Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists: List I (Place) A. Mumbai B. Visakhapatnam C. Chennai D. Kochi List II (Feature) 1. Queen of the Arabian Sea 2. Biggest port of India 3. Land-locked harbour 4. Oldest port on the Eastern Coast Code: A B C D
- (a)2 4 3 1
- (b)2 3 4 1
- (c)1 3 4 2
- (d)1 4 3 2
Answer
Why
Correct — B, 2 3 4 1. Mumbai is treated as the biggest port of India, so A-2. Visakhapatnam is a natural land-locked harbour sheltered by the Dolphin's Nose headland, so B-3. Chennai (Madras) is the oldest major port on the eastern (Bay of Bengal) coast, so C-4. Kochi is the port famously nicknamed the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea', so D-1. That gives A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1, which is the sequence 2 3 4 1.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)2 4 3 1 — It swaps Visakhapatnam and Chennai — it makes Visakhapatnam the oldest eastern port and Chennai the land-locked harbour, whereas it is Visakhapatnam that is the sheltered land-locked harbour.
- (c)1 3 4 2 — It calls Mumbai the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' and Kochi the biggest port; the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' nickname belongs to Kochi, not Mumbai.
- (d)1 4 3 2 — It again mis-assigns the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' to Mumbai and the biggest-port label to Kochi, both of which are wrong.
Concept
India's major ports are split between the western (Arabian Sea) and eastern (Bay of Bengal) coasts. Mumbai, on the west, has long been described as the country's premier and biggest port; Kochi, also on the west, is the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'. Visakhapatnam and Chennai are the leading eastern-coast ports.
This is a memory-matching item, so the safest anchor is the one nickname you are surest of — Kochi as 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' fixes D-1, and only option (b) has D-1 together with Visakhapatnam as the land-locked harbour.
Key facts
- Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, is popularly called the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'.
- Visakhapatnam is a natural, land-locked harbour on the east coast, sheltered by the Dolphin's Nose promontory.
- Chennai (Madras) port, opened in the 1880s, is the oldest major artificial port on India's eastern coast.
- Mumbai on the west coast has historically been described as India's premier and biggest port.
Study next
Common traps
- Assigning the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' nickname to Mumbai instead of Kochi.
- Mixing up which east-coast port is the land-locked harbour (Visakhapatnam) and which is the older port (Chennai).
Given as a place-to-feature match list — lock down the surest pairing (Kochi = Queen of the Arabian Sea) first, then eliminate.
Related PYQs
Identify the sea-port in India on the basis of the given characteristics: 1. It is more than a century old port on the west coast of India. 2. It is a natural harbour protected by a breakwater and also by a mole. 3. A deep draft channel of about 14 metres depth permits large vessels to enter the harbour. Select the correct sea-port from the options given below:
- (a) Mormugao Port
- (b) Deendayal Port
- (c) Cochin Port
- (d) Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Answer(a) Mormugao Port
Same theme — identifying Indian ports by their defining features. That NDA item pins a west-coast natural harbour to Mormugao; this one matches ports to their nicknames and harbour types.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which Indian port is popularly known as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'?
- (a)Mumbai
- (b)Kochi
- (c)Kandla
- (d)Mormugao
Answer(b) Kochi — the Kerala port carries this nickname. - practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a natural land-locked harbour on India's eastern coast?
- (a)Chennai
- (b)Paradip
- (c)Visakhapatnam
- (d)Tuticorin
Answer(c) Visakhapatnam — sheltered by the Dolphin's Nose headland.