RAS question
Match List I (Char Dham 2026 shrine) with List II (Opening date in 2026 announced for the season):\nList I (Shrine) List II (Opening date)\nA. Gangotri Dham 1. April 19, 2026\nB. Yamunotri Dham 2. April 19, 2026\nC. Kedarnath Dham 3. April 22, 2026\nD. Badrinath Dham 4. April 23, 2026\nSelect the correct match:
Correct answer: (B) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4.
For the 2026 Char Dham season, Gangotri Dham and Yamunotri Dham opened on April 19, Kedarnath Dham was scheduled to open on April 22, and Badrinath Dham on April 23.
Explanation
The match turns on the announced opening sequence for the Char Dham Yatra season in Uttarakhand. News On AIR reported on April 19, 2026, that the portals of Shri Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines in Uttarkashi district were to open that day on Akshaya Tritiya, formally commencing the Char Dham Yatra. The same report states that Kedarnath shrine would open on April 22 and Badrinath shrine on April 23. Therefore Gangotri pairs with April 19, Yamunotri pairs with April 19, Kedarnath pairs with April 22, and Badrinath pairs with April 23, giving the keyed sequence A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Option A reverses List II numbers 1 and 2 for Gangotri and Yamunotri; since both entries carry April 19, this is not a factual date error but a weakness in the option design against the keyed sequence.
- (C) Option C wrongly assigns Kedarnath to April 23 and Badrinath to April 22, while the cited report gives Kedarnath as April 22 and Badrinath as April 23.
- (D) Option D shifts Gangotri and Yamunotri away from April 19 and puts Kedarnath and Badrinath on April 19, contradicting the reported opening schedule.
Concept
This tests current-affairs recall linked to pilgrimage geography and Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra calendar. Such date-based pairings recur in RAS because they combine a live event with a fixed regional map of important shrines.