UPSC GS PAPER 2020
UPSC PRELIMS GS PAPER 2020
1) What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture ?
1. Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical
nutrients is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 1,3 and 4 only
(d) 2, 3 and 4 only
EXPLANATION :
Statement 2 is incorrect : Fertigation is the technique of supplying dissolved fertilizers to crops through an irrigation system. But phosphatic fertilizers are insoluble in water and thus cannot be applied to the field by fertigation.
2) With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements :
1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
EXPLANATION :
Statement 1 is incorrect because the prices of fertilizers are administered through MRP, subsidies by the government and thus not market driven in India.
3) If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication ?
(a) A licence is required to cultivate that plant.
(b) Such a plant cannot be cultivated under any circumstances.
(c) It is a Genetically Modified crop plant.
(d) Such a plant is invasive and harmful to the ecosystem
EXPLANATION :
Statement 2 is incorrect because the statement seems to be an extreme one as it is mentioned as “ cannot be cultivated under any circumstance “ but the plants that are placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act , 1972 can be cultivated after acquiring a valid license which is in contrast with the statement 2.
4) What is/are the advantage/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture?
1. Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of previous crop.
2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
EXPLANATION :
All the three statements are correct.
Statement 1 : The moisture present in the residues of the previous crop is utilized by the wheat crop which in fact reduces the number of irrigations.
Statement 2 : Though nursery rice saplings are considered to be more advantageous , direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
Statement 3 : Adopting no tillage in agro-ecosystems is widely recommended as a means of enhancing carbon sequestrations in soil.
5)According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels ?
1. Cassava
2. Damaged wheat grains
3. Groundnut seeds
4. Horse gram
5.Rotten potatoes
6. Sugar beet
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 5 and 6 only
(b) 1, 3, 4 and 6 only
(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
EXPLANATION :
Generally the starch containing materials such as cassava, sugarbeet and that are unfit for human consumption like rotten potatoes and damaged wheat grains are used as raw materials for production of biofuels.
Horse gram and Groundnut seeds doesn’t have starch content and thus are unfit for biofuel production
6)With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements :
1. Black gram can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crop.
2. Green-gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
EXPLANATION :
Statement 2 and 3 are incorrect .
Statement 2 : Green gram alone accounts for only 8 % of total pulse production in India .
Statement 3 : In the last 3 decades, the production of Kharif pulses and Rabi pulses do not give us any specific trend.
7) “The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost-free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop.” Which one of the following is that crop ?
(a) Cotton
(b) Jute
(c) Sugarcane
(d) Tea
EXPLANATION :
As we know that sugarcane and jute are tropical crops and tea requires an annual precipitation of 150 cm which is greater than the annual rainfall mentioned above in the question, we select COTTON to be the right answer from the options given.
8)With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements :
1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when ‘bud chip settlings’ are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 2, 3 and 4 only
EXPLANATION : Statement 2 is incorrect: When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with setts with many buds as compared to single-budded setts.
Statement 3 is incorrect: If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, large setts have better survival as compared to single-budded setts
9) In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practice(s) of eco-friendly agriculture ?
1. Crop diversification
2. Legume intensification
3. Tensiometer use
4. Vertical farming
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
EXPLANATION :
All these practices are considered to be eco-friendly as they don’t cause any harm to the environment. Tensiometer can be used to increase the Irrigation Water Productivity and so considered as an eco-friendly practice.
10) What is the use of biochar in farming ?
1. Biochar can be used as a part of the growing medium in vertical farming.
2. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it promotes the growth of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms.
3. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it enables the growing medium to retain water for longer time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
EXPLANATION :
All the statements are correct . Biochar can be used as a part of growing medium that contains high water retention capacity and promotes the growth of microorganisms.
11) In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture ?
1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops
2. Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies
3. Social Capital development
4. Free electricity supply to farmers
5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system
6.Setting up of cold storage facilities by the government
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only
(c) 2, 3 and 6 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
EXPLANATION :
Statement 2,3 and 6 are considered to be public investment
Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops , free electricity supply to farmers ,waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system do not qualify to be public investment ,rather they come under the category of SUBSIDIES.
12)Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past?
1. Minimum Support Price
2. Government’s trading
3. Government’s stockpiling
4. Consumer subsidies
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
EXPLANATION :
All the four statements are correct. All the above mentioned factors
affect the price of rice in India. The government typically buys more
than one-third of the country’s rice output at a fixed price, which also
has a direct impact on prices paid by traders
13)Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, short-term credit support is given to farmers for which of the following purposes ?
1. Working capital for maintenance of farm assets harvesters
2. Purchase of combine tractors and mini trucks requirements of farm
3. Consumption households
4.Post-harvest expenses
5.Construction of family house and setting up of village cold storage facility
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2,3,4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
EXPLANATION :
Working capital for maintenance of farm assets harvesters, consumption households, post-harvest expenses are the main purposes for which short term credit is given under the Kisan Credit Card scheme.
And practically thinking, the government wouldn’t give short term credit for construction of family house under this scheme. So if we eliminate the statement 5 in the given options, then the remaining option is (b) which is considered to be the right answer.
14) Consider the following statements :
1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.
2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
EXPLANATION :
Statement 1 is incorrect :The MSP (Minimum Support Prices ) are announced by the Government of India for only 23 mandated crops and not announced or all cereals, pulses and oilseeds as mentioned in the statement 1.
Statement 2 is incorrect : The MSP is announced by the government at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops under the recommendations of CACP ( Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices ) but the market price keep varying based on the other forces.
15) Consider the following statements:
1. In terms of short-term credit delivery to the agriculture sector, District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) deliver more credit in comparison to Scheduled Commercial Banks and Regional Rural Banks.
2. One of the most important functions of DCCBs is to provide funds to the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
EXPLANATION :
Statement 1 is incorrect : The contribution of DCCB to the agriculture sector is less than that of contributions made by the Scheduled Commercial Banks and Regional Rural Banks.
Statement 2 is correct : According to the three tier structure , the PAC ( Primary Agricultural Credit Society ) comes under DCCB and thus the DCCB provides funds to the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies.
16)Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the
20th century because of
(a) peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters
(b) its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions
(c) national leaders’ opposition to the cultivation of indigo
(d) Government control over the planters
EXPLANATION :
Statement 2 is correct . Indigo ( Blue gold ) is a blue dye which comes from the Indigo plant. The major reason of its falling cultivation in India is the invention of SYNTHETIC INDIGO, which made the natural indigo non-profitable for farmers as well as traders
