21 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 markThe land-use categories recorded in the Land Revenue Records add up to which of the following?
(A) Reporting area(B) Geographical area(C) Cultivated area(D) Net sown area - 1 markWhat is included under the land-use category “Land put to Non-agricultural Uses”?
(A) Settlements, infrastructure and industries(B) Forests demarcated for growth(C) Grazing lands owned by the Panchayat(D) Orchards and fruit trees - 1 markWhich land-use category recorded the highest rate of increase between 1950-51 and 2019-20?
(A) Area under non-agricultural uses(B) Forests(C) Net Area Sown(D) Current Fallow - 1 markHow is Cropping Intensity (CI) calculated?
(A) Net Sown Area ÷ Gross Cropped Area × 100(B) Gross Cropped Area − Net Sown Area(C) Gross Cropped Area ÷ Net Sown Area × 100(D) Net Sown Area − Gross Cropped Area - 1 markTea plantation in India started in the 1840s in which region?
(A) Nilgiri hills(B) Darjeeling(C) Western Ghats(D) Brahmaputra valley of Assam - 1 markWhich programme was launched to overcome the agricultural stagnation of the late 1950s?
(A) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)(B) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)(C) Intensive Agricultural District Programme and Intensive Agricultural Area Programme(D) Rashtriya Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): The area under actual forest cover in India is always identical to the area classified as forest in the land revenue records.
Reason (R): The land revenue records classify as “forest” the area the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth, not necessarily the area under actual forest cover.
(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 - 1 markAssertion (A): In southern India, the same crop can be grown up to three times in an agricultural year.
Reason (R): In southern parts of the country, temperatures are high enough to grow tropical crops during any period of the year, provided sufficient soil moisture is available.
(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 - 1 markAssertion (A): The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) promotes location-specific integrated farming systems and appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures.
Reason (R): NMSA’s objective is to make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient.
(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 (Crop) with List-II (approximate share of total cropped area in India):
(i) Rice (ii) Wheat (iii) Cotton (iv) Jute
1) about 0.5% 2) about 4.7% 3) about one-fourth (25%) 4) about 14%
(A) (i)-4, (ii)-3, (iii)-1, (iv)-2(B) (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-2, (iv)-1(C) (i)-3, (ii)-2, (iii)-4, (iv)-1(D) (i)-1, (ii)-2, (iii)-3, (iv)-4 - 1 markMatch List-I (Land-use category) with List-II (its description in the chapter):
(i) Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands (ii) Area under Misc. Tree Crops and Groves (iii) Culturable Wasteland (iv) Current Fallow
1) left uncultivated for one agricultural year or less 2) left fallow for more than five years, needs reclamation 3) mostly owned by the village Panchayat or the Government 4) mostly private, under orchards and fruit trees
(A) (i)-4, (ii)-3, (iii)-1, (iv)-2(B) (i)-1, (ii)-2, (iii)-3, (iv)-4(C) (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-1, (iv)-2(D) (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-2, (iv)-1
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markStatement I: Cotton requires a clear sky during its flowering stage.
Statement II: India grows both short-staple (Indian) cotton and long-staple (American) cotton, the latter called ‘narma’ in the north-western parts of the country.
(A) Only Statement I is correct(B) Both statements are correct(C) Only Statement II is correct(D) Both statements are incorrect
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the following land-use categories in the order the Land Revenue Records list them:
(i) Culturable Wasteland (ii) Forests (iii) Net Area Sown (iv) Barren and Wastelands
(A) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)(B) (iv), (ii), (iii), (i)(C) (ii), (iv), (i), (iii)(D) (iii), (i), (iv), (ii) - 1 markTaking the agricultural year as beginning in June, arrange the three cropping seasons of northern and interior India in the order in which they occur:
(A) Kharif → Rabi → Zaid(B) Rabi → Kharif → Zaid(C) Zaid → Rabi → Kharif(D) Kharif → Zaid → Rabi
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markAbout ________ of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation.
(A) one-fourth (25%)(B) one-half (50%)(C) one-third (33%)(D) 54%
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of the following was NOT one of the four land-use categories that DECLINED between 1950-51 and 2019-20?
(A) Barren and Wastelands(B) Culturable Wasteland(C) Net Area Sown(D) Fallow other than Current Fallow - 1 markWhich of the following is NOT named in the chapter among the leading wheat-producing states of India?
(A) Uttar Pradesh(B) Madhya Pradesh(C) Punjab(D) West Bengal
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
CPRs can be defined as community’s natural resource, where every member has the right of access and usage with specified obligations, without anybody having property rights over them. Community forests, pasture lands, village water bodies and other public spaces where a group larger than a household or family unit exercises rights of use and carries responsibility of management are examples of CPRs.
