📘 IAS Prelims 2025 — GS-I | Q.80 | Classroom Explanation
(Geography | World Regions & Places in News)

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📌 Question

Q.80)
Consider the following pairs :

Region	Country
I. Mallorca	Italy
II. Normandy	Spain
III. Sardinia	France

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All the three
(d) None

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✅ Correct Answer: (d) None

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🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

This is a pure location-matching trap question, a classic UPSC favourite.
All three regions are well-known European regions, but each is paired with the wrong country.

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🔍 Pair-wise Elimination (High-Yield)

🔹 I. Mallorca — Italy ❌

• Mallorca (Majorca) is:
  • The largest island of the Balearic Islands
  • Located in the western Mediterranean Sea
• Correct Country: 🇪🇸 Spain, not Italy

📌 Extra Value Point

• Capital: Palma
• Autonomous Community: Balearic Islands (Spain)

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🔹 II. Normandy — Spain ❌

• Normandy is a historic region of:
  • Northern France
  • Along the English Channel
• Famous for:
  • D-Day landings (June 6, 1944)
  • Recent CA: 80th anniversary commemorations in 2024

📌 Correct Country: 🇫🇷 France, not Spain

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🔹 III. Sardinia — France ❌

• Sardinia is:
  • The second-largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily)
  • Located west of mainland Italy
• Correct Country: 🇮🇹 Italy, not France

📌 Extra Value Point

• Sardinia lies:
  • South of Corsica (which is French)
  • Often confused due to proximity — UPSC trap

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🧠 One-Line Memory Hook (Prelims Gold)

“Mallorca–Spain, Normandy–France, Sardinia–Italy — mismatch all three, eliminate all.”

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📍 GS Mapping

Europe — Mediterranean & Atlantic regions

GS Paper I

Geography: World Regions & Mapping

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