2023 Previous-Year Questions
Q70. For standing crops, sprinklers are especially suitable on what sort of field?
[SSC JE Civil (11 October 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Level surface only
(B) Undulating sandy soil
(C) Heavy soil with very low infiltration
(D) Alluvial soil in every case
Answer: (B) Undulating sandy soil
Explanation: Sprinklers can apply a controlled rainfall-like shower without extensive land leveling. This is valuable on undulating or sandy fields, where uncontrolled flooding can cause erosion or water loss through rapid infiltration.
Q69. Which is a possible harmful effect of badly managed irrigation?
[SSC JE Civil (10 October 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Flood prevention
(B) Famine protection
(C) Mosquito breeding and malaria
(D) Urbanization
Answer: (C) Mosquito breeding and malaria
Explanation: Standing water from poor drainage and waterlogging can provide breeding sites for mosquitoes, increasing disease risk. Irrigation brings major agricultural benefits, but drainage, canal maintenance and field water management are necessary to avoid such public-health impacts.
Q68. Which irrigation method suits arid, hot and windy conditions with minimum water loss?
[SSC JE Civil (9 October 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Drip
(B) Sprinkler
(C) Furrow
(D) Border strip
Answer: (A) Drip
Explanation: Wind can scatter sprinkler spray, and high temperatures increase evaporation from wet field surfaces. Drip applies water near roots through low-flow outlets, making it especially suitable for efficient use of scarce water in hot, dry conditions.
Q67. Dhekli and lever systems are traditional methods of what?
[MP Police Constable (3 September 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Cultivation
(B) Sowing
(C) Harvesting
(D) Irrigation
Answer: (D) Irrigation
Explanation: A dhekli uses a lever to raise water from a source such as a well or stream. Before widespread pumps, such simple devices helped farmers lift and channel water to crops, making them traditional irrigation technologies.
Q66. Which state retains the traditional bamboo drip irrigation method?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I (11 August 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Telangana
(B) Meghalaya
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Chhattisgarh
Answer: (B) Meghalaya
Explanation: Meghalaya communities have long channelled spring and stream water through interconnected bamboo pipes. The pipes divide flows and release small quantities close to plants, making the method a striking traditional example of localized irrigation.
Q65. Which is a major suitable use for harvested rainwater among the choices?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I (9 August 2023, Shift 2)]
(A) Cooking alone
(B) Irrigation
(C) Only drinking water for pets
(D) Industrial processes only
Answer: (B) Irrigation
Explanation: Stored rainfall can supplement crop-water needs during dry intervals. Harvesting improves local water availability and can reduce demand on canals or aquifers, although stored-water quality and the design of tanks affect practical uses.
Q64. Traditional mountain irrigation channels called kulhs are associated with which state?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I (7 August 2023, Shift 3)]
(A) Himachal Pradesh
(B) Odisha
(C) Andhra Pradesh
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: (A) Himachal Pradesh
Explanation: Kulhs are small gravity-fed channels traditionally used in Himachal Pradesh to divert water from hillside streams toward fields. Collective village maintenance was important because channel performance depended on keeping intakes and pathways clear.
Q63. Consider:
(1) India has more arable land than China;
(2) India has a larger irrigated-area share;
(3) India has higher crop productivity per hectare.
How many are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Prelims GS-I (28 May 2023)]
(A) Only one
(B) Only two
(C) All three
(D) None
Answer: (A) Only one
Explanation: The examination answer accepts only the statement about India’s relative share of irrigated land. The statement about greater arable land and the assertion of higher Indian productivity are not accepted in this comparison.
Q62. India withdraws more than one-quarter of global groundwater annually (Statement I);
this is necessary primarily for drinking water and sanitation (Statement II).
Which is correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Prelims GS-I (28 May 2023)]
(A) Both correct; II explains I
(B) Both correct; II does not explain I
(C) I correct; II incorrect
(D) I incorrect; II correct
Answer: (C) I correct; II incorrect
Explanation: India is one of the world’s largest groundwater extractors, and agriculture accounts for most withdrawals. Hence the report-based extraction statement is accepted, but attributing this high volume chiefly to drinking water and sanitation is mistaken.
Q61. What is the name of irrigation using thin tubes that carry water to a plant base?
[SSC MTS (17 May 2023, Shift 1)]
(A) Sprinkler
(B) Canal
(C) Drip
(D) Surface
Answer: (C) Drip
Explanation: Narrow pipes connected to drippers supply small doses to individual plant bases. The approach limits wetting between plants, helps conserve water and is common in horticulture, orchards and cultivated rows where precise supply is advantageous.
