1. Which of the following is not a major crop grown in Uttar Pradesh?
A. Rice, Maize, Bajra
B. Wheat, Barley, Potato
C. Rice, Maize, Gram
D. Arhar, Millet, Masoor
Solution
Key Points
Major crops in Uttar Pradesh:
- The soils in the region falling under Agro-climatic zone IV are alluvium-derived soils mostly khaddar (recent alluvium) and hangar (old alluvium).
- In some areas, the soil is highly calcareous.
- The soils are loamy and high in organic matter content.
- Rice, maize, pigeon pea, moong bean crops are common in the Kharif season.
- In post-rainy (rabi) season wheat, lentil, Bengal gram, pea, and sesame, and at some places, groundnut is grown on residual soil moisture with one or two supplemental irrigation.
- The important cash crops of the region are sugarcane, potato, tobacco, chillies, turmeric, and coriander with supplemental irrigation.
- The dominant soil landscapes, representing the northern plains, constitute gently to very gently sloping lands.
- In some areas, the soil is highly calcareous.
- The soils in general are neutral in reaction and have moderate clay and low organic carbon content.
- Traditionally rain-fed and irrigated agriculture are common.
- The main crops grown are rice, maize, pigeon pea, sorghum, pearl millet, moong beans during Kharif and wheat, Bengal gram, green peas, rapeseed and mustard and lentil during rabi season.
- Sugarcane is the main cash crop. The rice-wheat cropping system is more predominant.
Hence, Arhar, Millet, Masoor are not major crops grown in Uttar Pradesh.
2. Which of the following is included in the objectives of land reform?
A. Removing economic inequality
B. Grant of land ownership
C. Tenant protection
D. All of the above
Solution
The correct answer is All of the Above.
Key Points
- Land reforms are the reforms that involve change of laws, regulations or customs with respect to the ownership of the land.
- According to the great economist Prof. According to Gunnar Myrdal, “the land reforms are the planning and institutional restructuring of the relations between the man and the land”.
- At the time of independence, in most of the agricultural sector of the country, the role of mediators existed between the tenant and the owner of the land.
- There was no guarantee of this landholding and certainty in rent. Therefore, after independence, the cultivator was given the real rights of the land.
- To do this, the process of land reform was adopted, which was considered a progressive process.
Additional InformationFollowing were the objectives of the Land Reforms:
- To remove the existing institutional anomalies in the agriculture sector and to rationalize and modernize the sector by steps such as land ownership, land rights, paying attention to tenant safety ,etc.
- To eliminate economic inequality and to achieve social equality.
- To obtain and establish a public welfare state.
- Eradicating poverty and imparting common beliefs among the people.
- To end the old land relations and establish a new system in which the cultivators of the land are its actual owner.
- Ending social injustice, strengthening the position of tenants and, granting equal rights for all sections of the rural population.
3. Name the two states in which land reform were successful?
A. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
B. West Bengal and Kerala
C. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
D. Karnataka and West Bengal
Solution
The correct answer is West Bengal and Kerala.
Key Points
- At the time of independence, the land tenure system was under the control of zamindars who were only responsible for the collection of revenue and they did not contribute to renovating or modernizing farmlands.
- Land reforms were fruitful in Kerala and West Bengal because these states had governments who were committed to the policy of land to the tiller and they brought necessary legislations for the same.
- Bhoodan and Gramodan movements led by Vinoba Bhave played role in land reforms in Zamindari areas.
Additional Information
- In West Bengal due to “Operation Barga” maximum sharecroppers were given ownership of land.
- Cooperative farming is advocated to solve the problem of sub-divisions of landholdings.
- Main objectives of Land Reforms-
- To legitimize tenancy with the ceiling limit.
- To register all the tenancy with the village Panchayats.
- To establish a relation between tenancy and ceiling.
- To remove rural poverty.
- Proliferating socialist development to lessen social inequality
- Empowerment of women in the traditionally male-driven society.
4. With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct?
A. The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.
B. The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
C. It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.
D. Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.
Solution
The correct answer is option 2.
Key Points
Land Reform:
- The major aim of land reforms was to provide agricultural land to all the landless. Hence, option 2 is correct.
Land Ceiling
- It means fixing the maximum size of landholding that an individual/family can own.
