UPSC Prelims 2009 Q36: Geography – World Physical Geography

UPSC Prelims 2009, General Studies Paper I · Geography

Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ? City - River

Answer: (a) Berlin : Rhine

Explanation

City-river pairs: finding the mismatch

Four major world cities are matched here to the rivers flowing through them, with one pairing mismatched.

Pair	Verdict	Reason
(a) Berlin : Rhine	NOT correctly matched	Berlin actually lies on the Spree River, not the Rhine
(b) London : Thames	Correctly matched	London does lie on the Thames
(c) New York : Hudson	Correctly matched	New York is indeed associated with the Hudson River
(d) Vienna : Danube	Correctly matched	Vienna does lie on the Danube

Correct city-river pairs:

Answer: (a) Berlin : Rhine.

(a) CORRECT. Berlin lies on the Spree River, not the Rhine, making this the mismatched pair.
(b) Incorrect. London : Thames is correctly matched, so it's not the answer to this mismatch question.
(c) Incorrect. New York : Hudson is correctly matched.
(d) Incorrect. Vienna : Danube is correctly matched.

Berlin lies on the Spree River, NOT the Rhine — making 'Berlin : Rhine' the incorrectly matched city-river pair among these four.

'Berlin : Rhine' is the incorrectly matched pair — Berlin actually lies on the Spree River.

Confusing Berlin's actual river (Spree) with the better-known Rhine, which flows through other German cities.
Assuming all four listed city-river pairs are automatically correct without individual verification.
Mixing up major European rivers' actual paths through specific cities.

Berlin = Spree River, NOT the Rhine. The Rhine flows through other German cities like Cologne, not Berlin.