Consider the following statements: 1) The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory. 2) Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar. 3) The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is A (1 only). Barren Island, in the Andaman Sea, is the only confirmed active volcano in Indian territory, so statement 1 is correct.

Statement 2 is wrong. Barren Island is in the Andaman group, roughly 135 to 140 km north-east of Port Blair. It is not east of Great Nicobar. Great Nicobar is far to the south, near the Indonesian maritime boundary, so the direction and the reference point are both off.

Statement 3 is wrong. Barren Island has erupted repeatedly after 1991, including activity in 1994-95, so the claim that it has been inactive since 1991 is false. Activity has been recorded in later years too.

The core concept is the Andaman and Nicobar volcanic arc, linked to subduction of the Indian plate under the Burmese plate. For Mains, it helps in discussing disaster preparedness and island ecology in the Andamans.

Trap: Aspirants often remember that Barren Island is active and then accept a geographically vague statement about its location or eruption history, forgetting to check each claim separately.