Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List-I (Tributary Rivers) a. Betwa b. Kshipra c. Vainganga d. Tawa List-II (Rivers) i. Chambal ii. Yamuna iii. Narmada iv. Godavari
- (a)iii iv ii i
- (b)ii i iv iii
- (c)iii iv i ii
- (d)i iii ii iv
Correct — B (ii i iv iii). Betwa is a tributary of the Yamuna (ii); Kshipra (Shipra), which flows through Ujjain, is a tributary of the Chambal (i); Vainganga (Wainganga) drains into the Godavari system via the Wardha–Pranhita (iv); and the Tawa is the largest tributary of the Narmada (iii). This is the only sequence that pairs all four rivers with their correct parent river.
- (a)iii iv ii i — Wrong — this sequence pairs Betwa with the Narmada (iii) instead of the Yamuna, and Vainganga with the Yamuna (ii) instead of the Godavari; it swaps rivers across the wrong drainage basins.
- (c)iii iv i ii — Wrong — this sequence again pairs Betwa with the Narmada (iii) instead of the Yamuna, and puts Tawa with the Yamuna (ii) instead of its real parent river, the Narmada.
- (d)i iii ii iv — Wrong — this sequence pairs Betwa with the Chambal (i) instead of the Yamuna, and Vainganga with the Yamuna (ii) instead of the Godavari.
Madhya Pradesh's rivers ultimately drain into three separate systems: the Ganga system (via the Yamuna, fed by the Betwa, and via the Chambal, which itself receives the Kshipra), the Narmada system (fed by tributaries like the Tawa), and the Godavari system (fed by south-eastern MP rivers like the Vainganga, via the Wardha–Pranhita). Knowing which basin each river ultimately belongs to is the key to this kind of matching question.
The trap is assuming every MP river feeds the Narmada, since the Narmada is the state's most famous river; in fact only a subset (like the Tawa) actually does — others belong to the Ganga basin (via the Yamuna or Chambal) or to the Godavari basin.
- Betwa → Yamuna (Ganga system)
- Kshipra (Shipra) → Chambal → Yamuna (Ganga system)
- Vainganga (Wainganga) → Wardha/Pranhita → Godavari (Godavari system)
- Tawa → Narmada, its largest tributary, impounded by the Tawa Dam
- Assuming every river rising in Madhya Pradesh flows into the Narmada
- Confusing the Kshipra (a Chambal tributary via Ujjain) with a direct Narmada tributary
MPPSC frequently poses this as a full List-I/List-II tributary-to-main-river match; UPSC tends to ask the same idea as a 'which pair is correctly matched' true/false statement instead.
Consider the following pairs: Tributary River – Main River 1. Chambal : Narmada 2. Sone : Yamuna 3. Manas : Brahmaputra Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 3 only
Answer(d) 3 only — only the Manas–Brahmaputra pair is correctly matched; the Chambal is a Yamuna tributary (not Narmada's), and the Sone joins the Ganga (not the Yamuna).
Same underlying idea — correctly matching a tributary to its true parent river; this UPSC PYQ specifically confirms the Chambal is a Yamuna tributary (not Narmada's), reinforcing the Kshipra → Chambal → Yamuna chain tested here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Tawa river, the largest tributary of which major river, is impounded by the Tawa Dam near Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram)?
- (a)Narmada
- (b)Chambal
- (c)Betwa
- (d)Godavari
Answer(a) Narmada — the Tawa is the Narmada's largest tributary.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following rivers of Madhya Pradesh ultimately drains into the Godavari river system?
- (a)Betwa
- (b)Kshipra
- (c)Wainganga (Vainganga)
- (d)Tawa
Answer(c) Wainganga — it joins the Wardha, then the Pranhita, before merging with the Godavari.