Geography: CUET Mock Test - 1 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

In the last paragraph, various techniques which are being used to control soil erosion have been mentioned. For example: contour tillage, contour bunding, terrace farming, etc. Thus, terrace farming is a human intervention that controls soil erosion instead of aggravating it. All other options are examples of human interventions which lead to soil erosion, transforming the cultivable lands into wastelands.

Both the assertion and the reason are correct. The assertion is correct according to the statement 'Increasing pressures of urbanisation and . . . of the soil in India.' The reason is correct according to the statement 'Since the causes of . . . improve soil quality.' However, the reason does not explain the assertion, and they act as independent statements.

Barren lands: They are the lands which may be classified as wastelands, such as barren hilly terrains, desert lands, ravines, etc. Normally, these lands cannot be brought under cultivation with the available technology. Rapid soil erosion leads to cultivable lands becoming wastelands. The answer can be explicitly inferred from 'The different kinds and increasing . . . into wastelands.' Thus, option C is correct.

The primary cause for pressure on land resources is the increasing demand for food products. Due to the increasing demand, more land is being brought under cultivation. However, due to limited land resources, existing land is being used non-judiciously leading to soil erosion. The answer is explicitly mentioned in the first line of the passage. Option C is a remedial technique to check soil erosion. Options B and D are vague and are not the causes.

Thus, the correct answer is option d.

An Australian geographer, Griffith Taylor, was the first to propound the concept of neo-determinism. Neo-determinism is also called "Stop and go determinism" because it believes that if human activities (pollution) cause long-term damage to the environment, then such activities should be stopped, otherwise humans can do everything that the environment allows them to do.

Horses are used as a draught animal even in the Western countries. Dogs and reindeer are used in North America, North Europe and Siberia to draw sledges over snow-covered ground. Mules are preferred in the mountainous regions; while camels are used for caravan movement in deserts. In India, bullocks are used for pulling carts.

Option 1 is not an example of institutional or technological reform. Options 2 and 4 are examples of institutional reforms. Option 3 is an example of technological reform in agriculture. Option 1 does not fall under the category of technological or institutional reforms. Following are the institutional and technological reforms undertaken in agriculture:
(i) Land reforms: Collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari
(ii) Agricultural reforms: Green Revolution and White Revolution
(iii) Land development programmes: Procurement for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, etc., establishment of Grameen banks, Cooperative societies and banks for providing loans
(iv) Issuing of Kissan Credit Card and Personal Accident Insurance Scheme, etc.
(v) Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers on radio and TV

Economic geography is a sub-field of human geography which studies economic activity and factors affecting them. It can also be considered a sub-field or method in economics. There are four branches of economic geography - primary sector, secondary sector, tertiary sector, and quaternary sector.
Sub-fields of economic geography are: geography of resources, geography of agriculture, geography of tourism, geography of industries, geography of marketing and geography of international trade.

In a subsistence economy, goods are produced to provide for oneself or one's family.
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing, shelter) rather than to the market. "Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself at a minimum level. Often, the subsistence economy is moneyless and relies on natural resources to provide for basic needs through hunting, gathering, and agriculture. In a subsistence economy, economic surplus is minimal and only used to trade for basic goods, and there is no industrialization.

After the 'Industrial Revolution', the demand for raw materials like grains, meat, and wool expanded, but their monetary value declined in relation to the manufactured goods. The industrialised nations imported primary products as raw materials and exported the value added finished products back to the non-industrialised nations.

The basic needs approach is one of the major approaches to the measurement of absolute poverty in developing countries. It attempts to define the absolute minimum resources necessary for long-term physical well-being, usually in terms of consumption goods. It was introduced at the International Labour Organization's World Employment Conference in 1976. A traditional list of immediate "basic needs" includes food (including water), shelter and clothing. Many modern lists also emphasise on sanitation, education, and healthcare.

New York became the most populous urbanised area in the world in the early 1920s, overtaking London. The metropolitan area surpassed the 10 million mark in the early 1930s, becoming the first megacity in human history.

According to Census 2021, Delhi has the highest population density of 11,297 persons per square kilometre, followed by Chandigarh (9,252), Puducherry (2,598), and Lakshadweep (2,013). Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest density of 17 persons per square kilometre.

Compact/Nucleated settlements: These are the settlements in which large number of houses are built very close to each other. Such settlements develop along river valleys and in fertile plains. Communities are closely knit and share common occupations.

Economic factors of population mean the factors by which the positive growth of the individuals is affected by the economic development of the region. In case of minerals, industrialisation, and urbanisation, there is inter-linkage (exploration of minerals will result in interest in industrialisation, which will result in the urbanisation of society), resulting in economic development of the areas where the population is residing. Hence, option D is correct.

Exploration is the act of searching for the purpose of discovery of information or resources, especially in the context of geography or space, rather than research and development that is usually not centred on earth sciences or astronomy. The approach which gained importance during the early colonial period was of exploration and description.

Sir Robert Malthus was the first one to voice his concern about the growing scarcity of resources as compared to the human population. Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793) stated that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would result in a population crash caused by famine, disease, and war. The preventive checks are better than the physical checks. For the sustainability of our resources, the world will have to control the rapid increase in population.

It is a type of farming which includes simultaneous growing of crops and the raising of livestock. Mixed farms are moderate in size.

Barren lands: They are the lands which may be classified as wastelands, such as barren hilly terrains, desert lands, ravines, etc. Normally, these lands cannot be brought under cultivation with the available technology. Rapid soil erosion leads to cultivable lands becoming wastelands. The answer can be explicitly inferred from 'The different kinds and increasing . . . into wastelands.' Thus, option C is correct.

