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Topic Fluvial landforms
Asked 8 times across 4 UPSC exams over 10 years (2014–2024), peaking in 2021.
Key insights
- Most tested in CDS — 4 of 8 PYQs
- Most asked in 2021
- Recurs across 6 years (2014–2024)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CDS 2014 → CAPF 2015 → NDA 2021
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (5 of 8) are since 2016.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
CDS2024
Which of the following statements regarding river meanders is/are correct?
- It is a U-shaped bend in a river
- An extremely tight meander is called a gooseneck; it is likely to become a cutoff, or oxbow lake, after a flood
- Tectonic uplift can cause a river to continue downcutting along its meandering course, producing incised or entrenched meanders
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A 1 only
- B 1 and 2 only
- C 2 and 3 only
- D 1, 2 and 3 ✓
✓ Correct answer: (D)
Geography › Geomorphology
CAPF2021
In the course of a river, in time, which one of the following features is formed when the old meander is closed off by deposition?
- A Pothole
- B Levee
- C Oxbow lake ✓
- D Flood plain
✓ Correct answer: (C)
Geography › Geomorphology
NDA2021
Which one of the following features is the result of erosion and deposition work of a river ?
- A Pothole
- B Oxbow lake ✓
- C Levee
- D Rapid
✓ Correct answer: (B)
Geography › Geomorphology
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