Soils of India MCQ Questions with Answers

Question 1 : Soils are formed by which of the following factors?

a) Climate
b) Time
c) Vegetation
d) All of these

Answer : d

Question 2 : How many primary and secondary types of soil have been identified by the Council of Indian Agriculture and Research?

a) 8 and 27
b) 10 and 28
c) 9 and 30
d) 11 and 32

Answer : a

Question 3 : Soil water available to plants is maximum in

a) clay soil
b) silty soil
c) sandy soil
d) loamy soil

Answer : a

Question 4 : Regosol areas are characterised by

a) Khadar
b) Earth top soil
c) Bhangar
d) Humus

Answer : b

Question 5 : Generally, the soil of the Northern Plains of India has been formed by

a) degradation
b) aggradation
c) weathering in situ
d) erosion

Answer : b

Question 6 : The water holding capacity of different types of soils decreases in the order of

a) clay > silt > sand
b) clay > sand > silt
c) sand > silt > clay
d) silt > sand > clay

Answer : a

Question 7 : Which one of the following soil particles has less than 0.002 mm diameter?

a) Clay
b) Silt
c) Fine sand
d) None of these

Answer : a

Question 8 : The micronutrient most deficient in Indian soil is

a) copper
b) iron
c) manganese
d) zinc

Answer : d

Question 9 : Which one of the following soils is deposited by rivers?

a) Red soil
b) Black soil
c) Alluvial soil
d) Laterite soil

Answer : c

Question 10 : In India the maximum area is covered by the

a) Lateritic soils
b) Red soils
c) Black soils
d) Alluvial soils

Answer : d

Question 11 : Old Kachhari clay of Gangetic plain is called

a) Bhabar
b) Bhangar
c) Khadar
d) Khondalite

Answer : b

Question 12 : Which one of the following is the most productive soil in India?

a) Red soil
b) Black soil
c) Alluvial soil
d) Calcareous soil

Answer : c

Question 13 : Which of the following types of soil has minimum water retention capacity?

a) Alluvial sand soil
b) Loamy sand soil
c) Clayey loam soil
d) Loamy soil

Answer : a

Question 14 : Khadar and Bhangar belongs to which soil?

a) Alluvial
b) Black
c) Laterite
d) Red

Answer : a

Question 15 : The Zonal soil type of peninsular India belongs to

a) Red soil
b) Yellow soil
c) Black soil
d) Older alluvium

Answer : c

Question 16 : The term ‘Regur’ used to mean

a) laterite soil
b) deltaic soil
c) red soil
d) black cotton soil

Answer : d

Question 17 : Which of the following is known as ‘self ploughed’ soil of the country?

a) Alluvial soil
b) Lateritic soil
c) Black soil
d) Desert soil

Answer : c

Question 18 : Which of the following statements is not correct?

a) Black soil is locally called ‘regur’
b) According to Krabs, the regur soil is essentially a mature soil
c) Black soils are highly moisture retentive
d) Black soil is found in Himalayan region

Answer : d

Question 19 : Which soil needs little irrigation as it retains soil water?

a) Red
b) Black
c) Laterite
d) Alluvial

Answer : b

Question 20 : Lava soils are found in

a) Chhattisgarh Plains
b) Trans-Sarayu Plains
c) Malwa Plateau
d) Shillong Plateau

Answer : c

Question 21 : Which of the following soils of India is most suitable for cotton cultivation?

a) Regur soil
b) Laterite soil
c) Alluvial soil
d) Red soil

Answer : a

Question 22 : Regur soil is most widespread in

a) Maharashtra
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Andhra Pradesh
d) Jharkhand

Answer : a

Question 23 : Consider the following statements about black soil of India

I. Black soil becomes sticky when it is wet.
II. Black soil contains adequate nitrogen as well as phosphorous required for the growth of plants.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Both I and II
d) Neither I nor II

Answer : a

Question 24 : Assertion (A) Black soils are suitable for cotton cultivation.
Reason (R) : They are rich in humus.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
c) A is true, but R is false
d) A is false, but R is true

Answer : c

Question 25 : Which one of the following soil types of India is rendered infertile by the presence of excess iron?

a) Desert sand
b) Alluvial
c) Podzolic
d) Lateritic

Answer : d

Question 26 : Laterite soils is found in

a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Himachal Pradesh
c) Punjab
d) Maharashtra

Answer : d

Question 27 : Which one of the following statements is not true for laterite soils?

a) They are the soils of the humid tropical regions
b) They are highly leached soils
c) Their fertility is low
d) They are rich in lime

Answer : d

Question 28 : Laterite soils are predominant in

a) Malabar Coastal Region
b) Coromandel Coastal Region
c) Bundelkhand
d) Baghelkhand

Answer : a

Question 29 : Consider the following statements regarding laterite soils of India

