Which one of the following statements about the Suez Canal is not correct?
- (a)The Suez Canal was constructed in 1869.
- (b)It links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
- (c)It has a six lock system and ships cross the different levels through these locks.
- (d)It has given Europe a new gateway to the Indian Ocean.
Correct — C. The claim that the Suez Canal 'has a six lock system' is the false statement, so it is the answer to this 'not correct' question. The Suez is a sea-level canal cut across the flat Isthmus of Suez, where the Mediterranean and the Red Sea stand at virtually the same level — so it needs no locks at all. (That is its classic contrast with the Panama Canal, which does use locks to lift ships over higher ground.) The other three statements are true: it opened in 1869, it joins the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, and by shortening the Europe–Asia sea route it gave Europe a new gateway towards the Indian Ocean.
- (a)The Suez Canal was constructed in 1869. — True — the canal was built between 1859 and 1869 and opened in 1869, so this is a correct statement and not the answer.
- (b)It links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. — True — it runs from Port Said on the Mediterranean to the city of Suez on the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez.
- (d)It has given Europe a new gateway to the Indian Ocean. — True — it cut thousands of kilometres off the old Cape route, opening a short passage from Europe towards the Indian Ocean.
The Suez Canal, opened in 1869 and promoted by Ferdinand de Lesseps, is a roughly 193-km, sea-level, lock-free canal across Egypt's Isthmus of Suez, linking the Mediterranean (Port Said) to the Red Sea (Suez). It shortened the Europe–Asia route enormously. The Panama Canal, by contrast, uses a lock system because it must cross higher terrain.
In a 'which statement is NOT correct' item, three statements are true and one is planted false. Here the lock claim is the trap — students confuse Suez with Panama. Suez is sea-level and lock-free.
- The Suez Canal opened in 1869; it was built between 1859 and 1869 under Ferdinand de Lesseps.
- It is a sea-level canal with NO locks, linking the Mediterranean (Port Said) to the Red Sea (Suez).
- It is about 193 km long, cutting across Egypt's Isthmus of Suez.
- By contrast, the Panama Canal uses a lock system to raise and lower ships over higher ground.
- Crediting the Suez Canal with locks — that is the Panama Canal.
- Thinking Suez connects to the Atlantic, or opens directly onto the Indian Ocean.
A 'which statement is NOT correct' item — three true facts about Suez plus the planted lock-system falsehood.
One will NOT have to pass through the Suez Canal while going from Mumbai to
- (a) Alexandria
- (b) Suez
- (c) Port Said
- (d) Benghazi
Answer(b) Suez
Same subject — the geography of the Suez Canal and its two ends (Port Said on the Mediterranean, Suez on the Red Sea). UPSC tests which destination lies before the canal; this NDA item tests the canal's basic facts, including that it has no locks.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which canal uses a system of locks to raise and lower ships across higher terrain?
- (a)Suez Canal
- (b)Panama Canal
- (c)Kiel Canal
- (d)Grand Canal
Answer(b) Panama Canal — unlike the sea-level Suez, it climbs over higher ground using locks.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the
- (a)Black Sea
- (b)Caspian Sea
- (c)Red Sea
- (d)Persian Gulf
Answer(c) Red Sea — from Port Said to the city of Suez.