Pradesh?
a) Chenab
b) Jhelum
c) Beas
d) Ravi
Correct Answer: c) Beas
Explanation: The Beas, originating in Himachal Pradesh, is a tributary of the Indus, as per the document.
46. Which lake is a lagoon in the coastal area?
a) Wular
b) Chilika
c) Dal
d) Bhimtal
Correct Answer: b) Chilika
Explanation: The Chilika Lake is a lagoon formed by spits and bars in the coastal area, as per the document.
47. Which river is associated with the Nagarjuna Sagar project?
a) Krishna
b) Godavari
c) Kaveri
d) Mahanadi
Correct Answer: a) Krishna
Explanation: The Nagarjuna Sagar is a river valley project on the Krishna River, as per the document’s crossword clues.
48. What percentage of Earth’s surface is covered by water?
a) 50%
b) 71%
c) 97%
d) 30%
Correct Answer: b) 71%
Explanation: The document states that 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, with 97% being saltwater.
49. Which river shifts its channel frequently?
a) Ganga
b) Brahmaputra
c) Narmada
d) Godavari
Correct Answer: b) Brahmaputra
Explanation: The Brahmaputra frequently shifts its channel due to heavy silt deposits, as per the document.
50. Which program expanded the Ganga Action Plan?
a) Namami Gange
b) National River Conservation Plan
c) Namami Devi Narmade
d) Clean Rivers Initiative
Correct Answer: b) National River Conservation Plan
Explanation: The Ganga Action Plan was expanded under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in 1995, as per the document.
Conclusion
These 50 MCQs on the Indian drainage system provide a comprehensive way to test your knowledge of Himalayan and Peninsular rivers, lakes, and their economic roles. Use this quiz to prepare for exams or deepen your understanding of India’s geography. Keep exploring with The Govt Guide for more educational resources!
Explore More About India's Geography
Join the conversation