Human and Economic Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Geography)

Explanation

The term "million-plus cities" refers to urban agglomerations with a population exceeding one million. Based on the Census of India data below, the populations of the selected cities in 2001 and 2011 are as follows:

City Population in 2001 Population in 2011 Ludhiana 1,398,467 1,618,879 Kochi Urban Agglomeration 1,355,406 2,117,990 Surat 2,433,835 4,467,797 Nagpur 2,052,066 2,405,421 Hence, cities--Ludhiana, Surat, Kochi and Nagpur--were classified as million-plus cities in India based on the 2001 census data.

Explanation

Population density is defined as the number of persons per square kilometer. It is calculated by dividing the total population of a state by its total area. The Census of India is conducted every ten years, providing comprehensive data on population distribution and density. The following table presents the population density (persons per square kilometer) of Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim as per the Census data of 2001 and 2011:

Option (c) is correct:

State 2011 Census Density 2001 Census Density Himachal Pradesh 123 109 Meghalaya 132 103 Arunachal Pradesh 17 13 Sikkim 86 76 As per the Census of India 2001, Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest population density among the states of India, primarily due to its large geographical area and relatively low population, coupled with its hilly terrain and low urbanization.

Explanation

In 2007, Foodgrains output touched 230.67 million tonnes (MT) mark, comprising record output of wheat (78.4 MT), rice (96.43 MT) and pulses (15.11 MT). Coarse cereals production was an all-time-high of 40.73 MT, along with oilseeds at 28.82 MT. Thus the sequence in option (d) is correct.

Explanation

While North-East India has a high proportion of tribal communities relative to its total population, it does not account for over half of India’s total tribal population.The largest tribal populations are actually concentrated in central In-dia--states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. As per Census 2011, the North-Eastern states account for approximately 12-15% of the total Scheduled Tribe population in India, not more than half. Statements (a), (c) and (d) are correct:

The Constitution of India does not provide a specific definition for Scheduled Tribes. Instead, under Article 342, the President is empowered to specify the tribes or tribal communities to be recognized as Scheduled Tribes in consultation with the respective state governments. The Todas are an indigenous tribe residing in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. They are known for their distinct culture, traditional barrel-vaulted houses, and pastoral lifestyle centered around buffalo herding. Lotha is both a language and the name of a tribe in Nagaland. The Lotha Naga people predominantly inhabit the Wokha district of Nagaland.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: India was the first country to launch a National Programme for Family Planning in 1952. The Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the key flagship Family Planning Programmes of Government of India was launched in 2016 for increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services.

Statement 2 and 3 are correct:

The National Population Policy of India 2000, aimed to achieve a replacement level of fertility (2.1 children per woman) by 2010, with a target population of about 111 crores. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) represents the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years, based on current fertility rates. Kerala was the First State in India to achieve replacement level fertility. The Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2021 study notes that India’s TFR was 1.9 in 2021, below the replacement level of 2.1.

Explanation

Uttar Pradesh had the largest absolute number of Scheduled Caste (SC) population in both the 2001 and 2011 censuses. However, in terms of the percentage of SC population relative to the total population, Punjab (not Bihar) recorded the highest proportion in both years. In 2001, Punjab’s SC population constituted approximately 28.85% of its total population, which increased to around 31.94% in 2011. In comparison, Uttar Pradesh’s SC population percentage was 21.15% in 2001 and slightly declined to 21.1% in 2011.

Option (b) is incorrect: The percentage decadal growth rate of the country has declined significantly from 21.5% for the period 1991-2001 to 17.6 % during 2001-2011.

Option (c) is incorrect: Sikkim was the state with the least population (approximately 5.4 lac) in 2001 as well as in 2011 (approximately 6.07 lac).

Option (d) is correct: The sex ratio represents the number of females per 1,000 males in a population. Pondicherry (now Puducherry) had a higher proportion of females compared to males(1001 females over 1000 male), resulting in the high-est sex ratio among Union Territories, according to the Census 2001 data.

Explanation

In 2001 Uttar Pradesh had the highest Population while Maharashtra ranked the second. In 2011 the same trend continued with Uttar Pradesh having the highest population (199,812,341) while Maharashtra followed(11,23,74,333) it at second.

Explanation

Kharif crops are typically grown during the monsoon season (June to September) in India, and they require plenty of water. These crops are usually harvested after the monsoon season, around September to October. Cotton is a Kharif crop grown during the monsoon season. Groundnut and Maize are also Kharif crops grown during the monsoon season.Although it can also be grown in the Rabi season in some areas, it is primarily a Kharif crop in India. Mustard is typically grown in the Rabi season (winter). Thus, Cotton, Groundnut, and Maize are Kharif crops, while Mustard is a Rabi crop.

Explanation

Assertion (A) is true: The eastern coastal states (West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu) are among the largest rice-producing regions in India. The western coastal region (Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala) produces comparatively less rice due to limited lowland areas suitable for large-scale paddy cultivation. Reason (R) is false: The western coast (Konkan, Malabar) receives higher rainfall than the eastern coast due to the south-west monsoon and orographic effect of the Western Ghats. The eastern coast receives sufficient rainfall, mainly from the south-west monsoon (except Tamil Nadu, which depends on the northeast monsoon). Additionally, major rivers like the Ganga, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri provide irrigation, supporting rice cultivation.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The Indian subcontinent is indeed the original home of the cotton plant. The Neolithic Site of Mehrgarh near Bolan Pass in Balochistan region of Pakistan has the oldest evidence of cotton. Many Harappan sites provide evidence of cotton cultivation.

Statement 2 is correct: The first commercial cotton hybrid was Hybrid-4 (H-4), developed by Indian scientist Chandrakant T. Patel in 1970. This hybrid was created by crossing the Gujarat-67 variety with the American variety. These hybrids offer advantages like higher yields, improved resistance to pests and diseases, and better adaptability to diverse climatic conditions.