Match the following places with their respective States and choose the correct code: Place — State 1. Bailadila — a. Odisha 2. Kendujhar — b. Karnataka 3. Balaghat — c. Chhattisgarh 4. Kudremukh — d. Madhya Pradesh Code:
- (a)a b c d
- (b)c a d b
- (c)c a b d
- (d)a c d b
Correct — B, c a d b (1-c, 2-a, 3-d, 4-b). Bailadila lies in Chhattisgarh (the Dantewada district's iron-ore hills, mined by NMDC); Kendujhar (Keonjhar) lies in Odisha, part of its major iron-ore belt; Balaghat lies in Madhya Pradesh, known for manganese (and nearby copper) mining; and Kudremukh lies in Karnataka's Western Ghats iron-ore belt. Matching each place to its actual state gives the code c-a-d-b.
- (a)a b c d — This code (1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d) gets every pairing wrong — it assigns Bailadila to Odisha, Kendujhar to Karnataka, Balaghat to Chhattisgarh and Kudremukh to Madhya Pradesh, none of which matches the actual place-state pairing.
- (c)c a b d — Correctly places Bailadila (c, Chhattisgarh) and Kendujhar (a, Odisha), but swaps Balaghat and Kudremukh — assigning Balaghat to Karnataka and Kudremukh to Madhya Pradesh, when it is the reverse (Balaghat is in Madhya Pradesh, Kudremukh in Karnataka).
- (d)a c d b — Correctly places Balaghat (d, Madhya Pradesh) and Kudremukh (b, Karnataka), but swaps Bailadila and Kendujhar — assigning Bailadila to Odisha and Kendujhar to Chhattisgarh, when it is the reverse (Bailadila is in Chhattisgarh, Kendujhar in Odisha).
India's major iron-ore and manganese mining belts are spread across several states, each with its own famous named mines/hills: Bailadila (Chhattisgarh) and Kendujhar/Keonjhar (Odisha) both sit in the eastern iron-ore belt; Kudremukh (Karnataka) is a Western Ghats iron-ore site; Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh) is better known for manganese (and nearby copper) than for iron ore.
These match-the-following questions test the place-to-state pairing directly — group the eastern iron belt (Bailadila-Chhattisgarh, Kendujhar-Odisha) separately from the southern (Kudremukh-Karnataka) and central (Balaghat-Madhya Pradesh, non-iron) sites to avoid mixing them up.
- Bailadila (Dantewada district) — major iron-ore hills in Chhattisgarh, mined by NMDC
- Kendujhar (Keonjhar) — part of Odisha's iron-ore belt
- Balaghat — Madhya Pradesh district known for manganese ore mining
- Kudremukh (Chikkamagaluru district) — iron-ore mining area in Karnataka's Western Ghats
The correct code is Bailadila-Chhattisgarh, Kendujhar-Odisha, Balaghat-Madhya Pradesh, Kudremukh-Karnataka — i.e., c-a-d-b, option (b).
- Mixing up Kendujhar (Odisha) with Kudremukh (Karnataka) — similar-sounding names, different states and ores
- Assuming Balaghat is an iron-ore site like the other three — it is primarily a manganese (and copper) belt
MPPSC frequently uses match-the-following codes for mineral belts/mining towns — memorise place-state pairs as fixed chains rather than relying on elimination alone.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Bailadila iron-ore mines, worked by NMDC and exported via the Kirandul-Vishakhapatnam rail line, are located in which State?
- (a)Odisha
- (b)Jharkhand
- (c)Chhattisgarh
- (d)Karnataka
Answer(c) Chhattisgarh — Bailadila is in Dantewada district.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Malanjkhand, home to one of India's largest copper-ore deposits, is located in which district of Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)Balaghat
- (b)Betul
- (c)Chhindwara
- (d)Jabalpur
Answer(a) Balaghat.