UPSC CSE Soil & Vegetation — practice questions
120 free MCQs with worked solutions. Tap any question for the answer + explanation, or practice them all in the app.
Practice UPSC CSE Soil & Vegetation in the app →The formation of laterite soil is mainly due to:Soil can best be conserved on the hills by which of the cultivating methods?Under which climatic conditions do the laterite soils develop?ecological disbalanceThe soil formed by the deposition of silt brought by rivers is :The soil which is a mixture of sand, clay and silt is known as:Peaty soil is found in :They have high nitrogen contentTerrace farmingWinter rains in North and North-West India are generally associated with the phenomenon of:Rabi crops are reaped in autumn after sowing in June. Which of these statements are correct? [Assst Comm PF 20Forest policy of govt. aims to bring what percentage of total area, under forest?Riparian forest is found:Most of the floods in the lowlands of N. India, the Bihar plateau and Orissa are associated with:Mango, Mahua, Sisam and Keeker are the prominent trees.Which one of the following types of vegetation is referred as Monsoon forest?The most important commercial forests of India are:The wet hill forest are found in the:Among the following places, the average annual rainfall is highest at :Heating of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of BengalThe nature of the winter rainfall in north western India is :A farmer is told soil takes millions of years to form a few centimetres, yet it is called the most important _The entire northern plains are made of which soil?Alluvial soil of the northern plains was deposited by the Indus, the Ganga and the:Coarse alluvial soils in Duars, Chos and Terai are found in:Old alluvium with more kanker nodules is called:New alluvium, finer and more fertile than the old, is called:Alluvial soils have potash, phosphoric acid and lime, ideal for sugarcane, paddy and:Black soil is also called regur and is ideal for growing:Black soil is typical of which rock region?Black soil holds moisture well because it is made of extremely fine:Deep cracks in black soil during hot weather help in:Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of:Red soil gets its colour from the diffusion of:Laterite soil forms by intense leaching under a climate of alternate:Laterite soils are acidic with a pH below:In the hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, laterite soil is useful for growing:Arid soils are sandy and:In arid soils, water infiltration is restricted by a bottom layer of:Running water cutting deep channels makes gullies; in the Chambal basin such bad lands are called:Top soil washed away by water flowing as a sheet down a slope is:Ploughing along contour lines to slow water down a slope is:Cutting steps on slopes to restrict erosion, common in the western and central Himalayas, is:A plant community left undisturbed long enough to adjust to climate and soil is called:Tropical evergreen forests need annual rainfall of over:Rosewood, mahogany and aini are trees of the:The most widespread forests of India, also called monsoon forests, are:Teak, sal and sandalwood grow mainly in:Tropical thorn forests with babool, ber and khejri occur where rainfall is below:The highly valued endemic wood used in construction, grown in the western Himalayas, is:Chinar and walnut, which sustain Kashmir handicrafts, belong to the:The temperate forests of the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Palani hills are called:Chilika Lake and Keoladeo National Park are protected as water-fowl habitats under the:Mangrove forests are highly developed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the:According to the India State of Forest Report 2011, actual forest cover is:Which territory has zero percent forest area?The forest policy of 1952, modified in 1988, aims to bring what share of the area under forest?Raising trees and crops on the same land is called:A comprehensive Wildlife Act providing the legal framework for conservation was enacted in:Project Tiger was launched in:Project Elephant was launched in:Project Tiger began with how many tiger reserves?Biosphere reserves are recognised under which UNESCO programme?The first Biosphere Reserve of India, established in September 1986, is the:India has how many National parks?External forces acting on the earth's surface, powered by the sun, are called:The wearing down of relief by exogenic forces is called:Diastrophism and volcanism are which type of geomorphic process?Mountain building by severe folding of long narrow crustal belts is called:Epeirogeny is described as which kind of building process?Force applied per unit area on earth materials is called:Temperature and which other climatic element control most exogenic processes?Weathering is described as which kind of process, because little material moves?Solution, carbonation, hydration and oxidation are which type of weathering?Most physical weathering is caused by thermal expansion and:The flaking off of curved sheets from rocks, leaving rounded surfaces, is:Weathering that concentrates valuable ores by leaching away other material is called:Mass movements carry rock debris down slopes under the direct influence of:Slipping of rock debris with a backward rotation is called:Debris avalanches and landslides are most frequent in which Indian range?Erosion and transportation are controlled by which form of energy?Karst topography develops only where rocks are permeable and:During deposition, which materials settle out first?Soil formation is also called:How many basic factors control soil formation?Removal of silica from soil in wet equatorial climates is called:Calcium carbonate nodules formed in tropical soils are called:India is one of how many mega bio-diversity countries of the world?With about 47,000 plant species, India ranks which in the world in plant diversity?India's roughly 15,000 flowering plants form what share of the world's flowering plants?According to the India State of Forest Report 2011, India's forest cover is:Tropical evergreen forests are at their best where annual rainfall exceeds:Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona belong to which forest type?The most widespread forests of India, also called monsoon forests, are the:Trees of the tropical deciduous forests shed their leaves in dry summer for about:The most dominant species of the moist deciduous forests is the:Thorn forests and scrubs are the natural vegetation where rainfall is less than:Wet temperate forests of oaks and chestnuts are found between heights of:Coniferous trees like pine, deodar, silver fir and spruce are found between:Alpine vegetation in the mountains generally begins above:Alpine grasslands are grazed extensively by which nomadic tribes?Sundari trees, which give durable hard timber, grow in which delta?India's roughly 2,000 bird species make up what share of the world's total?The Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in India in:The Gir forest in Gujarat is the last natural habitat of the:The wild ass is found in the arid:How many biosphere reserves have been set up in India?How many of India's biosphere reserves are in the world network of biosphere reserves?The only surviving representative of its variety of crocodile in the world today is the:At least what share of India's recorded wild flora is on the threatened list?India's forest and tree cover is about what share of its geographical area?Mangrove cover in India is about:Which body's classification is used for normal, endangered, vulnerable, rare, endemic and extinct species?The Gangetic dolphin and Asiatic elephant are examples of which category?The Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo and hornbill are examples of:The Andaman teal and Nicobar pigeon are examples of which category?The Asiatic cheetah was declared extinct in India in:The cheetah can run at about:Between 1951 and 1980, how much forest area was converted to farmland in India?Slash and burn shifting cultivation in tribal belts is called: