Which of the following rivers has made a deep gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Narmada. On its westward course from Amarkantak to the Arabian Sea, the Narmada cuts through hilly, forested terrain in the lower Narmada tract near the Madhya Pradesh–Maharashtra–Gujarat border area, carving a deep gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The Chambal flows north-eastward across northern MP and Rajasthan into the Yamuna — a different river system, nowhere near the Akhrani-Mathwar hill tract.  (b) The Son rises near Amarkantak like the Narmada but flows east into Bihar to join the Ganga — the opposite direction from the Akhrani-Mathwar area.  (c) The Ken is a Bundelkhand river in northern MP, a tributary of the Yamuna — unrelated to the western hill tract where this gorge lies.

Concept: The Narmada is one of only two major peninsular rivers (with the Tapi) that flow west instead of east, running through a linear rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges before draining into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat. Along this course it cuts through hilly terrain at several points, including a gorge between the Akhrani and Mathwar hills.

State PCS 2022 Q75 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2022 Q75 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer