Consider the following pairs: Peak — Mountains

Answer: (b) 2 only

Nanda Devi is the one peak in its own range. Namcha Barwa marks the east end and Nokrek is in the Garo Hills.

Statement by statement

1. ✗ WRONG — the far eastern end Namcha Barwa (7,782 m) rises in Tibet, where the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) makes its great U-turn around it — the eastern end of the Himalaya, nowhere near Garhwal.

2. ✓ CORRECT Nanda Devi (7,816 m), the highest peak wholly inside India, stands in the Kumaon Himalaya (Uttarakhand). Its sanctuary is a UNESCO site and a biosphere reserve.

3. ✗ WRONG — Garo Hills, Meghalaya Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo Hills (Meghalaya) and a biosphere reserve. It is not in the Himalaya at all.

The idea

A peak must be placed within its physical mountain belt, rather than grouped by a Himalayan-sounding name. The Himalaya is a long arc with distinct regional sections. Meghalaya belongs to an ancient plateau block, so its hills have a different geological setting.

Why the others are wrong

(a) Namcha Barwa is at the Brahmaputra bend in Tibet, not in Garhwal.

(c) Accepts Namcha Barwa–Garhwal and Nokrek–Sikkim because both names sound Himalayan. One is at the far eastern bend, the other in Meghalaya.

(d) Nokrek is in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills, not Sikkim.

The trap

Nokrek sounds Himalayan. It is a Meghalaya-plateau peak — and a Biosphere Reserve, which UPSC loves to cross-link with geography.

Elimination technique

Nokrek belongs to the Meghalaya plateau, so reject every code containing statement 3. Between the remaining choices, locating Namcha Barwa at the eastern Himalayan bend rules out statement 1.

Also know

Nanga Parbat marks the western Himalayan bend, while the Brahmaputra gorge marks the eastern bend. Kangchenjunga lies on the India–Nepal boundary near Sikkim. Nanda Devi and the Valley of Flowers share a natural World Heritage listing; Nokrek is associated with wild citrus diversity.