Q150. Which of the following industries uses cotton as its main raw material?
[RRB NTPC UG, 17 Jun 2026]
(A) Textile industry
(B) Iron and steel industry
(C) Cement industry
(D) Mining industry
Answer: (A) Textile industry
Explanation: Cotton is the principal natural fibre used in spinning and weaving cotton cloth. Ginning separates fibres from seeds, spinning produces yarn, and weaving makes fabric. This agro-based industry is particularly important in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Q149. Which industrial region is known for the concentration of heavy industries in India?
[DSSSB PRT, 31 Mar 2026]
(A) Mumbai–Pune
(B) Delhi–Gurgaon
(C) Bengaluru–Tamil Nadu
(D) Chhota Nagpur Plateau
Answer: (D) Chhota Nagpur Plateau
Explanation: The Chhota Nagpur Plateau is rich in iron ore, coal and other minerals. The proximity of the Damodar Valley coalfields and transport infrastructure encouraged iron and steel plants, engineering industries and a dense heavy-industry complex.
Q148. Which is an important port-based industrial region of India?
[RRB NTPC UG, 14 Jun 2026]
(A) Hyderabad–Bengaluru
(B) Hooghly industrial region
(C) Ahmedabad–Vadodara
(D) Chhota Nagpur
Answer: (B) Hooghly industrial region
Explanation: The Hooghly industrial belt developed around Kolkata port with access to waterways, railways, labour and markets. Jute mills, engineering units and other factories grew along the river, giving eastern India a historic port-oriented manufacturing centre.
Q147. Which region is historically known as the Manchester of India?
[SSC GD Constable, 5 May 2026]
(A) Mumbai–Pune
(B) Ahmedabad
(C) Kanpur
(D) Coimbatore
Answer: (B) Ahmedabad
Explanation: Ahmedabad earned the name Manchester of India for its large concentration of cotton textile mills. Availability of cotton from Gujarat, labour, capital and trading networks supported its industrial rise, paralleling Manchester’s historical importance in British textile manufacturing.
Q146. Which of the following is a private-sector iron and steel plant?
[DSSSB Assistant Superintendent, 1 Jul 2026]
(A) Tata Steel
(B) Durgapur Steel Plant
(C) Rourkela Steel Plant
(D) Bhilai Steel Plant
Answer: (A) Tata Steel
Explanation: Tata Steel, originally established as the Tata Iron and Steel Company, represents early private industrial enterprise in India. By contrast, Durgapur, Rourkela and Bhilai were established as major public-sector steel projects in the planning era.
Q145. Match List A to List B:
List A
(a) Cotton textile industry; (b) iron and steel plant; (c) automobile manufacturing; (d) jute industry.
List B:
(1) Coimbatore; (2) West Bengal; (3) Chennai; (4) Bhilai. Choose the correct code.
[DSSSB Assistant Superintendent, 3 Jul 2026]
(A) a-1, b-4, c-3, d-2
(B) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1
(C) a-4, b-1, c-2, d-3
(D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2
Answer: (A) a-1, b-4, c-3, d-2
Explanation: Coimbatore is an important southern textile hub, Bhilai is a major steel centre in Chhattisgarh, Chennai is noted for automobiles, and West Bengal dominates India’s traditional jute-milling belt. The associations illustrate contrasting industrial location factors.
Q144. The first steel plants in independent India (Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur) aimed at:
[SSC GD Constable, 7 May 2026]
(A) Dairy production
(B) Export promotion
(C) Self-sufficiency in steel and heavy industry
(D) Rural employment
Answer: (C) Self-sufficiency in steel and heavy industry
Explanation: These integrated steel plants were part of India’s planned industrialisation, especially the emphasis on heavy industry. Domestic steel capacity was intended to support machinery, railways, infrastructure and capital goods while reducing reliance on imported industrial materials.
Q143. Which Indian state accounts for around three-fourths of India’s jute production?
[RRB NTPC UG, 7 May 2026]
(A) West Bengal
(B) Punjab
(C) Gujarat
(D) Himachal Pradesh
Answer: (A) West Bengal
Explanation: West Bengal has long led Indian jute output because the lower Ganga plain offers alluvial soil, warm humid conditions and plentiful water. The neighbouring Hooghly belt also developed mills, ports and transport infrastructure for processing and trade.
Q142. Which sector received top priority in India’s Second Five-Year Plan?
[SSC GD Constable, 29 May 2026]
(A) Agriculture
(B) Heavy industry
(C) Services
(D) Small-scale enterprises
Answer: (B) Heavy industry
Explanation: The Second Five-Year Plan followed the Mahalanobis strategy, stressing heavy industry and capital goods. Steel, machinery and infrastructure were considered foundations for long-term industrial self-reliance, although agriculture and consumer-goods industries continued to matter for employment.
Q141. Manufacturing industry belongs to which sector of the economy?
[DSSSB MTS, 22 Apr 2026]
(A) Tertiary
(B) Quaternary
(C) Secondary
(D) Primary
Answer: (C) Secondary
Explanation: Manufacturing transforms raw materials into finished or intermediate goods, making it part of the secondary sector. Primary activities extract natural resources, whereas tertiary activities provide services. Industrial geography studies how secondary-sector production is distributed across regions.