Which one of the following valleys of Madhya Pradesh is not a rift valley?
- (a)Son Valley
- (b)Narmada Valley
- (c)Tapti Valley
- (d)Chambal Valley
Correct — D, Chambal Valley. The Chambal is not a rift valley: it rises in the Vindhyan scarp and cuts across the Malwa plateau, carving its famous badland ravines before joining the Yamuna. The Narmada, Tapti (Tapi) and Son valleys, by contrast, all lie along the great Son-Narmada-Tapti (SONATA) rift/fault zone of central India, so they are true rift valleys.
- (a)Son Valley — It is a rift valley — the Son flows along the eastern arm of the Narmada-Son rift (the SONATA lineament), so it is not the answer.
- (b)Narmada Valley — The classic Indian rift valley — the Narmada runs westward through a trough down-faulted between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
- (c)Tapti Valley — Also a rift valley — the Tapti (Tapi) occupies a parallel rift trough just south of the Satpuras and, like the Narmada, flows west to the Arabian Sea.
A rift valley is a long trough formed where a block of land subsides (down-faults) between two roughly parallel faults. In central India the Narmada, Son and Tapti occupy such rifts along the SONATA (Son-Narmada-Tapti) tectonic zone, which is why the Narmada and Tapti flow west into the Arabian Sea against the peninsula's general eastward slope. The Chambal has no such rift structure — it is an ordinary river of the Malwa plateau, famous for its ravines.
Three of the four are rift valleys, so the task is to spot the odd one out. The Chambal's plateau-and-ravine character — rather than a fault-bounded trough — makes it the exception.
- Rift valley = a down-faulted trough between two parallel faults.
- The Narmada and Tapti flow west through rift valleys between and around the Vindhya-Satpura ranges.
- The Son also lies along the Narmada-Son rift (the SONATA zone).
- The Chambal drains the Malwa plateau and forms ravines / badlands — it is NOT a rift valley.
Only the Chambal is not a rift valley, so it is the answer.
- Assuming every major MP river valley is a rift — the Chambal is not
- Forgetting that the Narmada and Tapti flow west because of rift / structural control
Asked as 'which is / is not a rift valley' or 'why does the Narmada flow west' — remember the SONATA rift (Son-Narmada-Tapti) and exclude the Chambal.
The Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why? 1. It occupies a linear rift valley. 2. It flows between the Vindhyas and the Satpuras. 3. The land slopes to the west from Central India. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) None
Answer(a) 1 only
Same concept — the Narmada's westward flow is explained by its linear rift valley, exactly the rift structure this MP question turns on.
Which one of the following east-flowing rivers of India has a rift valley due to down-warping?
- (a) Damodar
- (b) Mahanadi
- (c) Sone
- (d) Yamuna
Answer(a) Damodar
Same idea — identifying which river occupies a rift valley (a down-faulted trough), the exact distinction tested here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Narmada and Tapti rivers flow westward mainly because they occupy:
- (a)rift valleys
- (b)meander scars
- (c)glacial troughs
- (d)delta plains
Answer(a) rift valleys — structural troughs opening to the Arabian Sea.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Chambal river, unlike the Narmada, is best known for its:
- (a)rift valley
- (b)ravines / badland topography
- (c)large delta
- (d)westward flow to the Arabian Sea
Answer(b) ravines / badland topography on the Malwa plateau.