Question map
Consider the following pairs : Wetland/ Lake Location 1. Hokera Wetland - Punjab 2. Renuka Wetland - Himachal Pradesh 3. Rudrasagar Lake - Tripura 4. Sasthamkotta Lake - Tamil Nadu How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 2 (Only two pairs) because only pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched.
- Pair 1 is incorrect: Hokera (Hokersar) Wetland is located in Jammu & Kashmir, not Punjab. It is a strategic bird sanctuary and a Ramsar site.
- Pair 2 is correct: Renuka Wetland is located in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the largest lake in the state and is recognized as a Ramsar site.
- Pair 3 is correct: Rudrasagar Lake is situated in Tripura. It is a natural sedimentation reservoir and home to the famous Neermahal Palace.
- Pair 4 is incorrect: Sasthamkotta Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the region, is located in Kerala (Kollam district), not Tamil Nadu.
Since only Renuka Wetland and Rudrasagar Lake are accurately matched with their respective states, the answer is "Only two pairs".
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a high-fairness, high-yield question. It rewards brute-force memorization of the Ramsar Sites table found in every standard text (Shankar/Majid Husain). If you missed this, your static Environment preparation has a critical gap.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Direct listing names Hokera Wetland with its District/State entry as Jammu & Kashmir.
- Entry includes additional identifying data (date, area) reinforcing the site's identity.
- Tabular Ramsar-site listing includes Hokera as a numbered entry with area, placing it among other high-altitude sites.
- Context of the table groups Hokera with other named wetlands used for state-wise cataloguing.
- Explicit entry naming 'Renuka Wetland' with District/State: Himachal Pradesh.
- Provides formal listing context (wetland name, district/state, date, area) linking the wetland to Himachal Pradesh.
- Refers to Renuka Lake as situated in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, linking the feature to the same region.
- Mentions Renuka as a named geographic feature and local attraction in Himachal Pradesh, corroborating location.
- Entry explicitly names 'Rudrasagar Lake' and records 'District/State: Tripura'.
- Includes corroborating details (area and date) that identify the specific lake.
- Directly names Sasthamkotta Lake as a large freshwater lake in Kerala.
- Specifies its location near Sasthamkotta in Kollam district, ~30 km from Kollam.
- Includes an entry linking Sasthamkotta Lake with Kerala in a wetlands/Ramsar context.
- Reinforces the Kerala association alongside other state-lake listings.
- [THE VERDICT]: Absolute Sitter. Direct hit from the 'Ramsar Sites' table in Majid Husain (p. 51) and Shankar IAS.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Protected Area Network (Ramsar Convention) & Map-based Geography.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Confusing Cousins': Harike (Punjab) vs. Hokera (J&K); Ashtamudi (Kerala) vs. Sasthamkotta (Kerala); Deepor Beel (Assam) vs. Rudrasagar (Tripura); Tso Kar (Ladakh) vs. Tsomgo (Sikkim).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not read lists linearly. Group them by State. Create specific mnemonics for North-East wetlands (Loktak, Rudrasagar, Deepor Beel) as they are high-frequency targets for 'Match the Pair' questions.
Ramsar wetlands are catalogued by name alongside their state/UT, enabling direct identification of a site's location.
High-yield for UPSC: many questions ask the state/UT of specific wetlands or Ramsar sites. Mastering name-to-state mapping helps answer map-based and static GK questions and links environment topics with regional geography.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > Table 5.10 > p. 53
Wetland entries are presented in tables that pair site names with area, designation date and state, which serve as quick cross-checks when locating a site.
Important revision strategy: memorising structured table fields (site, state, area, year) is effective for MCQs and short-answer questions on protected areas and wetlands; it also aids elimination in multiple-choice settings.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > Table 5.10 > p. 53
Designation year and area accompany wetland names, offering additional identifiers to distinguish similarly named sites.
Useful for distinguishing between sites with similar names or for questions that ask for paired facts (e.g., site and year of Ramsar listing); reinforces integrated preparation across environment and modern India topics.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
Renuka Wetland is recorded as a Ramsar-listed wetland associated with Himachal Pradesh.
High-yield for UPSC: exam questions often ask to match internationally designated wetlands with their location and designation details. Connects physical geography with environmental policy and conservation topics, enabling elimination-style answers in location-matching questions.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > Table 5.10 > p. 53
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > India Wetland included in Ramsar Convention List > p. 54
Renuka is located in Sirmaur district, providing a district-level anchor for its location in Himachal Pradesh.
Frequently tested: knowing the district or sub-state location of geographic features helps answer detailed location questions and links to regional geography, tourism, and local conservation issues. Useful for mapping and short-answer questions.
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > Renuka Lake > p. 31
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
Renuka Wetland has a recorded area (~2 km2) and a formal date of designation, useful for factual identification.
Memorizing designation dates and area figures for key wetlands is useful for static, factual UPSC questions and for comparing scale and protection timelines across sites; connects to environmental governance and Ramsar Convention topics.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > Table 5.10 > p. 53
Knowledge of which lake belongs to which state directly answers location questions such as Rudrasagar Lake.
High-yield for UPSC prelims and GS: many questions test recall of lake–state pairings; links geography with environment and biodiversity and enables quick elimination in MCQs.
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > MAngrove (forests). > p. 51
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > Chilka Lake (Chilika Lake) > p. 29
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > Kolleru Lake > p. 30
Chandertal (Himachal Pradesh) and Surinsar-Mansar (J&K). These appear in the exact same tables as Renuka and Hokera. Also, watch out for 'Kanjli' (Punjab), which is the lesser-known sibling to Harike and Ropar.
Linguistic/Cultural Logic: 'Sasthamkotta' refers to the Sastha (Lord Ayyappa) temple located there—a very strong Kerala cultural marker, making Tamil Nadu unlikely. 'Hokera' sounds phonetically distinct from the Punjabi 'Harike'; the suffix '-sar' or '-era' often points towards Kashmir/Ladakh lakes.
Mains GS3 (Conservation) + GS1 (Heritage): Rudrasagar Lake is not just a wetland; it houses the 'Neermahal' (Water Palace). This intersection of built heritage and dying ecology (siltation/eutrophication) makes it a perfect case study for Mains answers.