Important Notes : Soil Notes For SSC CGL

Soil

• Soil is the topmost layer of the earth's surface. It consists of minute particles of disintegrated rocks, minerals, organic matter and bacteria. 
• Formation of soil includes various factors for example temperature, rain, wind, waves, animals and plants act on rocks 
• 90% population occupies thirty per cent of land area. The rest 70% is sparsely populated or uninhabited. 
• Weathering is breaking up and decay of exposed rocks, by temperature changes, frost action, plants, animals and man 
• It takes hundreds of years to make just one centimetre of soil 
• In India soils could be alluvial, black, red, laterite, desertic and mountain soil. 

Layers of the soil 

1. The topmost layer consists of minute soil particles, decayed plant, animal matter, vital for the cultivation of crops. 

2. The second layer consists of fine particles like clay; 

3. The third layer of soil is a combination of weathered basic rock materials 

4. The fourth layer is basically un-weathered hard rocks. 

Determinants and what they determines 

1. Parent rock determines the colour, texture, chemical property, mineral, content and permeability 

2. Relief determines altitude, slope and accumulation 

3. Flora, fauna and micro-organisms determine the rate of humus 

4. Climate determines temperature, rainfall, weathering and humus 

5. Time determines thickness of the soil layer 

Q. Which is the most extensive soil found in India? 

(a) Desert soil 

(b) Laterite soil 

(c) Alluvial soil 

(d) Black soil 

Ans-c 

Q. The red colour of red soil is due to the rusting of - 

(a) Nitrogen 

(b) Humus 

(c) Iron 

(d) Copper 

Ans-c 

Q. To which group does the black cotton soil of India belong? 

(a) Laterite 

(b) Podzol 

(c) Chernozem 

(d) Alluvial 

Ans –c 

Q. In which of the following states is black soil found? 

(a) Jammu and Kashmir 

(b) Rajasthan 

(c) Gujarat 

(d) Jharkhand 

Ans-c 

Q. Laterite soil is found in which of the following states? 

(a) Haryana and Punjab 

(b) Gujarat and Rajasthan 

(c) Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh 

(d) Karnataka and and Tamil Nadu 

Ans-d 

Q. Which of the following has the highest water holding capacity? 

(a) sandy soil 

(b) clayey soil 

(c) loamy soil 

(d) mixture of sand and loam 

Ans -b 

Q. Which one of the following type of resource is iron ore? 

(a) Renewable 

(b) Biotic 

(c) Flow 

(d) Non-renewable 

Ans-d 

Q. Which one of the following is the main cause of land degradation in Punjab? 

(a) Intensive cultivation 

(b) Deforestation 

(c) Over irrigation 

(d) Overgrazing 

Ans-c 

Q. In which one of the following states is terrace cultivation practised? 

(a) Punjab 

(b) Plains of Uttar Pradesh 

(c) Haryana 

(d) Uttarakhand 

Ans-d 

Q. Bulk of natural rubber in India is produced in - 

(a) Andhra Pradesh 

(b) Kerala 

(c) Karnataka 

(d) Tamil Nadu 

Ans –b