Among the following which is not an Industrial Region of U.S.A. ?

Correct — option (3), Midlands Region.

The stem asks which of the four is not an industrial region of the U.S.A. The Midlands Region is in England, in the United Kingdom.

Wikipedia's article on the Midlands describes it as the central part of England, divided for statistical purposes into the East Midlands and West Midlands regions. Its major cities include Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham.

The Midlands became important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, and one of its parts came to be called the Black Country.

The other three names are American places: Cincinnati in Ohio and Indianapolis in Indiana; the valley of the Kanawha River in West Virginia; and the shores of Lake Michigan, shared by Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

The idea to remember: Midlands = England; Cincinnati–Indianapolis, Great Kanawha Valley and Lake Michigan = U.S.A.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Cincinnati Indianapolis Region — This region is in the U.S.A., so it cannot be the answer. Wikipedia places Cincinnati in Ohio, on the Ohio River, which there marks the state line with Kentucky. Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana.

  Both cities of the region's name are American, unlike the Midlands.

• (2)
  Great Kanhawa Valley Region — This region is in the U.S.A. The river's name is spelt Kanawha. Wikipedia describes it as a tributary of the Ohio River, about 156 km long, in West Virginia, and names the Little Kanawha and the Great Kanawha as the two largest rivers in the state.

  It adds that the Kanawha watershed has been a significant industrial region of West Virginia since early in the 19th century, with a chemical industry along the river banks.

• (4)
  Michigan Lake Region — This region is in the U.S.A. Wikipedia calls Lake Michigan the only Great Lake located fully in the United States, shared by Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

  Industry grew along its shore: Wikipedia records that U.S. Steel established Gary, Indiana, in 1906 as a company town to serve its steel mills.

An industrial region is a cluster of manufacturing places, often grown around coal, iron, water transport or markets. The four regions here are named after a pair of cities, a river valley, a lake and a historic area of England.

The Kanawha valley had resources close at hand: Wikipedia notes significant deposits of coal and natural gas in its watershed. Its Lake Michigan article adds that the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan among them, carry bulk cargo such as iron ore, used in the steel industry.

In England, Wikipedia records that much of the Industrial Revolution began in Birmingham and the Black Country area of the West Midlands.

Key facts

• Wikipedia describes the Midlands as the central part of England, divided for statistical purposes into the East Midlands and West Midlands regions.
• Wikipedia: much of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom began in Birmingham and the Black Country area of the West Midlands.
• Wikipedia: the Kanawha, a tributary of the Ohio River in West Virginia, has a watershed that has been a significant industrial region of the state since early in the 19th century.
• Wikipedia: Cincinnati is in Ohio, on the Ohio River; Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana.
• Wikipedia: Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located fully in the United States; U.S. Steel established Gary, Indiana, on its shore in 1906.

Common traps

• Reading 'Midlands' as a description of any central area rather than a name: the Midlands Region is the central part of England.
• Rejecting 'Great Kanhawa Valley' because the spelling looks unfamiliar: the river is the Kanawha, in West Virginia.
• Tying the Michigan Lake Region to the State of Michigan alone: Lake Michigan is shared by Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021, 2018 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which one of the following industrial regions is in the United Kingdom?

  • (a)Great Kanawha Valley Region
  • (b)Midlands Region
  • (c)Michigan Lake Region
  • (d)Cincinnati–Indianapolis Region
  Answer(2) — The Midlands is the central part of England. Option (1) is in West Virginia; option (3) is around Lake Michigan, shared by four U.S. States; option (4) takes its name from cities in Ohio and Indiana.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Kanawha River, whose valley is an industrial region of the U.S.A., is a tributary of which river?

  • (a)Mississippi
  • (b)Missouri
  • (c)Ohio
  • (d)Hudson
  Answer(3) — The Kanawha joins the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Options (1), (2) and (4) are other American rivers, not the one the Kanawha flows into.