Q84
(IAS/2021)
Geography âş Indian Physical Geography âş Indian lakes and wetlands
Official Key
With reference to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are the names of
Result
Your answer:
â
¡
Correct:
D
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 4: saline lakes. These locations are prominent salt-water bodies situated in the semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly within the Nagaur and Sikar districts.
The geological and climatic factors of the Thar Desert contribute to the formation of these playas or saline depressions. Key reasons why Option 4 is correct include:
Didwana and Kuchaman: These are well-known salt lakes in Nagaur district where commercial salt production occurs.
Sargol and Khatu: These are smaller but significant saline depressions in the same geographical belt.
Why other options are incorrect:
Glaciers: Found in high-altitude Himalayan regions, not in the plains of Rajasthan.
Mangrove areas: Restricted to coastal regions like the Sundarbans or Pichavaram.
Ramsar sites: While Rajasthan has Ramsar sites (e.g., Keoladeo and Sambhar), Didwana and Khatu do not hold this specific international designation.
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option.
Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
50%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Donât just practise â reverse-engineer the question.
This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner
broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were
supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question:
what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and
what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are the names of
[A] glaciers
[B] mangrove areas
[C] Ramsar sites
[D] saâŚ
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open.
Login with Google
to unlock all tabs.
This is a classic 'Terms in News' meets 'Static Geography' question. It rewards careful reading of the Physiography chapter in standard texts (Majid Husain/NCERT), where Didwana and Kuchaman are explicitly listed as 'playas' or saline depressions in the Thar region. The other names act as distractors to test your confidence in the primary examples.
How this question is built
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements.
Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > Table 2.3 > p. 24
Strength: 5/5
âMain Glaciers of the Himalayan Region ⢠Name of The Glacier: Siachen; Location: Karakoram; Length (Km): 76; Altitude (M): 5400; Important Features: Largest in Nubra Valley of the Himalaya and second longest glacier outside the Polar region ⢠Name of The Glacier: Biafo; Location: Karakoram (Baltistan region of Ladakh); Length (Km): 60; Altitude (M): 5128; Important Features: Flows into Shigar River ⢠Name of The Glacier: Chogo Lungma; Location: Karakoram; Length (Km): 50; Altitude (M): 5016; Important Features: Located in Gilgit Baltistan ⢠Name of The Glacier: Gangotri; Location: Uttarakhand; Length (Km): 28; Altitude (M): 3415; Important Features: Originates below the Chaukhamba Peak and it is also known as 'Gomukh' ⢠Name of The Glacier: Rimo; Location: Siachen Area of Ladakh; Length (Km): 40; Altitude (M): 7385; Important Features: Drains in the Shyok River ⢠Name of The Glacier: Hispar; Location: Gilgit-Baltistan; Length (Km): 63; Altitude (M): 5128; Important Features: World's longest glacial system ⢠Name of The Glacier: Zemu; Location: Sikkim/Nepal; Length (Km): 26; Altitude (M): 300; Important Features: Largest glacier in Eastern Himalaya and it feeds River Teesta ⢠Name of The Glacier: Drang Drung; Location: Himalayan Range; Length (Km): 23; Altitude (M): 4780; Important Features: It lies in the Zanskar range in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir ⢠Name of The Glacier: Shafat; Location: Eastern Himalayan Range; Length (Km): 14; Altitude (M): 4400; Important Features: Gives rise to the peaks of Nun and Kun The melted water flows into Suru River ⢠Name of The Glacier: Sonapani; Location: Chandra Valley of Lahaul and Spiti region; Length (Km): 15; Altitude (M): 4000; Important Features: Longest glacier of the Pir Panjal range near the Rohtang Passâ
Why relevant
Gives a concrete pattern/list of 'main glaciers of the Himalayan region' and ties each glacier name to specific mountain ranges and states (e.g., Uttarakhand, Karakoram, Sikkim/Nepal).
