The rivers of North-West Europe are good examples of
- (a)parallel pattern of drainage.
- (b)radial pattern of drainage.
- (c)barbed pattern of drainage.
- (d)trellis pattern of drainage.
Correct — A, parallel pattern of drainage. In a parallel pattern the main streams run roughly parallel to one another, guided by a pronounced, uniform regional slope. The rivers of north-west Europe, descending in near-parallel courses from the interior uplands to the North Sea and the Atlantic, are the standard textbook example of this pattern.
- (b)radial pattern of drainage. — In a radial pattern streams flow outward in all directions from a central high point such as a volcanic cone or dome — not the near-parallel courses of the north-west European rivers.
- (c)barbed pattern of drainage. — A barbed pattern is one where tributaries join the main stream in a direction opposite to its flow, usually after river capture — a special anomaly, not the general pattern here.
- (d)trellis pattern of drainage. — A trellis pattern forms where tributaries meet the main stream at right angles, typically in folded ridge-and-valley country; the north-west European rivers do not show this rectangular grid.
A drainage pattern is the plan-view arrangement a river system takes, shaped by slope and the underlying rock structure. A parallel pattern develops on a uniformly and steeply sloping surface, so the streams run side by side in the same general direction with few branching junctions.
Match the described geometry to a named pattern. Near-parallel courses down a regional slope point to the parallel pattern; radial (outward from a peak), trellis (right-angled on folded rocks) and barbed (reversed tributaries) each describe a different geometry. The examiner is testing whether you can attach the right label to the pattern rather than recall the region.
- A parallel drainage pattern develops on land with a uniform, marked regional slope.
- The rivers of north-west Europe are the standard example of parallel drainage.
- A radial pattern radiates outward from a central dome or volcanic peak.
- A trellis pattern forms right-angle junctions on folded, ridge-and-valley terrain.
The rivers of north-west Europe illustrate the parallel pattern — near-parallel courses set by a regional slope.
- Mixing up radial (outward from a peak) with parallel (side by side down a slope).
- Reading 'trellis' as the default for any organised pattern — it needs right-angle, folded-rock geometry.
A region or a geometry is given and you must name the drainage pattern — link parallel courses to a uniform slope, radial to a dome and trellis to folded rocks.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
A radial drainage pattern is typically developed on
- (a)a uniformly sloping plain
- (b)a volcanic cone or dome
- (c)folded ridge-and-valley country
- (d)a flat coastal delta
Answer(b) a volcanic cone or dome — streams radiate outward from the central high point.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which drainage pattern do tributaries join the main stream at nearly right angles?
- (a)Dendritic
- (b)Radial
- (c)Trellis
- (d)Parallel
Answer(c) Trellis — right-angle junctions typical of folded, ridge-and-valley terrain.