Which among the following is not correctly matched? Lake - Country (A) Balkhash – Kazakhstan (B) Titicaca – Bolivia-Peru (C) Erie – USA-Canada (D) Baikal – Ukraine
- (1)B
- (2)C
- (3)A
- (4)D
Answer
Why
Correct — option (4), D.
The stem asks which lake–country pair is not correctly matched. Pair D, Baikal – Ukraine, is wrong: Lake Baikal is in Siberia, in Russia.
Wikipedia's article on Lake Baikal gives its location as Siberia, Russia, and lists Russia as its only basin country. Its outflow is the Angara river, and its inflows include the Selenga.
The other three pairs are right, according to Wikipedia's articles on each lake:
- Balkhash lies in south-eastern Kazakhstan.
- Titicaca lies in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru.
- Erie is shared by Canada and the United States.
The idea to remember: Baikal = Russia (Siberia); Balkhash = Kazakhstan; Titicaca = Bolivia–Peru; Erie = USA–Canada.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)B — Pair B, Titicaca – Bolivia-Peru, is correctly matched. Wikipedia places Lake Titicaca in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru, at an elevation of about 3,812 m.
It adds that the lake is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, a claim generally taken to refer to commercial craft, since many smaller lakes lie higher.
- (2)C — Pair C, Erie – USA-Canada, is correctly matched. Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes, and Wikipedia lists Canada and the United States as its basin countries.
It receives water through the Detroit River and drains through the Niagara River, and its area is divided between an American side and a Canadian side.
- (3)A — Pair A, Balkhash – Kazakhstan, is correctly matched. Wikipedia describes Lake Balkhash as a lake in south-eastern Kazakhstan, with Kazakhstan as its only basin country.
It notes a feature of the lake: its western part is fresh water and its eastern half is saline. The Ili is among the rivers that feed it.
Concept
A lake's 'country' in a match list means the country or countries its shores lie in. A lake inside one country, like Baikal or Balkhash, has one entry; a boundary lake, like Titicaca or Erie, has two.
Lake Baikal lies in a rift valley created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the Earth's crust is slowly pulling apart, according to Wikipedia, which also calls it the deepest lake in the world.
Lake Balkhash is endorheic, with evaporation as its outflow rather than a river to the sea. Wikipedia notes that, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because water is diverted and extracted from its feeder rivers.
RPSC's 2021 syllabus lists "Major Rivers & Lakes" under World Geography.
The four lakes sit in settings on three continents: Siberia in Asiatic Russia and the steppes of Kazakhstan in Asia, the high Andes of South America, and the Great Lakes of North America.
Matching a lake to its country depends on locating it on the map first, and then noting whether it lies inside one country or along a border.
Key facts
- Wikipedia: Lake Baikal is in Siberia, Russia; outflow the Angara river.
- Wikipedia: Lake Baikal lies in a rift valley created by the Baikal Rift Zone and is the deepest lake in the world.
- Wikipedia: Lake Balkhash is in south-eastern Kazakhstan; its western part is fresh water and its eastern half saline.
- Wikipedia: Lake Titicaca is in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru, at about 3,812 m.
- Wikipedia: Lake Erie, a Great Lake, is shared by Canada and the United States; it drains through the Niagara River.
Source: Wikipedia articles on Lake Baikal, Lake Balkhash, Lake Titicaca and Lake Erie.
Study next
Common traps
- Placing a former Soviet lake in the wrong successor state: Baikal is in Russia, Balkhash in Kazakhstan.
- Rejecting a two-country answer: Titicaca and Erie are boundary lakes, so each is correctly paired with two countries.
- Mixing the two Central Asian and Siberian lakes: Balkhash is partly saline and endorheic; Baikal is the deep rift lake drained by the Angara.
A question can list lakes with countries and ask which pair is not correctly matched.
A question can also ask which lake lies on the border of two named countries, or match lakes with their outflowing rivers.
Related PYQs
Which is not a correct match ? Lake – Location in State
- (1) Bhim Tal – Uttarakhand
- (2) Pulicat – Tamil Nadu
- (3) Loktak – Manipur
- (4) Roopkund – Himachal Pradesh
Answer(4)
Same form, lakes of India: that question asks which lake–state pair is not a correct match (RPSC's key: Roopkund – Himachal Pradesh). This one asks the same about lakes and countries of the world.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which river flows out of Lake Baikal?
- (a)Selenga
- (b)Angara
- (c)Ili
- (d)Niagara
Answer(2) — Wikipedia gives the Angara as Lake Baikal's outflow. Option (1), the Selenga, flows into Baikal. Option (3), the Ili, feeds Lake Balkhash. Option (4), the Niagara, drains Lake Erie. - practice — not a real PYQ
Which lake lies on the border of Bolivia and Peru?
- (a)Lake Titicaca
- (b)Lake Balkhash
- (c)Lake Erie
- (d)Lake Baikal
Answer(1) — Wikipedia places Lake Titicaca in the Andes on the Bolivia–Peru border. Option (2) is in Kazakhstan, option (3) between Canada and the United States, and option (4) in Russia.