Which of the following is the longest river?
- (a)Cauveri (Kaveri)
- (b)Tapti (Tapi)
- (c)Narmada
- (d)Son
Correct — C, Narmada. At about 1,312 km, the Narmada is by far the longest of the four rivers listed here — well ahead of the Cauveri (~800 km), the Son (~784 km) and the Tapti (~724 km). It is the longest of India's west-flowing rivers, rising at Amarkantak (Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh) and emptying into the Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea) after flowing through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
- (a)Cauveri (Kaveri) — A major south Indian peninsular river of about 800 km, rising in Karnataka's Western Ghats and flowing east to the Bay of Bengal — shorter than the Narmada.
- (b)Tapti (Tapi) — The Narmada's smaller, parallel neighbour — also rising near the Satpura hills and flowing west, but at only about 724 km, distinctly shorter.
- (d)Son — A major left-bank tributary of the Ganga, roughly 784 km long, also rising on the Amarkantak plateau — shorter than the Narmada.
The Narmada is the longest of India's west-flowing rivers and one of the few major Indian rivers that flows west into the Arabian Sea rather than east into the Bay of Bengal, because it runs through a linear rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
Exams frequently rank peninsular rivers by length — the trap is assuming a river's fame or the number of dam projects on it (like the Narmada's) settles a length comparison; always anchor to the actual km figures.
- Narmada: about 1,312 km — the longest west-flowing river of India.
- Rises at Amarkantak (Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh); empties into the Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea).
- Flows through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, in a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
- Among this question's four rivers, Cauveri (~800 km) and Son (~784 km) are next-longest, with Tapti (~724 km) the shortest.
The Narmada is clearly the longest of the four rivers named in this question.
- Assuming the Narmada's fame or its dam projects automatically make it the 'longest' — always check actual km figures
- Confusing the Narmada with the Tapti — both rise near the Satpuras and both flow west, but the Narmada is considerably longer
MPPSC/UPSC like ranking peninsular rivers by length or by flow direction (east vs west) — memorise the km figures, not just relative fame.
What is the correct sequence of the rivers—Godavari, Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapti in the descending order of their lengths?
- (a) Godavari—Mahanadi—Narmada—Tapti
- (b) Godavari—Narmada—Mahanadi—Tapti
- (c) Narmada—Godavari—Tapti—Mahanadi
- (d) Narmada—Tapti—Godavari—Mahanadi
Answer(b) Godavari—Narmada—Mahanadi—Tapti
Directly tests the same concept — ranking peninsular rivers, including Narmada and Tapti, by length — and confirms Narmada is longer than Tapti, consistent with this question's answer.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following rivers, unlike most other large peninsular rivers of India, flows westward into the Arabian Sea?
- (a)Godavari
- (b)Krishna
- (c)Narmada
- (d)Mahanadi
Answer(c) Narmada — it flows west through a rift valley into the Gulf of Khambhat, while the others drain east into the Bay of Bengal.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Narmada river originates at which of the following places?
- (a)Mahabaleshwar
- (b)Amarkantak
- (c)Brahmagiri
- (d)Talakaveri
Answer(b) Amarkantak, in the Maikal hills of Madhya Pradesh (Anuppur district).