RAS question
The Silent Valley National Park is located in:
Correct answer: (B) Kerala.
Silent Valley National Park is located in Kerala, in the Nilgiri Hills of Palakkad district.
Explanation
Silent Valley National Park is a Kerala protected area, and the MCQ tests that precise state-location link rather than a general Western Ghats association. It lies in the Nilgiri Hills in Palakkad district, while Kerala Tourism describes Silent Valley National Park as being in Kerala and nestled in the Western Ghats. Its ecological importance also explains why the location is frequently tested: it represents one of the last undisturbed tracts of tropical rainforest in India, including South Western Ghats moist deciduous and tropical evergreen forest associations. The park is also noted for the lion-tailed macaque, an endangered primate associated with the Western Ghats.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Tamil Nadu is a Western Ghats state, but Silent Valley National Park is in Kerala, not Tamil Nadu.
- (C) Karnataka has Western Ghats forests, but Silent Valley National Park is specifically placed in Kerala, so Karnataka is not the correct location.
- (D) Maharashtra is not the correct location because Silent Valley National Park is linked to Kerala.
Concept
This tests Environment and Ecology map awareness, especially national parks of the Western Ghats and their flagship species. Such questions recur in RAS because protected areas connect geography, biodiversity conservation and state-wise location facts.