Which is the incorrect pair ?
- (1)Satur – Central Aravalli
- (2)Katada – Southern Aravalli
- (3)Dur-Marayaji – Central Aravalli
- (4)Mahoharpura – Northern Aravalli
Answer
Why
RPSC deleted this question in its final answer key, so no option is marked correct.
The stem asks for the incorrect pair. Each option pairs a named place with one part of the Aravalli range: northern, central or southern.
Checking a pair of this kind takes two steps. First, find the district the place lies in. Second, see which stretch of the range runs through that district.
The range runs across Rajasthan from south-west to north-east. At the south-western end is Mount Abu in Sirohi district, whose highest point, Guru Shikhar, the Sirohi District Gazetteer puts at 1,722 m.
The Ajmer District Gazetteer describes the range as starting at the Ridge at Delhi and coming into prominence near Ajmer, where it names the Taragarh hills and Nag Pahar.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)Satur – Central Aravalli — This option places Satur in the central Aravalli.
To test it, locate Satur's district first. For the Ajmer stretch of the range, the Ajmer District Gazetteer names the Taragarh hills and Nag Pahar near Ajmer city, and Goramji (933.72 m) south-west of Todgarh, then a tahsil of Ajmer district.
- (2)Katada – Southern Aravalli — This option places Katada in the southern Aravalli, the stretch that ends at Mount Abu in Sirohi district.
There the Sirohi District Gazetteer records Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m (5,650 ft) and a peak near Ser village, north-east of Guru Shikhar, at 1,597 m.
- (3)Dur-Marayaji – Central Aravalli — This option places Dur-Marayaji in the central Aravalli, the same part of the range as option (1).
When two options name the same part, each place still has to be located on its own; one pair being right says nothing about the other.
- (4)Mahoharpura – Northern Aravalli — This option places Mahoharpura in the northern Aravalli, the stretch north-east of Ajmer towards Delhi.
Jaipur, Sikar and Alwar districts lie north-east of Ajmer. As with the other options, Mahoharpura's district is the fact to establish first.
Concept
The Aravalli range crosses Rajasthan from south-west to north-east. The Ajmer District Gazetteer describes it as a barrier that divides the plains of Marwar from the table land of Mewar.
At the south-western end stands Mount Abu in Sirohi district. The Sirohi District Gazetteer puts its highest point, Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 m and calls it the highest point between the Himalayas and the Nilgiris.
Near Ajmer the range forms a watershed. Per the Ajmer Gazetteer, rain on the southern side of the Ajmer–Nasirabad hills reaches the Bay of Bengal through the Chambal; rain on the other side goes to the Gulf of Kutch through the Luni.
RPSC's 2023 Prelims syllabus lists "Major physiographic regions and their characteristics" under the Geography of Rajasthan. The Aravalli hill region is one of those regions.
The range shapes the land on either side. It separates the plains of Marwar on its western side from the table land of Mewar, and near Ajmer it splits the drainage between the Chambal system and the Luni.
Placing a hill correctly means holding two maps at once: the district map and the run of the range from Abu to Delhi.
Key facts
- Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu, Sirohi district, rises to 1,722 m (5,650 ft), per the Sirohi District Gazetteer.
- The Sirohi District Gazetteer gives the peak near Ser village, north-east of Guru Shikhar, as 1,597 m (5,241 ft).
- The Ajmer District Gazetteer describes the Aravalli range as dividing the plains of Marwar from the table land of Mewar.
- Per the Ajmer District Gazetteer, rain south of the Ajmer–Nasirabad hills drains via the Chambal to the Bay of Bengal; rain on the other side via the Luni.
- The Ajmer District Gazetteer gives Goramji, about 11 km south-west of Todgarh, an elevation of 933.72 m (3,075 ft).
Anchors from the Sirohi and Ajmer District Gazetteers. The question's four localities are not placed on this diagram.
Study next
Common traps
- Two options here assign places to the central Aravalli. Each pair has to be checked on its own.
- A place name can belong to more than one village. Tie a hill to its district before assigning it to a part of the range.
- Older gazetteers give heights in feet with metric conversions. Guru Shikhar's 5,650 ft is 1,722 m; compare heights in one unit.
A question can pair hills or peaks with the northern, central or southern Aravalli and ask for the incorrect pair, as this one does.
A question can also ask for peaks in order of height, match hills to districts, or test statements about the Aravalli's effect on drainage and climate.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2018 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Guru Shikhar, the highest point of the Aravalli range, is located in which district of Rajasthan ?
- (a)Sirohi
- (b)Udaipur
- (c)Rajsamand
- (d)Ajmer
Answer(1) — Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) is on Mount Abu in Sirohi district, per the Sirohi District Gazetteer. Options (2), (3) and (4) are other Aravalli districts, but Mount Abu is in none of them; the Ajmer Gazetteer puts Goramji, on the Ajmer stretch, at 933.72 m. - practice — not a real PYQ
Rain falling on the southern side of the hills between Ajmer and Nasirabad finally reaches the Bay of Bengal through which river ?
- (a)Luni
- (b)Chambal
- (c)Mahi
- (d)Ghaggar
Answer(2) — The Ajmer District Gazetteer says this water reaches the Bay of Bengal through the Chambal. Option (1), the Luni, carries rain from the other side to the Gulf of Kutch. Option (3), the Mahi, drains the far south towards Gujarat. Option (4), the Ghaggar, belongs to the far north.