I. Laterite soils are generally red in colour
II. Laterite soils are rich in nitrogen and potash
III. Laterite soils are well developed in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
IV. Tapioca and cashewnuts grow well in this soil

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) Only I
b) II, III and IV
c) I and IV
d) I, II and IV

Answer : c

Question 30 : Assertion (A) : The percentage of net sown area in the total area of Andhra Pradesh is less as compared to that of West Bengal
Reason (R) : The soil of most of Andhra Pradesh is laterite

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
c) A is true, but R is false
d) A is false, but R is true

Answer : c

Question 31 : When you travel in certain parts of India, you will notice red soil. What is the main reason for this colour?

a) Abundance of magnesium
b) Accumulated humus
c) Presence of ferric oxides
d) Abundance of phosphates

Answer : c

Question 32 : Consider the following statements regarding Red soil

I. They are formed by weathering of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rocks
II. They are found in states of Western Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, North-Eastern Andhra Pradesh, as well as in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand
III. They are poor in phosphorous, nitrogen and lime contents

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) I and II
b) II and III
c) I and III
d) All of these

Answer : d

Question 33 : Consider the following statements

I. The light sandy red and yellow soils in Balaghat, Durg and Raipur districts are of alluvial origin.
II. In Tamil Nadu, the red soils occupy over two-thirds of its total area
III. The red soils of Bardhaman, Birbhum and Bankura are derived and transported from Chota Nagpur Plateau.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) I and II
b) Only II
c) I and III
d) I, II and III

Answer : d

Question 34 : A fertile soil, suitable for growing common crops is likely to have a pH value of

a) Three
b) Four
c) Six to Seven
d) Nine to Ten

Answer : c

Question 35 : Which one of the following can be used to make acidic soil cultivable?

a) Lime
b) Gypsum
c) Calcium
d) Vegetable compost

Answer : a

Question 36 : Which of the following soils is most suited for tea plantation?

a) Acidic
b) Alkaline
c) Alluvial
d) Regur

Answer : a

Question 37 : Which one of the following statements is not correct?

a) Application of lime makes the soil acidic
b) High acidity in soil is typical of humid climate
c) Increasing soil acidity results in declining soil fertility
d) Arid climate is characterised by alkaline soil

Answer : a

Question 38 : Farmers are requested to mix lime with soil, while farming their fields. This is because

a) lime is very helpful in maintaining the water content in the soil
b) lime decreases the acidity of soil
c) lime decreases the basicity of soil
d) high concentration of lime is necessary for the plant growth

Answer : b

Question 39 : In India maximum alkali area is found in the state of

a) Gujarat
b) Haryana
c) Punjab
d) Uttar Pradesh

Answer : d

Question 40 : In India, the largest area of saline soil is found in the state of

a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Haryana
c) Gujarat
d) Maharashtra

Answer : c

Question 41 : The long term solution of soil salinity and alkalinity is the use of

a) Rock phosphate
b) Gypsum
c) Manure
d) Urea

Answer : b

Question 42 : Salinisation occurs when the irrigation water accumulated in the soil evaporates, leaving behind salts and minerals. What are the effects of salinisation on the irrigated land?

a) It greatly increases the crop production
b) It makes some soils impermeable
c) It raises ground water level
d) It fills the air spaces in the soil with water

Answer : a

Question 43 : Saline and alkaline soils are characterised by which of the following features?

I. They are found in drought-prone areas.
II. They can be reclaimed by adding gypsum
III. They are sandy-loams

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) Only III
b) I and III
c) II and III
d) I, II and III

Answer : d

Question 44 : Karewas soils. which are useful for cultivation of Zafran (a local variety of saffron), are found in

a) Kashmir Himalayas
b) Garhwal Himalayas
c) Nepal Himalayas
d) Eastern Himalayas

Answer : a

Question 45 : Which one of the following types of soil is known by the local name ‘Kari’ in Kerala?

a) Peaty and organic soil
b) Laterite and lateritic soil
c) Saline and alkaline soil
d) Black cotton soil

Answer : a

Question 46 : Which one of the following crop enriches the Nitrogen content in soil?

a) Potato
b) Sorghum
c) Sunflower
d) Pea

Answer : d

Question 47 : Which one of the following crops is grown for improving the soil fertility?

a) Wheat
b) Rice
c) Black Gram (Urad)
d) Sugarcane

Answer : c

Question 48 : Soils of Western Rajasthan have a high content of

a) aluminium
b) calcium
c) nitrogen
d) phosphorous

Answer : b

Question 49 : Which one of the following soils is characterised by very high content of organic matter?

Cuppy Studies

Soils of India MCQ Questions with Answers

Explore More MCQs Below

Ancient History

Medieval History

Modern History

Geography

World Geography

Indian Geography

Environment and Ecology

Indian Polity

Indian Economy

Science and Technology

Miscellaneous