RAS question
The longest river in the world is:
Correct answer: (B) Nile (6,650 km).
The Nile is the world's longest river, with a length of about 6,650 km.
Explanation
The Nile is the world's longest river, and Britannica gives its length as about 6,650 km from its remotest headstream to the Mediterranean Sea. At about 6,650 km, the Nile outranks the other major river systems by length. The exam trap is to confuse different river superlatives. The Amazon is not the world's longest river, even though it is the largest river by discharge volume. The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia but does not outrank the Nile globally. Mississippi-Missouri is also below the Nile in the world-length ranking. The decisive point is length, not discharge, continental record, or delta size.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mississippi-Missouri is not the world's longest river; it ranks fourth by length, below the Nile.
- (C) The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia, but that regional record does not make it longer than the Nile globally.
- (D) The Amazon is second by length and is better remembered as the largest river by discharge volume, not as the longest.
Concept
World physiography includes river superlatives, especially the distinction between length and discharge. RAS physical geography often contrasts a correct global record with familiar but different records.