Q90. Which basin was identified as a Rice Bowl of India?
[WBCS Main (Indian Geography), 2022]
(A) Brahmaputra-Assam Valley
(B) Krishna-Godavari basin
(C) Narmada Valley
(D) Indus province
Answer: (B) Krishna-Godavari basin
Explanation: The Krishna-Godavari deltaic plains contain fertile alluvium and major irrigation networks supporting intensive rice cultivation. Their favourable water access, climate and flat terrain made them historically important rice-growing zones in peninsular India.
Q89. Which pair of states benefited most strongly in the initial Green Revolution?
[WBCS Main (Indian Geography), 2022]
(A) Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
(B) Rajasthan and Haryana
(C) Punjab and Rajasthan
(D) Punjab and Haryana
Answer: (D) Punjab and Haryana
Explanation: Punjab and Haryana gained early advantages because of dependable irrigation, market access and high-yielding wheat adoption. The first phase of the Green Revolution was geographically uneven, with many eastern and rainfed agricultural regions benefiting later.
2021
Q88. In which Indian state is shifting, slash-and-burn agriculture locally called Bewar?
[RRB NTPC CBT-1 (19 January 2021, Shift 2), 2021]
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Jharkhand
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Rajasthan
Answer: (C) Madhya Pradesh
Explanation: Bewar, also known as Dahiya in some local descriptions, is a regional name for shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation in Madhya Pradesh. Farmers clear land, use it briefly for crops and then leave it to regenerate under traditional systems.
Q87. Which of these crop–category pairs are correctly matched: (1) ragi–food crop, (2) jute–cash crop, (3) coconut–plantation crop?
[UPSC NDA II General Ability Test (14 November 2021), 2021]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 3 only
Answer: (C) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Ragi is a millet grown for edible grain, jute is cultivated commercially for bast fibre, and coconut is commonly classed as a plantation crop. All three pairings therefore correctly distinguish food, industrial cash and plantation agriculture.
Q86. Identify the kharif crop grown in Aus, Aman and Boro seasons and cultivated on about one-fourth of India’s cropped land.
[UPSC CDS I General Knowledge (2021), 2021]
(A) Wheat
(B) Rice
(C) Pulses
(D) Cotton
Answer: (B) Rice
Explanation: Rice is predominantly associated with the kharif monsoon. In eastern India, Aus, Aman and Boro refer to three different rice-growing seasons. Rice also occupies a particularly large share of the national cropped area, unlike the other options.
Q85. Which crop is least water-efficient among sugarcane, sunflower, pearl millet and red gram?
[UPSC CSE Prelims, 2021]
(A) Sugarcane
(B) Sunflower
(C) Pearl millet
(D) Red gram
Answer: (A) Sugarcane
Explanation: Sugarcane demands substantial moisture over its long growing period. In comparison, pearl millet and red gram are better suited to regions with limited rainfall. Irrigated sugarcane expansion can place considerable stress on groundwater in drought-prone districts.
Q84. Which place is traditionally called the granary of South India?
[WBCS Main (Indian Geography), 2021]
(A) Coimbatore
(B) Thanjavur
(C) Chikkamagaluru
(D) Belagavi
Answer: (B) Thanjavur
Explanation: Thanjavur lies in the fertile Cauvery delta, a historic rice-growing region of Tamil Nadu. River-fed irrigation, alluvial soils and multiple paddy-cropping seasons explain its reputation as an important granary of southern India.
Q83. Where is India’s major Suratgarh agricultural farm situated?
[WBCS Main (Indian Geography), 2021]
(A) Patiala
(B) Gorakhpur
(C) Suratgarh
(D) Bardhaman
Answer: (C) Suratgarh
Explanation: Suratgarh in northern Rajasthan is associated with a large mechanized agricultural farm. Irrigation and modern farming infrastructure help explain agricultural development in portions of the otherwise dry northwestern plains.
Q82. Which city houses the first major Indian rice research institute?
[WBCS Main (Indian Geography), 2021]
(A) Cuttack
(B) Pusa
(C) Barrackpore
(D) Dhanbad
Answer: (A) Cuttack
Explanation: The Central Rice Research Institute, now part of ICAR–National Rice Research Institute, is located at Cuttack in Odisha. Its position in an important eastern rice-growing region supports research addressing rainfed and irrigated paddy systems.
2020
Q81. Which pulse-production claim is true:
(1) black gram may be grown in both kharif and rabi,
(2) green gram gives nearly half of all pulses,
(3) rabi pulse output has declined for three decades?
[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 2020]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 2 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (A) 1 only
Explanation: Black gram has suitable varieties for cultivation across seasons in different locations. Green gram does not supply half of Indian pulses, and broad rabi pulse output did not follow the prolonged decline claimed.
