Which of the following rivers has made a deep gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills?
- (a)Chambal
- (b)Son
- (c)Ken
- (d)Narmada
Correct — D, Narmada. On its westward course from Amarkantak to the Arabian Sea, the Narmada cuts through hilly, forested terrain in the lower Narmada tract near the Madhya Pradesh–Maharashtra–Gujarat border area, carving a deep gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills.
- (a)Chambal — The Chambal flows north-eastward across northern MP and Rajasthan into the Yamuna — a different river system, nowhere near the Akhrani-Mathwar hill tract.
- (b)Son — The Son rises near Amarkantak like the Narmada but flows east into Bihar to join the Ganga — the opposite direction from the Akhrani-Mathwar area.
- (c)Ken — The Ken is a Bundelkhand river in northern MP, a tributary of the Yamuna — unrelated to the western hill tract where this gorge lies.
The Narmada is one of only two major peninsular rivers (with the Tapi) that flow west instead of east, running through a linear rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges before draining into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat. Along this course it cuts through hilly terrain at several points, including a gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills.
The trap is picking a river by direction alone — knowing 'west-flowing' isn't enough; the question also tests whether the student can place the Narmada's actual route through specific, named local hill tracts, which MPPSC likes to probe as fine-grained MP geography.
- Narmada — one of only two major peninsular rivers that flow west (with the Tapi)
- It runs through a rift valley between the Vindhya (north) and Satpura (south) ranges
- It rises at Amarkantak and drains into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat
- It cuts through hilly terrain at several points on its course, including near the Akhrani and Mathwar hills
- Picking Chambal, Son or Ken just because they are well-known MP rivers, without checking direction and location
- Knowing only that the Narmada 'flows west' without placing its specific local landmarks, like the Akhrani-Mathwar gorge
MPPSC likes to test named local landmarks along the Narmada's course (gorges, hill tracts); UPSC more often tests the conceptual reason the Narmada flows west (the rift valley) rather than specific place names.
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 — the rift valley is the decisive structural reason; running between the Vindhyas and Satpuras alone doesn't explain the westward flow, and the regional slope is actually eastward, not westward.
Same river, same structural theme — the Narmada's course through the Vindhya-Satpura rift valley, which is also why it can cut hill gorges like the Akhrani-Mathwar one asked in this question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which two major peninsular rivers of India flow westward into the Arabian Sea instead of eastward?
- (a)Narmada and Tapi
- (b)Godavari and Krishna
- (c)Mahanadi and Cauvery
- (d)Son and Ken
Answer(a) Narmada and Tapi — both flow west through rift valleys into the Arabian Sea.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Narmada river flows west mainly because it:
- (a)occupies a linear rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges
- (b)is fed mostly by westward-blowing winds
- (c)originates on the western slope of the Deccan Plateau
- (d)follows the general eastward slope of the peninsula
Answer(a) It occupies a linear rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges — this structural control, not the general slope, decides its westward flow.