The physical divisions of India form the base for almost every other topic in Indian geography, and UPSC regularly asks about ranges, passes, valleys and landforms. This set covers the Himalayan ranges, duns and passes, the divisions of the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Western and Eastern Ghats, the coastal plains and the island groups.
How to practise: read each question and tap the option you think is correct. You will see right away whether you got it, along with a short explanation, and your score is tracked at the bottom of the screen. This set has 15 questions.
Topics covered in this set
- Himalayan ranges: Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks
- Duns and important mountain passes
- Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar and Khadar
- Peninsular Plateau, Aravallis and the Ghats
- Eastern and western coastal plains
- Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands
UPSC MCQs with answers and explanations
Q1. Which is the correct order of the Himalayan ranges from south to north?
a) Himadri, Himachal, Shiwalik
b) Shiwalik, Himachal, Himadri
c) Himachal, Shiwalik, Himadri
d) Shiwalik, Himadri, Himachal
Q2. Longitudinal valleys such as Dehra Dun, called "duns", lie between which two ranges?
a) Himachal and Shiwaliks
b) Himadri and Himachal
c) Karakoram and Ladakh
d) Shiwaliks and the Northern Plains
Q3. The Pir Panjal range is a part of:
a) The Greater Himalaya
b) The Shiwaliks
c) The Lesser Himalaya (Himachal)
d) The Trans-Himalaya
Q4. Which of the following mountain passes is located in Sikkim?
a) Shipki La
b) Zoji La
c) Bomdi La
d) Nathu La
Q5. In which belt at the foot of the Shiwaliks do streams disappear underground because of the porous pebble deposits?
a) Terai
b) Bhabar
c) Bhangar
d) Khadar
Q6. In the Northern Plains, the older alluvium found above the flood level of rivers is called:
a) Bhangar
b) Khadar
c) Terai
d) Reh
Q7. Which is the highest peak of Peninsular India?
a) Doddabetta
b) Mahendragiri
c) Guru Shikhar
d) Anamudi
Q8. The Palghat (Palakkad) Gap separates which two hill ranges?
a) Nilgiris and Anaimalai
b) Anaimalai and Cardamom hills
c) Sahyadri and Nilgiris
d) Javadi and Shevaroy hills
Q9. The Western Ghats are known as the Sahyadri in which region?
a) Kerala
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Maharashtra (and northern Karnataka)
d) Goa only
Q10. Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of the Aravalli range, is located at:
a) Mount Abu
b) Udaipur
c) Ajmer
d) Alwar
Q11. The Deccan Plateau in Maharashtra is made mainly of which rock?
a) Granite
b) Sandstone
c) Basalt formed by lava flows
d) Limestone
Q12. The Meghalaya plateau (Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills) is an extension of:
a) The Himalayas
b) The Purvanchal hills
c) The Shiwaliks
d) The Peninsular Plateau
Q13. Lagoons and backwaters called "kayals" are a feature of which coast?
a) Malabar coast
b) Coromandel coast
c) Northern Circars
d) Konkan coast
Q14. India's only active volcano, Barren Island, is part of which island group?
a) Lakshadweep
b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
c) Rameswaram islands
d) Minicoy islands
Q15. Shipki La, through which the Satluj enters India, is located in:
a) Uttarakhand
b) Ladakh
c) Himachal Pradesh
d) Sikkim
Quick revision notes
- Himalaya from south to north: Shiwalik (Outer), Himachal (Lesser), Himadri (Greater). Duns lie between the Himachal and the Shiwaliks.
- Northern Plains from the hills: Bhabar (porous pebbles), Terai (marshy), then Bhangar (old alluvium) and Khadar (new alluvium).
- Passes: Zoji La (Ladakh/Kashmir), Shipki La (Himachal), Lipulekh (Uttarakhand), Nathu La (Sikkim), Bomdi La (Arunachal).
- Anamudi is the highest peak of Peninsular India; Doddabetta is the highest in the Nilgiris; Guru Shikhar is the highest in the Aravallis.
- The Palghat Gap separates the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai. The Meghalaya plateau is a detached part of the Peninsular Plateau.
- Lakshadweep islands are coral; Andaman and Nicobar are volcanic and tectonic; Barren Island is India's only active volcano.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bhabar and Terai?
Bhabar is the narrow belt of pebbles at the foot of the Shiwaliks where streams vanish underground. Terai lies just south of it, where those streams re-emerge, creating a wet, marshy and densely forested belt.
How do the Western Ghats differ from the Eastern Ghats?
The Western Ghats are continuous, higher and can only be crossed through passes such as Thal, Bhor and Pal ghats. The Eastern Ghats are lower and broken into separate hills by rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri that flow into the Bay of Bengal.
Which is the highest peak in India?
Among peaks in territory administered by India, Kangchenjunga (8,586 m) in Sikkim is the highest. K2 (8,611 m) lies in Gilgit-Baltistan, which India claims as part of its territory, so many textbooks list K2 as the highest peak of India.
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