22 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markAccording to the chapter, the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their:
(A) Resource base(B) Political base(C) Religious base(D) Cultural base - 1 markVillages specialise in agriculture or other primary activities, while urban settlements specialise in:
(A) Tertiary activities only(B) Primary and secondary activities(C) Secondary and tertiary activities(D) Subsistence farming - 1 markIn a clustered rural settlement, the general living area is:
(A) Organised only along a single street(B) Scattered as isolated huts(C) Distinct and separated from the surrounding farms, barns and pastures(D) Merged with the surrounding farms and pastures - 1 markWhich of the following is NOT one of the local names given in the chapter for the segmented units of a hamleted settlement?
(A) Panna(B) Nagla(C) Dhani(D) Basti - 1 markAs per the Census of India, 1991 definition, an urban place must have a minimum population of:
(A) 2,000 persons(B) 10,000 persons(C) 5,000 persons(D) 50,000 persons - 1 markWhich town does the chapter cite as an example of a town based on modern industries that evolved after 1850?
(A) Chandigarh(B) Gandhinagar(C) Jamshedpur(D) Dispur - 1 markGhaziabad, Rohtak and Gurugram are cited in the chapter as satellite towns that developed around:
(A) Delhi(B) Mumbai(C) Kolkata(D) Chennai - 1 markAccording to Table 2.1, the level of urbanisation in India in 2011 was:
(A) 25.71 per cent(B) 31.16 per cent(C) 27.78 per cent(D) 36.47 per cent - 1 markWhich of the following is classified in the chapter as an administrative town?
(A) Mumbai(B) Kandla(C) Raniganj(D) Shillong
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Semi-clustered settlements may result from the segregation or fragmentation of a large compact village.
Reason (R): In such cases, one or more sections of the village society choose, or are forced, to live a little away from the main cluster or village.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List-I (Settlement type) with List-II (Region where it is found):
(i) Clustered (ii) Semi-clustered (iii) Hamleted (iv) Dispersed
1) Middle and lower Ganga plain, Chhattisgarh 2) Fertile alluvial plains, north-eastern states 3) Gujarat plain, parts of Rajasthan 4) Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala
(A) (i)-2, (ii)-3, (iii)-1, (iv)-4(B) (i)-1, (ii)-2, (iii)-3, (iv)-4(C) (i)-3, (ii)-2, (iii)-4, (iv)-1(D) (i)-2, (ii)-1, (iii)-3, (iv)-4 - 1 markMatch List-I (Functional category) with List-II (Example town):
(i) Administrative town (ii) Industrial town (iii) Mining town (iv) Tourist town
1) Nainital 2) Raniganj 3) Mumbai 4) Shillong
(A) (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-1, (iv)-2(B) (i)-1, (ii)-2, (iii)-3, (iv)-4(C) (i)-2, (ii)-1, (iii)-4, (iv)-3(D) (i)-4, (ii)-3, (iii)-2, (iv)-1
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements:
Statement I: Varanasi is described in the chapter as an ancient town.
Statement II: Chandigarh is described in the chapter as a medieval town.
(A) Only Statement II is correct(B) Both statements are incorrect(C) Only Statement I is correct(D) Both statements are correct
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the following towns in chronological order of the period in which the chapter says they developed:
(i) Chandigarh (ii) Jamshedpur (iii) Varanasi (iv) Agra
(A) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)(B) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)(C) (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)(D) (ii), (i), (iv), (iii) - 1 markArrange the following Census years in increasing order of the decennial growth (%) of urban population, per Table 2.1:
(i) 1981 (ii) 1911 (iii) 1951 (iv) 1961
(A) (i), (iii), (iv), (ii)(B) (ii), (iii), (iv), (i)(C) (ii), (iv), (iii), (i)(D) (iv), (ii), (i), (iii) - 1 markArrange the following rural settlement types in the order the chapter itself lists them:
(i) Hamleted (ii) Clustered (iii) Dispersed (iv) Semi-clustered
(A) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)(B) (iii), (i), (iv), (ii)(C) (iv), (ii), (iii), (i)(D) (ii), (iv), (i), (iii)
6 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of the following is the odd one out, based on the type of rural settlement typically found there?
(A) Meghalaya(B) Fertile alluvial plains of the north(C) Rajasthan(D) Bundelkhand
7 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Human Settlement means cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. For this purpose, people may erect houses and other structures and command some area or territory as their economic support-base. Thus, the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base.
- 1 mark(Based on the passage) What two things does the process of settlement inherently involve, according to the passage?
(A) Grouping of people and apportioning of territory(B) Building roads and canals(C) Electing a village head and collecting taxes(D) Clearing forests and mining resources
Passage
Towns flourished since prehistoric times in India. Even at the time of Indus valley civilisation, towns like Harappa and Mohanjodaro were in existence. The following period has witnessed evolution of towns. It continued with periodic ups and downs until the arrival of Europeans in India in the eighteenth century. On the basis of their evolution in different periods, Indian towns may be classified as Ancient towns, Medieval towns, and Modern towns.
