Geography · Economics

Agricultural Practices in India

2,426 Questions

Agricultural practices in India form a core segment of geography and economics syllabi. This hub covers crop distribution, farming techniques, and land measurement terms. These concepts regularly appear in SSC, state PSC, and civil services examinations.

Plantation and food cropsCrop cultivation regionsLand measurement unitsAgricultural storage techniquesIntercropping systemsWater resource management

Agricultural Practices in India Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. The production of food grains has witnessed an increase of more than four times from 1950 to 2010.
  2. An agricultural year in India follows calendar year.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both of these

  4. Neither of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The production of food grains has increased from 54.92 million tones to 234.52 million tones in 2010-11. Statement 2 is incorrect: An agricultural year in India is from July to June, while a calendar year is from January to December.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a criterion for the selection of crops for mixed cropping?

  1. One crop should be of longer duration than the other crop.

  2. Both the crops should need equal amount of water.

  3. One crop should be deep rooted and the other crop should be shallow rooted.

  4. One crop should be tall growing and the other crop should be short growing.

  5. One crop should require lesser nutrients than the other crop.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option as this is not a criterion for the selection of crops for mixed cropping. One component crop should need lesser water than the other component crop.

Multiple choice

________ and ________ are desirable characters for fodder crops.

  1. Tallness, little branching

  2. Dwarfness, profuse branching

  3. Tallness, profuse branching

  4. Dwarfness, little branching
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

As more branching increases the bulk of the crop, it ensures good vegetative growth. (2) and (4) cannot be the answer as dwarfness is not preferred for fodder crops. Dwarf (small) varieties do not have long roots and therefore, receive fewer nutrients as compared to varieties with long roots, which can fetch nutrients from long distances. (3) is incorrect as little branching will not increase the bulk of the crop.

Multiple choice

The main objective of mixed cropping is to minimise the risk and insure against crop failure. Which of the following is not a combination of crops used by farmers in mixed cropping in India?

  1. Maize and urad bean

  2. Wheat and chickpea

  3. Maize and mustard

  4. Barley and chickpea

  5. Cotton and moong bean
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option. Maize and mustard is not a combination of crops used by farmers in mixed cropping in India.

Multiple choice

Which of the following are Kharif crops?

  1. Rice, Cotton, Linseed, Mustard

  2. Wheat, Cotton, Barley, Oats

  3. Rice, Cotton, Groundnut, Soyabean

  4. Wheat, Chickpea, Linseed, Mustard

  5. Rice, Wheat, Mustard, Cotton
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Kharif season is from July to June. Rice, Bajra, Soyabean, Groundnut and Cotton are kharif crops.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (iii) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and try to understand what it is about.

Many farmers who traditionally (…i…) pulses, millets and paddy have been lured by seed companies to buy hybrid cotton seeds and other GM crops, which were (…ii…) to make their lives easier and wealthier. Instead they (…iii…) bankruptcy and ruin. Their native seeds have been (…iv…) with new hybrids which cannot be saved and need to be purchased every year at a high cost. Hybrids are also very (…v…) to pest attacks. All pesticides have to be (…vi…) from the company that sold them the seeds; there have been reports of blatant profiteering from these companies.

We are (…vii…) told that without genetic engineering and globalization of agriculture the world will starve, it is constantly promoted as the only (…viii…) available for feeding the hungry.

Everywhere, food production is becoming a negative economy, with farmers (…ix…) more on buying costly inputs for industrial production than the price they receive for their produce. The consequence is rising debts in both rich and poor countries. In some African countries it is cheaper to buy foreign sugar and coffee than it is to buy locally produced goods. This is because of over production and subsidies in the West which means that they then dump these goods on Africa (…x…) local markets.

  1. undergo

  2. disclosed

  3. approached

  4. tackling

  5. faced
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

'Faced' is the correct past tense verb indicating that farmers experienced bankruptcy and ruin. 'Undergo' would need to be 'underwent' (past tense). 'Disclosed' means revealed, which doesn't fit the context. 'Approached' doesn't make sense - you don't approach bankruptcy in this context. 'Tackling' is a present participle that creates a grammatical error in the past tense narrative.

Multiple choice
Directions: Select the option that best answers the question at the end of the paragraph.
The kind of agriculture that led to a spectacular increase in food grains production once the seeds of Green avoidance strategy emphasizing on assured procurement of surplus food-grains and its distribution among the hungry and needy, is now being dispensed with. What began as a techno-social exercise with the twin objectives of providing food security of the nation and ensure livelihood security for millions of rural poor, is now being thrown open to the vagaries of market forces. Food self-sufficiency is now longer the hallmark of India's food security systems. The author is

  1. pointing at the woeful conditions of agro-based industries

  2. reminding us of the effects of Green Revolution

  3. talking about the neo-classical agricultural trends of India

  4. about the failure of agriculture planning triggered by aggressive politics
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The author has not talked about the agro based industry. So, (1) is eliminated. Green revolution is a very wide concept and the author does not indicate towards reminding anything. So, (2) is not the answer. Aggressive politics has nowhere been talked about. The author has tried to tell the trends, going on which clearly matches the option (3). So, (3) is the correct option.

Multiple choice

Which of the following was not true in respect of the economy of the Vedic period?

  1. Wells and canals were used for irrigation.

  2. Besides agriculture and animal husbandry they did not practice any specialized occupations.

  3. Wheat, rice and barley were mainly grown. Cotton was also cultivated.

  4. Cows were their principle wealth, horses were also important because of their utility during wars.

  5. The metal workers made armor and helmets for warriors besides making weapons, tools and utensils.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This statement is not true. Besides agriculture and animal husbandry  they practiced many specialized occupations like carpentry, chariot-making, metal-work, leather-crafts, pottery and weaving.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a part of the Green Revolution?

  1. Mechanized agriculture

  2. Hybrid seeds

  3. Slash and burn

  4. Monoculture

  5. All of the above are part of the Green Revolution
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique,  which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. This is not part of green revolution.