1. Assertion (A): Growth rate in agriculture decelerating.

Reason (R): Reduction in public investment in agriculture especially for irrigation, power, rural roads, etc. resulted in such decline.

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 correct but R is wrong

d) A is wrong but R is correct

2. Fill in the blanks:

Vishakhapatnam port : Landlocked Port ; Deendayal Port : _______

3. Assertion (A): Air travel is more popular in the north-eastern states of India.

Reason (R): It is marked with dissected relief that makes it impossible to access the area through other means of transport other than air.

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 correct but R is wrong

d) A is wrong but R is correct

4. Which of the following is associated with Operation Flood?

a. Green Revolution

b. White Revolution

c. Gene Revolution

d. Blood-less Revolution

5. What is common between Tea and Coffee?

a. They are beverages

b. They are plantation crop

c. They grow in the hilly region

d. All of these

6. Read the text given below and answer the questions that follow:

Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living organisms on the earth. The soil is a living system. It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few cms in depth. Relief, parent rock or bedrock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil. Various forces of nature such as a change in temperature, actions of running water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers, etc. contribute to the formation of soil. Chemical and organic changes that take place in the soil are equally important. Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials. The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion. The processes of soil formation and erosion, go on simultaneously and generally there is a balance between the two. Sometimes, this balance is disturbed due to human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining etc., while natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion. The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies. The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land. Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. In such cases, the top-soil is washed away. This is known as sheet erosion. The wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion. Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming. Ploughing in a wrong way i.e. up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of water leading to soil erosion.

Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option:

i. Which of the following is not an agent of denudation and hence does not help in soil formation?

a. Water

b. Air

c. Temperature

d. None of these

ii. The rock from which the soil gets its material is known as ________.

a. Bed Rock

b. Buried rock

c. Ancient rock

d. All of these

iii. Which of the following statement is incorrect?

a. Soil formation is a non-replenishable process.

b. The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies. c. Humus and inorganic materials get mixed up in the soil.

d. Minerals and organic matter in the soil support growth of vegetation.

iv. Which of the following is the type of soil erosion?

a. Sheet erosion

b. Gully erosion

c. Wind erosion

d. All of these