- The ceiling laws aimed at fixing the maximum size of land which could be owned by an individual. Land Ceiling laws were applied to family holdings as well as individual holdings. Hence, Option 1 is incorrect.
- The outcome of Land reforms
- (i) abolition of intermediaries,
- (ii) fixation of ceilings on land holdings, and
- (iii) redistribution of surplus land among landless or semi-landless peasants.
Cultivation and Exemption:
- Cultivation of cash crops requires much more other inputs rather than the mere availability of holdings.
- Commercialization of agriculture, and not land reforms, led to an increase in the cultivation of cash crops. Hence, Option 3 is also incorrect.
- Certain exemptions to the ceiling limits were allowed for plantations of crops like tea and coffee, Bhoodan Yagna Committees, registered cooperatives, and other bodies.
- Certain exemptions in land reforms were permitted to the ceiling limits. Example -Exemptions for Garden Lands, Forest Land, Barren Land, etc. Hence, Option 4 is also not correct.
5. Which among the following crops is related to the “Rabi” season in North India?
A. Rice
B. Jowar
C. Maize
D. Barley
Solution
The correct answer is “Barley“.
Key Points
- Rabi crops are those which are sown during winter and harvested in the spring season.
- These are sown around mid-November mostly after the monsoon is over and harvested in April or May.
- Major rabi crop in India is Wheat, Barley, Mustard, and Peas.
- So, Barley is a Rabi crop in North India.
Additional Information
- There are three cropping seasons in India:
- Kharif season
- Rabi season
- Zaid season
- Kharif season –
- This season starts in June and ends in October.
- The crops are sown in June and harvested in September.
- These include Rice, Sorghum, Maize, Tea, etc.
- Rabi season –
- The crops are sown during October and harvested in February.
- These are winter-season crops.
- These include wheat, oats, barley, pulses, etc.
- Zaid season –
- These are sown in March and harvested in June.
- These include Seasonal fruits and vegetables.
6. Which of these is NOT a Kharif crop?
A. Wheat
B. Groundnut
C. Paddy
D. Maize
Solution
The Correct Answer is Wheat.
Key Points
- Kharif Season:
- Kharif crops also are known as monsoon crops as they are cultivated in the monsoon season.
- These crops are sown at the beginning of the rainy season.
- Rice, maize, bajra, ragi, paddy, sorghum, soybean, groundnut, cotton, etc are all Kharif types of crops.
- Zaid Season:
- It is a short season between Kharif and Rabi seasons.
- The crops grown during this season are known as Zaid crops.
- Pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, bitter gourd etc are all zaid types of crops.
- Rabi Season:
- These are the crops that are sown at the end of the monsoon season or at the beginning of the winter season.
- These crops also are known as winter crops.
- Wheat, Mustard, Pulses, Barley, etc. are all Rabi types of crops.
7. Which of the following is a Kharif crop in north and Rabi crop in south India?
A. Ragi
B. Sesamum
C. Sunflower
D. Sugarcane
Solution
The correct answer is Sesamum.
Key Points
- Sesamum
- It is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum and in India, it is smaller in number.
- It is a Kharif crop in North India and a rabi crop in South India.
- Hence, Option 2 is correct.
- Another species of Sesamum is S. Indicum.
- Sesamum is also known as Benne.
- The mustard plant is a plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis in the family Brassicaceae.
Additional Information
- Major crops are as follows-
- Kharif Crops– Bajra, Jowar, Maize, Millet, Rice, and Soybean.
- Rabi Crops– Barley, Gram, Rapeseed, Mustard, Oat, and Wheat.
- Zaid Crops– Pumpkin, Cucumber and Bitter Gourd.
8. Which of the following is the zaid crop?
A. Cotton
B. Cucumber
C. Coffee
D. Millet
Solution
The correct answer is Cucumber.
Key Points
- Cucumber is an example of zaid crop.
- Crops that are being raised throughout the year due to artificial irrigation are Zaid crops.
- Zaid crops are grown between Kharif and Rabi Seasons, i.e., between March to June.
- They require warm, dry weather as a vital growth period and a longer day length for flowering.
- Zaid crop is also known as a gap-filler between two chief crops, Kharif and Rabi.
- Examples: Cucumber, Pumpkin, Bitter gourd, Watermelon, Muskmelon, Groundnut, Pulses, etc.
