Soils MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Soils - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is:

1. (a) - (iv), (b) - (i), (c) - (ii), (d) - (iii)

 Important Points

• Marble is a type of metamorphic rock that is formed from limestone.
• Sandstone is a type of sedimentary rock that is composed of sand-sized grains of mineral, rock, or organic material.
• Coal is a type of fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of dead plants that have been buried and subjected to high pressure and temperature over millions of years.
• Granite is a type of igneous rock that is formed from the slow cooling and solidification of magma.

Key Points

• Typhoons are tropical cyclones that occur mainly in the Northwest Pacific region between 6° and 20° latitude north and south of the equator.
• The warm ocean waters in these regions provide the necessary energy for the development of typhoons.
• The Coriolis effect, which is minimal near the equator, becomes significant at these latitudes, aiding the rotation of typhoons.
• These weather systems are characterized by strong winds, heavy rainfall, and low-pressure centers, often causing significant damage to coastal areas.

Additional Information

• Typhoon:
  • A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that forms in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. It is equivalent to hurricanes in the North Atlantic and cyclones in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.
  • Typhoons typically occur in the warm months of the year, between May and November.
  • They are driven by warm ocean temperatures (at least 26.5°C or 80°F) and high humidity in the atmosphere.
  • The wind speeds of typhoons can exceed 119 km/h (74 mph), and they are often accompanied by torrential rains.
• Latitudinal Zones:
  • The 6° to 20° North and South of the equator region is ideal for typhoon formation as it offers warm ocean temperatures and sufficient Coriolis force for rotation.
  • Regions closer to the equator (0° to 5°) lack the Coriolis effect necessary for cyclonic rotation.
  • Higher latitudes (beyond 30°) are less conducive for typhoon formation due to cooler ocean temperatures and increased wind shear.

The correct answer is: "It originates from volcanic rocks, is rich in minerals but deficient in phosphorus and nitrogen."

Key Points

• Origin of Black Soil:
  • Black soil, also known as Regur soil, is primarily formed by the weathering of volcanic rocks, particularly basalt.
  • It is predominantly found in regions with historical volcanic activity, especially the Deccan Plateau, covering states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Mineral Content:
  • Black soil is rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, and alumina, making it highly fertile.
  • However, it is notably deficient in essential nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and organic matter (humus).
• Suitability for Crops:
  • Due to its moisture-retentive capacity and mineral richness, black soil is ideally suited for cotton cultivation and is often called "black cotton soil."
  • It is also suitable for growing crops like groundnut, sunflower, sorghum, and pulses.

Additional Information

• "It is found mainly in the northern plains and is rich in humus."
  • This description matches alluvial soil, not black soil.
  • Alluvial soil, deposited by rivers, is the most extensive soil type in India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic plains, and is highly fertile due to its high humus content.
  • It supports crops like wheat, rice, sugarcane, and pulses.
• "It is highly porous, acidic, and best suited for tobacco cultivation."
  • This statement describes red soil rather than black soil.
  • Red soil is formed from the weathering of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rocks and is typically porous, slightly acidic, and poor in nutrients.
  • It is suitable for crops like millets, pulses, and tobacco, provided it is fertilized appropriately.
• "It is formed in regions with dense forest cover and heavy rainfall."
  • This statement pertains to forest soil, not black soil.
  • Forest soil develops in areas with sufficient rainfall and dense vegetation, mainly found in hilly and mountainous regions.
  • It varies in fertility and texture, supporting different types of forests depending on climatic conditions.

The Correct Answer is It can retain moisture.

Key Points

• Black soil is favorable for the cultivation of cotton.
• Because of this character of slow absorption and loss of moisture, the black soil retains the moisture for a very long time, which helps the crops, especially, the rain-fed ones, to sustain even during the dry season.
• Black Soil
  • These soils are also known as the ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’.
  • The black soils are generally clayey, deep, and impermeable.
  • They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink when dried. 
  • So, during the dry season, this soil develops wide cracks. Thus, there occurs a kind of ‘self-plowing’.
  • The black soils are rich in lime, iron, magnesia, and alumina. They also contain potash.
  • They lack phosphorous, nitrogen, and organic matter.
  • The color of the soil ranges from deep black to grey.
  • Along with cotton, the soil is suitable for the cultivation of crops like groundnut, tobacco, chilies, and Jowar.

Additional Information

• Cotton is a Kharif crop in the major parts of the country.
• Black soil covers most of the Deccan Plateau which includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and some parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Cotton quickly exhausts the fertility of the soil. Therefore, regular application of manures and fertilizers to the soils is very necessary. 
• Cotton is grown both under irrigated and rain-fed conditions. 

