Prelims 2014 · archive
MediumConsider the following pairs:
Hills Region
- 1.Cardamom Hills: Coromandel Coast
- 2.Kaimur Hills: Konkan Coast
- 3.Mahadeo Hills: Central India
- 4.Mikir Hills: North-East India
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 3 and 4
Only pairs 3 and 4 are correct. The Mahadeo Hills lie in central India, on the northern edge of the Deccan Plateau. The Mikir (Karbi) Hills are in Assam, in the North-East. The Cardamom Hills are in the southern Western Ghats, and the Kaimur Hills are an inland Vindhyan range. Neither is on the coast named in its pair.
- ✗ 1. The Cardamom Hills are part of the southern Western Ghats, along the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border. They are not on the Coromandel Coast, which is the south-eastern coast of India.
- ✗ 2. The Kaimur range is the eastern part of the Vindhyan system, and Yamuna tributaries rise in the Vindhyan and Kaimur ranges. It lies far inland in northern-central India, not on the Konkan Coast.
- ✓ 3. The Mahadeo Hills, with the Satpura and Maikal ranges, form the northern border of the Deccan Plateau. This is in central India.
- ✓ 4. Mikir Hill and the North Cachar hills are named as hill areas of Assam. Assam is in North-East India.
Remember · Cardamom Hills: southern Western Ghats (Kerala–Tamil Nadu). Kaimur: eastern Vindhyan range, inland. Mahadeo: Satpura region, central India. Mikir (Karbi): Assam, North-East.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 India: People and Economy, Ch 6 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 2 “This is bordered by the Western Ghats in the west, Eastern Ghats in the east and the Satpura, Maikal range and Mahadeo hills in the north.”
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 2 “Most of the tributaries of the river Yamuna have their origin in the Vindhyan and Kaimur ranges.”
- NCERT Class 12 · India: People and Economy, Chapter 6 “Mikir Hill and North Cachar hills of Assam, Darjeeling district of West Bengal and Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2014, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·