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UPSC Prelims 1999 · Indian Geography · People and Settlements
As per 1991 Census, which one of the following groups of Union Territories had the highest literacy rate?
- (a) Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli
- (b) Delhi and Andaman Nicobar Islands
- (c) Andaman Nicobar Islands & Pondicherry
- (d) Pondicherry and Delhi
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (d) Pondicherry and Delhi
Pondicherry and Delhi had the highest UT literacy rates then.
The idea
A paired option requires both territories to satisfy the comparison. One high-literacy territory cannot rescue a pair containing a lower-literacy one. Use the 1991 figures and the administrative units that existed then, rather than later Union Territory arrangements.
Why the others are wrong
(a) Dadra and Nagar Haveli had low literacy.
(b) A&N was high but below Delhi/Pondicherry together.
The trap
Chandigarh was also high — but it is paired with low-literacy Dadra.
Also know
Pondicherry was renamed Puducherry in 2006. Its territory includes separated enclaves: Puducherry and Karaikal near Tamil Nadu, Mahe near Kerala, and Yanam near Andhra Pradesh. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were separate Union Territories in 1991 and merged in 2020.
🔒 Now: Lakshadweep and Chandigarh lead UT literacy.
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