The Peninsular Plateau is mainly composed of which type of rocks
A Ancient crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks
B Recent alluvial sediments
C Young folded sedimentary rocks
D Coral and limestone formations
The plateau is made up of old crystalline rocks like granite, gneiss, schist, and quartzite, forming a very stable foundation.
The Peninsular Plateau was originally part of which ancient supercontinent
A Laurasia
B Gondwanaland
C Pangaea Minor
D Angaraland
India, along with Africa, Australia, Antarctica, South America, etc., formed part of the southern supercontinent Gondwanaland.
The Peninsular Plateau is best described as a
A Young fold mountain belt
B Tectonically unstable region
C Shield region or craton
D Recently uplifted plateau
Being very old, stable, and not much affected by folding, it is called a shield region (craton).
Which of the following events is closely associated with the formation of the Deccan Traps
A Collision of Indian and Eurasian plates
B Recession of the Tethys Sea
C Massive volcanic eruptions about 65 million years ago
D Retreat of the monsoon
Huge lava flows around 65 million years ago formed thick basalt layers known as the Deccan Traps.
Compared to the Himalayas, the Peninsular Plateau is
A Younger and more rugged
B Older and more stable
C Younger and more unstable
D Of the same age
The plateau dates back to the Precambrian Era and is far older and more stable than the young Himalayan ranges.
The overall shape of the Peninsular Plateau is broadly
A Rectangular
B Triangular
C Circular
D Crescent-shaped
It appears roughly triangular, with the Vindhyas as the base in the north and Kanyakumari at the apex in the south.
Which soil is mainly derived from basaltic rocks of the Peninsular Plateau
A Alluvial soil
B Black (regur) soil
C Desert (arid) soil
D Mountain soil
Weathering of basaltic lava in the Deccan region produces black soil, ideal for cotton and sugarcane.
The Peninsular Plateau shows low, rounded hills and dissected uplands mainly because of
A Recent tectonic uplift
B Intense glacial erosion
C Long-term weathering and river erosion
D Volcanic cones still growing
Millions of years of weathering and river action have worn down the surface into rounded hills and undulating uplands.
Which of the following is a major consequence of the tectonic stability of the Peninsular Plateau
A Frequent large earthquakes
B Presence of many active volcanoes
C Generally low seismic activity
D Rapid folding and mountain building
As a stable craton, the plateau experiences very limited tectonic disturbance and fewer strong earthquakes.
The Peninsular Plateau covers approximately what fraction of India’s total land area
A About one-tenth
B About one-fourth
C About one-third
D About one-half
Its extent is around 16 lakh sq km, which is roughly half of mainland if you include associated regions, but commonly described as nearly half of southern India and about a quarter to a third of the country’s total—exams usually accept “nearly half of India’s total land area of the mainland,” but among these options one-fourth is the closest moderate estimate as per many school texts.
The Central Highlands are bounded in the south by which river
A Ganga
B Narmada
C Godavari
D Mahanadi
The Narmada River flowing westward in a rift valley forms the southern boundary of the Central Highlands.
Which of the following plateaus forms the western part of the Central Highlands
A Chotanagpur Plateau
B Malwa Plateau
C Telangana Plateau
D Rayalaseema Plateau
The Malwa Plateau in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan forms the western segment of the Central Highlands.
The Malwa Plateau is primarily formed by
A Alluvial deposits
B Coral reefs
C Volcanic lava flows
D Glacial moraines
Malwa has volcanic origin and is covered by black cotton soil derived from old lava flows.
The plateau lying between the Yamuna and Narmada rivers, known for rocky terrain and droughts, is
A Chotanagpur Plateau
B Malwa Plateau
C Bundelkhand Plateau
D Baghelkhand Plateau
Bundelkhand has rugged rocky land, shallow soils and frequent drought conditions.
Which plateau is famous as the “Mineral Heartland of India”
A Malwa Plateau
B Bundelkhand Plateau
C Baghelkhand Plateau
D Chotanagpur Plateau
Chotanagpur Plateau is rich in coal, iron ore, manganese, mica and bauxite, so it’s called the Mineral Heartland.
Which of these rivers mainly drain the Central Highlands northwards into the Ganga system
A Narmada and Tapti
B Godavari and Krishna
C Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Son
D Mahanadi and Kaveri
These rivers flow from the Central Highlands towards the Ganga Plains, carving deep valleys and ravines.
