RAS question
The Karakoram Pass connects India with:
Correct answer: (C) China (Xinjiang).
The Karakoram Pass connects India, through Ladakh, with China's Xinjiang region.
Explanation
The Karakoram Pass is the India-China link here because it lies on the boundary between the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. WorldAtlas describes it as one of the Karakoram Range's important passes, at 5,540 m above sea level, connecting China to India and linking Leh with Yarkand. The pass also stood on an ancient caravan route associated with Silk Road trade between Central Asia, China and India. Its location, not merely the name of the Karakoram Range, is the key: the pass is tied to Ladakh on the Indian side and Xinjiang on the Chinese side.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Afghanistan is not the linked region in this route; the Karakoram Pass is placed on the Ladakh-Xinjiang boundary instead.
- (B) Pakistan is a distractor because WorldAtlas identifies Karakoram Pass as straddling the India-China boundary, while Khunjerab is the pass associated with the Pakistan-China border.
- (D) Nepal lies outside this Karakoram-Ladakh setting; the pass is tied to Ladakh and Xinjiang, not to India's eastern Himalayan border with Nepal.
Concept
This tests the map-based concept of Himalayan and trans-Himalayan passes and the political regions they connect. RAS repeats such items because a single pass often links physical geography, border geography and historical trade routes.