Chapter - 1
Resources and Development
(Assertion and Reason Questions)
Q 1. Assertion (A) : Alluvial soil is ideal for growth of paddy, wheat, cereal and
pulse crops.
Reason (R) : Alluvial soil is well-known for is capacity to hold moisture.
Q 2. Assertion (A) : The availability of resources is not the only necessary condition
for the development of any region.
Reason (R) : Not only availability of resources but also corresponding change in
technology is necessary for development of any region.
Q 3. Assertion (A) : Resources are free gifts of nature.
Reason (R) : Resources like soil, air, water are easily available in nature.
Q 4. Assertion (A) : Land is a natural resource of utmost importance.
Reason (R) : Land can be used for various purposes.
Q 5. Assertion (A) : Resource planning is an easy process in India.
Reason (R) : Resource planning involves planning structure, identification and
inventory of resource across the regions.
Q 6. Assertion (A) : Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.
Reason (R) : Soil supports different types of living organisms on earth.
Q 7. Assertion (A) : Processes of soil formation and erosion goes simultaneously
and creates a balance between the two.
Reason (R) : The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is soil
erosion
Q 8. Assertion (A) : Arid soil is unsuitable for cultivation.
Reason (R) : Arid soil is generally sandy in texture and saline in nature. It restricts
the filtration of water.
Q 9. Assertion (A) : Controlling on mining activities doesn’t control land
degradation.
Reason (R) : In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, deforestation has
occurred due to overgrozing, not minings
Q 10.
Assertion (A) : Terrace cultivation does not restrict erosion.
Reason (R) : Running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels
as gullies. This helps to cultivate crops.
ANSWER KEY
Q.1 : (c) Alluvial soil contains adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and
lime which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and
pulse crops. Not water-retention but this property makes it ideal for the growth of
wheat, paddy, cereal and pulse crops.
Q.2 : (a) Mere availability of resources in the absence of corresponding changes in
technology and institutions may hinder development. Thus, both resources and
advanced technologies contribute in development of a region.
Q.3 : (d) Resources are not free gifts of nature but are present tjue to interaction of
human beings with nature, technology and institutions. They are a function of
human activities. They transform material available in our environment into
resources.
Q.4 : (a) Land is a natural resource of utmost importance as it supports human life
and wild life, economic activities like agriculture, mining, transport and
communication system.
Q.5 : (d) Resource planning is a not an easy but a very complex process as it involves
surveying, mapping, quantitative and qualitative estimation and measurement of the
resources.
Q.6 : (a) Soil is a living system. Soil helps to grow plants, supports natural vegetation
and economic activities like agriculture Its universal usage proves that it is the most
important renewable natural resource.
Q.7 : (c) Soil formation and erosion goes simultaneously but this balance is
disturbed due to human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction ,
mining and natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion.
Q.8 : (c) Due to dry climate and high temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil
lacks humus and moisture that is why it becomes unfit for cultivation.
Q.9 : (d) Activities of mining controls land degradation because mining sites are
abandoned offer excavation work, this results in over - burdening. Mining activities
in the mentioned states has contribution to deforestation.
Q.10 : (d) Terraces, out on slopes in forms of steps breaks up the force of the wind,
thus preventing erosion. T gullies render cultivation in those lands impossible.