Match the List-I and List-I and select the correct answer from the codes given below : List-I (Mountain Pass) (a) Mana (b) Nathula (c) Zozila (d) Sipki La List-II (State) 1) Sikkim 2) Jammu & Kashmir 3) Himachal Pradesh 4) Uttarakhand

Locate each pass on the map. Mana Pass lies near Badrinath in Chamoli district, so it is in Uttarakhand (4). Nathu La is on the India-China border in East Sikkim, linking Sikkim to Tibet's Chumbi valley (1). Zojila is on the Srinagar-Leh highway, and in 2016 it lay in Jammu and Kashmir (2). Shipki La is on the Satluj valley in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, on the old trade route to Tibet (3).

So the matching is a-4, b-1, c-2, d-3, which is option C.

• Option A wrongly places Mana in J&K and Zojila in Himachal.
• Option B wrongly puts Nathu La in Himachal and Zojila in J&K's neighbour pairing errors.
• Option D wrongly assigns Zojila to Himachal and Shipki La to J&K.

Concept: Himalayan passes on the India-China and India-Pakistan frontiers, which matter for trade, border management and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. This connects to Mains questions on border infrastructure and connectivity.

Fact check: After the 2019 reorganisation, Zojila falls under the Union Territory of Ladakh, not J&K.

Trap: Aspirants mix up Nathu La with Sikkim's other routes and Shipki La with Uttarakhand's Lipulekh. Memorise each pass with its district or highway.