Major Physiographic Divisions

The Himalaya is young fold mountains while the Peninsular Plateau is an old rocky part. Exam tip: remember age and formation together.

The Himalaya is young mountains and the Peninsular Plateau is an old stable landmass. Exam tip: catch reversed comparisons carefully.

Himadri is northernmost, Himachal is middle and Shiwalik is southernmost. Exam tip: do not reverse the range order.

The direct answer is A: long valleys between the Himachal and Shiwalik ranges. The Himalayan system has parallel ranges. From the higher Great Himalaya toward the plains, the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya lies before the outer Shiwalik range. Longitudinal valleys occurring between these ranges are called duns or doon valleys. The reasoning is: identify a dun valley → look for a long valley between Himalayan ranges → especially between Himachal and Shiwalik → choose A. Option A is correct; Dehra Dun is a familiar example of this type of valley. Option B is wrong because coral islands of the Arabian Sea refer to Lakshadweep, not Himalayan valleys. Option C is wrong because sand dunes belong to dry desert landscapes such as the Thar, not to the relationship defining duns. Option D is wrong because deltas are depositional landforms at river mouths, especially on the eastern coast, not valleys between Himalayan ranges. Memory cue: dun means a longitudinal valley between the Lesser Himalaya and Shiwaliks.

These famous valleys are linked with the Middle Himalaya region. Exam tip: connect valleys with Himachal range.

Purvanchal hills are linked with the eastern bend of the Himalaya. Exam tip: study eastern bend and Purvanchal together.

Northern Plains are flat alluvial land made by river deposits. Exam tip: connect agriculture clue with plains.

Bhabar is a coarse deposit belt and Terai is the moist belt to its south. Exam tip: remember their order and nature.

Bhangar is old alluvium and Khadar is new alluvium. Exam tip: remember old and new alluvium difference.

Khadar is identified as new alluvium and Bhangar as old alluvium. Exam tip: do not swap the two names.

Northern Plains are linked with deposits of three major river systems. Exam tip: do not limit them to one river.

All three are regional subdivisions of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: connect river-based subdivisions with Northern Plains.

The Peninsular Plateau is made of an old rocky base. Exam tip: connect hard rock clue with plateau.

The Narmada valley helps explain major plateau subdivisions. Exam tip: study Narmada in plateau context.

The Deccan Plateau generally slopes from west toward east. This overall gradient influences the direction of many major rivers of the Peninsular Plateau, including the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri, which flow eastward and ultimately reach the Bay of Bengal. Local relief can create exceptions or changes in individual river courses, but the broad relationship between the plateau’s slope and the drainage pattern remains clear.

Option A is correct because it connects the eastward slope with the eastward flow of many rivers. Option B is not a meaningful description of the plateau’s drainage, while options C and D are clearly false: the rivers do not all end in the Thar Desert or form coral in Lakshadweep. The question asks for the general pattern, not an absolute rule for every stream.

Direct answer: A, they flow westward into the Arabian Sea. Most large Peninsular rivers, such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, flow eastward and generally form deltas on the Bay of Bengal coast. Narmada and Tapi are important exceptions: they flow west through rift valleys and enter the Arabian Sea, usually forming estuaries rather than large eastern deltas. A is correct. B is wrong because they do not originate in the Himalayas; they rise in the Peninsular region. C is wrong because it describes the common east-flowing pattern, not these two rivers. D is wrong because they do not form coral in the Andaman Islands; coral is a marine biological formation. Memory cue: Narmada and Tapi break the usual rule—westward to the Arabian Sea.

These rivers form large deltas on the Eastern Coastal Plains. Exam tip: connect delta clue with east coast.

The direct answer is A: large river deltas and wide plains occur on the eastern coast. The Eastern Coastal Plain lies between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri flow eastward and usually form broad deltas by depositing silt near their mouths. This makes the plain generally wider and more delta-rich than the Western Coastal Plain. Option A is correct because it gives the physical reason. Option B is wrong because Himadri is the highest Himalayan range, not a coastal plain. Option C is wrong because the Thar Desert is in north-western India and its dunes are not the Eastern Coastal Plain. Option D is wrong because Lakshadweep is an island group in the Arabian Sea, made mainly of coral, and is not the eastern mainland coast. Memory cue: east coast means big rivers, deltas and a broader plain; west coast means a narrower plain.

Direct answer: A, it is a limited strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. A coastal plain becomes narrow when a mountain range lies close to the coast. In western India, the Western Ghats run roughly parallel to the Arabian Sea, leaving only a small belt of low land between the mountains and the sea. A is correct. B is wrong because the Northern Plains lie south of the Himalayas and are not the Western Coastal Plain. C is wrong because the Brahmaputra delta belongs to the eastern region near the Bay of Bengal. D is wrong because the Andaman coral coast is an island feature, not the reason for the narrow mainland western coastal plain. Memory cue: Western Ghats close to the sea make the west coast narrow.

Western Ghats are relatively continuous and Eastern Ghats are broken by rivers. Exam tip: remember structural difference of Ghats.

The Indian Desert is linked with low rainfall west of the Aravalli. Exam tip: study Aravalli and Thar together.

The Luni is regarded as the largest river of the Indian Desert. It rises in the Aravalli region, flows westwards, and its water becomes saline in the lower course before reaching the Rann of Kachchh. Therefore, it is neither a perennial Himalayan river nor a river of the Ganga Plain. Exam tip: associate the Luni with the Thar Desert and saline water.

Lakshadweep is linked with western sea region and Andaman-Nicobar with eastern sea region. Exam tip: remember island groups with water bodies.

Lakshadweep is linked with coral-nature islands. Exam tip: connect Lakshadweep with Arabian Sea and coral.

Andaman-Nicobar are in Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep is in Arabian Sea. Exam tip: do not reverse water-body clues.