Plant: Economic Importance

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Q70. Which of the following combinations correctly describes economic botany?

[UPSC CSE — Practice]

1. Study of the physical structure of rocks
2. Study of economically useful plants and their products
3. Study of only wild animals
4. Study of planetary movements

Answer: (B) Study of economically useful plants and their products

Explanation: Economic botany examines plant resources that support food, medicine, fibres, timber, oils and commerce. It links botanical identification with cultivation, harvesting and industrial uses. Because plants form the foundation of many supply chains, the field has important livelihood applications.

Q69. Which plant family includes the principal cereals wheat, rice and maize?

[WBCS — Practice]

1. Poaceae
2. Fabaceae
3. Solanaceae
4. Rutaceae

Answer: (A) Poaceae

Explanation: Wheat, rice and maize are grasses belonging to Poaceae, formerly Gramineae. Their carbohydrate-rich grains are staple foods for billions of people. Most pulses belong instead to Fabaceae, which is noted for protein-rich seeds and nitrogen-fixing symbiosis.

Q68. What is the accepted botanical name of common wheat?

[MPPSC — Practice]

1. Oryza sativa
2. Zea mays
3. Triticum aestivum
4. Cicer arietinum

Answer: (C) Triticum aestivum

Explanation: Triticum aestivum is common bread wheat, a major rabi cereal in India. Oryza sativa denotes Asian rice, Zea mays denotes maize and Cicer arietinum denotes chickpea. Scientific names distinguish crop species irrespective of their regional common names.

Q67. Which is correctly paired with its botanical name?

[UPPCS — Practice]

1. Maize — Oryza sativa
2. Rice — Zea mays
3. Gram — Gossypium herbaceum
4. Rice — Oryza sativa

Answer: (D) Rice — Oryza sativa

Explanation: Asian cultivated rice is Oryza sativa. Maize is Zea mays and gram is Cicer arietinum. Gossypium species are cultivated for cotton fibre, not cereal grains. Accurate plant names are important in seed certification, breeding and crop research.

Q66. Which cereal is particularly adapted to hot, low-rainfall conditions in Rajasthan?

[RAS / RPSC — Practice]

1. Paddy rice
2. Pearl millet (bajra)
3. Oats
4. Water chestnut

Answer: (B) Pearl millet (bajra)

Explanation: Pearl millet tolerates relatively dry and hot conditions and provides food and fodder across semi-arid Rajasthan. Rice generally demands substantially more water. This drought tolerance makes bajra an economically valuable cereal for farming systems exposed to erratic monsoon rainfall.

Q65. Which crop is botanically identified as Zea mays?

[SSC CGL — Practice]

1. Maize
2. Barley
3. Pea
4. Mustard

Answer: (A) Maize

Explanation: Zea mays is maize, an important cereal used as human food, poultry feed, livestock feed and industrial starch. It belongs to the grass family. Other maize-derived products include sweeteners, ethanol and processed foods, illustrating multiple economic uses of one crop.

Q64. Why are pulses particularly important in a cereal-based diet?

[SSC CHSL — Practice]

1. They contain no carbohydrates
2. They supply appreciable vegetable protein
3. They are the main source of timber
4. They always contain vitamin D

Answer: (B) They supply appreciable vegetable protein

Explanation: Pulses such as gram, pigeon pea and lentils provide substantial plant protein. They complement cereal-based diets, which are generally richer in starch. Many pulse crops also improve soil fertility through symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules.

Q63. Which scientific name belongs to chickpea or gram?

[SSC MTS — Practice]

1. Cicer arietinum
2. Cajanus cajan
3. Glycine max
4. Pisum sativum

Answer: (A) Cicer arietinum

Explanation: Cicer arietinum is chickpea, commonly called gram or chana. It is a major pulse consumed as whole grain, split dal and flour. Cajanus cajan is pigeon pea, Glycine max is soybean and Pisum sativum is garden pea.

Q62. Arhar or red gram is obtained from which species?

[RRB NTPC — Practice]

1. Arachis hypogaea
2. Cajanus cajan
3. Triticum aestivum
4. Corchorus capsularis

Answer: (B) Cajanus cajan

Explanation: Cajanus cajan is pigeon pea, also known as arhar or tur. Its protein-rich seeds are used as dal. Unlike cereals, pigeon pea belongs to the legume family and can associate with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, supporting its role in sustainable cropping systems.

Q61. Which crop is correctly described as a leguminous oilseed?

[RRB Group D — Practice]

1. Groundnut
2. Rice
3. Wheat
4. Jute

Answer: (A) Groundnut

Explanation: Groundnut, Arachis hypogaea, is a leguminous plant whose underground-developing pods contain oil-rich seeds. It provides edible oil, snacks and protein-rich oilcake. Its legume biology distinguishes it from cereals such as rice and wheat and fibre plants such as jute.