Read the following and choose the correct methods of soil conservation. A. Overuse of chemical fertilizers B. Mulching C. Contour barriers D. Shelter belts
- A.A, B and D
- B.A, C and D
- C.A, B and C
- D.B, C and D
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, B, C and D. Mulching means covering the bare ground between plants with straw, dry leaves or crop waste, so that the soil holds moisture and raindrops cannot beat the topsoil loose. Contour barriers are stones, grass or soil bunds laid along the contour of a slope; water collects in trenches in front of them and runs off slowly instead of carrying soil downhill. Shelter belts are rows of trees planted across the direction of the wind, and they cut the wind's speed so that it cannot lift loose soil, a method used with success in the sandy western parts of India. Statement A is not a conservation method at all: heavy use of chemical fertilizers over the years makes the soil acidic or salty, kills the organisms that keep it fertile and damages its structure. A, B and C are wrong because each of them includes statement A. Exam tip: mulching, contour barriers, terrace farming, shelter belts and rock dams conserve soil.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is not included in the National Air Quality Index?
- A.Sulphur
- B.Nitrogen dioxide
- C.Lead
- D.Methane
Show answer
Methane is not one of the pollutants used to calculate India's National Air Quality Index. The National Air Quality Index was launched in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is run by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the National Green Tribunal is not correct?
- A.It was set up in the year 2010.
- B.It is involved in effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests.
- C.It may consider giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
- D.It is bound by the procedures laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
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The National Green Tribunal is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by the principles of natural justice.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) of India for 2017-2031:
1. This is the Third National Wildlife Action Plan.
2. The NWAP is unique as this is the first time India has recognized the concerns relating to climate change impact on wildlife.
3. The NWAP has ten components.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The plan for 2017-2031 is India's third National Wildlife Action Plan and the first to deal with the impact of climate change on wildlife, but it has five components, not ten.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following methods is not suitable for urban rainwater harvesting?
- A.Rooftop recharge pit
- B.Recharge wells
- C.Gully plug
- D.Recharge trench
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A gully plug is a small check structure built across a natural gully or stream channel in hilly and rural land, so it has no place in a city.
Read the full explanation →The city of Cartagena, which is famous for Protocol on Biosafety, is located in
- A.Colombia
- B.Venezuela
- C.Brazil
- D.Guyana
Show answer
Cartagena is a port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where talks on the biosafety protocol were held in 1999. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992.
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