MCQs on Geography of Jammu and Kashmir (With Answers)

J&K GK · 2026-10-21 · 8 min read

Geography of Jammu and Kashmir is a steady scoring topic in JKSSB, J&K Police and JKPSC papers. Questions mostly ask where a place is, which river or range a feature belongs to, and which crop or project is linked to a region. This page gives a short revision list and then 22 solved MCQs with explanations.

Quick revision list

  • Ranges: the Great Himalaya and the Pir Panjal enclose the Kashmir Valley, and the Shivalik hills lie along the Jammu foothills. Tatakooti (about 4,742 m) is the highest peak of the Pir Panjal
  • Passes: Zojila crosses the Great Himalaya between Kashmir and Ladakh, Banihal crosses the Pir Panjal, and Sinthan Top links Anantnag with Kishtwar
  • Rivers: the Jhelum (the ancient Vitasta) drains the Valley, the Chenab and Tawi flow through the Jammu region, and the Suru and Drass drain towards the Indus
  • Landforms and farming: the Valley's flat-topped lake deposits are called karewas and support saffron, almonds and apples, and the dry Kandi belt of the Shivalik foothills depends on rain
  • Protected areas: Dachigam National Park near Srinagar is the home of the Hangul, and Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary is in Kathua

How to revise

Learn each feature as a pair: place and district, river and tributary, pass and range. Our pages on rivers and lakes, mountain passes and tunnels and wildlife sanctuaries and national parks go deeper on each group.

Regions and relief

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is made up of the Kashmir Valley, the Jammu region and the Pir Panjal and Chenab valley areas. The Valley lies between the Pir Panjal in the south-west and the Great Himalaya in the north-east. Peaks include Kolahoi (about 5,400 m, the highest in the Kashmir Valley region), Haramukh (about 5,100 m) and Tatakooti (about 4,700 m, the highest in the Pir Panjal). The Siachen Glacier lies in Ladakh.

Valleys and glaciers

  • Lidder valley: home to Pahalgam and the Kolahoi Glacier
  • Sindh valley: home to Sonamarg and the Thajiwas Glacier
  • Gurez valley: a high valley in Bandipora along the Kishanganga river
  • Chenab valley: the area of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban

Climate and the Chillai seasons

The Valley has long, cold winters with snow and warm summers. The traditional winter in Kashmir is divided into Chillai Kalan, the harshest 40 days from 21 December to 29 January, Chillai Khurd, the 20 days that follow, and Chillai Bachha, the last 10 days. Jammu has a sub-tropical climate with hot summers and a monsoon, while Ladakh is a cold desert with little rain.

Lakes

  • Dal Lake: in Srinagar, famous for houseboats and the floating gardens
  • Wular Lake: in Bandipora, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia
  • Manasbal Lake: in Ganderbal, known for lotus flowers and its depth
  • Gangabal, Vishansar, Kishansar, Tarsar and Kausar Nag: high-altitude alpine lakes

Soils and farming

The Kashmir Valley has alluvial soil along the rivers and karewa soil on the plateaus. Rice is the main crop in the Valley's plains, with maize, wheat and pulses elsewhere. Karewas support saffron, almond and apple. The Jammu region grows wheat, maize and basmati rice, and the Kandi belt of the Shivalik foothills depends on rain.

Revision method

Use an outline map of J&K. Mark the ranges, rivers, lakes and parks in one colour each. Then redraw it from memory every other day, and check what you missed.

Questions candidates ask

Which is the highest peak in the Pir Panjal? Tatakooti.

Which lake is in Bandipora? Wular Lake.

What are Chillai Kalan and Chillai Khurd? They are the traditional cold periods of Kashmir winter, of 40 and 20 days.

One more point to remember

When you read a place name, picture it on a map. Ask which district, which river or range and which neighbouring places, so that the fact connects to others.

Practise

Solve the MCQs below, then read the history MCQs, browse the topic sets and try a Class-IV and MTS mock.

By Shivam · Written with AI assistance and fact-checked · Questions on this page are original · Editorial policy · Report an error

Practice questions

Q1. Golden Delicious and Red Delicious are varieties of:

  1. Apple
  2. Cherry
  3. Walnut
  4. Apricot
Show answer

Apple — J&K is India's largest apple-producing region.

Q2. Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary is in which district?

  1. Anantnag
  2. Baramulla
  3. Kishtwar
  4. Kathua
Show answer

Kathua — Jasrota is in the Shivalik foothills of Kathua.

