Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
Chapter: Resources and Development
1. What is the definition of a resource?
o (a) Anything available in the environment
o (b) Anything that satisfies human needs and is technologically accessible
o (c) Items produced by humans
o (d) Free gifts of nature
2. What are the components of resource transformation?
o (a) Nature, technology, institutions
o (b) Technology, economy, politics
o (c) Nature, environment, development
o (d) Institutions, culture, nature
3. Which of the following is NOT a basis for classifying resources?
o (a) Origin
o (b) Exhaustibility
o (c) Value
o (d) Ownership
4. What are biotic resources?
o (a) Resources derived from non-living things
o (b) Resources derived from living things
o (c) Renewable resources
o (d) Non-renewable resources
5. Which of the following is an example of a renewable resource?
o (a) Coal
o (b) Petroleum
o (c) Solar energy
o (d) Minerals
6. What does Agenda 21 aim to achieve?
o (a) Economic growth
o (b) Sustainable development through global cooperation
o (c) Increased industrial production
o (d) Advancing military technology
7. What was a major outcome of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit?
o (a) Adoption of a new constitution
o (b) Global Forest Principles
o (c) Economic development strategies
o (d) Formation of regional trading blocs
8. What is the primary goal of sustainable development?
o (a) Rapid industrialization
o (b) Economic growth at any cost
o (c) Development without compromising future needs
o (d) Use of all available resources
9. Which country hosted the first Earth Summit?
o (a) India
o (b) Brazil
o (c) USA
o (d) China
10. What is resource planning?
o (a) Random utilization of resources
o (b) Over-extraction of resources for economic growth
o (c) Judicious and systematic use of resources
o (d) Avoiding resource development
11. Which states in India are rich in minerals and coal deposits?
o (a) Rajasthan, Gujarat
o (b) Punjab, Haryana
o (c) Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh
o (d) Kerala, Tamil Nadu
12. Why is resource conservation essential?
o (a) To increase industrial profits
o (b) To ensure resources for future generations
o (c) To reduce the cost of development
o (d) To limit technological advancement
13. What did Gandhiji believe about resource use?
o (a) Resources should be exploited fully
o (b) Mass production should replace production by masses
o (c) Resources should be conserved for everyone’s need, not greed
o (d) Industrialization is the only way forward
14. Which book introduced the concept of sustainable development?
o (a) Small is Beautiful
o (b) Our Common Future
o (c) The Wealth of Nations
o (d) The Silent Spring
15. What percentage of India's land area is plains?
o (a) 30%
o (b) 43%
o (c) 27%
o (d) 50%
16. What are the primary causes of land degradation in Punjab?
o (a) Overgrazing
o (b) Over-irrigation
o (c) Mining activities
o (d) Deforestation
17. Which soil type is ideal for growing cotton?
o (a) Alluvial soil
o (b) Black soil
o (c) Red soil
o (d) Laterite soil
18. In which state is terrace farming widely practiced?
o (a) Punjab
o (b) Haryana
o (c) Uttarakhand
o (d) Gujarat
19. What does contour ploughing prevent?
o (a) Deforestation
o (b) Over-irrigation
o (c) Soil erosion
o (d) Loss of biodiversity
20. What is the primary focus of the National Forest Policy of 1952?
o (a) Industrial development
o (b) Urbanization
o (c) Maintaining 33% forest area
o (d) Promoting monoculture
21. What is soil erosion caused by running water called?
o (a) Wind erosion
o (b) Sheet erosion
o (c) Gully erosion
o (d) Waterlogging
22. What are shelter belts used for?
o (a) Enhancing soil fertility
o (b) Stabilizing sand dunes
o (c) Increasing forest cover
o (d) Improving crop yield
23. Which soil is formed from volcanic rocks?
o (a) Red soil
o (b) Alluvial soil
o (c) Black soil
o (d) Laterite soil
24. What is the main characteristic of laterite soil?
o (a) Rich in humus
o (b) Deficient in nutrients
o (c) High water retention
o (d) Found in river deltas
25. What is the total geographical area of India?
o (a) 3.28 million sq km
o (b) 5.43 million sq km
o (c) 2.94 million sq km
o (d) 4.67 million sq km
26. What is the purpose of watershed management?
o (a) Increase agricultural production
o (b) Prevent soil erosion and improve water retention
o (c) Build reservoirs for drinking water
o (d) Divert rivers for irrigation
27. Which Indian state suffers the most from wind erosion?
o (a) Rajasthan
o (b) Kerala
o (c) Uttar Pradesh
o (d) Assam
28. Which human activity contributes the most to deforestation?
o (a) Urbanization
o (b) Shifting cultivation
o (c) Mining
o (d) Over-irrigation
29. What is afforestation?
o (a) Cutting down of forests
o (b) Planting trees to create forests
o (c) Clearing land for cultivation
o (d) Converting forest land into residential plots
30. Which region of India is prone to soil erosion due to heavy rainfall?
o (a) Thar Desert
o (b) Western Ghats
o (c) Deccan Plateau
o (d) Sundarbans
31. Which type of farming involves clearing a patch of forest and burning it for
cultivation?
o (a) Terrace farming
o (b) Intensive farming
o (c) Shifting cultivation
o (d) Organic farming
32. Which soil type is commonly found in the northern plains of India?
o (a) Black soil
o (b) Laterite soil
o (c) Alluvial soil
o (d) Red soil
33. What is the main cause of water scarcity in India?
o (a) Uneven distribution of rainfall
o (b) Industrialization
o (c) High population growth
o (d) Lack of dams
34. Which irrigation method helps conserve water?
o (a) Flood irrigation
o (b) Drip irrigation
o (c) Canal irrigation
o (d) Tank irrigation
35. Which crop is known as a "water-intensive crop"?
o (a) Wheat
o (b) Sugarcane
o (c) Bajra
o (d) Mustard
36. Which soil conservation method involves growing different types of crops in
alternate rows?
o (a) Crop rotation
o (b) Contour ploughing
o (c) Strip cropping
o (d) Terrace farming
37. What is the aim of "social forestry"?
o (a) Increase timber production
o (b) Promote urbanization
o (c) Provide forest resources to rural areas
o (d) Reduce soil erosion
38. What percentage of India's land area is covered by forests?
o (a) 20%
o (b) 24%
o (c) 30%
o (d) 40%
39. Which program promotes the conservation of water bodies?
o (a) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
o (b) Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan
o (c) Jal Shakti Abhiyan
o (d) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
40. What is the key reason for soil infertility in arid regions?
o (a) Over-irrigation
o (b) Wind erosion
o (c) Lack of organic matter
o (d) Mining activities
Answers
1. (b)
2. (a)
3. (c)
4. (b)
5. (c)
6. (b)
7. (b)
8. (c)
9. (b)
10. (c)
11. (c)
12. (b)
13. (c)
14. (b)
15. (b)
16. (b)
17. (b)
18. (c)
19. (c)
20. (c)
21. (c)
22. (b)
23. (c)
24. (b)
25. (a)
26. (b)
27. (a)
28. (b)
29. (b)
30. (b)
31. (c)
32. (c)
33. (a)
34. (b)
35. (b)
36. (c)
37. (c)
38. (b)
39. (c)
40. (c)
