Which road plan in India was the first attempt for the Road Development Programme between 1943-1963?

The correct answer is A, Marble. Marble is a non-metallic mineral: no metal can be drawn out of it, and it is used as a building and sculpting stone, the Makrana marble of Rajasthan being the stone of the Taj Mahal. Minerals are first divided into metallic and non-metallic. A metallic mineral yields a metal when smelted and is either ferrous, containing iron, or non-ferrous. A non-metallic mineral has no metal content of that kind, and limestone, mica, gypsum, dolomite, marble and rock salt are the common examples; marble itself is limestone changed by heat and pressure. B is wrong because manganese is a ferrous metallic mineral, used to harden steel and to make dry cells and paints. C is wrong because silver is a non-ferrous metallic mineral, used in jewellery, coins and electrical contacts. D is wrong because lead too is a non-ferrous metal, used in batteries and sheeting. Exam tip: metallic – ferrous such as iron and manganese, non-ferrous such as copper, lead, zinc and silver; non-metallic – limestone, mica, gypsum, marble.

The correct answer is A, B, D and E, that is landslide, tsunami and floods. An earthquake is the shaking of the ground when energy stored along a fault is suddenly released, and that shaking sets off further hazards. On a steep slope the tremor loosens soil and rock and brings down a landslide. Under the sea, a sudden movement of the ocean floor lifts a huge column of water and sends out a tsunami, as in the Indian Ocean in December 2004. Floods follow when the shaking cracks a dam or an embankment, or when a landslide dams a river and the water later bursts through. Option B is wrong because lightning and thundering are weather events born in tall cumulonimbus clouds and have nothing to do with movement inside the earth. Option C is wrong because it keeps only the landslide and leaves out the tsunami. Option D is wrong because it adds floods but still misses the tsunami. Exam tip: earthquake – landslide, tsunami and dam-burst floods; lightning and thunder belong to a thunderstorm.

The correct answer is D, Brazil – Campos. Campos are the tropical grasslands of the Brazilian Highlands, so this is the only pair in the list that names a tropical grassland. Grasslands are grouped by the climate in which they grow. Tropical grasslands lie near the equator, have a hot climate with a clear wet and dry season, and carry tall coarse grass with scattered trees: the Savanna of Africa, the Llanos of Venezuela and the Campos of Brazil. Temperate grasslands lie in the middle latitudes, have cold winters and shorter grass, and are the world's great wheat and cattle lands. A is wrong because the Steppe of Central Asia is a temperate grassland. B is wrong because the Veld of South Africa is also temperate, spread over a high plateau. C is wrong because the Pampas of Argentina is the temperate grassland famous for wheat farming and cattle ranching. Every pair here names its region correctly; only Campos is tropical. Exam tip: tropical – Savanna, Llanos, Campos; temperate – Steppe, Prairies, Pampas, Veld, Downs.

The correct answer is D, Tropical deciduous forests. Sandalwood is a tree of the tropical deciduous or monsoon forests, and in India it grows best on the dry eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Tropical deciduous forests are the most widespread forests of India, found where the yearly rainfall is roughly between 70 and 200 centimetres, and their trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in the dry season to save water. Teak, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair, mahua and amla belong to them, and they are the most useful of Indian forests for timber. A is wrong because savanna is a tropical grassland with scattered trees, not a forest belt of sandalwood. B and C are wrong because equatorial evergreen forests and tropical rainforests get very heavy rain through the year, are thick and dark, and carry trees such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany instead. Exam tip: tropical deciduous – teak, sal, sandalwood, shisham; evergreen – rosewood, ebony, mahogany.

The correct answer is A, Jharkhand. In the Census of 2011 Jharkhand recorded a density of about 414 persons per square kilometre, the highest among the four states named. Density of population means the number of persons living on one square kilometre of land, and it is found by dividing the population of an area by its area. For India as a whole the figure was 382 persons per square kilometre in 2011. Among the states Bihar stood first with about 1,106 persons and Arunachal Pradesh last with only 17, while among all units the National Capital Territory of Delhi was the most crowded. B is wrong because Goa had about 394 persons per square kilometre, a little below Jharkhand. C is wrong because Gujarat had about 308. D is wrong because Maharashtra had about 365, in spite of its large cities, since it is a very large state by area. Exam tip: Census 2011 density – India 382, Bihar highest state, Arunachal Pradesh lowest, Delhi highest among all units.