- 1 mark(Based on the passage) The periodic ups and downs in the evolution of towns continued until the arrival of which group in the eighteenth century, per the passage?
(A) The Mughals(B) The Portuguese traders(C) The Europeans(D) The Persian invaders
8 True / False
True / False
- 1 markChoose the correct combination of statements:
(i) A minimum population of 5,000 persons is required for a place to be urban.
(ii) At least 75 per cent of male workers must be engaged in non-agriculture pursuits.
(iii) A population density of at least 400 persons per square kilometer is required.
(A) Only (i) and (ii)(B) Only (ii) and (iii)(C) Only (i) and (iii)(D) All are correct - 1 markChoose the correct combination of statements:
(i) Varanasi is an ancient town.
(ii) Agra is a medieval fort town.
(iii) Chandigarh is a modern town that evolved after 1850 due to industry.
(A) Only (i) and (ii)(B) Only (ii) and (iii)(C) Only (i) and (iii)(D) All are correct - 1 markChoose the correct combination of statements, based on Table 2.1:
(i) The number of towns/UAs was higher in 1911 than in 1901.
(ii) The percentage of urban population to total population was higher in 1961 than in 1951.
(iii) The level of urbanisation in 2011 was the highest value recorded in the table.
(A) Only (i) and (ii)(B) Only (ii) and (iii)(C) Only (i) and (iii)(D) All are correct
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) The chapter’s opening paragraph states that the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base.
- (C) The chapter states that sparsely located small settlements (villages) specialise in agriculture or other primary activities, while fewer but larger settlements (urban settlements) specialise in secondary and tertiary activities.
- (C) The chapter states that in a clustered village, the general living area is distinct and separated from the surrounding farms, barns and pastures.
- (D) The chapter names the units of a hamleted settlement as panna, para, palli, nagla, dhani, etc.; ‘basti’ is not one of the names given.
- (C) The Census of India, 1991 defines urban settlements as places with, among other conditions, a minimum population of 5,000 persons.
- (C) The chapter states that towns based on modern industries also evolved after 1850, and cites Jamshedpur as an example.
- (A) The chapter names Ghaziabad, Rohtak and Gurugram as satellite towns that developed around the metropolitan city of Delhi.
- (B) Table 2.1 records the percentage of total population that was urban in 2011 as 31.16 per cent.
- (D) Shillong is listed among the administrative towns and cities, alongside Chandigarh, New Delhi, Bhopal, Guwahati, Imphal, Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Jaipur and Chennai.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own words, and R gives the cause behind A: when one or more sections of the village society choose, or are forced, to live a little away from the main cluster, the large compact village breaks up into a semi-clustered pattern (the chapter adds that the land-owning, dominant community usually keeps the central part, with the lower strata on the outer flanks).
Match the Following
- (A) Clustered settlements are found in fertile alluvial plains and north-eastern states (2); semi-clustered in the Gujarat plain and parts of Rajasthan (3); hamleted in the middle-lower Ganga plain and Chhattisgarh (1); dispersed in Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala (4).
- (D) Administrative town: Shillong (4); industrial town: Mumbai (3); mining town: Raniganj (2); tourist town: Nainital (1).
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Statement I is correct. Statement II is false: Chandigarh is named as a post-Independence administrative headquarters town, not a medieval town.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (A) Varanasi is an ancient town (historical background of over 2,000 years), Agra a medieval fort town, Jamshedpur a town based on modern industries that evolved after 1850, and Chandigarh a post-Independence administrative headquarters. So the order is (iii), (iv), (ii), (i).
- (C) Table 2.1 gives the decennial growth as 0.35% in 1911, 26.41% in 1961, 41.42% in 1951 and 46.14% in 1981. In increasing order: 1911 < 1961 < 1951 < 1981, so (ii), (iv), (iii), (i). Note that 1961’s growth was lower than 1951’s, so the order is not simply chronological.
- (D) The chapter lists Clustered, Semi-clustered, Hamleted, Dispersed, so (ii), (iv), (i), (iii).
Odd One Out
- (A) Meghalaya is one of the chapter’s examples of dispersed/isolated settlements. The fertile alluvial plains, Rajasthan (compact villages because of scarcity of water) and Bundelkhand (compact villages for security) are all associated with clustered settlements.
Passage-Based Questions
- (A) The passage states that the process of settlement inherently involves grouping of people and apportioning of territory as their resource base.
- (C) The passage states that the evolution of towns continued with periodic ups and downs until the arrival of Europeans in India in the eighteenth century.
True / False
- (D) All three are exactly the Census of India, 1991 definition’s own three conditions for a place to be classified urban.
- (A) (i) and (ii) are the chapter’s own facts. (iii) is incorrect: Chandigarh developed as a post-Independence administrative headquarters, not as an 1850s industrial town (Jamshedpur is the chapter’s post-1850 industrial-town example).
- (B) (i) is false: the number of towns/UAs actually fell from 1,827 (1901) to 1,815 (1911). (ii) is true: 17.97% (1961) is higher than 17.29% (1951). (iii) is true: 31.16% (2011) is the highest value in the table.
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