Which one among the following statements with reference to the black cotton soils of India is NOT correct?
- A.The black cotton soils are also called 'Regur'
- B.They are highly moisture retentive
- C.They are rich in lime
- D.These soils have less clay factor and hence can support a wide variety of crops and vegetables
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, the claim that black cotton soils have less clay. That is false: black soils are among the most clayey soils of India, and their high clay content is what lets them swell when wet and crack when dry. Black soil developed on the basalt of the Deccan Traps in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and nearby areas. Its fine clay holds water for a long time, and it is rich in lime, iron, magnesia and potash but poor in nitrogen, phosphorus and humus. Besides cotton it supports jowar, wheat, sugarcane, linseed and oilseeds, but that comes from its fertility and moisture, not from low clay. Option A is wrong to pick because it is true: black cotton soil is also called regur. Option B is wrong to pick because it is true: the clay keeps these soils moist well after the monsoon. Option C is wrong to pick because it is true: these soils are rich in lime. Exam tip: black soil = high clay, moisture-retentive, lime-rich, low in nitrogen.
Practice Questions
View allWhich town stands on the water divide between the Indus and the Ganga river systems?
- A.Ambala
- B.Dehradun
- C.Haridwar
- D.Agra
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The divide between the two great northern systems does not run along a mountain here but across the almost flat plain of Haryana, and Ambala sits on it, so water falling a little to its west goes to the Ghaggar and the Indus side while water falling to its east…
Read the full explanation →The Tapi river originates near which place in Madhya Pradesh?
- A.Multai in Betul district
- B.Amarkantak in Anuppur district
- C.Janapav in Indore district
- D.Sihawa in Dhamtari district
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It is the second of the two large west flowing peninsular rivers and runs almost parallel to the Narmada, with the Satpura range between them.
Read the full explanation →The Narmada river rises from which of the following?
- A.Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh
- B.Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra
- C.Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra
- D.Brahmagiri range in Karnataka
Show answer
The correct answer is A, the Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh, where the Narmada rises at about one thousand metres and begins its westward journey of some thirteen hundred kilometres through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to the Gulf of Khambhat; on the way it makes the Dhuandhar falls and the…
Read the full explanation →Which of the following Indian rivers does not form a delta at its mouth?
- A.Mahanadi
- B.Godavari
- C.Narmada
- D.Krishna
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It flows west through the narrow rift between the Vindhya and the Satpura ranges and opens into the Gulf of Khambhat, where strong tides sweep away the silt, so the river ends in a funnel shaped estuary and not a delta; the Tapi, which also flows west in a rift…
Read the full explanation →The Indus, the Satluj and the Brahmaputra cut deep gorges across the Himalaya because they are older than the present mountains. Such drainage is called
- A.Antecedent drainage
- B.Superimposed drainage
- C.Inland drainage
- D.Deranged drainage
Show answer
These rivers were flowing when the Himalaya was still rising, and instead of being turned aside they cut downward as fast as the land rose, leaving the gorges of the Indus near Gilgit, of the Satluj at Shipki and of the Brahmaputra at the great bend in the Dihang.
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