Indian Geography Questions (MCQs) for UPSC, State PCS and SSC Examinations

Notes:
This is a typical confusing question that is based upon a simple paragraph as follows-
The primary criteria for selection of sites for Biosphere Reserves as laid down in the Guidelines issued by the Government are ,a site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation and should include additional land and water suitable for research and demonstration of sustainable methods of research and management and the core area should be typical of a biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all trophic levels in the ecosystem. The secondary criteria are areas having rare and endangered species, areas having diversity of soil and micro-climatic conditions and indigenous varieties of biota and areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of environment

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The Irula tribes of Tamil Nadu occupy the lower slopes and forests at the base of Niligiri Hills. They constitute the second largest groups of tribes after the Badagas and are similar to the Kurumbas in many ways.

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The Western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Its temperate zone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers and broad- leaved temperate trees. Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fir occur. The alpine zone extends from the upper limit of the temperate zone of about 4,750 metres or even higher. The characteristic trees of this zone are high-level silver fir, silver birch and junipers. The eastern Himalayan region extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces Darjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacent tracts. The temperate zone has forests of oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder and birch. Many conifers, junipers and dwarf willows also grow here. The Assam region comprises the Brahmaputra and the Surma valleys with evergreen forests, occasional thick clumps of bamboos and tall grasses. The Indus plain region comprises the plains of Punjab, western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. It is dry, hot and supports natural vegetation. The Ganga plain region covers the area which is alluvial plain and is under cultivation for wheat, sugarcane and rice. Only small areas support forests of widely differing types. The Deccan region comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and supports vegetation of various kinds from shrub jungles to mixed deciduous forests. The Malabar region covers the excessively humid belt of mountain country parallel to the west coast of the Peninsula. Besides being rich in forest vegetation, this region produces important commercial crops, such as coconut, betelnut, pepper, coffee, tea, rubber and cashewnut. The Andaman region abounds in evergreen, mangrove, beach and diluvial forests. The Himalayan region extending from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh through Sikkim, Meghalaya and Nagaland and the Deccan Peninsula is rich in endemic flora, with a large number of plants which are not found elsewhere.

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Approximately 65% of Indian’s cotton is produced on rainfed areas and 35% on irrigated lands. Cotton is produced in India in three zones viz., Northern zone comprising the States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, Central zone comprising the States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and Southern zone comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Besides these nine States, cotton cultivation has gained momentum in the eastern State of Orissa

Notes:
First statement is correct. The eight infrastructure sectors that make up the core sector index – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity together have a 38% weightage in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). We note here that India's core sector has contracted almost 1.3% within last few months. This downfall is a result of reduced consumer spending, which leads to lower demand situation. The producers respond by cutting down on the production. Low industrial production results in lower corporate sales and profits, which directly affects stock prices. So a direct impact of weak IIP data is a sudden fall in stock prices as well as low GDP.
Second statement is incorrect because the Reserve Bank of India had adopted Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the key measure of inflation, but CPI report is published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and not by RBI.

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Third statement is incorrect.

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In India, hybrid cotton era started since 1970 with the release of world’s first cotton hybrid “H4” from Cotton Research Station Surat of Gujarat Agricultural University. This hybrid was developed by Late Dr.C.T.Patel who is rightly called as father of hybrid cotton.