Which one of the following is the northernmost river basin of the Deccan Plateau?
- (a)Chambal
- (b)Mahi
- (c)Narmada
- (d)Tapti
Correct — D, the Tapti (Tapi) basin. The Deccan Plateau is the great triangular landmass of peninsular India lying south of the Narmada, with the Satpura range flanking its northern base. The Narmada itself runs in the rift trough that forms the plateau's northern edge, so the northernmost river basin resting on the plateau is the one just south of the Satpura — the west-flowing Tapti. The Chambal and Mahi drain the Central Highlands and Gujarat well to the north-west and never reach the plateau, which leaves the Tapti as the northernmost Deccan basin.
- (a)Chambal — The Chambal is a north-flowing tributary of the Yamuna in the Ganga system; it drains the Malwa plateau and Central Highlands far to the north, not the Deccan.
- (b)Mahi — The Mahi rises in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Rajasthan and Gujarat to the Gulf of Khambhat across the Central Highlands margin, so it is not a basin of the Deccan Plateau.
- (c)Narmada — The Narmada is the close trap — it flows in the rift between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges and is conventionally taken as the northern boundary of the Deccan rather than a basin lying on the plateau, so the northernmost basin on the plateau is the Tapti just south of it.
The Deccan Plateau is the volcanic upland of peninsular India, bounded by the Western and Eastern Ghats and sloping gently east so that most of its great rivers — the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri — flow eastwards to the Bay of Bengal. Its northern limit is usually drawn at the Narmada valley, with the Satpura range flanking the plateau's broad northern base.
The question rewards knowing where the plateau begins. Because the Narmada trough is the plateau's northern edge, the northernmost basin that actually lies on the plateau is the west-flowing Tapti, which occupies a parallel rift just south of the Satpura. The Chambal and Mahi belong to the Central Highlands and Gujarat, north-west of the Deccan, so they are eliminated at once.
- The Deccan Plateau lies south of the Narmada, which is generally taken as its northern boundary.
- The Narmada and the Tapti are the two large west-flowing rivers of peninsular India, both running through rift valleys.
- The Tapti flows just south of the Satpura range and is the northernmost river basin resting on the plateau.
- The Chambal (a Yamuna tributary) and the Mahi drain the Central Highlands and Gujarat, outside the Deccan.
- Choosing the Narmada because it lies furthest north — it marks the plateau's boundary, not a basin on the plateau.
- Assuming any central-Indian river counts as Deccan — the Chambal and Mahi drain the Central Highlands, not the plateau.
Asked to place peninsular rivers relative to the Deccan Plateau, or to identify the northern boundary and the west-flowing rivers of the plateau.
The Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why? 1. It occupies a linear rift valley. 2. It flows between the Vindhyas and the Satpuras. 3. The land slopes to the west from Central India. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) None
Answer(a) 1 only — the Narmada flows west because it occupies a linear rift valley.
Same northern-Deccan setting — it pins the Narmada in the rift between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, the boundary that makes the Tapti (not the Narmada) the northernmost basin on the plateau.
Which of the following tributaries is/are correctly matched with the Deccan Rivers? Tributary — River 1. Bhavani — Krishna 2. Kabini — Kaveri 3. Manjra — Godavari 4. Bhima — Mahanadi Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 2 and 3
- (c) 1 and 3
- (d) 3 and 4
Answer(b) 2 and 3
Same Deccan drainage theme — there you match tributaries to the plateau's east-flowing rivers; here you locate the northernmost basin on the same plateau.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which two of the following are the west-flowing rivers of peninsular India that occupy rift valleys?
- (a)Godavari and Krishna
- (b)Narmada and Tapti
- (c)Mahanadi and Kaveri
- (d)Chambal and Betwa
Answer(b) Narmada and Tapti — both flow west to the Arabian Sea through rift valleys.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Deccan Plateau is generally regarded as lying to the south of which one of the following rivers?
- (a)Godavari
- (b)Krishna
- (c)Narmada
- (d)Kaveri
Answer(c) Narmada — the Narmada valley marks the northern boundary of the Deccan Plateau.