The Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular Plateau is one of the oldest landmasses of India. Exam tip: remember it as ancient and stable.

This plateau is made of hard igneous and metamorphic rocks. Exam tip: remember its rocks as hard and old.

The Peninsular Plateau narrows southward and appears triangular. Exam tip: understand its shape through the map.

The Peninsular Plateau is divided into Central Highlands and Deccan Plateau. Exam tip: remember these two main divisions.

The Central Highlands lie north of the Narmada River. Exam tip: remember Narmada as a dividing line.

The direct answer is B, the Narmada River. In school geography, the Deccan Plateau is the southern part of the Peninsular Plateau, lying broadly south of the Narmada valley. Step by step: the Narmada runs through a major rift valley; the region north of it includes the Central Highlands, while the large plateau extending southward is identified as the Deccan Plateau; therefore, Narmada is the boundary reference in this question. Option B is correct. Option A, Ganga, is wrong because the Ganga flows across the Northern Plains and is far north of the Deccan reference. Option C, Brahmaputra, is wrong because it lies mainly in the northeastern region and does not mark the northern limit of the Deccan Plateau. Option D, Indus, is wrong because it belongs mainly to the northwestern drainage system. The wording gives a broad geographical division, not a claim that every point has a sharp natural boundary. Memory cue: Narmada is the key north-side reference; Deccan lies to its south.

The Satpura range is linked with the northern edge of the Deccan Plateau. Exam tip: connect Deccan's northern boundary with Satpura.

Aravalli lies to the north west of the Central Highlands. Exam tip: also remember Aravalli as a very old range.

Malwa Plateau is a major part of the Central Highlands. Exam tip: link Malwa with the plateau region of central India.

The Central Highlands generally slope towards the north and north east. Exam tip: connect slope with river flow.

Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand are eastern extensions of the Central Highlands. Exam tip: link these names with Central Highlands.

Chotanagpur Plateau is famous for minerals. Exam tip: remember it as an important mineral region of India.

The Deccan Plateau is triangular and a large plateau region of South India. Exam tip: identify Deccan on the map.

The Western Ghats lie along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau. Exam tip: remember Western Ghats near the Arabian Sea.

The Eastern Ghats lie along the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau. Exam tip: remember them near the Bay of Bengal.

The Western and Eastern Ghats meet at the Nilgiri Hills. Exam tip: remember Nilgiri as the meeting region of both Ghats.

The Western Ghats are higher and more continuous than the Eastern Ghats. Exam tip: remember them as a clear mountain wall.

The Eastern Ghats are broken and discontinuous because many rivers cut through them. Exam tip: remember them as less continuous.

Narmada and Tapi flow westward into the Arabian Sea. Exam tip: remember them as west flowing rivers.

Narmada flows through a rift valley. Exam tip: connect Narmada with rift valley and westward flow.

Black soil is found in the Deccan Trap region. Exam tip: also link black soil with cotton cultivation.

Direct answer: Option B, volcanic lava flow. The Deccan Trap is a vast region of step-like basalt layers in peninsular India. It formed mainly when very large quantities of fluid basaltic lava spread over the land through ancient fissure eruptions. Repeated flows cooled into layers, and later erosion helped expose the stair-like or trap-like appearance. Option A, river silt, forms alluvial plains and deposits, not the thick basalt sheets of the Deccan Trap. Option C, marine coral, forms carbonate reefs in shallow seas and does not explain this volcanic plateau. Option D, glacial ice, shapes landscapes by erosion and deposition in cold regions, but it did not create the Deccan basalt layers. The key chain is: fissure eruptions → extensive lava sheets → cooling into basalt layers → step-like plateau. Memory cue: Deccan Trap means ancient lava and basalt steps.

Hard rocky surfaces and slope differences create waterfalls. Exam tip: link plateau rivers with waterfalls.

The Deccan Plateau has extensive basaltic lava rocks. Their weathering forms black soil, so it is widespread in Maharashtra and the Deccan region. Exam tip: link black soil with cotton cultivation; the Chota Nagpur Plateau is better known for minerals.

Anai Mudi is a high peak of the Western Ghats. Exam tip: remember it as a major height of South India.