Read the below statements: Statement I: The 'Zoji La pass' serves as a very important link between the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region, cutting through the Great Himalayan Range. Statement II: The ‘Shipki La pass’ is located in Arunachal Pradesh and serves as a primary gateway for the river Brahmaputra to enter India from Tibet. Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Correct — C. Statement I holds. Zoji La carries the Srinagar–Leh highway (NH-1) over the Himalaya and links the Kashmir Valley with the Dras and Suru valleys of Ladakh.

Statement II fails twice. Shipki La is in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, not Arunachal Pradesh, and the river that enters India there is the Sutlej, not the Brahmaputra. Only Statement I → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Both Statement I and II are correct — Statement II is false: Shipki La is on the Himachal Pradesh–Tibet border and is the Sutlej's gateway, not the Brahmaputra's. So both cannot be correct.
• (b)
  Neither Statement I nor II is correct — Statement I is true. Zoji La is the pass on the Srinagar–Leh road that links the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh.
• (d)
  Only Statement II is correct — Reverses the verdict. Shipki La sits on the Himachal Pradesh–Tibet border where the Sutlej enters India, so Statement II is the false one.

Learn Himalayan passes by state, road and river.

Zoji La, between Ganderbal district (J&K) and Kargil district (Ladakh), carries NH-1 from Srinagar to Leh and is often closed by winter snow.

Shipki La, between Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) and Tibet, is where the Sutlej, an antecedent river, enters India.

The Brahmaputra cuts a gorge near Namcha Barwa and enters India west of Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang or Dihang.

Key facts

• Zoji La lies between Ganderbal district (J&K) and Kargil district (Ladakh) on the Srinagar–Leh National Highway 1.
• Shipki La is on the border of Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet, and the Sutlej enters India near it.
• Shipki La, Nathu La (Sikkim) and Lipulekh (Uttarakhand) are India's border-trade points with Tibet.
• The Brahmaputra enters India west of Sadiya in Arunachal Pradesh, where it is called the Siang or Dihang.

Common traps

• Accepting Statement II because Shipki La sounds eastern. Place it by state: Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh.
• Linking the Brahmaputra to a pass at all. It cuts a gorge near Namcha Barwa before entering Arunachal Pradesh.

No directly related past PYQ was found.