10. What is the name of the price at which government agencies buy grain for food distribution and buffer stocks?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2001]
A. Issue price
B. Procurement price
C. Retail price
D. Export parity price
Answer: B. Procurement price
Explanation: Procurement price denotes the amount paid for grains purchased into public stocks. Central issue price, in contrast, refers to the price at which grain is issued for specified public distribution arrangements.
9. Assertion: Australian cattle husbandry is more focused on meat than dairy.
Reason: Australians traditionally consume non-vegetarian diets.
Which relationship is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 2000]
A. Both true; reason explains assertion
B. Both true; reason does not fully explain assertion
C. Assertion true, reason false
D. Assertion false, reason true
Answer: B. Both true; reason does not fully explain assertion
Explanation: Australian beef production is prominent, while meat consumption patterns do not fully explain livestock economics. Export markets, grazing landscapes and industry structure are also important determinants of cattle husbandry.
8. Assertion: Insect-resistant transgenic cotton can be obtained by inserting a Bt gene.
Reason: The Bt gene originates from a bacterium.
Which is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1999]
A. Both true; reason explains assertion
B. Both true but unrelated
C. Assertion true, reason false
D. Assertion false, reason true
Answer: A. Both true; reason explains assertion
Explanation: Bt genes originate in the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Their insecticidal protein can confer resistance to specified insect pests when expressed in genetically engineered cotton, making the bacterial source causally relevant.
7. Which of these agricultural practices is most environmentally friendly?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1999]
A. Organic farming
B. Shifting cultivation
C. Intensive high-yield monocropping
D. Cultivation only under glasshouses
Answer: A. Organic farming
Explanation: Organic farming relies on ecological nutrient management and avoids many synthetic inputs. While outcomes depend on farm management, it is conventionally identified in this question as the environmentally friendly practice.
6. Which crop is conventionally raised by transplanting seedlings?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1997]
A. Maize
B. Sorghum
C. Onion
D. Soybean
Answer: C. Onion
Explanation: Onion is commonly raised in nurseries and transplanted to the field. Maize, sorghum and soybean are more often direct-sown, so nursery transplanting distinguishes onion among these options.
5. Which region was a major cotton-producing belt of India?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1996]
A. Northwest India and Gangetic West Bengal
B. Northwest and western India
C. Western and southern India
D. Northern alluvial plains alone
Answer: C. Western and southern India
Explanation: Cotton traditionally flourished across the black-soil and semi-arid tracts of western and southern India. Soil characteristics, season length and temperature explain the spatial concentration better than northern river plains.
4. Which crop is especially associated with Assam’s Barak Valley?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1996]
A. Jute
B. Tea
C. Sugarcane
D. Cotton
Answer: B. Tea
Explanation: Tea cultivation extends beyond the Brahmaputra Valley into the Barak Valley region of Assam. Suitable humid conditions and plantation traditions support its importance as a commercial agricultural crop.
3. Which combination of conditions is most suitable for wheat cultivation?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1996]
A. Moderate temperature with moderate rainfall
B. High temperature with heavy rainfall
C. High temperature with moderate rainfall
D. Low temperature with little rainfall only
Answer: A. Moderate temperature with moderate rainfall
Explanation: Wheat grows best under a relatively cool season and moderate moisture, followed by dry weather at ripening. Very heavy rainfall or intense heat can lower grain development and harvest quality.
2. Which disease caused the historic collapse of coffee cultivation in Sri Lanka?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1995]
A. Leaf blight
B. Leaf spot
C. Leaf rust
D. Root rot
Answer: C. Leaf rust
Explanation: Coffee leaf rust, caused by Hemileia vastatrix, devastated nineteenth-century Sri Lankan coffee plantations. Tea later became a major plantation crop, illustrating how plant epidemics can transform agricultural economies.
1. Which objectives were associated with the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices:
1. Price stability;
2. Meaningful real income for farmers;
3. Reasonable consumer prices;
4. Guaranteeing the maximum possible farmer price?
[UPSC CSE Prelims 1995]
A. 1, 2 and 3 only
B. 1 and 4 only
C. 2 and 4 only
D. All four
Answer: A. 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation: The Commission balances producer incentives with consumer interests and food-system stability. It does not simply seek the highest conceivable price for every producer, since excessive prices can harm consumers and fiscal sustainability.
