Class 9 Geography Chapter 3 – "Drainage," including 30 MCQs, 10 short answer questions, and 5 long answer questions with answers

30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

What is drainage?

a) Flow of wind

b) Flow of water in rivers

c) Flow of air masses

d) Movement of animals

Answer: b) Flow of water in rivers​

What is a drainage basin?

a) Area where rivers originate

b) Area drained by a river and its tributaries

c) Pond for collecting water

d) River delta

Answer: b) Area drained by a river and its tributaries​

What is a water divide?

a) Waterfall

b) A high land separating two drainage basins

c) The mouth of a river

d) Delta

Answer: b) A high land separating two drainage basins​

Which river system is the largest in India?

a) Indus

b) Brahmaputra

c) Ganga

d) Godavari

Answer: c) Ganga​

Where does the river Indus originate?

a) Kailash Mansarovar, Tibet

b) Amarkantak Plateau

c) Western Ghats

d) Satpura Hills

Answer: a) Kailash Mansarovar, Tibet​

Which river flows through a rift valley?

a) Godavari

b) Tapi

c) Krishna

d) Mahanadi

Answer: b) Tapi​

Name the rivers that originate from the Western Ghats.

a) Ganga, Yamuna

b) Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri

c) Brahmaputra, Indus

d) Chambal, Betwa

Answer: b) Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri​

The Brahmaputra flows through which of the following Indian states?

a) Rajasthan

b) Assam

c) Gujarat

d) Punjab

Answer: b) Assam​

Which among the following is a peninsular river?

a) Ganga

b) Brahmaputra

c) Mahanadi

d) Yamuna

Answer: c) Mahanadi​

The river Narmada flows into which body of water?

a) Bay of Bengal

b) Arabian Sea

c) Indian Ocean

d) Red Sea

Answer: b) Arabian Sea​

What is the length of the river Ganga approximately?

a) 2000 km

b) 2525 km

c) 1600 km

d) 3000 km

Answer: b) 2525 km​

Which lake is an important freshwater lake in India?

a) Chilika Lake

b) Wular Lake

c) Pulicat Lake

d) Sambhar Lake

Answer: b) Wular Lake​

The largest river basin of India is:

a) Godavari Basin

b) Brahmaputra Basin

c) Ganga Basin

d) Tapi Basin

Answer: c) Ganga Basin​

The flow of Himalayan rivers is:

a) Perennial

b) Seasonal

c) Ephemeral

d) None

Answer: a) Perennial​

Peninsular rivers are mostly:

a) Perennial

b) Seasonal

c) Tidal

d) Underground

Answer: b) Seasonal​

The term ‘tidal bore’ is associated with which river?

a) Brahmaputra

b) Godavari

c) Ganga

d) Mahanadi

Answer: a) Brahmaputra​

Which of these rivers flows northwards?

a) Ganga

b) Chambal

c) Ghaghara

d) Yamuna

Answer: b) Chambal​

Which is the delta of the river Godavari called?

a) Sunderbans

b) Krishna Delta

c) Godavari Delta

d) Mahanadi Delta

Answer: c) Godavari Delta​

The ‘Marble Rocks’ are associated with which river?

a) Narmada

b) Tapi

c) Godavari

d) Krishna

Answer: a) Narmada​

Which of the following is NOT a tributary of the river Ganga?

a) Yamuna

b) Ghaghara

c) Godavari

d) Gomti

Answer: c) Godavari​

Lakes formed in river valleys are called:

a) Glacial Lakes

b) Oxbow Lakes

c) Estuaries

d) Reservoirs

Answer: b) Oxbow Lakes​

Which river is known as ‘Dakshina Ganga’?

a) Godavari

b) Krishna

c) Mahanadi

d) Narmada

Answer: a) Godavari​

Which river flows through the ‘Tarai’ region?

a) Ganga

b) Brahmaputra

c) Yamuna

d) Indus

Answer: b) Brahmaputra​

Which river is famous for the ‘Dhuadhar’ waterfalls?

a) Narmada

b) Mahanadi

c) Godavari

d) Krishna

Answer: a) Narmada​

Which river is the longest tributary of the river Ganga?

a) Yamuna

b) Ghaghara

c) Gomti

d) Son

Answer: a) Yamuna​

Which river basin covers parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh?

a) Krishna

b) Godavari

c) Mahanadi

d) Tapi

Answer: a) Krishna​

Name a major lake formed due to coastal deposition.

a) Wular Lake

b) Chilika Lake

c) Pangong Lake

d) Harike Lake

Answer: b) Chilika Lake​

The main source of the river Krishna is:

a) Mahabaleshwar

b) Satpura hills

c) Western Ghats

d) Aravalli hills

Answer: a) Mahabaleshwar​

Which river basin has a rift valley?

a) Godavari

b) Tapi

c) Mahanadi

d) Krishna

Answer: b) Tapi​

The Brahmaputra is a tributary of:

a) Ganga

b) Meghna

c) Yamuna

d) Indus

Answer: b) Meghna​

10 Short Answer Questions

Define drainage basin and water divide.

Answer: Drainage basin is the area drained by a river and its tributaries. Water divide is a high land or ridge separating two drainage basins.​

Name the three main Himalayan river systems of India.

Answer: Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra​

Which are peninsular rivers? Name any four.

Answer: Rivers originating from the peninsular plateau; Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Krishna​

Explain the origin and course of the river Narmada.

Answer: Originates from Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, flows westward through a rift valley to Arabian Sea​

What are oxbow lakes and how are they formed?

Answer: Crescent-shaped lakes formed when a river meander is cut off from the main river​

Why are Himalayan rivers perennial?

Answer: Due to glaciers and snow melting that supplies water throughout the year​

Describe the course of the river Godavari.

Answer: Originates in the Western Ghats, flows eastward across the Deccan plateau to the Bay of Bengal​

What is the importance of rivers in India?

Answer: Provide water for irrigation, drinking, transportation and hydroelectricity​

Where does the Brahmaputra originate and where does it flow?

Answer: Originates in Tibet, enters India in Arunachal Pradesh, flows into Bangladesh and joins Meghna​

Define river pollution and mention its causes.

Answer: Contamination of river water due to domestic, industrial waste, and agricultural pollution​

5 Long Answer Questions

Explain the drainage system of India under the Himalayan and Peninsular rivers.

Answer: Himalayan rivers (Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra) are perennial, snow-fed and flow east or west. Peninsular rivers (Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi) originate from hills, mostly seasonal, flow east or west depending on topography.​

Describe the course, tributaries, and importance of the river Ganga.

Answer: Originates from Gangotri glacier, flows through northern plains, receives tributaries like Yamuna, Ghaghara, finally empties into Bay of Bengal. Important for irrigation, transport, and religious significance.​

Compare the characteristics of Himalayan and Peninsular rivers.

Answer: Himalayan rivers are perennial with large basins and heavy discharge; Peninsular rivers are seasonal, smaller basins, and less water flow.​

What are the different types of lakes found in India? Provide examples.

Answer: Oxbow lakes (Anshupa), glacial lakes (Pangong), coastal lakes/lagoons (Chilka, Pulicat)​

Discuss the causes and effects of river pollution in India.

Answer: Causes include industrial effluents, sewage discharge, religious offerings; effects are health hazards, loss of aquatic life, and unsafe drinking water​