The correct answer is Regur soils.

Key Points

• Black soils are commonly referred to as Regur soils, derived from the Marathi word "Regur," meaning cotton-growing soil.
• These soils are rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash, and lime, making them highly fertile.
• Black soils are formed due to the weathering of volcanic rocks and are predominantly found in the Deccan Plateau region of India.
• They have a high capacity to retain moisture, making them suitable for cotton cultivation, hence also called "cotton soils."
• These soils exhibit a characteristic feature of developing wide cracks during dry seasons, enabling aeration of the soil.

Additional Information

• Classification of Indian Soils:
  • Indian soils are broadly classified into Alluvial, Black (Regur), Red, Laterite, Desert, and Mountain soils.
  • Black soils are one of the most fertile soils and are suitable for growing crops like cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, and oilseeds.
• Physical Properties of Black Soils:
  • They are clayey in texture and have a high water-retention capacity.
  • These soils are dark in color due to the presence of volcanic ash and organic matter.
  • They tend to swell when wet and shrink upon drying, forming cracks.
• Geographical Distribution:
  • Black soils are found majorly in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
  • The Deccan Plateau is the primary region where these soils occur.
• Importance in Agriculture:
  • The ability to retain moisture and nutrients makes black soils highly productive.
  • Crops like cotton, wheat, jowar, pulses, and oilseeds thrive in these soils.

The correct answer is Iron Oxide.

Key Points

• Laterite is a Latin word that means "Later".
• Francis Hamilton (a Scottish Physician) first described and named a laterite formation in Southern India in 1807.
• Laterite is both soil and a rock type and rich in Iron & Aluminium.
• Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content.
• They evolve by intense and sustained weathering of the underlying parent rock.
• Laterite soils have a high content of clay, which ensures that they have a greater ability to exchange cations and retain water than sandy soils, and can thus be used as a hard material like a brick.
• It is formed in hot & wet tropical areas & majorly found between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
• Angkor wat in Cambodia is an example for use of laterite soil as a construction material. 

Example of construction with Laterite in Angkor, Cambodia

The correct answer is Wheat.

• Black soil retains moisture and is rich in clay content, making it highly suitable for cotton and sugarcane cultivation.
• Wheat requires well-drained loamy or alluvial soil, which provides better aeration and drainage, making black soil less suitable.
• Groundnut can grow in black soil, but it thrives best in well-drained sandy loam or sandy clay loam with moderate organic matter.
• Cotton is the most suitable crop for black soil, which is why it is also called "Regur soil" or "Black cotton soil".

Additional Information 

• Black soil is known as Tropical Chernozems and Regur Soil.
• Major crops grown on black soils include Groundnut, jawar, linseed, Virginia tobacco, cotton, and sugarcane.

The correct answer is Glacial action.

Key Points:

• A Moraine is a material that is left behind by moving glaciers and this material is usually soil and rock.
• Glacier transport all sorts of dirt and boulder that build up to form a moraine.

The correct answer is Sheet erosion.

Key Points

• Sheet erosion is the LEAST visible form of land erosion.
• Sheet erosion is the process of uniform removal of soil in thin layers by the forces of raindrops on land.
• It is caused by the force of rainfall.
• It takes place in levelled lands and plowed fields after a heavy shower and the soil, removal is not easily noticeable, but it is harmful since it removes the finer and more fertile topsoil.

Additional Information

• Rill and gully erosion:
  • In rill erosion, finger-like rills appear on the cultivated land after it has undergone sheet erosion.
  • These rills are usually smoothened out every year while forming.
  • Each year the rills slowly increase in number and become wider and deeper.
  • Gully erosion is the removal of soil along drainage lines by surface water runoff.
  • When rills increase in size, they become gullies.
  • Once started, gullies will continue to move by headward erosion or by slumping of the side walls.
  • Gullies formed over a large area give rise to badland topography (Chambal Ravines).
  • When a gully bed is eroded further due to headward erosion, the bed gradually deepens and flattens out, and a ravine is formed.
  • The depth of a ravine may extend to 30 meters.
• Landslides
  • Landslides and slope instability cause problems in many parts of the world.
  • A landslide is primarily a combination of several geological processes that include physical factors like earth movements like extensive slope failure, rocks falling, and debris flow.
  • These ground movements may take place in a coastal, offshore, or far onshore environment.
  • Gravity, in addition to other factors that affect ground stability, is the main force that causes landslides.
  • Normally, the ground characteristics develop particular sub-surface soil conditions that cause slope failure.
  • However, the real landslide needs a trigger before it can be initiated. It is normally feasible to recognize the main landslide origin and the landslide triggers.

