Agriculture – MCQs with Answers and Explanations
CBSE Class 10 – Social Science (Geography)
Contemporary India – II | Chapter 4: Agriculture
Topics: Types of Farming – Primitive Subsistence, Intensive Subsistence, Commercial | Cropping Pattern – Major Crops, Food Crops other than Grains, Non-Food Crops | Technological & Institutional Reforms | Food Security
CBSE Board Examinations – Chapter Wise Study Materials Based on NCERT
Instructions: The following 30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are based on NCERT Class 10 Geography,
Chapter 4: Agriculture. MCQs are arranged topic-wise. Click on the
“Show Answer & Explanation” button below each question to reveal the correct option and a brief, concept-clearing explanation.
A. MCQs on Types of Farming
Q1.
Agriculture in India is described as the “backbone of the Indian economy” mainly because:
Correct Answer: B
Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy because it:
- Provides employment to a large share of the population, especially in rural areas.
- Supplies food grains and raw materials to many industries (cotton textiles, sugar, jute, etc.).
- Contributes to national income and exports. So option B captures these wider roles.
Q2.
Primitive subsistence farming is mostly practised in:
Correct Answer: B
Primitive subsistence farming is done mainly in hilly and forested regions, especially by tribal
communities using simple tools and family labour. Therefore, option B is correct.
Q3.
Shifting cultivation, locally known as “Jhumming” in North-Eastern India, is a type of:
Correct Answer: B
Shifting cultivation involves clearing and burning a patch of forest, growing crops for a few years, and then
moving to a new patch. This simple, traditional method mainly for self-consumption is a form of
primitive subsistence farming.
Q4.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of intensive subsistence farming?
Correct Answer: D
Intensive subsistence farming is marked by small farms, heavy use of labour, and multiple
cropping to get maximum output. Very large, fully mechanised farms are typical of commercial farming, so option D is not a feature.
Q5.
Commercial farming is mainly done to:
Correct Answer: C
In commercial farming, crops are grown with the main aim of earning profit from the market.
Production is not limited to family needs, so option C is correct.
Q6.
Plantation agriculture in India mainly involves:
Correct Answer: B
Plantation farming is a type of commercial farming where a single crop like tea, coffee or rubber
is grown on a large estate with capital and labour. So option B is correct.
Q7.
Mixed farming refers to:
Correct Answer: B
In mixed farming, a farmer grows crops and rears animals on the same farm, e.g., crops with dairy farming.
This gives multiple sources of income and manure. Thus, option B is correct.
Q8.
Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Correct Answer: B
Tea is grown on large estates with capital and hired labour; this is a classic example of plantation farming.
So “Tea estate – Plantation farming” is correctly matched.
B. MCQs on Cropping Pattern – Major & Other Crops
Q9.
The crop which is a kharif crop and requires high temperature, high humidity and rainfall above 100 cm is:
Correct Answer: B
Rice is a kharif crop that needs hot and humid climate with heavy rainfall (or assured irrigation),
fitting the conditions given. Wheat and gram are rabi crops.
Q10.
Which of the following sets of states are leading producers of wheat in India?
Correct Answer: A
Punjab and Haryana are major wheat-producing states, part of the Green Revolution region with extensive irrigation and HYV use.
Therefore, option A is correct.
Q11.
Which of the following is not correctly matched?
Correct Answer: D
Tea is mainly grown in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, not Gujarat.
Jowar–Maharashtra, Bajra–Rajasthan and Ragi–Karnataka are correctly matched, so option D is incorrect and hence the answer.
Q12.
Millets like jowar, bajra and ragi are called “coarse grains” but they are important because they:
Correct Answer: B
Millets are called coarse grains but are nutritious (rich in iron, calcium and fibre) and can
thrive in dry, less fertile soils. This makes option B correct.
Q13.
Pulses are important for Indian agriculture mainly because they:
Correct Answer: C
Most pulses are leguminous crops that fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility.
