Himalayan and Peninsular River Systems

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.Which is the longest river that flows mostly within India?

   • A.Ganga✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Godavari
   • C.Yamuna
   • D.Krishna

   Explanation: The Ganga, about 2,525 km long, is the longest river flowing largely within India. The Indus and Brahmaputra are longer overall but spend much of their course outside India.

2. Q2.Which is the longest river of peninsular India?

   • A.Krishna
   • B.Godavari✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Kaveri
   • D.Mahanadi

   Explanation: The Godavari, about 1,465 km long, is the longest peninsular river and is called the Dakshin Ganga.

3. Q3.The Bhagirathi, the source stream of the Ganga, rises from which glacier?

   • A.Yamunotri
   • B.Gangotri✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Milam
   • D.Siachen

   Explanation: The Bhagirathi emerges from the Gangotri glacier at Gaumukh in Uttarakhand.

4. Q4.Which river is known as the "Sorrow of Bihar"?

   • A.Kosi✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Gandak
   • C.Son
   • D.Damodar

   Explanation: The Kosi is notorious for devastating floods and for shifting its course in Bihar.

5. Q5.Which river was once called the "Sorrow of Bengal" because of its floods?

   • A.Hooghly
   • B.Teesta
   • C.Ajay
   • D.Damodar✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: The Damodar earned the name for its floods; the Damodar Valley Corporation later tamed it with dams.

6. Q6.Which of the following rivers flows westwards into the Arabian Sea?

   • A.Mahanadi
   • B.Godavari
   • C.Narmada✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Krishna

   Explanation: The Narmada flows west to the Gulf of Khambhat. The Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna flow east into the Bay of Bengal.

7. Q7.In Tibet, the Brahmaputra is known as the:

   • A.Dihang
   • B.Jamuna
   • C.Tsangpo✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Padma

   Explanation: It is the Tsangpo in Tibet, the Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Jamuna in Bangladesh.

8. Q8.The Indus river originates in:

   • A.Tibet, near Lake Mansarovar✓ Correct Answer
   • B.the Kashmir valley
   • C.the Nepal Himalaya
   • D.the Ladakh range

   Explanation: The Indus rises in the Tibetan plateau near Lake Mansarovar and Mount Kailash.

9. Q9.The Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi join to form the Ganga at:

   • A.Rudraprayag
   • B.Karnaprayag
   • C.Prayagraj
   • D.Devprayag✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: The two headstreams meet at Devprayag in Uttarakhand, after which the river is called the Ganga.

10. Q10.The Yamuna joins the Ganga at:

    • A.Varanasi
    • B.Haridwar
    • C.Patna
    • D.Prayagraj✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: The Yamuna, which rises at Yamunotri, merges with the Ganga at Prayagraj (Sangam).

11. Q11.Which two major peninsular rivers flow westwards through rift valleys?

    • A.Mahanadi and Godavari
    • B.Narmada and Tapi✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Krishna and Kaveri
    • D.Sabarmati and Mahi

    Explanation: The Narmada and Tapi flow through rift valleys and form estuaries instead of deltas.

12. Q12.Which of the following is a right-bank tributary of the Ganga?

    • A.Ghaghara
    • B.Gandak
    • C.Son✓ Correct Answer
    • D.Kosi

    Explanation: The Yamuna and Son join the Ganga from the right (south). The Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi join from the left (north).

13. Q13.The Jog (Gersoppa) Falls are formed on the river:

    • A.Kaveri
    • B.Tungabhadra
    • C.Sharavati✓ Correct Answer
    • D.Netravati

    Explanation: Jog Falls on the Sharavati in Karnataka is among the highest plunge waterfalls in India.

14. Q14.The Hirakud Dam is built on which river?

    • A.Godavari
    • B.Mahanadi✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Krishna
    • D.Tungabhadra

    Explanation: Hirakud, near Sambalpur in Odisha, is one of the longest earthen dams in the world, built on the Mahanadi.

15. Q15.The Ganga Action Plan was launched in which year?

    • A.1986✓ Correct Answer
    • B.1975
    • C.1992
    • D.2014

    Explanation: The Ganga Action Plan began in 1986 to curb pollution. Namami Gange followed in 2014.

16. Q16.The Gangetic river dolphin was declared the National Aquatic Animal of India in:

    • A.2009✓ Correct Answer
    • B.2000
    • C.2005
    • D.2014

    Explanation: It was declared the National Aquatic Animal in 2009, on the recommendation of the National Ganga River Basin Authority.

17. Q17.National Waterway 1 runs along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly from Haldia up to:

    • A.Varanasi
    • B.Patna
    • C.Haridwar
    • D.Prayagraj✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: NW-1 stretches about 1,620 km from Haldia (West Bengal) to Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), declared in 1986.

18. Q18.The Luni river of Rajasthan ends in the:

    • A.Arabian Sea
    • B.Gulf of Khambhat
    • C.Sambhar Lake
    • D.Rann of Kachchh✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: The Luni rises near Ajmer and disappears into the marshes of the Rann of Kachchh without reaching the sea.

19. Q19.Through which Indian state does the Brahmaputra first enter India?

    • A.Assam
    • B.Arunachal Pradesh✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Sikkim
    • D.Nagaland

    Explanation: The Tsangpo enters India in Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang/Dihang and becomes the Brahmaputra after joining the Dibang and Lohit in Assam.

20. Q20.The Godavari river rises near:

    • A.Amarkantak
    • B.Mahabaleshwar
    • C.Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik✓ Correct Answer
    • D.Mahendragiri

    Explanation: The Godavari rises at Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik in Maharashtra. Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada and Son; Mahabaleshwar is the source of the Krishna.