Question

Nilgiris are a part of the _____.
a)Eastern Ghats
b)Western Ghats
c)Vindhyachal
d)Tamil Nadu hills

Answer 1

Hint: Nilgiri is a mountain range in Southern India with an average height of 2000m above the sea level. Nilgiris are block mountains that have risen between two faults and hence are considered to be horst landforms.

Complete answer: The Nilgiris are separated from the Karnataka plateau by the Moyar river. It is surrounded by Mudumalai National Park in the north, Mukurthi National Park in the southwest and Silent Valley national park in the south. Nilgiris rise at the tri junction of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Let us look at the options given to us-
Option A- Eastern Ghats are low lying hills between river Mahanadi and Vaigai. They have Odisha hills (Maliya hills), Nallamala hills, Palakonda hills, Velikonda hills, Javadi hills, and Shevaroy hills.
Option B- Western Ghats range from Diu to Kanyakumari. The northern section is called Sahyadris, the middle section extends from Goa to Karnataka and the southern part consists of Anamalai hills and Cardamom hills.
The Nilgiris are a part of Western Ghats. They are found mostly in western Tamil Nadu. The Palghat gap separates Annamalai hills from Nilgiris. Dodabetta is the highest peak in the Nilgiris.
Option C-Vindhyachal is a town in Uttar Pradesh famous for its Vindyavasini temple. Vindhyas, on the other hand, are non-tectonic mountains which stretch from Bharuch in Gujarat to Sahasram in Bihar.
Option D- Tamil Nadu hills as such are mostly part of the Western Ghats. The Nilgiri district is part of Tamil Nadu but the Nilgiri ranges are part of the larger Western Ghats.

Therefore the correct answer is option (B).

Note: The Nilgiri sub-cluster in Western Ghats was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve includes the areas of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley, and Siruvani hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka).