RAS question
Kalisil River is a tributary of:
Correct answer: (D) Banas.
The Kalisil River belongs to the Banas river system, as it joins the Morel River, a tributary of the Banas.
Explanation
Kalisil is best understood as part of the Banas drainage, not as a separate direct tributary of Chambal. It originates near Rajpura in Sawai Madhopur district and flows about 48 km through Karauli and Sawai Madhopur before joining the Morel River, which itself is a tributary of the Banas. The India-WRIS Yamuna River System page independently supports this classification by listing Morel and Kalisil among the left-bank tributaries of the Banas. India-WRIS Wiki also says Banas is a major tributary of the Chambal, which explains the common trap: Kalisil is linked to the Chambal basin through Banas, but the asked tributary relationship is with the Banas system.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mahi is wrong because Kalisil is in the Banas drainage, not in the Mahi system.
- (B) Luni is wrong because Kalisil flows to Morel and then the Banas, and India-WRIS Wiki lists it under Banas tributaries.
- (C) Chambal is wrong as a direct answer because India-WRIS describes Banas as a major Chambal tributary and lists Kalisil under Banas, so the link to Chambal is through Banas rather than direct.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan drainage-system hierarchy: identifying whether a river is a direct tributary or part of a larger basin through an intermediate river. RAS often asks such questions because Chambal, Banas and their tributaries dominate eastern Rajasthan geography.