Population explosion:

• Population Explosion is a sudden, large increase in the size of a population.
• The major factors that are responsible for population explosion are illiteracy, reduced mortality, increased birth rate/fertility
• Improved medicare facility is one of the major causes of the population explosion.
• The most simple method to control population explosion is to encourage small families about different control measures such as contraceptives.
• Periodic abstinence is the natural measure for control.
• It refers to the rapid increase in the population of an area among human beings.
• Furthermore, it is a situation where the economy is not capable of coping with the increasing demand of its population.

Causes of population explosion:

• Falling Mortality Rate
• High birth rate
• The imbalance between births and deaths.
• Lack of Female Education
• Underutilized contraception

Hence, the population explosion occurs due to High Birth Rates as well as Low Death rates.

The North-South–East-West Corridor (NS-EW) is the largest ongoing highway project in India.

• East end: Silchar.
• West end: Porbandar.
• North end: Srinagar.
• South end: Kanyakumari/Kochi.

Activities that generate income are termed economic activities. On the basis of economic activities, the Indian economy can be divided into 3 major sectors that are the primary sector, the secondary sector, and the tertiary sector. There are two other sectors also, called quaternary and quinary activity.

Subsistence agriculture/farming:

• It is when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families only with little or no surplus production.
• Shifting cultivation is an agricultural practice in which a piece of land(forest or abandoned) is cleared for agricultural purposes and once the land becomes inadequate/infertile for crop production, it is abandoned to be reclaimed by natural vegetation. Hence, Option 1 is correct.
• Shifting cultivation is practiced in the thickly forested areas of the Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and Northeast India.
• These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation.
• A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning them.
• The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like maize, yam, potatoes, and cassava are grown.
• After the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn agriculture.
• Subsistence farming is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers grow enough food to feed themselves and their families.
• It is mostly practiced in developing countries.
• Shifting cultivation is a type/ example of subsistence farming in which the farmers clear a patch of forest land by cutting and burning trees and then crops are grown.
• This type of farming is practiced to meet the needs of the farmer’s family. Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labor are used to produce small output.
• Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

Lorraine is famous worldwide for its quiche, macarons, Mirabelle plum, and madeleine.

• It is home to more than 2.3 million inhabitants (Lorrains and Lorraine's).
• For many years, the region was synonymous with coal, iron, and steel industries and was in 1960 the 3rd economical region in France.

Tata iron and steel Company

• The first and one of the largest manufacturing plants in Asia is Tata Iron and Steel Company, also known as TISCO.
• Tata iron and steel Company is situated in Jharkhand which was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1907 and is the oldest steel plant in India. Hence, Option 2 is correct.
• Tata Iron and Steel Company or TISCO is the first iron and steel manufacturing plant in India which was founded and established by Jamsetji Tata and Dorabji Tata respectively on 26th August 1907 at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
• Tata iron and steel Company started production of pig iron in the year 1911 and production of steel in the year 1912.
• Tata iron and steel Company made rapid progress during the First World War and by 1939, the largest steel plant was operated by Tata iron and steel Company within the British Empire.
• The establishment of Tata Iron and Steel Company at Jamshedpur includes various advantages like it is near to deposits of coal and manganese, iron ores, and even to Kolkata which provided a large market.
• An adequate water supply is ensured by the rivers Kharkai and Subarnarekha.
• The headquarters of Tata iron and steel company is in Mumbai, Maharashtra and its marketing headquarters are situated in Kolkata and West Bengal.
• Its manufacturing operations are present in 26 countries which include India, Australia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, France, Canada, etc.
• The iron and steel manufactured by Tata iron and steel Company are utilized in construction, automation, engineering, lifting and excavation, defense and security sectors, and many more.
• The first iron and steel plant in India was established at Jamshedpur city in Jharkhand state.

The industry is a category of active enterprises and organizations which produce or sell products, services, or sources of revenue. Industries are commonly categorized in economics as the primary industry, secondary industry and tertiary industry.

The ratio between the number of women and men in the population per 1000 is called the Sex Ratio.

• The sex ratio is an important information about the status of women in a country. 
• In regions where gender discrimination is rampant, the sex ratio is bound to be unfavourable to women.

The Ludwig canals are used as an inland waterway in Southern Germany.

• The canal linked the Danube River at Kelheim with the Main River at Bamberg, connecting the Danube basin with the Rhine basin.
• The first realisation of a dream to enable barges to navigate from the North Sea to the Black sea.
• The Ludwig Canal proved to be unsustainable and was eventually succeeded by a larger canal, over a century later.
• Today, there still exists between Nuremberg and Berching some 60 km of the canal in good condition.
• Some of the locks still function, and part of the towpath has been converted to a cycle track.
• The old canal comes close to the new canal at Pollanten, and from there the two canals flow downstream in parallel, eventually meeting 5km south of Berching.

Hence, option C is correct.

• India has about 14500 km of navigable waterways including rivers, backwaters, canals etc.
• In 1986, the Government of India created the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for the regulation and development of Inland Waterways for navigation and shipping.
  • Headquarters: Noida.
• In March 2016, the National Waterways Act, 2016 was enacted.
  • It created 106 new waterways on rivers, estuaries, creeks, backwaters and canals in the country. 
• Currently, 13 NWs are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them.
• NW – 1 is on the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river from Prayagraj to Haldia having a length of 1620km stretching in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal. Hence, option 2 is correct.