20 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 markSectoral planning means the formulation and implementation of schemes or programmes aimed at:
(A) reducing regional imbalance in development(B) adopting a spatial perspective to development(C) the development of various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, irrigation and manufacturing(D) programmes aimed only at target groups - 1 markDuring which Five Year Plan were the Hill Area Development Programmes initiated?
(A) Fourth Five Year Plan(B) Sixth Five Year Plan(C) Eighth Five Year Plan(D) Fifth Five Year Plan - 1 markThe Bharmaur tribal area lies in which district of Himachal Pradesh?
(A) Kangra district(B) Kullu district(C) Shimla district(D) Chamba district - 1 markIn which dialect do the Gaddi people of Bharmaur converse?
(A) Kangri(B) Kinnauri(C) Gaddiali(D) Pahari - 1 markWhich UN commission produced the report popularly known as the Brundtland Report?
(A) UN Environment Programme(B) World Commission on Environment and Development(C) World Meteorological Commission(D) World Commission on Sustainable Development - 1 markWhat is the total planned length of the Indira Gandhi Canal system?
(A) 9,060 km(B) 5,060 km(C) 7,060 km(D) 11,060 km
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): The Planning Commission introduced the ‘target area’ and ‘target group’ approaches to planning.
Reason (R): With about one-and-a-half decades of planning experience, it was realised that regional imbalances in economic development were getting accentuated.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The publication of Ehrlich’s ‘The Population Bomb’ (1968) and Meadows’ ‘The Limits to Growth’ (1972) raised the level of fear among environmentalists and the public.
Reason (R): The notion of sustainable development emerged in the wake of a general rise in the awareness of environmental issues in the late 1960s in the Western world.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain 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 with List II and select the correct combination:
List I: 1) Hill Area Development Programme 2) Drought Prone Area Programme 3) Special area programmes for hill areas, north-eastern states, tribal areas and backward areas
List II: (a) Eighth Five Year Plan (b) Fifth Five Year Plan (c) Fourth Five Year Plan
(A) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a(B) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c(C) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b(D) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c - 1 markMatch List I with List II and select the correct combination:
List I: 1) Kanwar Sain 2) Gro Harlem Brundtland 3) Paul Ehrlich
List II: (a) Wrote ‘The Population Bomb’ (1968) (b) Conceived the Indira Gandhi Canal project (1948) (c) Headed the World Commission on Environment and Development
(A) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c(B) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b(C) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a(D) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements about NITI Aayog:
(i) NITI Aayog was formed with the objective of involving the states in economic policy-making.
(ii) NITI Aayog provides strategic and technical advice only to the Central government, not to the states.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements about the Hill Area Development Programme:
(i) It covered all the hilly districts of Uttar Pradesh (present Uttarakhand).
(ii) It also covered the Darjeeling district of West Bengal and the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements about India’s drought-prone belt:
(i) The chapter says the drought-prone areas of Punjab, Haryana and north-Rajasthan suffer most because they lack irrigation.
(ii) The drought-prone belt spreads over Rajasthan, Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada, and the Rayalseema and Telangana plateaus.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange the following events in chronological order, earliest to latest:
W. Publication of the Brundtland Report
X. Formation of the NITI Aayog
Y. Launch of the Indira Gandhi Canal project
Z. Publication of ‘The Population Bomb’
Select the correct sequence.
(A) X, W, Z, Y(B) Y, Z, W, X(C) W, X, Y, Z(D) Z, Y, X, W
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markThe Irrigation Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of ______ per cent irrigated area to demarcate the drought-prone areas.
(A) 30(B) 40(C) 20(D) 50 - 1 markThe Indira Gandhi Canal originates at the ______ barrage in Punjab.
(A) Bhakra(B) Harike(C) Pong(D) Ropar
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich one of the following is the odd one out?
(A) Hill Area Development Programme(B) Small Farmers Development Agency(C) Command Area Development Programme(D) Drought Prone Area Programme - 1 markWhich one of the following measures for promoting sustainable development in the Indira Gandhi Canal command area is NOT aimed at restoring ecological balance?