How to extend
A student could check whether the four names occur in such Himalayan/TransâHimalayan lists or are instead located in nonâmountainous parts of India using a map or gazetteer.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > Table 2.3 > p. 25
Strength: 5/5
â⢠Name of The Glacier: Milam; Location: Uttarakhand; Length (Km): 15; Altitude (M): 2290; Important Features: Major source of River Gori Ganga Biggest glacier in Kumaon Himalaya ⢠Name of The Glacier: Rupal; Location: Kashmir; Length (Km): 15; Altitude (M): 6326; Important Features: Located in Greater Himalaya it flows northeastward ⢠Name of The Glacier: Gangri; Location: Nun Kun Mountains; Himalayan Range; Length (Km): 13; Altitude (M): 7135; Important Features: Largest glacier in the Nun Kun peak ⢠Name of The Glacier: Bara Shigri; Location: Chandra Valley of Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh; Length (Km): 11; Altitude (M): ~4570; Important Features: Second longest glacier in Himalaya Source of water for River Chenab It has deposits of antimony ⢠Name of The Glacier: Diamir (Nanga Parbat); Location: Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied); Length (Km): 11; Altitude (M): 4203; Important Features: Diamir mountains are known as 'King of Mountains' and are the World's tallest mountains ⢠Name of The Glacier: Pindari; Location: Kumaon Region of Uttarakhand; Length (Km): 3; Altitude (M): 3353; Important Features: Gives rise to River Pindari ⢠Name of The Glacier: Chong Kumdan; Location: Karakoram; Length (Km): 21; Altitude (M): 7071; Important Features: Ladakh; they feed and are a threat to Shyok River and might block it ⢠Name of The Glacier: Hispar; Location: Karakoram; Length (Km): 60; Altitude (M): 5128; Important Features: Feeds Shigar Riverâ
Why relevant
Another list of named glaciers with explicit locations (Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Karakoram, Himachal) showing glacier names are normally linked to highâaltitude Himalayan areas.
How to extend
Compare the geographic location of Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol, Khatu to these highâaltitude regions to judge if they fit the pattern of glacier names.
FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > GLACIERS > p. 54
Strength: 4/5
âHigher reaches of Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, are places to see some of them. Do you know where one can see river Bhagirathi is basically fed by meltwaters from under the snout (Gaumukh) of the Gangotri glacier. In fact, Alkapuri glacier feeds waters to Alakananda river. Rivers Alkananda and Bhagirathi join to make river Ganga near Deoprayag. Erosion by glaciers is tremendous because of friction caused by sheer weight of the ice. The material plucked from the land by glaciers (usually large-sized angular blocks and fragments) get dragged along the floors or sides of the valleys and cause great damage through abrasion and plucking.â
Why relevant
Explains that glaciers occur in 'higher reaches' of Uttarakhand, Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir and names specific glacier snouts (Gangotri, Alkapuri) tied to mountain headwaters.
How to extend
Use this rule (glaciers occur in Himalayan high reaches) to test whether the four names are places in such highâelevation Himalayan zones.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > Altitude of Snowline in the Himalaya > p. 23
Strength: 4/5
â⢠S. No: 1.; Himalayan Region: North Eastern Himalaya (Arunachal Pradesh); Altitude of Snowline: 4400 m
⢠S. No: 2.; Himalayan Region: Kashmir Himalaya; Altitude of Snowline: 5200 m to 5800 m
⢠S. No: 3.; Himalayan Region: Kumaun Himalaya; Altitude of Snowline: 5100 m to 5500 m
⢠S. No: 4.; Himalayan Region: Karakoram; Altitude of Snowline: 5500 m and above
The main glaciers in the northern mountains are found in the Greater Himalaya and the Trans-Himalayan mountains (Karakoram, Ladakh and Zaskar). The Lesser Himalaya have small glaciers, though traces of large glaciers are found in the Pir-Panjal andâ
Why relevant
Gives the pattern that main glaciers are found in the Greater Himalaya and TransâHimalayan mountains and provides regional snowline altitudes.
How to extend
A student could verify whether the four names are situated above typical snowline elevations or within the Greater/TransâHimalayan regions on a topographic map.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > Table 2.3 > p. 26
Strength: 3/5
âThe glaciers of Karakoram are the remnants of the Pleistocene Age. The diurnal rate of movement of these glaciers is between 8 to 15 cm at the side and 20 to 30 cm in the middle. The glaciers of the Pir-Panjal are less numerous and smaller in size as compared to those of the Karakoram and the Greater Himalayan ranges. The glaciers of the Nanga Parbat Massif are small in size and are moving fast due to a steep slope. The glaciers are not only the source of Himalayan rivers, but also maintain a regular supply of water in theseâ
Why relevant
Describes where glaciers in India are concentrated (Karakoram, Greater Himalaya, PirâPanjal) and contrasts glacier sizes and distributions by range.
How to extend
Use this distributional rule to see if the four names belong to the named glacierâbearing ranges or to other parts of India unlikely to host glaciers.
Statement analysis
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues.
The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
With reference to Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Sultanpur National Park, Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana Wetland, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1. All of them are Ramsar sites.
2. All of them are naturally formed wetlands.
3. All of them are birding sites.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Which of the following statements with reference to saline soil in India is/are correct ?
1. They are rich in nitrogen.
2. They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy areas.
Select the answer using the code given below :
ISRO, in its studies, has revealed that there is a 178% increase in the size of the Ghepang Ghat Glacial Lake. In which of the following States/UTs is this lake located?
(a) Jammu & Kashmir
(b) Ladakh
(c) Himachal Pradesh
(d) Uttarakhand