UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I
Question 58: Geography
Consider the following statements :
- 1.In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
- 2.Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
- 3.Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
In 2017 the Himalayas in India ran through more than five States: Jammu and Kashmir (which then included Ladakh), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh already make five, and the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal and hill areas of other north-eastern States add more, so Statement 1 is wrong. The Western Ghats are spread over six States (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu), so Statement 2 is wrong. Pulicat Lake straddles Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, two States, so Statement 3 is right.
- 1. The Himalayas span more than five States, counting the Darjeeling hills and the north-eastern hills.
- 2. The Western Ghats cover six States.
- 3. Pulicat Lake lies in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (d) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: The Himalayas span more than five States, counting the Darjeeling hills and the north-eastern hills.
The red flag in statement 1 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (c) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: The Western Ghats cover six States.
The red flag in statement 2 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.
Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statement 3.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: neither the Himalayas nor the Western Ghats span only five States.
- (b) Right: only Pulicat Lake, shared by two States, is correctly described.
- (c) Wrong: the Western Ghats cover six States.
- (d) Wrong: the Himalayas span more than five States.
Worth knowing: Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised in 2019 into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; the count above is as it stood in 2017.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.