Physical Features of India

Himadri is the highest and almost continuous range of the Himalayas. Exam tip: link Himadri with the Great Himalayas.

Dun valleys occur between the Shiwalik and Himachal ranges. Exam tip: Dehradun is a key example.

The direct answer is A: new and old alluvial deposits. Alluvium is material such as sand, silt, clay, and gravel deposited by rivers. Khadar is the newer alluvium found close to active river channels or floodplains. It may be renewed during floods and is generally finer and more fertile. Bhangar is the older alluvium lying on slightly higher terraces beyond the usual flood area. It is more compact and may contain kankar, or calcium-carbonate nodules. Therefore the most accurate basis of distinction is the age and position of the alluvial deposit. Option A is correct. Option B, red and black soil, is a colour-based soil comparison and does not define Khadar and Bhangar. Option C, eastern and western coast, compares coastal regions and has no relation to these northern plain deposits. Option D, river and mountain height, does not classify alluvium; both terms are associated with river-made plains, not mountain elevation. A useful exam caution is that Khadar is generally more fertile because fresh silt is added, but the basic defining difference is new versus old alluvium.

The Peninsular Plateau is made of old hard rocks. Exam tip: treat it as the stable ancient part of India.

The Satpura range forms an important central Indian line with the Narmada and Tapi region. Exam tip: connect it with the northern limit of the Deccan.

The Aravalli is regarded as an ancient fold mountain range of India. Exam tip: connect it with Rajasthan and Gujarat region.

Western Ghats are more continuous and higher than Eastern Ghats. Exam tip: remember Eastern Ghats as more dissected by rivers.

Luni is a major inland river of the Thar region and does not form a normal sea delta. Exam tip: connect it with Rajasthan.

The Brahmaputra Plain is formed by alluvial deposits brought by the river. Exam tip: study it with the Assam Valley.

The Kashmir Valley lies between the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalayas. Exam tip: link Pir Panjal with its southern side.

Purvanchal includes hills such as Patkai, Naga, Manipur and Mizo. Exam tip: connect them with North East India.

Bhabar has coarse pebbly deposits into which small streams disappear. Exam tip: link Bhabar with the foothills of the Shiwaliks.

Western Ghats are close to the coast, so the Western Coastal Plain is narrow. Exam tip: Konkan, Kannad and Malabar are its parts.

Eastern Ghats are farther and broken, making the Eastern Coastal Plain wider. Exam tip: link it with large deltas.

These rivers form large deltas in the Bay of Bengal. Exam tip: connect the word delta with the eastern coast.

Narmada and Tapi flow westward through rift valleys. Exam tip: remember estuary rather than delta at their mouths.

The Deccan Trap was formed when repeated basaltic lava flows erupted through large fissures, cooled, and accumulated in layers. Therefore, option A is correct. River-borne deposits form features such as plains and deltas, not this volcanic landform. Exam tip: weathering of Deccan Trap basalt is associated with black soil.

The Lakshadweep Islands are mainly formed from coral reefs and coral deposits. The calcareous skeletons of coral organisms accumulate over time to form atolls and small coral islands. Volcanic lava flows may form volcanic islands, but Lakshadweep is characteristically coral in origin. Exam tip: remember Lakshadweep as a group of coral islands in the Arabian Sea.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal. Exam tip: remember their north south extension.

Himalayas are young and dynamic while the Peninsular Plateau is old and stable. Exam tip: this basic comparison is often asked.

Vindhya is a major range associated with the Central Highlands. Exam tip: remember it north of the Narmada valley.

Chota Nagpur Plateau has ancient rocks and mineral deposits. Exam tip: connect it with the Jharkhand region.

Direct answer: Option A, a barchan is a crescent-shaped sand dune. A dune is a mound or ridge of sand built and moved by wind. In a dry desert, where loose sand is available and vegetation is sparse, wind shapes the sand. A barchan usually forms where wind blows mainly from one dominant direction and sand supply is limited; its curved shape has horns pointing generally downwind. Option A is correct because it describes the characteristic landform. Option B is wrong: a delta is sediment deposited where a river enters a lake or sea, not a wind-built desert dune. Option C is wrong: a glacial lake is formed by ice erosion or melting, not by desert wind. Option D is wrong: a coral island is built mainly from coral material in warm shallow seas. Therefore, the key chain is desert + wind + sand + crescent shape. Memory cue: barchan begins with ‘bar’ only as a word cue, but remember the real image—a crescent of sand made by wind.

The Ganga Plain is made of river alluvium and is very fertile. Exam tip: also link it with dense population.

Himalayan rivers get water from glaciers and rainfall, so they are perennial. Exam tip: Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra are examples.