- 1 mark(Based on the passage) Which of the following is an example of a Common Property Resource, according to the passage?
(A) A privately owned orchard(B) A community forest(C) An individually cultivated farm(D) A government office building
Passage
Irrigation covers only about 33 per cent of the cultivated area in India. The crop production in rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rain. Poor performance of south-west monsoon also adversely affects the supply of canal water for irrigation. On the other hand, the rainfall in Rajasthan and other drought-prone areas is too meagre and highly unreliable. Even the areas receiving high annual rainfall experience considerable fluctuations. This makes them vulnerable to both droughts and floods. Drought is a common phenomenon in the low rainfall areas, which may also experience occasional floods. The flash floods in drylands of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan in 2006 and 2017 are examples of this phenomenon. Droughts and floods continue to be the twin menace in Indian agriculture.
- 1 mark(Based on the passage) According to the passage, what percentage of India’s cultivated area is covered by irrigation?
(A) 25 per cent(B) 33 per cent(C) 50 per cent(D) 66 per cent
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markChoose the correct combination of statements:
(i) Reporting area and geographical area are the same thing.
(ii) Land-use records are maintained by the land revenue department.
(iii) The Survey of India measures geographical area.
(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) Rabi crops are sown at the onset of winter and harvested by spring.
(ii) Kharif crops are cultivated during the south-west monsoon.
(iii) Zaid is a long-duration winter cropping season.
(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 states that the land-use categories add up to reporting area, which is somewhat different from the geographical area.
- (A) The chapter defines this category as land under settlements (rural and urban), infrastructure such as roads and canals, industries, shops, etc.
- (A) The chapter explicitly states that the rate of increase is highest in the case of area under non-agricultural uses, due to the changing structure of the Indian economy.
- (C) The chapter gives the formula: Cropping Intensity in percentage = GCA / NSA × 100.
- (D) The chapter states that tea plantation started in the 1840s in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, which is still a major tea-growing area.
- (C) The chapter states that Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) and Intensive Agricultural Area Programme (IAAP) were launched to overcome the stagnation in agricultural production during the late 1950s.
Assertion-Reason
- (D) A is false: the chapter states there may be an increase in the forest category without any increase in actual forest cover. R is true and explains exactly why: the recorded category follows demarcation, not actual cover.
- (A) Both statements are the chapter’s own facts, and R directly explains A: because temperatures stay high enough year-round, the same crop can be grown thrice provided soil moisture is available.
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own facts, and R (the stated objective) is exactly why NMSA promotes the specific practices named in A.
Match the Following
- (B) The chapter gives rice about one-fourth of total cropped area (3), wheat about 14% (4), cotton about 4.7% (2) and jute about 0.5% (1). So (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-2, (iv)-1.
- (D) Permanent pastures and grazing lands are mostly Panchayat/Government owned (3); tree crops and groves are mostly private orchards (4); culturable wasteland is fallow for over five years (2); current fallow is fallow for one agricultural year or less (1). So (i)-3, (ii)-4, (iii)-2, (iv)-1.
Statement-Based Questions
- (B) Both statements are the chapter’s own facts about cotton cultivation in India.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (C) The Land Revenue Records list the nine categories in this order: Forests, Barren and Wastelands, Non-agricultural uses, Permanent Pastures, Tree Crops and Groves, Culturable Wasteland, Current Fallow, Fallow other than Current Fallow, Net Area Sown: so among these four, the order is Forests, Barren and Wastelands, Culturable Wasteland, Net Area Sown.
- (A) Kharif coincides with the south-west monsoon (June-September), rabi begins with the onset of winter (October-November) and ends in March-April, and zaid is the short summer season (April-June) that follows the rabi harvest. From June the order is therefore Kharif, Rabi, Zaid.
Fill in the Blanks
- (A) The chapter states that about one-fourth of the total cropped area in the country is under rice cultivation.
Odd One Out
- (C) The four categories that declined are barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under tree crops and groves, and fallow other than current fallow. Net Area Sown is one of the FIVE categories that increased.
- (D) The chapter names Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as leading wheat-producing states; West Bengal is not among them.
Passage-Based Questions
- (B) The passage names community forests, pasture lands, village water bodies and other public spaces as examples of CPRs.
- (B) The passage states that irrigation covers only about 33 per cent of the cultivated area in India.
True / False
- (B) (i) is false: reporting area and geographical area are two different concepts. (ii) and (iii) are both direct chapter facts.
- (A) (i) and (ii) are chapter facts. (iii) is false: zaid is a short-duration SUMMER cropping season that begins after the rabi harvest, not a winter season.
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