Which one of the following (Tributary – River) is not correctly matched?
- (a)Manjra – Godavari
- (b)Hemavathi – Kaveri
- (c)Pranhita – Mahanadi
- (d)Malaprabha – Krishna
Correct — C, Pranhita – Mahanadi is the wrongly matched pair. The Pranhita is one of the largest tributaries of the GODAVARI, not the Mahanadi. It is formed by the confluence of the Wardha and the Wainganga (with the Penganga joining the Wardha) and drains a huge part of the Godavari basin before meeting the main river in Telangana. Since the pairing links it to the Mahanadi, option (c) is the pair that is NOT correctly matched — which is exactly what the question asks for.
- (a)Manjra – Godavari — Correctly matched, so not the answer. The Manjra (Manjira) is a right-bank tributary of the Godavari flowing through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
- (b)Hemavathi – Kaveri — Correctly matched, so not the answer. The Hemavati rises in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and is a tributary of the Kaveri (Cauvery).
- (d)Malaprabha – Krishna — Correctly matched, so not the answer. The Malaprabha rises in the Western Ghats and is a tributary of the Krishna, joining it at Kudalasangama.
Peninsular India's east-flowing rivers — the Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Mahanadi — each gather a well-known set of tributaries. The Godavari (the 'Dakshin Ganga') is fed by the Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita, Indravati and Sabari. The Krishna takes the Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Bhima and Tungabhadra. The Kaveri collects the Hemavati, Kabini, Arkavati and Amravati. The Mahanadi's own tributaries (Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand, Tel) do NOT include the Pranhita.
'Not correctly matched' questions reward spotting the single odd pair. Three of the four pairs here are textbook-correct Godavari/Kaveri/Krishna tributaries. The planted error is the Pranhita — a genuine river, but a Godavari feeder, deliberately mis-linked to the Mahanadi to trap students who recognise the name without knowing its basin.
- Pranhita = confluence of the Wardha and Wainganga; a major LEFT-bank tributary of the GODAVARI (not the Mahanadi).
- Manjra (Manjira) — a tributary of the Godavari.
- Hemavati — a tributary of the Kaveri (Cauvery), rising in Karnataka's Western Ghats.
- Malaprabha — a tributary of the Krishna, meeting it at Kudalasangama.
- Knowing 'Pranhita' is a real river but not that it belongs to the Godavari, not the Mahanadi.
- Confusing Malaprabha/Ghataprabha (Krishna) with Kaveri tributaries.
- Overlooking that the question asks for the pair that is NOT matched — pick the wrong pair, not a right one.
UPPSC/UPSC test peninsular tributaries as 'which pair is (not) correctly matched' — learn each major river's tributary list, especially the Godavari's, which is the most frequently tested.
Consider the following rivers: 1. Vamsadhara 2. Indravati 3. Pranahita 4. Pennar. Which of the above are tributaries of Godavari?
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 2, 3 and 4
- (c) 1, 2 and 4
- (d) 2 and 3 only
Answer(d) 2 and 3 only — Indravati and Pranahita are Godavari tributaries; Vamsadhara and Pennar are independent east-coast rivers.
Directly confirms the key fact behind this question — the Pranhita/Pranahita is a tributary of the Godavari, making the 'Pranhita–Mahanadi' pairing wrong.
Consider the following pairs: Tributary River – Main River: 1. Chambal : Narmada 2. Sone : Yamuna 3. Manas : Brahmaputra. Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- (a) 1, 2 and 3
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 3 only
Answer(d) 3 only — only Manas–Brahmaputra is correct; Chambal joins the Yamuna and Sone joins the Ganga.
Same skill in the same 'tributary–main river' match format — identify the wrongly paired tributary.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Pranhita, a major tributary formed by the union of the Wardha and Wainganga, joins which river?
- (a)Mahanadi
- (b)Godavari
- (c)Krishna
- (d)Narmada
Answer(b) Godavari — the Pranhita is one of the Godavari's largest tributaries.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a tributary of the Krishna river?
- (a)Hemavati
- (b)Malaprabha
- (c)Manjra
- (d)Indravati
Answer(b) Malaprabha — it joins the Krishna at Kudalasangama; the others feed the Kaveri or Godavari.