In world physical geography, which of the following rivers is widely recognised as one of the shortest rivers in the world by length?

Introduction / Context:
While many geography questions focus on the longest rivers such as the Nile or the Amazon, competitive exams also sometimes ask about very short rivers as interesting facts. The Roe River in the United States has often been listed in record books and quizzes as one of the shortest named rivers in the world, which makes it a popular question for general knowledge tests.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question is asking about the shortest river in the world, or at least one of the very shortest.
• Options include the Ganges, Roe, Nile, and Amazon.
• We assume common quiz convention where Roe River is treated as a record short river.

Concept / Approach:
The Nile and Amazon are famous for being among the longest rivers on Earth, so they clearly cannot be the shortest. The Ganges is also a long and major river in South Asia. In contrast, the Roe River in the state of Montana in the United States is extremely short, often cited as having a length of only a few tens of meters to a few hundred meters, depending on the exact measurement. Because it has been recognised in record compilations and quiz literature, Roe fits the description of the shortest river among the given options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify which rivers in the options are globally known as very long rivers.Step 2: Recall that the Nile and the Amazon are contenders for the longest river in the world and that the Ganges is also a major river system.Step 3: Recognise that these three cannot be the correct answer for a question on the shortest river.Step 4: Recall that Roe River in Montana has been highlighted in records for its very short length.Step 5: Conclude that Roe is the correct choice as the shortest river among the options.

Verification / Alternative check:
Even if a learner does not remember exact numbers, it is enough to know that Nile and Amazon run across entire continents, and the Ganges flows from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Compared to these giants, the Roe River is a tiny watercourse connecting a spring to a nearby river. This extreme length difference confirms that Roe is the only sensible choice for a shortest river question among the listed options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The Nile flows through several African countries and stretches for thousands of kilometres. The Amazon flows across South America and has an enormous drainage basin. The Ganges is one of the main rivers of India and Bangladesh. None of these are remotely short; they are long river systems often used in longest river questions, not shortest river questions.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may not have heard of the Roe River and might hesitate to select an unfamiliar name. Others might mistakenly think of tributaries of major rivers as short. However, record oriented questions often use small named rivers such as Roe, so remembering at least one such example is very helpful for competitive exams.

Final Answer:
The river widely recognised in quiz and record books as one of the shortest rivers in the world is the Roe River.