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UPSC Prelims 1988 · Indian Geography · Rivers, Lakes and Dams
Match the columns: List 1 (Lakes) List 2 (States) A. Wular 1. Rajasthan B. Chilka 2. Orissa C. Loktak ? 3. Manipur D. Nakki 4. Jammu and Kashmir ? 5. Madhya Pradesh
- (a) 5 2 3 4
- (b) 3 5 2 1
- (c) 4 2 3 1
- (d) 4 3 5 2
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) 4 2 3 1
Wular – Jammu and Kashmir, Chilika – Odisha, Loktak – Manipur, Nakki – Rajasthan (Mount Abu).
The idea
A lake–State match depends on the lake’s actual basin, not on a familiar name or landscape. Use the administrative labels valid in the exam year. Jammu and Kashmir was a State in 1988; its later reorganisation does not change Wular’s physical location.
Why the others are wrong
(a) Wular is not in Madhya Pradesh.
(b) Wular is not in Manipur.
(d) Chilika is not in Manipur.
The trap
Nakki Lake is on Mount Abu — Rajasthan’s only hill station.
Elimination technique
Nakki’s Mount Abu location fixes Rajasthan as D = 1. Only code (c) has that final match; confirm the other three pairs rather than inferring them from the code.
Also know
Dal and Wular lie in the Kashmir valley; phumdis connect Loktak with Keibul Lamjao National Park. Nakki lies on Mount Abu in the Aravalli region. Chilika is a coastal lagoon, while Kolleru is a freshwater lake in Andhra Pradesh. Similar waterbird habitats do not make these the same lake type.
🔒 Wular: largest freshwater lake · Chilika: largest brackish lagoon · Loktak: phumdis, Keibul Lamjao (floating NP).
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