The Aravalli Range is significant because it is
A A young fold mountain chain
B The highest range in India
C One of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world
D Entirely volcanic in origin
The Aravallis are extremely old fold mountains, much older than the Himalayas.
Which range lies between the Narmada and the Tapi rivers
A Vindhya Range
B Satpura Range
C Aravalli Range
D Nilgiri Hills
The Satpuras stretch between Narmada and Tapti and form a link between Central Highlands and Deccan.
Which of the following statements about the Central Highlands is correct
A They lie entirely south of the Narmada
B They have only alluvial soil
C They show evidence of long-term erosion and dissected plateaus
D They are part of the Himalayan mountain system
Rounded hills, dissected surfaces and deep valleys all indicate very old, heavily eroded landforms.
Which national park is located within the Central Highlands region
A Kaziranga National Park
B Periyar National Park
C Bandhavgarh National Park
D Corbett National Park
Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) lies within the Central Highlands and is famous for its tiger population.
The Deccan Plateau is bounded in the north by which ranges
A Aravalli and Himalayas
B Vindhya and Satpura ranges
C Karakoram and Zaskar ranges
D Nilgiri and Annamalai Hills
The Vindhya and Satpura mountains form the northern boundary between the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
A large part of the Deccan Plateau is made of which rock type due to ancient volcanic activity
A Limestone
B Basalt
C Sandstone
D Shale
Massive lava flows formed thick basalt layers known as the Deccan Traps.
The general slope of the Deccan Plateau is from
A East to west
B North to south
C West to east
D South to north
Because the plateau is higher near the Western Ghats and lower towards the Bay of Bengal, rivers mostly flow eastwards.
Which of the following is NOT a part of the Deccan Plateau
A Maharashtra Plateau
B Karnataka Plateau
C Telangana Plateau
D Chotanagpur Plateau
Chotanagpur belongs to the Central Highlands, not the Deccan.
The Deccan Plateau is part of which ancient landmass
A Laurasia
B Gondwanaland
C Angaraland
D Pacific Plate
Like the rest of the Peninsular Plateau, the Deccan was originally part of Gondwanaland.
Which two major rivers of the Deccan Plateau flow westwards into the Arabian Sea
A Godavari and Krishna
B Mahanadi and Kaveri
C Narmada and Tapti
D Tungabhadra and Pennar
These two rivers are special as they flow through rift valleys and drain into the Arabian Sea.
The Deccan Traps region is particularly important agriculturally because its basalt has given rise to
A Laterite soil
B Desert soil
C Black cotton soil
D Peaty soil
Weathering of basalt forms regur or black cotton soil, ideal for cotton, sugarcane and tobacco.
Which pair of hills marks the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats
A Aravalli and Satpura Hills
B Nilgiri Hills
C Mahadeo and Rajmahal Hills
D Garo and Khasi Hills
The Nilgiris form the junction of the Western and Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu–Karnataka region.
Which of the following is a major east-flowing river originating in the Deccan Plateau and forming a large delta
A Jhelum
B Godavari
C Ravi
D Beas
Godavari, called Dakshin Ganga, flows eastward and creates a fertile delta on the east coast.
The climate of much of the interior Deccan Plateau is characterised by
A Heavy rainfall throughout the year
B Very cold winters and mild summers
C Hot summers, moderate winters and seasonal monsoon rains
D Permanent snow cover
The Deccan has a tropical monsoon climate with hot summers, moderate winters and rains mainly during the southwest monsoon.
The Western Ghats roughly run parallel to which coast of India
A Coromandel Coast
B Konkan and Malabar Coast
C Northern Circars Coast
D Saurashtra Coast
The Western Ghats run close and parallel to the western coast including Konkan and Malabar.
Which of the following statements is true about the Western Ghats
A They are lower and more broken than the Eastern Ghats
B They receive very little rainfall
C They are higher, more continuous and cause heavy orographic rainfall
D They run along the entire eastern coastline
The Western Ghats are a high, continuous wall that forces monsoon winds to rise, causing heavy rain on the western slopes.
The highest peak of the Western Ghats is
A Mahendragiri
B Doddabetta
C Anaimudi
D Kalsubai
Anaimudi in Kerala (2,695 m) is the highest peak of the Western Ghats.
The Eastern Ghats are mainly found in which set of states
A Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa
B Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
C Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
D Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
The Eastern Ghats stretch in a broken manner along these three states on the east.
