Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Brahmaputra and Indus
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The great rivers of the Indian subcontinent often rise in or near the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Some of them originate quite close to one another before flowing in very different directions. Exam questions sometimes ask which pair of rivers emerges from nearly the same region, testing both map reading skills and knowledge of Himalayan geography. The Indus and the Brahmaputra are classic examples of rivers that rise near each other in the vicinity of the Kailash Mansarovar region in Tibet.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The concept is to link each river with its source region. The Indus and Brahmaputra both originate on or near the Tibetan Plateau close to the Kailash Mansarovar area, though they then flow in almost opposite directions around the Himalayas before entering India. The Ganga (through its headstream Bhagirathi) rises at Gangotri in Uttarakhand, which is not in exactly the same locality. The Tapi originates in central India near the Satpura range, and the Beas in the Himachal Himalayas, so they clearly do not share a common origin point.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Indus River rises near the Kailash Mansarovar region in Tibet and flows northwest before turning south into Pakistan.Step 2: Remember that the Brahmaputra also originates in Tibet, near the same general region, where it is called Tsangpo before flowing east and then turning south into India.Step 3: Note that the Ganga's main headstream, Bhagirathi, starts at the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand, not in the Kailash Mansarovar area.Step 4: Recognise that the Tapi River starts in the Satpura region of central India, far from the Himalayas, while the Beas rises in Himachal Pradesh.Step 5: Therefore, the pair that has almost the same point of origin in the Himalayas and Tibet is Brahmaputra and Indus.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick check can be done by visualising a physical map of Asia. Near Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, several important rivers originate: the Indus, the Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra. The Ganga headwaters lie further to the southwest in Uttarakhand. The Tapi is entirely peninsular in origin. Since exam oriented atlases and books mention that both Indus and Brahmaputra rise close to the Kailash Mansarovar region, that pairing is the correct answer.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Tapi and Beas: Tapi originates in central India, while Beas starts in the Himachal Himalayas; their sources are far apart and not in the same region.Brahmaputra and Ganga: Both are Himalayan related rivers, but their exact headwaters are separated by a significant distance and are not described as almost the same point of emergence.Indus and Ganga: Indus has a Tibetan source near Kailash, whereas the Ganga originates at Gangotri, so they do not have nearly the same origin point.
Common Pitfalls:
Students may wrongly assume that any two rivers described as Himalayan must start from the same area. Others may confuse the idea of flowing through similar regions with having the same source. The safe strategy is to memorise the special cluster of major river sources around the Kailash Mansarovar region, which specifically includes the Indus and the Brahmaputra, and then use that memory to answer such questions accurately.
Final Answer:
The pair of rivers that have almost the same point of origin in the Himalayas and Tibet is Brahmaputra and Indus.
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