RAS question
Which region of Rajasthan is called 'Marusthali'?
Correct answer: (A) The western sandy desert.
Marusthali is the western sandy desert region of Rajasthan, identified in the official physiographic classification as the Sandy Arid Plain within the Western Sandy Plains and Sand Dunes.
Explanation
Marusthali refers to Rajasthan's western sandy desert, traditionally explained as the 'Land of the Dead'. The official groundwater resource report classifies Rajasthan physiographically into units including the Western Sandy Plain with Sand Dunes, and then subdivides the sandy plains of western Rajasthan into the Sandy Arid Plain, explicitly named Marusthali. This makes the answer the western sandy desert, not a plateau, hill range, or eastern plain. The sandy plains of western Rajasthan form part of the Thar Desert and are mainly made up of alluvium and blown sands. The Sandy Arid Plain lies in the westernmost district belt, including Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and parts of Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Churu, and Ganganagar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Hadoti Plateau belongs to south-eastern Rajasthan, whereas Marusthali is identified with the western sandy desert belt.
- (C) The Aravalli hills are a separate physiographic unit, not the Sandy Arid Plain called Marusthali.
- (D) The eastern plains lie east of the Aravalli range and are distinct from the western sandy desert region called Marusthali.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's physiographic divisions, especially the standard distinction between the Aravalli hills, eastern plains, western sandy desert and south-eastern plateau regions. It recurs in RAS because location-based terms such as Marusthali are used across geography, drainage, climate and resource questions.