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RAS question

The largest desert in Asia is:

Correct answer: (C) Arabian Desert.

The Arabian Desert is the largest desert in Asia, covering about 23 lakh sq km across almost the whole Arabian Peninsula.

  1. (A)

    Thar

  2. (B)

    Taklamakan

  3. (C)

    Arabian Desert

  4. (D)

    Gobi

Explanation

The Arabian Desert is Asia's largest desert area. Encyclopaedia Britannica places it in extreme southwestern Asia and says it occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula, with an area of about 900,000 square miles, or 2,300,000 sq km. That is about 23 lakh sq km. The Gobi is also large, but at about 13 lakh sq km and as the second largest desert in Asia, it cannot outrank the Arabian Desert. Desert size ranking depends on comparative area, not only familiar names.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) The Arabian Desert, not Thar, is the largest desert area in Asia.
  • (B) Encyclopaedia Britannica identifies the Arabian Desert as Asia's largest desert, so Taklamakan cannot be the largest in Asia.
  • (D) Gobi is wrong because at about 13 lakh sq km, it is the second largest desert in Asia, below the Arabian Desert at about 23 lakh sq km.

Concept

World Geography requires knowing major desert distribution and comparative area ranking. RAS static map-based facts often require distinguishing the largest feature from other familiar options.

Source

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