(A) Eco-development through afforestation and shelterbelt plantation(B) Reclaiming areas affected by waterlogging and soil salinity(C) Adequate financial and institutional support to poor land allottees for cultivation(D) Avoiding water-intensive crops and encouraging plantation crops
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
The report defines sustainable development as a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
- 1 markAccording to the passage, sustainable development is development that meets the needs of:
(A) only future generations(B) only the present generation, regardless of the future(C) the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs(D) present and future generations equally in resource use
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markStatement I: Regional planning aims to reduce imbalance in economic development across space.
Statement II: Sectoral planning refers to schemes for developing specific sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, irrigation and manufacturing.
Which one of the following is correct?
(A) Both Statement I and Statement II are true(B) Statement I is true but Statement II is false(C) Statement I is false but Statement II is true(D) Both Statement I and Statement II are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (C) The chapter defines sectoral planning as formulation and implementation of schemes or programmes aimed at development of various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services.
- (D) The chapter states that Hill Area Development Programmes were initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan, covering 15 districts.
- (D) The chapter states that the Bharmaur tribal area comprises Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
- (C) The chapter states that the Gaddis ‘conversed through Gaddiali dialect’ while maintaining a distinct identity in the Himalayan region.
- (B) The chapter states the United Nations established a World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), whose report is also known as the Brundtland Report.
- (A) The chapter states the total planned length of the system is 9,060 km, catering to a total culturable command area of 19.63 lakh hectares.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both statements are true, and R directly explains A: the chapter states that it was this realisation, after roughly one-and-a-half decades of planning experience, that led the Planning Commission to introduce the target area and target group approaches.
- (B) Both statements are the chapter’s own facts. But R describes where the notion of sustainable development came from; it does not explain why these two books raised the level of fear. The chapter presents the two publications as something that ‘further raised’ the fear, alongside the rise in awareness, not as its result. So R is not the correct explanation of A.
Match the Following
- (A) The chapter’s own dates match this combination: the Hill Area Development Programme was initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan, the Drought Prone Area Programme during the Fourth Five Year Plan, and the special area programmes for hill, north-eastern, tribal and backward areas were designed in the Eighth Five Year Plan.
- (C) The chapter’s own facts match this combination: Kanwar Sain conceived the Indira Gandhi Canal project in 1948; Gro Harlem Brundtland headed the WCED; and Ehrlich published ‘The Population Bomb’ in 1968.
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) Statement (i) is true and matches the chapter directly. Statement (ii) is false: the chapter states NITI Aayog provides strategic and technical advice to both the Central and State governments.
- (C) Both statements are true and match the chapter’s own list of the 15 districts covered by the Hill Area Development Programme.
- (B) Statement (i) is false: the chapter states that ‘the drought-prone areas of Punjab, Haryana and north-Rajasthan are largely protected due to spread of irrigation’. Statement (ii) is true and matches the chapter’s own list of the drought-prone belt.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (B) The chapter’s own dates: the canal project was launched in 1958 (Y), ‘The Population Bomb’ was published in 1968 (Z), the Brundtland Report in 1987 (W), and the NITI Aayog was formed on 1 January 2015 (X). So the order is Y, Z, W, X.
Fill in the Blanks
- (A) The chapter states that the Irrigation Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of 30 per cent irrigated area and demarcated the drought-prone areas.
- (B) The chapter states the canal originates at Harike barrage in Punjab and runs parallel to the Pakistan border.
Odd One Out
- (B) The Hill Area Development Programme, Command Area Development Programme and Drought Prone Area Programme are all target-area programmes named in the chapter; the Small Farmers Development Agency is a target-group programme, making it the odd one out.
- (C) The chapter states five of the seven measures are meant to restore ecological balance; financial and institutional support to poor land allottees is the social-sustainability measure, not one of the five ecological-balance measures.
Passage-Based Questions
- (C) The passage’s own definition is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
True / False
- (A) Both statements are true and match the chapter’s own definitions of regional planning and sectoral planning.
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