RAS question
The highest peak in India is:
Correct answer: (B) Kangchenjunga (8,586 m).
Kangchenjunga, at 8,586 m on the Sikkim-Nepal border, is the highest peak in India and the third-highest peak in the world.
Explanation
Kangchenjunga is the answer because the question asks for the highest peak in India, not the highest peak associated with territory claimed by India or the highest mountain in the world. Kangchenjunga stands at 8,586 m on the Sikkim-Nepal border, making it India’s highest peak and the world’s third-highest peak. Government of Sikkim describes Khangchendzonga, known outside Sikkim as Kanchenjunga, as part of the Great Himalayan Range on Sikkim’s western side and as the third-highest peak in the world. K2 is higher in height, but it is excluded here because it lies in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mount Everest is higher than Kangchenjunga globally, but it is on the Nepal-China border, not in India.
- (C) K2 is taller at 8,611 m, but it lies in Pakistan-administered Kashmir rather than territory administered by India.
- (D) Nanda Devi is an Indian peak, but at 7,816 m it is lower than Kangchenjunga.
Concept
This tests Indian physiography in the Himalayas, especially the distinction between height, location and administrative control. It recurs in RAS because peak rankings and border locations are compact facts that often decide otherwise straightforward geography questions.