Q3. The Chenani–Nashri tunnel, on NH-44, was opened in:

  1. 2010
  2. 2021
  3. 2017
  4. 2005
Show answer

2017 — It is also called the Patnitop Tunnel and was inaugurated in April 2017.

Q4. Dachigam National Park lies near:

  1. Kathua
  2. Leh
  3. Jammu
  4. Srinagar
Show answer

Srinagar — It is the main home of the Hangul, the Kashmir stag.

Q5. The Srinagar international airport is named after:

  1. Sheikh ul-Alam
  2. Lalleshwari
  3. Sheikh Abdullah
  4. Hari Singh
Show answer

Sheikh ul-Alam — It is called Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport.

Q6. The lake that lies at the foot of Mount Harmukh in Ganderbal is:

  1. Gangabal
  2. Wular
  3. Tarsar
  4. Dal
Show answer

Gangabal — Gangabal is also called Harmukh Ganga.

Q7. Doodhpathri, the 'Valley of Milk', is in which district?

  1. Budgam
  2. Kupwara
  3. Anantnag
  4. Baramulla
Show answer

Budgam — It is a meadow near Khag in the Pir Panjal.

Q8. Which river flows through the Kashmir Valley?

  1. Krishna
  2. Godavari
  3. Narmada
  4. Jhelum
Show answer

Jhelum — The Jhelum river flows through the Kashmir Valley.

Q9. The river Vitasta of ancient texts is today called:

  1. Tawi
  2. Jhelum
  3. Ravi
  4. Chenab
Show answer

Jhelum — The Greeks called the Jhelum Hydaspes.

Q10. The Drass river rises from which glacier near Zojila?

  1. Machoi Glacier
  2. Drang Drung Glacier
  3. Kolahoi Glacier
  4. Siachen Glacier
Show answer

Machoi Glacier — The Drass river is a tributary of the Suru.

Q11. Tatakooti is the highest peak of the:

  1. Karakoram range
  2. Shivalik range
  3. Pir Panjal range
  4. Zanskar range
Show answer

Pir Panjal range — Tatakooti (about 4,742 m) is the highest peak of the Pir Panjal.

Q12. The Chutak Hydroelectric Project in Kargil is on the river:

  1. Tawi
  2. Chenab
  3. Jhelum
  4. Suru
Show answer

Suru — Chutak harnesses the Suru river, a tributary of the Indus.

Q13. The Chillai Bachha, the third phase of Kashmir's winter, lasts for:

  1. 30 days
  2. 20 days
  3. 10 days
  4. 40 days
Show answer

10 days — Chillai Kalan lasts 40 days, Chillai Khurd 20 days, and Chillai Bachha 10 days.

Q14. 'Basmati' of R.S. Pura is a rice from:

  1. Ladakh
  2. Kargil
  3. Jammu region
  4. Kashmir Valley
Show answer

Jammu region — R.S. Pura basmati carries a GI tag.

Q15. The flat-topped lake-deposit plateaus of the Kashmir Valley are called:

  1. Terai
  2. Bhabar
  3. Duns
  4. Karewas
Show answer

Karewas — Karewas support saffron, almonds and apples.

Q16. Kolahoi Glacier lies in the:

  1. Jammu plains
  2. Kashmir Valley region
  3. Punjab plains
  4. Ladakh plateau
Show answer

Kashmir Valley region — Kolahoi is the largest glacier in the Kashmir Valley region.

Q17. The Permanent Indus Commission was set up under:

  1. The Tashkent Declaration
  2. The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960
  3. The Treaty of Amritsar
  4. The Simla Agreement
Show answer

The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 — It is a bilateral body to implement the treaty and handle questions about it.

Q18. The Chenani–Nashri Tunnel on NH-44 is also known as:

  1. Atal Tunnel
  2. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel
  3. Banihal Tunnel
  4. Jawahar Tunnel
Show answer

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel — It was India's longest road tunnel when opened in 2017.

Q19. The Zojila Pass is on which mountain range?

  1. Great Himalayan range
  2. Karakoram
  3. Pir Panjal
  4. Shivalik
Show answer

Great Himalayan range — Zojila crosses the Great Himalaya between Kashmir and Ladakh.

Q20. The dry, rain-dependent 'Kandi' belt of J&K lies mainly in which region?

  1. The Gurez valley in the north
  2. The Jammu foothills (Shivaliks)
  3. The Zanskar range in the north-east
  4. The Kashmir Valley floor along the Jhelum
Show answer

The Jammu foothills (Shivaliks) — The Kandi belt is the dry foothill area of the Shivaliks in the Jammu region (parts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua and nearby districts), where farming depends on rain.

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