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UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper 1, question 25

Topic: Indian geography

Q25

Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information :

  1. It has an antecedent drainage system.

  2. It flows through three countries.

  3. It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation.

  4. It does not form distributaries.

Select the answer from the following :

  1. (a) Brahmaputra
  2. (b) Indus
  3. (c) SutlejCorrect answer
  4. (d) Teesta

Solution.

Answer: (c) Sutlej

  1. The Sutlej originates near Lake Rakshastal on the Tibetan Plateau, cuts across the Great Himalayas through the Shipki La gorge as an antecedent river, and flows through three countries (China, India, and Pakistan).
  2. Unlike the Indus and the Brahmaputra, which split into distributaries at their deltas before entering the sea, the Sutlej is a tributary of the Indus system and does not form deltaic distributaries; it is also the backbone of the Bhakra-Nangal and Indira Gandhi Canal irrigation systems.

Trap: Both the Indus and the Brahmaputra meet the first three clues, but both form extensive deltaic distributaries, leaving the Sutlej.