UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I
Question 1: Geography
Consider the following statements :
- 1.Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake.
- 2.Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake.
- 3.Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).
Only the Jhelum statement is right: the river flows into and out of Wular Lake in Kashmir, one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes. Kolleru lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas, but it is fed by local streams such as the Budameru and Tammileru; the big rivers reach it only through canals. Kanwar (Kabartal) in Begusarai, Bihar, is an oxbow lake left by the meandering of the Burhi Gandak, not the Gandak itself. Learn each lake with its feeder river and how it formed.
- 1. The Jhelum passes through Wular Lake.
- 2. Kolleru is fed by local streams; the Krishna and Godavari link only by canals.
- 3. Kanwar is an oxbow lake of the Burhi Gandak, a different river.
How you could have got this
No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.
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) Correct: only statement 1 holds.
- (b) Two would need the Kanwar statement to hold as well, which UPSC counts as wrong.
- (c) Statement 2 fails: the Krishna does not feed Kolleru directly.
- (d) Statement 1 is true, so not none.
Worth knowing: Kanwar is often described as an oxbow lake of the Gandak system, so statement 3 is arguable; the explanation follows UPSC's key, which counts it false.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.