RAS question
The highest peak in Europe is:
Correct answer: (C) Mount Elbrus (5,642 m).
Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 m in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia, is the highest peak in Europe.
Explanation
Mount Elbrus is the answer because height, not fame or western-European location, decides the question. Elbrus lies in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and has an elevation of 5,642 m. NASA Earth Observatory describes Mount Elbrus as the summit of the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia and distinguishes it as Europe's highest peak at 5,642 m. The volcano clue also fits: NASA describes Elbrus as an ancient volcano, and it is dormant. Mont Blanc matters only under the narrower frame of Western Europe, where it is the highest peak at 4,808 m; it does not overtake Elbrus for Europe as a whole.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps and the leading answer only if the frame is limited to Western Europe, but at 4,808 m it is lower than Mount Elbrus.
- (B) Mount Etna is a volcano in Sicily, but its 3,357 m elevation is far below Mount Elbrus's 5,642 m.
- (D) The Matterhorn is a well-known Alpine peak, but at 4,478 m it is not as high as Mount Elbrus.
Concept
This tests World Geography's standard mapping of major mountain systems, peaks and continental extremes. RAS repeats such questions because they check whether a candidate can separate the Alps-based Western Europe answer from the Europe-wide Caucasus answer.