The correct answer is hydrogen.

Key Points

• The acidic nature of the soil is shown by the high concentration of hydrogen.

• Soil pH shows the potentiality of H+ ions.
• It determines the acidic or alkaline reaction of the soil.
• More hydrogen ion (H+) concentration shows the acidic nature of the soil.
• The concentration of more hydroxyl (OH-) ions represents its alkaline nature.
• Maximum nutrients are available to crops when the pH ranges from 6.5 to 7.

Additional Information

• Soil is a mixture of microorganisms, organic matter, and minerals.
• Each layer differs in feel (texture), colour, depth, and chemical composition.
• These layers are referred to as horizons.
• The uppermost layer of soil is generally dark in colour as it is rich in humus and minerals.
• The mixture of rock particles and humus is called the soil.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Black.

Key Points

The correct answer is Clayey soil.

Key Points

• Clayey soil, also known as clay, is any sort of soil with extremely fine particles.
• They have the capacity to retain water.
• In comparison, the soil has other types of particles that are larger and have a strong drainage quality.
• The large surface area of the clay particles allows them to hold a greater quantity of water.
• Thus, the water holding capacity is the highest in clayey soil due to the large surface area as well as the tightly packed particles that restrict the water from percolating.
  • Clay soils feel very sticky and roll like plasticine when wet.
  • They are normally fairly rich in potash
  • They can hold more total water than most other soil types

Additional Information

• When the percentage of sand is high in a specific soil then it is called sandy soil.
  • Sandy soil is also known as “Light soil”.
  • Generally, sandy soil is composed of 35% sand and less than 15% silt and clay.
  • In sandy soil, most of the soil particulars are bigger than 2mm in diameter. 
  • Sandy soil is suitable for vegetables like potatoes, grams, tomatoes, etc.
• Loamy Soil is the mixture of clay, sand, and silt soil which consists of additional organic matter and is very fertile compared to other types of soil.
• It is well suited for cultivation as the plant roots get a sufficient amount of water and nutrients for their growth and development.

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. Clay.

• Clay soils have very fine particles through which water cannot easily percolate.
• What is percolation - 
  • When we sprinkle water on the ground, it is soon absorbed by the soil.
  • The process in which water passes down slowly through the soil is called the percolation of water.
• Percolation varies with soil type while sandy soli allows maximum percolation, clay soil allows minimum percolation of water.

• Type of soil In India - 
  • Alluvial Soils
  • Black soil
  • Red soils
  • Laterite and Lateritic soils
  • Forest and Mountain soils
  • Arid and desert soils
  • Peaty and Marshy soils

The correct option is Iron.

Key Points

• Laterite Soil is poor in lime but rich in Iron.
• Laterite Soil is poor in lime, phosphorous, calcium, and nitrogen.
• Bricks are made for house construction by laterite soil.
• Laterite Soil is peculiar to India- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Odisha.
• Cashew, Tapioca, Coffee, and Rubber are the important crops of laterite soil.

Important Points

Alluvial Soil:

• Alluvial Soil is rich in lime and potash, and poor in phosphorous, and humus.
• Alluvial Soil is very fertile, fine-grained both in new alluvium (Khadar) and old alluvium.
• Alluvial Soil is found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
• Rice, Wheat, Sugarcane, Cotton, Oilseeds, and Jute are the major crops of alluvial soil.

The correct option is 2 i.e., Alluvial soil.

• Alluvial soil is found maximum in Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

• Alluvial soil:
  • The alluvial soil occurs mainly in the Satluj- Ganga- Brahmaputra Plains.
  • They are also found in the valleys of the Narmada, Tapi and in the Eastern and Western coastal plains.
  • Alluvial soil has potash deficiency.
  • The colour of soil varies from light grey to ash.
  • Alluvial soil is suited for Rice, maize, wheat, sugarcane, etc.

Additional Information

• Black soil:
  • Black soil is also known as cotton soil.
  • This is the third largest group in India.
  • Black soil is formed from rocks of cretaceous lava.
  • Black soil stretches over the parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Western parts of Madhya Pradesh, North-Western Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand up to Raj Mahal hills.
  • The soil is rich in iron, lime, calcium, potash, magnesium and aluminium.
  • Black soil has high water retaining capacity and is good for cotton cultivation, Tobacco, citrus fruits, castor, and linseed.