RAS question
The highest peak in Antarctica is:
Correct answer: (D) Vinson Massif (4,892 m).
Vinson Massif, at 4,892 m in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, is the highest peak in Antarctica.
Explanation
Antarctica's highest peak is Vinson Massif, at 4,892 m. NASA describes Mount Vinson as Antarctica's tallest peak and places it in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. That location matters because the other options may sound plausible in Antarctic geography, but none reaches Vinson Massif's height. Vinson Massif is also one of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of each continent, which is why it is a standard world-geography fact. It was discovered in 1958 and first ascended in 1966.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano, but at 3,794 m it is below Vinson Massif's 4,892 m height.
- (B) Mount Kirkpatrick stands at 4,528 m, so it is a high Antarctic peak but still lower than Vinson Massif.
- (C) Mount Sidley stands at 4,181 m, which leaves it below Vinson Massif and outside the correct highest-peak answer.
Concept
This tests the world-geography concept of continental high points and the Seven Summits. It recurs in RAS because map-based physical geography often asks for the highest peaks, ranges and landmark landforms by continent.