RAS question
The Tropic of Cancer does NOT pass through which of the following Indian states?
Correct answer: (C) Odisha.
The Tropic of Cancer passes through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, but it does not pass through Odisha.
Explanation
Odisha is the state that the Tropic of Cancer does not pass through. The Tropic of Cancer is placed at 23.5 degrees N, and the eight Indian states on its route are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Odisha is outside that list and lies mostly between 17.5 degrees N and 22.5 degrees N, below the Tropic. NCERT, Contemporary India-I, Chapter 1: India - Size and Location states that the Tropic of Cancer, at 23 degrees 30 minutes N, divides India into almost two equal parts, and its exercise asks the same identification question with Odisha as the option that it does not pass through.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajasthan is wrong because the Tropic of Cancer passes through southern Rajasthan, including the Banswara district region.
- (B) Madhya Pradesh is wrong because the Tropic of Cancer passes almost through the middle of the state.
- (D) Gujarat is wrong because the Tropic of Cancer passes through Gujarat, including the Junagadh region.
Concept
This tests India's latitudinal extent and the route of the Tropic of Cancer across Indian states. It recurs in RAS because map-based location questions often check whether candidates can distinguish memorised state lists from neighbouring distractors.