The Northern Plains

Northern Plains are identified by formation, soil and divisions. Exam tip: do not depend only on flatness.

Northern Plains are formed by deposits of Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. Exam tip: remember all three systems together.

In Bhabar, water sinks because of coarse deposits. Exam tip: connect Bhabar with foothills and pebbles.

Bhabar is a narrow belt along the Himalayan foothills where coarse pebbles and gravel allow streams to sink underground. As these streams move southward into the finer, less porous sediments of the Terai, the water rises again close to or at the surface. This creates a wet, marshy belt with higher soil moisture and, historically, dense natural vegetation. Therefore, Terai is wetter than Bhabar.

Option A correctly describes this underground water movement. The other options wrongly identify Terai as a sea area, Deccan lava land, or coral island; these do not explain the Bhabar–Terai relationship. The important sequence is that water disappears into the porous Bhabar and re-emerges in the Terai. Hence, option A follows directly from the drainage and sediment characteristics of the two belts.

Bhangar is linked with old alluvium and kankar deposits. Exam tip: connect kankar clue with Bhangar.

Khadar is a fertile flood plain of new alluvium. Exam tip: remember Khadar with new fertile soil.

This gives the correct identity of all four local forms. Exam tip: remember each name with its main clue.

Bhabar and Khadar are identified by different deposits and locations. Exam tip: keep coarse deposits and new alluvium separate.

The Ganga Plain is one of the regional parts of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: keep regional and local divisions separate.

A doab is a tract of land lying between two rivers. In the Punjab Plain, such fertile tracts occur between rivers of the Indus river system and its tributaries. A glacier between mountain peaks is a different landform and is not a doab. Exam tip: remember doab as land between two water channels or rivers.

All three are regional parts of the Northern Plains. Exam tip: do not mix regional plains with local belts.

Brahmaputra Plain is more linked with Assam and north-eastern India. Exam tip: remember Brahmaputra with Assam region.

Northern Plains are formed by long deposition of river sediments. Exam tip: understand the formation process in order.

Khadar and Bhangar are age-based units of alluvial plains. Exam tip: remember new and old alluvium difference.

In flat plains, meandering river flow can form oxbow lakes. Exam tip: remember the relation between meanders and oxbow lakes.

In flat plains, low slope causes rivers to deposit sediments. Exam tip: remember slow flow and deposition together.

During floods, rivers can deposit sediments along banks to form natural levees. Exam tip: understand flood-deposition relation.

Khadar is linked with new alluvium in flood plains. Exam tip: connect Khadar with renewed soil.

Bhangar and Khadar are two types of alluvial deposits in the Northern Plains. Bhangar is the older alluvium. It lies above the level of regular floods and may contain calcareous formations called kankar. Khadar is the newer alluvium deposited by rivers during more recent floods, so its soil is renewed more frequently and is often very fertile.

Thus, option A gives the necessary correction. The statement about new deposits brought by every flood describes Khadar, not Bhangar, while Bhangar must be identified as old alluvial land. Options B and C confuse these terms with Bhabar, Terai, coral, or the sea. Option D cannot be accepted because the original statement reverses the defining age and deposition difference between Bhangar and Khadar.

Terai is a moist, marshy belt of the Northern Plains, lying south of the Bhabar region. Water that disappears into the porous Bhabar re-emerges here, creating marshy conditions. Hence, Terai cannot be called a Himalayan mountain range. The highest Himalayan range is Himadri, or the Greater Himalaya. Exam tip: remember Bhabar and Terai as belts of the Northern Plains, whereas Himadri is a Himalayan range.

Northern Plains lie between the Himalayas and Peninsular Plateau. Exam tip: remember middle location and alluvial nature together.

Direct answer: Option A is correct. The Northern Plains were built mainly by layers of alluvium—sediments such as silt, sand and clay carried and deposited by rivers including the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems. The Peninsular Plateau has a very different geological base. It is an ancient, stable landmass made largely of old hard crystalline rocks, although some areas also contain volcanic rocks such as Deccan basalt. Option A correctly distinguishes the two by their origin and material. Option B is wrong because neither entire region is made of coral islands. Option C is wrong because the Northern Plains are not the Himadri range, and the plateau is not Himadri either. Option D is wrong because Thar dunes are a desert feature, not a description of both regions. The best exam method is to identify the formation process: river deposition means Northern Plains; ancient hard-rock block means Peninsular Plateau. Memory cue: “Plains are piled by rivers; plateau stands on old rocks.”

Regional plains and local belts are different classifications. Exam tip: do not mix the two types of divisions.

The level surface of the Northern Plains is suitable for farming, transport and building settlements. Alluvial soil deposited by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems is highly fertile, and water is relatively available. These geographical conditions support agriculture, livelihoods and urban growth, resulting in dense settlement. Option B describes mountainous terrain, which contrasts with the plains. Exam tip: Link relief, soil, water availability and farming potential when explaining settlement patterns.

River water, flatness and alluvial soil support agriculture. Exam tip: study the reasons for agriculture together.