UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Mekong Thames Volga Zambezi Outflows

Statement by statement

Pair 1 – INCORRECTLY MATCHED: Originating in the icy headwaters of the Tibetan highlands, the Mekong River flows through the steep canyons of China, known as the upper basin, through lower basin countries Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, before fanning across an expansive delta in Vietnam and emptying into the South China Sea (NOT the Andaman Sea). Hence pair 1 is not correctly matched.

Pair 2 – INCORRECTLY MATCHED: The River Thames is the longest river in England, flowing 215 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea (NOT the Irish Sea). Hence pair 2 is not correctly matched.

Pair 3 – CORRECTLY MATCHED: The Volga is the longest river in Europe, and its catchment area is almost entirely inside Russia. It belongs to the closed basin of the Caspian Sea, being the longest river to flow into a closed basin. Hence pair 3 is correctly matched.

Pair 4 – CORRECTLY MATCHED: The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Hence pair 4 is correctly matched.