The Northern Plains

The Northern Plains have the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra and many tributaries that provide abundant water. Their broad, level surface also makes it easier to construct canals and carry water to farms. An absence of rivers would make irrigation more difficult, not more developed. Exam tip: link the Northern Plains’ alluvial soil, level relief and perennial rivers with intensive agriculture and irrigation.

Deccan Plateau is part of the Peninsular Plateau, not the Northern Plains. Exam tip: keep plains and plateau separate.

The Northern Plains were formed by deposits of alluvium brought by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. Therefore, alluvial soil is the correct match. A sandy desert is mainly associated with the Thar region, while a lava plateau is associated with the Deccan Plateau. Exam tip: remember the Northern Plains as fertile, river-deposited alluvial plains.

Bhabar is a narrow belt along the Shiwalik foothills where rivers deposit coarse materials such as pebbles, gravel and boulders. Therefore, Bhabar is the correct answer. Terai lies south of Bhabar and is a wet, marshy belt where streams that disappear in Bhabar re-emerge. Exam tip: remember Bhabar for coarse deposits and Terai for marshy land.

Terai is the moist and marshy belt of the Northern Plains. In the pebbly Bhabar belt, streams disappear underground; south of it, they re-emerge in the Terai and create marshy conditions. Khadar is the newer alluvial floodplain, so it is not the correct answer here. Exam tip: remember that Terai lies south of Bhabar.

Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar and Khadar are local forms of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: remember their clues separately.

A doab is the tract of land, often fertile, lying between two rivers; therefore, Doab is correct. Khadar refers to newer alluvium in floodplains, whereas Terai is the marshy belt along the Himalayan foothills. Exam tip: remember ‘do’ and ‘ab’ as land between two watercourses.

In the Northern Plains, the Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries deposit fine soil, sand and silt carried by them. Soil formed by these deposits is called alluvial soil. The newer alluvium deposited repeatedly during floods is known as Khadar. Lava soil is formed in volcanic regions, so it is not correct here. Exam tip: remember Khadar as new alluvium and Bhangar as old alluvium.

Alluvial soil brought by rivers makes the Northern Plains fertile. Exam tip: remember river deposits as the cause of fertile soil.

Rivers deposited sediments over a long time and formed plains. Exam tip: connect formation process with river deposition.

Dense settlement is found in the Northern Plains due to flat and fertile land. Exam tip: remember the link between settlement and fertile land.

Ganga and Brahmaputra are linked with formation and extent of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: connect river systems with plains.

Khadar is the low-lying floodplain part of the Northern Plains where rivers deposit fresh alluvium every year. This new alluvium is highly fertile, so Khadar is the correct answer. Bhangar is the older, higher alluvial deposit and may contain kankar nodules. Exam tip: new alluvium = Khadar; old alluvium = Bhangar.

The basic foundation of the Northern Plains is river deposits and alluvial soil. Exam tip: remember the formation basis first.

The Northern Plains are not coral islands but plains formed by river deposits. Exam tip: keep islands and plains separate.

The Northern Plains are fertile alluvial plains south of the Himalayas. Exam tip: remember both location and feature.

Punjab, Ganga and Brahmaputra Plains are major regional units of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: remember them in order.

The Northern Plains are flat and fertile plains formed by alluvial deposits brought by Himalayan rivers. Exam tip: remember formation, soil and fertility together.

Terai is the moist and marshy belt south of Bhabar. Exam tip: remember Terai after Bhabar in order.

Bhabar is linked with coarse pebbly deposits. Exam tip: identify Bhabar through coarse deposits.

The direct answer is B: Khadar. In geography, alluvium means material such as silt, sand and clay deposited by rivers. Khadar is the newer alluvium of the Northern Plains. It lies closer to active floodplains and may be renewed by later floods, which generally makes it more fertile. A, Bhangar, is older alluvium, often lying on a relatively higher terrace, so it is the opposite of the description. C, Bhabar, is a coarse, porous foothill belt, not a name for new alluvial soil. D, Terai, is a wet, marshy belt south of Bhabar; it is a physiographic region, not the term for the newest alluvium. Hence B is correct. Memory cue: “Khadar = current/new flood deposits”; do not confuse it with older Bhangar.

Bhangar is the part with old alluvium. Exam tip: remember Bhangar as old and Khadar as new alluvium.

Himalayan rivers bring alluvial deposits to form the Northern Plains. Exam tip: remember the relation between river deposits and plains.

In the Punjab Plain, land between two rivers is called Doab. Exam tip: remember the meaning of Doab.

Alluvial soil brought by rivers makes the Northern Plains fertile. Exam tip: remember alluvial soil as the reason for fertility.