Which soil covers the largest area of Rajasthan?
- A.Alluvial soil
- B.Red and yellow soil
- C.Sandy or desert soil
- D.Medium black soil
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, sandy or desert soil. The Thar desert and the arid plains west of the Aravalli take up the greater part of Rajasthan, and their soil is overwhelmingly sand, low in nitrogen and organic matter, porous so that water sinks away quickly, but often well supplied with lime and phosphate. Option A, alluvial soil, is the most fertile of the state's soils and lies in the eastern plains of Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur, but it covers a much smaller area. Option B, red and yellow soil, belongs to the Aravalli belt around Ajmer, Bhilwara and Udaipur. Option D, medium black soil, is limited to Hadoti in the south-east. The trap is to read fertile as largest; the largest here is the poorest.
Read the full article: Climate and Soils of Rajasthan: Rainfall, Loo and Mawath
Practice Questions
View allWhich district of Rajasthan receives the lowest average annual rainfall?
- A.Churu
- B.Jaisalmer
- C.Bikaner
- D.Nagaur
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It lies in the extreme west of the state, farthest from both branches of the south-west monsoon, and parts of the district record under 200 millimetres a year, which is why the sand dunes there are the largest and the most mobile in Rajasthan.
Read the full explanation →The light winter rainfall caused by western disturbances in Rajasthan is locally known as
- A.Loo
- B.Andhi
- C.Mawath
- D.Sem
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These are the showers of December to February, brought by western disturbances that travel from the Mediterranean across Iran and Pakistan into north-western India, and they are valued because they water the standing rabi crops of wheat, gram, barley and mustard without any cost to the farmer.
Read the full explanation →The Tropic of Cancer passes through which district of Rajasthan?
- A.Banswara
- B.Jhalawar
- C.Dungarpur
- D.Udaipur
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The Tropic of Cancer crosses the southern part of Banswara, the southernmost district of Rajasthan, so the whole of the state except that small corner lies north of the tropic, in the subtropical belt.
Read the full explanation →Medium black soil in Rajasthan is found mainly in which region?
- A.Shekhawati
- B.Hadoti
- C.Marwar
- D.Mewat
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The soil there is formed from the weathering of the basalt of the Deccan trap, so it is clayey, holds moisture well and cracks in summer, and it carries the state's soybean, cotton and wheat.
Read the full explanation →The Central Arid Zone Research Institute, the national centre for research on desert soils and dry farming, is located at
- A.Bikaner
- B.Jodhpur
- C.Jaipur
- D.Udaipur
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The Central Arid Zone Research Institute was set up at Jodhpur in 1959 and works on sand dune stabilisation, shelter belts, dry farming, desert pasture and the spread of the desert, which is why it is the institute named in questions on the Thar.
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