Which of the following major rivers cuts across the Eastern Ghats to reach the Bay of Bengal
A Jhelum
B Godavari
C Sutlej
D Yamuna
Rivers like Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi and Kaveri break the Eastern Ghats on their way to the Bay of Bengal.
The Western Ghats are recognised globally as
A World’s driest desert
B One of the eight hottest biodiversity hotspots
C The longest mountain chain
D The youngest fold mountains
Rich flora and fauna with many endemic species make the Western Ghats a global biodiversity hotspot.
Which of the following best describes the Eastern Ghats
A Very high, continuous wall with heavy rainfall on west-facing slopes
B Low, old, highly eroded and discontinuous range
C Recently uplifted fold mountains
D Snow-covered throughout the year
The Eastern Ghats are older, lower and broken into segments due to river erosion.
Which peak of the Eastern Ghats is located in Odisha
A Mahabaleshwar
B Mahendragiri
C Anaimudi
D Doddabetta
Mahendragiri (about 1,501 m) in Odisha is one of the highest peaks of the Eastern Ghats.
The rain-shadow region created by the Western Ghats mainly affects which interior areas
A Rajasthan Desert
B Western coastal strip
C Interior Maharashtra and Karnataka
D Ganga–Yamuna Doab
As the Ghats block monsoon winds, interiors like Marathwada and parts of Karnataka receive less rainfall.
Which of the following economic activities is closely associated with the high-rainfall areas of the Western Ghats
A Wheat farming
B Tea, coffee and spice plantations
C Jute cultivation
D Pearl millet cultivation
Cool climate and heavy rainfall on Western Ghat slopes favour plantation crops like tea, coffee, cardamom and pepper.
Compared to the Himalayan rivers, most plateau rivers of the Peninsular Plateau are
A Younger and highly unstable
B Older with fixed and mature courses
C Entirely glacial in origin
D Completely snow-fed
Peninsular rivers are ancient and flow over a stable landmass, so their courses are relatively fixed and mature.
Most plateau rivers depend primarily on which source of water
A Snowmelt only
B Springs only
C Southwest monsoon rainfall
D Underground glaciers
They are mainly rain-fed, so their flow is seasonal and strongest during the monsoon.
Which of the following is an east-flowing river of the Peninsular Plateau
A Narmada
B Tapti
C Krishna
D Sharavati
Krishna flows eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming fertile plains and a delta.
Narmada and Tapti rivers are unique among Peninsular rivers because they
A Flow into inland seas
B Flow westwards through rift valleys
C Originate from glaciers
D Form the world’s largest delta
Both rivers flow west through tectonic rift valleys and reach the Arabian Sea.
Jog Falls, one of India’s highest waterfalls, is formed on which river
A Sharavati River
B Godavari River
C Kaveri River
D Subarnarekha River
Jog Falls in Karnataka is created by the Sharavati River plunging from the plateau.
Chitrakoot Falls, often called the “Niagara of India”, is located on which river
A Krishna
B Indravati
C Mahanadi
D Narmada
Chitrakoot Falls in Chhattisgarh is formed by the Indravati River.
Dhuandhar Falls near Jabalpur is associated with which important physical feature
A Sand dunes
B Marble rocks gorge
C Laterite plateau
D Coral reefs
The Narmada cuts through marble rocks at Bhedaghat, forming the Dhuandhar Falls and a steep gorge.
Which of the following statements about plateau waterfalls is correct
A They are formed on soft alluvial plains
B They occur where rivers meet glaciers
C They form where rivers encounter sudden drops or resistant rock layers
D They can only occur near deltas
Uneven rocky surfaces and sudden changes in gradient create rapids and waterfalls on plateau rivers.
Why do many west-flowing short rivers of the Western Ghats form estuaries instead of large deltas
A They carry huge amounts of silt
B They are too cold
C Their courses are short and steep, depositing little sediment at the mouth
D They never reach the sea
Because these rivers flow quickly down steep slopes and are short, they don’t form large deltas but open into estuaries.
Plateau rivers and waterfalls are especially important for which of the following reasons
A They prevent any soil erosion
B They are used only for navigation
C They provide sites for hydropower, irrigation, tourism and ecological habitats
D They exist only in uninhabited regions
Plateau rivers and waterfalls support dams, irrigation, tourism and rich ecosystems, making them economically and environmentally important.