Question

Arrange the following river basins in descending order according to their size.
(A) Mahanadi
(B) Godavari
(C) Ganga
(D) Pennar
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (D), (B), (C), (A)
• B. (B), (C), (A), (D)
• C. (B), (A), (D), (C)
• D. (C), (B), (A), (D)

Hint:

Remember the general hierarchy of Indian river basins: The largest is the Ganga, followed by other major Peninsular rivers like Godavari, Krishna, and then smaller ones like Mahanadi, Narmada, and Cauvery. This mental map helps in ordering them.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understand the Concept: The question assesses knowledge of the relative sizes (catchment areas) of major river basins in India.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation: Approximate catchment areas for each river basin are as follows:


(C) Ganga: The Ganga basin is the largest in India, with an area exceeding 861,000 sq. km within the country.

(B) Godavari: The Godavari, the largest river system of Peninsular India (often termed the Dakshina Ganga), has a basin covering approximately 312,000 sq. km.

(A) Mahanadi: This major river in east-central India has a basin size of around 141,600 sq. km.

(D) Pennar: A smaller peninsular river flowing through Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, its basin size is about 55,000 sq. km.

Arranging these in descending order of size (largest to smallest) yields: Ganga > Godavari > Mahanadi > Pennar.

Step 3: Final Answer: The correct sequence is (C), (B), (A), (D), corresponding to option (4).