Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I [City] A) Khartoum B) Brazzaville C) Rotterdam D) Paris List II [River] a) Zaire b) Nile c) Seine d) Rhine

Khartoum sits at the confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile, which together form the main Nile, so A matches with b (Nile). Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo, lies on the Congo river's Stanley Pool. Until 1997 the river was called Zaire in most sources (the DRC was Zaire from 1971), so B matches with a (Zaire). Paris lies on the Seine, so D-c. Rotterdam is a port on the Nieuwe Maas, a distributary in the Rhine-Meuse delta that carries Rhine water to the North Sea, so C-d.

Option B wrongly pairs Khartoum with the Zaire and Rotterdam with the Seine. Option C reverses the Nile and Rhine and mismatches Paris with the Nile. Option D mixes up the Seine and Zaire and places Brazzaville on the Seine. Only A gives the correct pairing for all four.

Core concept: major cities are located on rivers, and rivers matter for ports, trade and settlement. This links to Geography of Africa and Europe and to Mains questions on river-based urbanisation and transboundary water sharing, such as the Nile basin disputes.

Trap: candidates who know Brazzaville is in the Congo basin often forget the older name Zaire, and some assume Rotterdam is on the Rhine itself rather than its delta channel. Check the river name the question uses, not only the country.