RAS question
The Zawar mines, among the oldest lead-zinc mines in the world, are located near which city?
Correct answer: (B) Udaipur.
The Zawar lead-zinc mines are located about 40 km south of Udaipur in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Zawar is linked to Udaipur because the mining belt lies in Udaipur district, about 40 km south of the city. Hindustan Zinc's Zawar Mine page identifies it as an integrated mining complex producing lead, zinc and silver, and describes Zawar Mines as the world's oldest zinc-lead mining belt. These mines are not a generic Rajasthan mineral site but a historically important lead-zinc centre near Udaipur, with deposits such as Mochia, Balaria, Zawarmala and Baroi. Rajasthan's classic lead-zinc association points to the Zawar complex near Udaipur, not to Bhilwara, Ajmer or Alwar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Bhilwara has mineral resources, but the Zawar lead-zinc complex is located near Udaipur, not near Bhilwara.
- (C) Ajmer is wrong because the lead-zinc site is Zawar in Udaipur district, and Ajmer is not the location of this complex.
- (D) Alwar may be associated with other minerals, but it is not the city near the Zawar lead-zinc mining belt.
Concept
Rajasthan mineral geography includes the location of major lead-zinc mining belts. RAS often frames mineral-location questions around a resource and its nearest city because mineral locations are a core part of state economic geography.