NCERT Questions & Answers
Q1. Choose the right answer:
(i) Wular Lake is in → (d) Jammu & Kashmir
(ii) Narmada source → (c) Amarkantak
(iii) Salt water lake → (a) Sambhar
(iv) Longest Peninsular river → (c) Godavari
(v) River flowing in rift valley → (d) Tapi
Q2. Answer briefly:
(i) What is a water divide?
→ An elevated area separating two drainage basins. Example: Ambala between Indus & Ganga basins.
(ii) Largest river basin in India?
→ The Ganga basin.
(iii) Origin of Indus & Ganga?
→ Indus – Tibet near Mansarovar.
Ganga – Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi).
(iv) Two headstreams of Ganga? Where do they meet?
→ Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. They meet at Devaprayag.
(v) Why does Brahmaputra carry less silt in Tibet?
→ Tibet is dry and cold, with little rainfall → less water, less silt.
(vi) Two Peninsular rivers flowing through troughs?
→ Narmada and Tapi.
(vii) Economic benefits of rivers and lakes?
→ Irrigation, drinking water, hydropower, fisheries, navigation, tourism, soil fertility, climate moderation.
Q3. Classify lakes (Natural / Human-made):
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Natural: Wular, Dal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Loktak, Barapani, Chilika, Sambhar, Pulicat, Kolleru.
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Human-made: Gobind Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar, Nizam Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar, Hirakud.
Q4. Difference between Himalayan and Peninsular rivers:
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Himalayan: Perennial, long, deep valleys, depositional features (deltas, meanders, oxbow lakes).
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Peninsular: Seasonal, short, flow in plateaus, shallow valleys, estuaries (west-flowing), smaller deltas (east-flowing).
Q5. Compare east- and west-flowing rivers of Peninsular India:
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East-flowing (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri): Flow into Bay of Bengal, form deltas, longer courses.
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West-flowing (Narmada, Tapi): Flow into Arabian Sea, form estuaries, shorter courses, swift flow.
Q6. Why are rivers important for India’s economy?
→ They provide irrigation, hydroelectricity, transport, fisheries, tourism, fertile soil, drinking water. Most Indian agriculture depends on rivers, making them the lifeline of the economy.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Describe the Himalayan river systems.
→ Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra. Long, perennial, joined by tributaries. Indus (2,900 km) with Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj. Ganga (2,500 km) with Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Chambal, Betwa, Son. Brahmaputra (Tsangpo in Tibet, Jamuna in Bangladesh) causes floods, forms Majuli island.
Q2. Explain the Peninsular river systems.
→ Shorter, seasonal, most flow eastwards into Bay of Bengal forming deltas (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri). West-flowing Narmada & Tapi form estuaries. Other west-flowing: Sabarmati, Mahi, Periyar. Their basins are smaller than Himalayan rivers.
Q3. Write a note on lakes in India.
→ Natural (Dal, Nainital, Chilika, Wular, Sambhar) and man-made (Bhakra Nangal – Gobind Sagar, Hirakud, Nagarjuna Sagar). Lakes regulate river flow, prevent floods, help irrigation, hydropower, fisheries, recreation, tourism, and biodiversity.
Q4. Role of rivers in Indian economy.
→ Rivers provide irrigation (agriculture), hydropower (electricity), navigation (transport), tourism (boating, pilgrimages), fishing, and fertile soil for crops. Major cities developed on rivers (Delhi – Yamuna, Kolkata – Hooghly, Varanasi – Ganga).
Q5. Causes and effects of river pollution in India.
→ Causes: sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, religious practices. Effects: unsafe water, fish death, ecosystem damage, health hazards. Example: Ganga pollution led to Ganga Action Plan & NRCP.
MCQs
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The largest river basin in India is:
(a) Indus
(b) Ganga
(c) Brahmaputra
(d) Godavari
Answer: (b) Ganga -
The Indus River originates near:
(a) Mt. Everest
(b) Mt. Kailash
(c) Lake Mansarovar
(d) Amarkantak
Answer: (c) Lake Mansarovar -
Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet to form the Ganga at:
(a) Haridwar
(b) Devaprayag
(c) Allahabad
(d) Rishikesh
Answer: (b) Devaprayag -
The Yamuna meets the Ganga at:
(a) Varanasi
(b) Haridwar
(c) Allahabad (Prayagraj)
(d) Kanpur
Answer: (c) Allahabad (Prayagraj) -
The Brahmaputra is known in Tibet as:
(a) Tsangpo
(b) Jamuna
(c) Dihang
(d) Lohit
Answer: (a) Tsangpo -
The world’s largest delta is:
(a) Mekong Delta
(b) Amazon Delta
(c) Mississippi Delta
(d) Sundarbans Delta
Answer: (d) Sundarbans Delta -
The Narmada river rises from:
(a) Satpura Hills
(b) Amarkantak Hills
(c) Western Ghats
(d) Himalayas
Answer: (b) Amarkantak Hills -
The Tapi river originates from:
(a) Aravali Hills
(b) Himalayas
(c) Satpura Ranges
(d) Vindhya Ranges
Answer: (c) Satpura Ranges -
The Godavari is also called:
(a) Dakshin Ganga
(b) Krishna of the South
(c) Peninsular Lifeline
(d) Bharat Ganga
Answer: (a) Dakshin Ganga -
The largest saltwater lake in India is:
(a) Sambhar Lake
(b) Chilika Lake
(c) Pulicat Lake
(d) Wular Lake
Answer: (b) Chilika Lake -
The Sambhar Lake is located in:
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Gujarat
Answer: (c) Rajasthan -
The Wular Lake is situated in:
(a) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Jammu & Kashmir
(c) Assam
(d) Kerala
Answer: (b) Jammu & Kashmir -
The Shivasamudram waterfall is formed by:
(a) Krishna River
(b) Godavari River
(c) Kaveri River
(d) Mahanadi River
Answer: (c) Kaveri River -
The longest Peninsular river is:
(a) Mahanadi
(b) Krishna
(c) Godavari
(d) Kaveri
Answer: (c) Godavari -
The Narmada and Tapi rivers flow into the:
(a) Bay of Bengal
(b) Arabian Sea
(c) Indian Ocean
(d) Red Sea
Answer: (b) Arabian Sea -
The river known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” is:
(a) Kosi
(b) Damodar
(c) Gandak
(d) Ghaghara
Answer: (a) Kosi -
The river known as the “Sorrow of Bengal” is:
(a) Damodar
(b) Mahananda
(c) Subarnarekha
(d) Hooghly
Answer: (a) Damodar -
Majuli, the world’s largest riverine island, is formed by:
(a) Ganga
(b) Brahmaputra
(c) Godavari
(d) Yamuna
Answer: (b) Brahmaputra -
The Indira Gandhi Canal gets its water mainly from:
(a) Yamuna
(b) Sutlej
(c) Beas
(d) Ravi
Answer: (b) Sutlej -
The Hirakud Dam is built on the:
(a) Godavari River
(b) Krishna River
(c) Narmada River
(d) Mahanadi River
Answer: (d) Mahanadi
Fill in the Blanks
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The area drained by a river system is called a drainage basin.
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Elevated area separating basins is a water divide.
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Indus Water Treaty (1960) allows India to use 20% of Indus water.
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The Ganga’s headwaters are Bhagirathi and Alaknanda.
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The Brahmaputra is called Jamuna in Bangladesh.
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The Sundarbans delta is home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
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Narmada flows through a rift valley.
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The Godavari is also known as Dakshin Ganga.
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Wular Lake was formed by tectonic activity.
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The National River Conservation Plan began in 1995.