निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा एक, समुद्र स्तर में पुनरावर्ती गिरावट का सर्वोत्तम उदाहरण है, जिससे वर्तमान समय की सुविस्तृत कच्छभूमि उत्पन्न हुई है?
Read this question in English
Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?
(a) Bhitarkanika Mangroves · (b) Marakkanam Salt Pans · (c) Naupada Swamp · (d) Rann of Kutch
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (d) कच्छ का रण
The Rann of Kachchh was once a shallow part of the Arabian Sea. A geological shift closed off its connection with the sea, leaving a vast seasonal marshy salt desert that fills with water in the monsoon and dries into a white salt flat in summer.
- ✓ (d) The Rann was a shallow part of the Arabian Sea until a geological shift closed its connection with the sea; it is now a huge seasonal marshy salt desert in Gujarat, made up of the Great Rann and the Little Rann.
- ✗ (a) Bhitarkanika in Odisha is a mangrove forest. NCERT notes that mangroves grow along coasts in salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries, so it is a coastal tidal wetland, not marshland left behind by a retreating sea.
- ✗ (b) Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu is known for its coastal salt pans, where salt is made from seawater; these are small human-made works, not a vast natural marshland.
Remember · Rann of Kutch: former shallow part of the Arabian Sea, cut off by a geological shift; now a seasonal marshy salt desert (Great Rann and Little Rann) in Gujarat.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Rann of Kachchh ↗ · reference work “The Rann was a once a shallow part of the Arabian Sea , until a geological shift closed off the connection with the sea. The region became a seasonal marshy salt desert over the years. … During the monsoons, the area fills with water, creating a wetland. In the summer, the water evaporates, leaving a white, salty land.”
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 5 “Mangroves grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·