Q50. Which of these mining centres is chiefly associated with copper?
[RRB NTPC CBT-2, 15 June 2022, Shift 1]
(A) Ratnagiri
(B) Kudremukh
(C) Kolar
(D) Khetri
Answer: (D) Khetri
Explanation: Khetri, situated in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, is a historically important copper-mining centre. Ratnagiri and Kudremukh are associated with iron ore, while Kolar is famous for gold. Khetri forms part of the mineral-rich Aravalli geological belt.
Q49. Which Indian state is particularly associated with thorium-bearing coastal sands?
[BPSC 67th Preliminary Examination, 30 September 2022]
(A) Bihar
(B) Jharkhand
(C) Kerala
(D) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: (C) Kerala
Explanation: Kerala’s beach sands contain monazite, a phosphate mineral rich in rare-earth elements and associated with thorium. Coastal placer deposits arise through the concentration of heavy minerals by marine processes. These resources are strategically relevant to India’s nuclear-energy planning.
Q48. In which Indian state is the historically famous Digboi oil refinery located?
[RRB Group D, 15 September 2022]
(A) Assam
(B) Madhya Pradesh
(C) West Bengal
(D) Maharashtra
Answer: (A) Assam
Explanation: Digboi is located in Assam and is closely linked with India’s early petroleum industry. Commercial oil discoveries in the region led to refining activity during the colonial era. This eastern petroleum province is separate from the later Mumbai High offshore oilfield.
Q47. Which of these Indian locations are associated with copper deposits?
(I) Balaghat
(II) Singhbhum
(III) Khetri
[DSSSB Personal Assistant Grade II, 26 February 2022]
(A) I and II only
(B) I, II and III
(C) II and III only
(D) I and III only
Answer: (B) I, II and III
Explanation: Balaghat includes Madhya Pradesh’s Malanjkhand copper area, Singhbhum is a copper-bearing region of Jharkhand, and Khetri lies in Rajasthan’s major copper belt. All three therefore represent important copper localities in different geological regions of India.
Q46. In which year was Coal India Limited formed?
[RRB Group D, 18 September 2022]
(A) 1975
(B) 1978
(C) 1976
(D) 1977
Answer: (A) 1975
Explanation: Coal India Limited was established in 1975 as a major public-sector organisation following coal-industry nationalisation. Its subsidiaries operate several important Indian coalfields. Understanding this institution also helps connect administrative history with the geography of coal exploration and production.
Q45. Which Indian state led iron-ore production in 2019–20?
[RRB NTPC CBT-2, 17 June 2022]
(A) Karnataka
(B) Odisha
(C) Chhattisgarh
(D) Jharkhand
Answer: (B) Odisha
Explanation: Odisha led iron-ore output in the specified financial year, drawing on deposits in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and nearby districts. Questions about leading mineral producers must be tied to their statistical period because annual output can change as mining and demand fluctuate.
Q44. Which state has the largest bauxite resources among the given options?
[RRB NTPC CBT-2, 17 June 2022]
(A) Gujarat
(B) Rajasthan
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Odisha
Answer: (D) Odisha
Explanation: Odisha contains extensive bauxite deposits in the Eastern Ghats highlands, particularly around Koraput and Kalahandi. Tropical weathering developed bauxite-rich laterites over suitable parent rocks. The deposits provide a foundation for alumina refining and aluminium manufacture in eastern India.
Q43. Monazite is an important ore of which element?
[WBCS Mains (2021 Cycle), May 2022]
(A) Titanium
(B) Zirconium
(C) Iron
(D) Thorium
Answer: (D) Thorium
Explanation: Monazite is a rare-earth phosphate that commonly carries thorium. Its heavy grains become concentrated in parts of India’s beach sands, especially on the southern coast. Thorium-bearing minerals are strategically important despite differing from conventional metallic ores such as iron or titanium ores.
Q42. Which district of West Bengal is associated with mica deposits?
[WBCS Preliminary Examination, 22 August 2021]
(A) Malda
(B) Paschim Bardhaman
(C) Birbhum
(D) Purulia
Answer: (D) Purulia
Explanation: Purulia belongs to the mineral-bearing western part of West Bengal adjoining the Chota Nagpur region. Mica can occur in suitable pegmatite-rich formations. The district differs geologically from the state’s northern alluvial plains and has long been noted for several hard-rock resources.
Q41. Consider the statements:
(1) The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
(2) India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters.
(3) Rare-earth minerals are present on the seafloor in international waters.
Which statements are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 10 October 2021]
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (B) 2 and 3 only
Explanation: The first statement is false because the International Seabed Authority, not the Global Ocean Commission, oversees exploration contracts in international seabed areas. India has obtained exploration rights, and deep-sea deposits contain strategically valuable rare-earth elements. Thus statements two and three are correct.
