RAS question
Which river forms the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the southeast?
Correct answer: (D) Chambal.
The Chambal River forms a significant part of the south-eastern boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Explanation
Chambal is the correct answer because the official Hydrogeological Atlas of Rajasthan places the Chambal River Basin in south-eastern Rajasthan and states that its eastern boundary is defined by Madhya Pradesh, where the rest of the Chambal catchment lies. The atlas further explains that the Chambal enters Rajasthan through a deep gorge at Chourasigarh, flows within Rajasthan in a north-easterly direction, and then forms the boundary between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for about 252 km. Chambal is the principal river to remember for the south-eastern Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh boundary.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Banas is not the river forming this south-eastern Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh boundary; it flows within Rajasthan.
- (B) Mahi is misplaced here because it is linked to Rajasthan's boundary with Gujarat, not the south-eastern boundary with Madhya Pradesh.
- (C) Parbati may partly mark a boundary, but Chambal is the primary south-eastern Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh boundary river in the official Chambal basin source.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan drainage and inter-state boundary mapping, a recurring RAS geography theme because rivers often serve as fixed reference lines for regions, districts and neighbouring states. Chambal is especially important in south-eastern Rajasthan because its basin and boundary role are repeatedly used in map-based questions.