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

The correct answer is Black soil.

Key Points

• Black soil, also known as Regur soil, is a type of soil found in areas of lava spread, especially in Deccan Plateau regions such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
• This soil is ideal for growing cotton, which is why it is also called "Black Cotton Soil."
• The soil is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash, and lime, but it has poor nitrogen and phosphorus content.
• It has a high capacity to retain moisture, making it suitable for dry farming.
• Black soil develops cracks during the dry season, which helps in aeration of the soil.

Additional Information

• Formation: Black soil is formed from the weathering of volcanic rocks, particularly basalt, which is why it is prevalent in the Deccan Plateau.
• Texture: It has a clayey texture, which contributes to its moisture-retaining capacity but also makes it prone to waterlogging.
• Color: The soil's black color is due to the presence of titanium oxide and iron compounds.
• Regions: Apart from India, black soils are also found in similar climatic zones globally, such as the Pampas in Argentina and certain regions in the USA.
• Challenges: Despite its fertility, black soil requires proper irrigation and fertilization management due to its susceptibility to cracks and nutrient deficiencies.

The correct answer is Solar energy production.

Key Points

• Desertification is a form of dryland land degradation in which biological productivity is lost as a result of innate processes or as a result of human-induced activities.
• It causes productive areas to become more and more arid.
• Western Rajasthan is experiencing a problem with desertification, which is brought on by both accelerated and natural processes.
• This problem is exhibited by degraded features such as sand sheets, drifting sand, active dunes, deflation hollows, rills, and gullies, soil crust, salt encrustations, restricted drainage, poor vegetation cover, low plant density, and low biomass production under various rainfall zones.
• The main causes of desertification are wind erosion and deposition, salinization, and waterlogging.
• The two main mechanisms that cause croplands and grazing pastures to degrade are water erosion and wind deposition. ​​

Additional Information

• Overgrazing:
  • Overgrazing is when livestock or other animals graze to the extent that the grass cover is destroyed, leaving exposed, vulnerable soil regions.

The correct answer is Laterite soil.

Key Points

• Laterite soil develops in areas of high temperature and high rainfall.
• They result from intense leaching due to tropical rains.
• These soils are poor in organic matter, nitrogen, calcium and phosphate.
• These soils are not suitable for cultivation.
• They are commonly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh.

 thus, we can say that Laterite soil is a result of leeching due to tropical rains.

The correct answer is Laterite Soil.

Key Points

• Laterite soils are formed under conditions of high temperature and heavy rainfall with alternate wet and dry periods.
• These soils are rich in iron and aluminum, making them red or yellow in color.
• Ranga Mati and Rugidia are specific types of laterite soils found in Odisha, known for their hard texture and low fertility.
• These soils are suitable for crops like coffee, cashew, tea, and some types of millets, but require proper fertilization for other crops.

Additional Information

• Regur Soil: Regur soil, also known as black soil, is rich in clay and is highly fertile. It is ideal for cotton cultivation and is found primarily in the Deccan Plateau region.
• The Brown Forest Earth: This soil is found in forested areas with a cool and moist climate. It is rich in organic matter and supports the growth of hardwood trees.
• Yellow Earth: Yellow soil is formed due to the oxidation of iron and aluminum. It is less fertile and is found in regions with moderate rainfall and poor drainage.
• Laterite Soil: (as described above) Laterite soil is common in tropical regions with heavy rainfall and is often used for brick-making due to its hard texture.

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.

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 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.

The correct answer is Alluvial Soils.

• Alluvial soil is the most widely spread and important soil.
• In fact, the entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil.
• These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

Key Points

• They are mainly derived from the debris brought down from the Himalayas or the silt left out by the retreating sea. Thus they are azonal soils.
• ​Alluvial soils are widespread in the northern plains and the river valleys.
  • Through a narrow corridor in Rajasthan, they extend into the plains of Gujarat. In the Peninsular region, they are found in deltas of the east coast and in the river valleys.
• Alluvial soil is considered the most fertile soil and the entire northern plains of India are made of alluvial soil.
• This soil contains sand, silt, and clay.
• According to age, the alluvial soil is mainly classified as Bangar (old alluvial) and Khadar (new alluvial). 
• This soil contains an ample amount of potash, phosphoric acid, and lime.
• Suitable Crops: Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, leguminous crops.