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Students who are looking to revise the NCERT solutions for Class 11 Geography Chapter 3: Drainage System can use this guide to revise the questions and answers. These solutions provide clear answers to all questions from this chapter from the textbook India Physical Environment. This chapter explores India’s drainage patterns, the classification into Himalayan and Peninsular systems, major river basins like the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus in the north, and Godavari, Krishna, and Narmada in the peninsula. You can also download the free PDF to revise the key concepts of this chapter anytime.
Contents
Explore Notes of Class 11 India Physical Environment
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 |
NCERT Solutions Class 11 Geography India Physical Environment Chapter 3: Drainage System
These NCERT solutions for Class 11 Geography Chapter 3 will help you understand the questions and answers. Regular revision of these concepts will boost your preparation for the exam.
1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) Which one of the following rivers was known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’?
(a) The Gandak
(c) The Kosi
(b) The Son
(d) The Damodar
Answer:
(d) The Damodar: The Damodar River was known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ because of its frequent and destructive floods in the past, causing immense loss of life and property in the lower basin areas of West Bengal and Jharkhand.
(ii) Which one of the following rivers has the largest river basin in India?
(a) The Indus
(c) The Ganga
(b) The Brahmaputra
(d) The Krishna
Answer:
(c) The Ganga: The Ganga has the largest river basin in India, covering about 8.6 lakh sq. km, supporting the highest population density and agricultural productivity among all Indian river systems.
(iii) Which one of the following rivers is not included in ‘Panchnad’?
(a) The Ravi
(c) The Indus
(b) The Chenab
(d) The Jhelum
Answer:
(c) The Indus: Panchnad refers to the five tributaries of the Indus—the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, which join together before merging into the main Indus River.
(iv) Which one of the following rivers flows in a rift valley?
(a) The Son
(c) The Yamuna
(b) The Narmada
(d) The Luni
Answer:
(b) The Narmada: The Narmada flows westwards in a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, characterised by a straight course, steep banks, and absence of delta formation.
(v) Which one of the following is the place of confluence of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi?
(a) Vishnu Prayag
(c) Karan Prayag
(b) Rudra Prayag
(d) Deva Prayag
Answer:
(d) Deva Prayag: Deva Prayag is the confluence point where the Bhagirathi (originating from Gangotri) and Alaknanda (from Badrinath) meet to form the river known as the Ganga.
2. State the differences between the following.
(i) River Basin and Watershed
| River Basin | Watershed |
| It is the entire area drained by a river and its tributaries. | It is the area that separates one river basin from another, often a ridge or highland. |
| Larger in size, includes all land contributing water to the main river. | A smaller unit acts as a dividing line between adjacent basins. |
| Focuses on the drainage area of a single river system. | Determines the direction of flow towards different basins. |
(ii) Dendritic and Trellis drainage pattern
| Dendritic Drainage Pattern | Trellis Drainage Pattern |
| Resembles branches of a tree; tributaries join the main river at acute angles. | Rectangular pattern; tributaries join the main river at nearly right angles. |
| Develops on uniform rock structure with gentle slopes (e.g., Ganga plains). | Forms in folded topography with alternating hard and soft rocks (e.g., Appalachian type). |
(iii) Radial and Centripetal drainage pattern
| Radial Drainage Pattern | Centripetal Drainage Pattern |
| Rivers flow outwards in all directions from a central high point (e.g., dome or peak). | Rivers flow inwards towards a central low point, like a lake or depression. |
| Common on volcanic cones or domes (e.g., Amarkantak plateau). | Found in basins or lowlands (e.g., streams draining into a lake). |
(iv) Delta and Estuary
| Delta | Estuary |
| A triangular depositional feature formed at the river mouth by sediment deposit; rivers split into distributaries. | Funnel-shaped mouth where river meets sea with tidal influence; single channel. |
| Formed by a large sediment load (e.g., the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta). | Formed by submergence or swift rivers with less sediment (e.g., Narmada estuary). |
3. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
(i) What are the socio-economic advantages of interlinking of rivers in India?
Solutions: River inter-linking helps transfer surplus water to deficit areas, reduces floods and droughts, enhances irrigation and food production, generates hydropower, improves inland navigation, and provides drinking water, boosting overall economic growth.
(ii) Write three characteristics of the Peninsular river.
Solutions: Peninsular rivers are seasonal with flow depending on monsoon; they have fixed courses with lesser meandering; most form estuaries rather than deltas; they flow over hard rocky terrain with waterfalls.
4. Answer the following questions in not more than 125 words.
(i) What are the important characteristic features of north Indian rivers? How are these different from Peninsular rivers?
Solutions: North Indian (Himalayan) rivers are perennial, fed by snowmelt and rainfall, ensuring year-round flow. They have long courses, extensive meandering, large basins, and form vast, fertile deltas with heavy sediment load. They erode deeply in upper reaches and deposit alluvium in plains, supporting dense population and agriculture.
Peninsular rivers are mostly seasonal, rain-fed, with low flow in the dry season. They are shorter, flow in relatively straight courses over stable plateaus, form estuaries, have smaller basins, fixed channels and create waterfalls due to hard rock terrain. Unlike Himalayan rivers, they lack snow-fed perennial flow and large deltaic deposits, making them less prone to shifting courses but more dependent on monsoon variability.
(ii) Suppose you are travelling from Haridwar to Siliguri along the foothills of the Himalayas. Name the important rivers you will come across. Describe the characteristics of any one of them.
Solutions: Travelling eastward from Haridwar to Siliguri along the Himalayan foothills (through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal), the important rivers crossed are: Ganga (near Haridwar), Ramganga, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, and finally Teesta (near Siliguri).
Characteristics of the Kosi River: Known as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’, the Kosi originates in Tibet, flows through Nepal, and joins the Ganga in Bihar. It carries an enormous silt load, frequently shifts its course (up to 120 km in historical times), causes devastating floods, has numerous tributaries (forming a fan-shaped drainage), and is an antecedent river cutting through the Himalayas.
Download NCERT Solutions Class 11 Geography India Physical Environment Chapter 3: Drainage System
Download the free PDF of these solutions to study key concepts in simple language and prepare effectively for your exams.
Download NCERT Solutions of Class 11 India Physical Environment here:
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
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