UPPCS Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I: The river situated along the border between the United States of America and Mexico…
The river situated along the border between the United States of America and Mexico is –
Answer (b) & explanation
Option (b), the Rio Grande, is correct. The Rio Grande, called the Rio Bravo del Norte in Mexico, rises in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and forms the US-Mexico border for about 2,000 km, from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to the Gulf of Mexico. Option (a) is wrong: the Mississippi flows entirely within the United States to the Gulf near New Orleans. Option (c) is wrong: the Amazon is in South America. Option (d) is wrong: the Colorado, which carved the Grand Canyon, crosses into Mexico only briefly near its mouth in the Gulf of California and forms a short border stretch. Concept: the US-Canada border is partly formed by the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, and the 49th parallel.
The Colorado also reaches Mexico, but the border river is the Rio Grande.
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Question as printed in UPPSC's official question booklet. Source: uppsc.up.nic.in
Same theme in UPPCS Mains
- MAINS UPPCS Mains 2025 · GS Paper I · Section A · Q9Examine the origin, dimensions and implications of Sino-Indian border dispute.
- MAINS UPPCS Mains 2025 · GS Paper III · Section A · Q8Evaluate the role of social media in radicalization across the borders.
- MAINS UPPCS Mains 2023 · GS Paper V · Section A · Q5Explain the security challenges in the border areas of Uttar Pradesh.
Same theme in UPSC Mains
- MAINS UPSC Mains 2026 · GS Paper IV · Q11Rajapuram is a border district. Jhara and Biru, its two major communities are in continual conflict with each other. The social fabric is fractured and demands…
- MAINS UPSC Mains 2025 · GS Paper IV · Q12Ashok is Divisional Commissioner of one of the border districts of the North East State. A few years back, Military has taken over the neighbouring country…
- MAINS UPSC Mains 2024 · GS Paper III · Q19India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also…
Related questions from other years
Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct ?
- 1. Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States.
- 2. Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States.
- 3. Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are not correct (c). Statement 1 is correct: Uttar Pradesh touches eight States, plus Delhi, the most of any State. Statement 2 is wrong: the longest international border belongs to West Bengal, with Bangladesh, not Rajasthan. Statement 3 is wrong: Sikkim touches only West Bengal, but Meghalaya also touches only one State, Assam, so the word "only" fails. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the trap: the question asks which are not correct. UP's neighbours are Uttarakhand, Himachal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Rajasthan has the longest border with Pakistan, about 1,070 km. Words like "only", "all" and "never" often hide the error.
The question asks for statements that are not correct. Statement 3 is half right; the word "only" breaks it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean ?
- 1. Bahrain
- 2. Syria
- 3. Qatar
- 4. Egypt
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Bahrain and Qatar must cross the Strait of Hormuz (b). The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is the only sea exit from the Persian Gulf. Items 1 and 3 are right: Bahrain and Qatar lie wholly inside the Gulf, so their ships must pass it. Item 2 is wrong: Syria is on the Mediterranean. Item 4 is wrong: Egypt reaches the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice its importance: about a fifth of the world's oil passes through Hormuz, and much of India's crude and LNG (Qatar is a top LNG supplier). Iran's threats to close it raise prices. The UAE's pipeline to Fujairah and Saudi pipelines to the Red Sea help bypass it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Tungurahua Volcano, which was declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2025, is situated in which one among the following countries ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Tungurahua is in Ecuador (a). Tungurahua, meaning "throat of fire", is an active stratovolcano in the Andes of central Ecuador, above the town of Baños. UNESCO named the area around it a Global Geopark in 2025. Options (b), (c) and (d), Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, are wrong, though the Andes pass through all of them too.
Notice Ecuador's other famous volcanoes: Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes, and Chimborazo, whose summit is the point farthest from Earth's centre, because of the equatorial bulge. Ecuador also owns the Galápagos Islands. A Global Geopark honours geological heritage; India has none yet, though sites like Lonar have been proposed.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
- 1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate.
- 2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon.
- 3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right: the islands lie close to the equator in the Bay of Bengal, so they are hot and humid all year, a tropical coastal climate. Statement 2 is right: they get rain from both the south-west and north-east monsoons, from about May to December. Statement 3 is wrong: January to April is the driest part of the year, so maximum rain is not between December and May. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the islands' features: Barren Island, India's only active volcano; Saddle Peak, the highest point; and Indira Point, India's southernmost tip. Rich tropical evergreen forests cover them, and cyclones often form nearby.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.