- The Time Of Sowing For Zaid Crops Changes from Place To Place Depending On The Rainy Season. So the Sowing Period Of The Zaid Crops Is Not Fixed, It Changes All Over India.
Additional Information
- Kharif crops
- Crops are sown at the beginning of the southwest monsoon and harvested at the end of the South -West monsoon.
- Sown in June-July when rains first begin.
- Harvested in September-October.
- Requires a lot of water and hot weather to grow.
- Important kharif crops: Jowar, bajra, rice, maize, cotton, Jute, groundnut, sugarcane, etc.
- Rabi crops
- Crops need a relatively cool climate during the period of growth but a warm climate during the germination of their seed and maturation.
- Sown in October-November.
- Harvested in April-May.
- Important Rabi Crops: Wheat, barley, gram, linseed, mustard, Masur, peas, and potatoes.
9. Which of the following is an example of a fibre crop?
A. Mango
B. Hemp
C. Rubber
D. Coffee
Solution
The correct answer is Hemp.
Key Points
- Hemp
- Hemp is the soft, durable, naturally produced plant fibre.
- It is cultivated from plants of the Cannabis genus.
- These plants are cultivated for industrial purposes including biodegradable plastics, construction, food, fuel, paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, etc.
- It is one of the fastest-growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into fibre about 10,000 years ago.
- Even today the demand for this product is very high and is used to make ropes, sacks etc.
Additional Information
- Fibre crop
- Fibre crops are crops that are primarily grown for obtaining fibre.
- The fibre is traditionally used to make paper, cloth, or rope.
- These fibre crops are very high in their length, width, tenacity, uniformity, spinning pliability and flexibility.
- Fiber crops are generally harvestable after a single growing season.
- The different sources of plant fibres are cotton, jute, coir, hemp and flax.
10. Which crop does not require high rainfall and high temperature?
A. Rice
B. Jute
C. Maize
D. Cotton
Solution
The correct answer is Option 3.
Key Points
- Maize is a versatile crop that can grow in a wide range of climatic conditions.
- It is true that maize can be grown in areas with lower rainfall and moderate temperatures, but the crop’s specific requirements may vary depending on the variety and the stage of growth.
- Maize can grow in a range of temperatures from 10°C to 35°C, but optimal temperatures for growth and development are between 20°C and 30°C. While maize can tolerate some drought, it requires a minimum amount of water to grow and produce good yields.
- The amount of rainfall required for maize cultivation may vary depending on the variety, soil type, and other environmental factors. In general, maize requires at least 500-600 mm of rainfall during the growing season, with an evenly distributed pattern.
Additional Information
- Rice is a type of grain that is one of the most important staple foods in the world.
- It is a member of the grass family and is grown in many countries, particularly in Asia, Africa, and South America. Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates, which makes it an important source of energy in many diets.
- There are many different varieties of rice, but the most common types are white rice and brown rice. White rice is the most commonly consumed type of rice, and it has been milled to remove the bran and germ layers, which results in a lighter color and smoother texture.
- Brown rice, on the other hand, is a whole grain that has not been milled, so it retains its bran and germ layers, which gives it a nutty flavor and chewy texture.
- Rice can be prepared in many different ways, including boiling, steaming, frying, and baking. It is used in a wide variety of dishes, such as stir-fries, curries, sushi, and rice pudding. Rice is also a popular ingredient in many gluten-free products, such as crackers and breads.
- Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that is spun into coarse, strong threads.
- It is primarily grown in India and Bangladesh, and is used to make a variety of products such as bags, rope, twine, and carpet backing. Jute is also sometimes blended with other fibers, such as cotton or silk, to create a variety of textiles.
- Jute is a sustainable crop, as it requires relatively little water, pesticides, and fertilizers to grow. Additionally, jute fibers are biodegradable, making it an eco-friendly choice for many applications. However, the production of jute can also have negative environmental impacts if not managed properly, such as soil degradation and water pollution.
- Cotton is a soft, fluffy, natural fiber that is widely used in the textile industry to make a variety of products such as clothing, bedding, and towels.
- It comes from the seedpod of the cotton plant, which is native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
- Cotton has been cultivated for thousands of years and is one of the oldest crops used for textile production. Today, it is still one of the most widely used natural fibers in the world, although synthetic fibers have gained popularity in recent years.
- It comes from the seedpod of the cotton plant, which is native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