They are also a rich source of protein in our diet, so option C is correct.
Q14.
Which one of the following is a “food crop other than grain” as per NCERT classification?
Correct Answer: C
Sugarcane is a “food crop other than grain” because it is used for making sugar, gur and other
sweeteners. Rice, wheat and bajra are cereal grains.
Q15.
Which of the following pairs is correctly matched as a fibre crop and a major producing state?
Correct Answer: A
Cotton is a major fibre crop and Maharashtra is one of the leading cotton-producing states.
Jute is mainly grown in West Bengal; rubber in Kerala; tea in Assam and West Bengal. So option A is correct.
Q16.
“Golden Fibre” of India refers to which crop?
Correct Answer: B
Jute is called the “Golden Fibre” because of its shiny golden colour and high economic value as
a natural fibre used for sacks, bags and mats.
Q17.
Which one of the following is mainly grown in the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta as a fibre crop?
Correct Answer: B
The Ganga–Brahmaputra delta, especially in West Bengal, is famous for cultivation of jute.
Thus, option B is correct.
Q18.
Which of the following crops requires an equatorial climate but is also grown in tropical conditions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu?
Correct Answer: C
Rubber is an equatorial crop but in India it is grown in the tropical climate of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
So option C is correct.
C. MCQs on Technological & Institutional Reforms
Q19.
The “Green Revolution” in India mainly refers to:
Correct Answer: B
The Green Revolution was a programme that led to a sharp rise in food grain production,
especially wheat and rice, by using HYV seeds, fertilisers, irrigation and machinery. So option B is correct.
Q20.
HYV seeds refer to:
Correct Answer: A
HYV stands for High Yielding Variety seeds, developed to give much higher yields than traditional
seeds when used with fertilisers and irrigation.
Q21.
Which of the following is an institutional reform introduced in agriculture after Independence?
Correct Answer: C
Abolition of the zamindari system is a change in land ownership and control, so it is an
institutional reform. Fertilisers, tractors and HYV seeds are technological reforms.
Q22.
MSP stands for:
Correct Answer: B
MSP means Minimum Support Price – the pre-announced price at which the government is ready to
purchase crops from farmers to ensure a minimum return.
Q23.
Which organisation is mainly responsible for procuring and storing food grains on behalf of the government?
Correct Answer: A
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures wheat and rice from farmers at MSP and stores them
as buffer stock. RBI, WHO and UNESCO are unrelated to food procurement.
Q24.
Sustainable agriculture aims at:
Correct Answer: B
Sustainable agriculture balances productivity and environmental protection. It conserves soil,
water and biodiversity for future generations, so option B is correct.
D. MCQs on Food Security & PDS
Q25.
Food security means:
Correct Answer: B
Food security is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access
to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Option B correctly states this idea.
Q26.
Public Distribution System (PDS) supplies food grains mainly through:
Correct Answer: C
Under PDS, food grains from buffer stock are distributed at subsidised prices through
fair price shops or ration shops. So option C is correct.
Q27.
Seasonal hunger is most closely associated with:
Correct Answer: B
Seasonal hunger happens when people, especially rural labourers, face food shortage in certain seasons,
usually between sowing and harvest when work is scarce. So option B is correct.
Q28.
Chronic hunger is related mainly to:
Correct Answer: B
Chronic hunger occurs when people continuously get less food than they need over a long period,
usually because of low income and poverty. Hence, option B is correct.
Q29.
Buffer stock of food grains is mainly maintained to:
Correct Answer: C
Buffer stock is used during droughts, floods or production shortfalls and to stabilise prices
and ensure continuous availability of food grains. So option C is correct.
Q30.
Which of the following directly links farmers’ production with consumers’ food security in India?
Correct Answer: B
The chain of Minimum Support Price (MSP), government procurement by FCI and
distribution through PDS connects farmers (who get a fair price) with consumers (who get food at
affordable rates). Thus, option B is correct.