RAS question
The Danube River flows through the most number of countries in Europe. How many capitals does it pass through?
Correct answer: (C) 4.
The Danube passes through four European capital cities: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
Explanation
The answer is 4 because the Danube is not just a major European river by length and basin; its course also links an unusual number of political centres. Europeana states that ten countries lie on the Danube: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. On that same route, the four capital cities located on the river are Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest in Hungary and Belgrade in Serbia. So the count asked in the MCQ is the number of capitals on the Danube, not the number of countries it flows through: four.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Three is too low because the Danube is listed with four capital cities on its course: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
- (B) Five overcounts the capitals; the supported list contains only Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
- (D) Two is too low because the Danube passes through more than two capitals, with four named capitals on the river.
Concept
This tests map-based world geography, especially rivers as political and urban connectors. Such questions recur in RAS because major rivers are often asked through factual hooks like countries, capitals and relative location.