Agriculture – Very Short Answer Type Questions
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 50 Very Short Answer Type Questions with clear and concise answers
are prepared strictly from NCERT Class 10 Geography, Chapter 4: Agriculture. They are organised topic-wise to help
you revise quickly and effectively for CBSE Class 10 Board Examinations.
A. Types of Farming – Primitive, Intensive and Commercial
Q1.
What is agriculture?
Answer:
Agriculture is the primary activity of growing crops and rearing animals to produce food, fibre and other useful products for human use.
Q2.
Name any three main types of farming practised in India.
Answer:
The three main types are primitive subsistence farming, intensive subsistence farming and commercial farming.
Q3.
What is primitive subsistence farming?
Answer:
Primitive subsistence farming is a very simple, traditional type of farming done on small patches of land with primitive tools and family labour, mainly for self-consumption.
Q4.
What is shifting cultivation called in the North-Eastern states of India?
Answer:
In the North-Eastern states, shifting cultivation is called “Jhumming”.
Q5.
Which type of farming mainly uses family labour and traditional tools like dao, axe and hoe?
Answer:
Primitive subsistence farming mainly uses family labour and simple traditional tools.
Q6.
What is intensive subsistence farming?
Answer:
Intensive subsistence farming is a type of farming where small holdings are intensively cultivated with a high use of labour and inputs to obtain maximum output from limited land.
Q7.
Name any one region of India where intensive subsistence farming is commonly practised.
Answer:
Intensive subsistence farming is common in the densely populated river plains such as the Indo-Gangetic plains of north India.
Q8.
What is commercial farming?
Answer:
Commercial farming is farming in which crops are grown mainly for sale in the market using modern inputs like HYV seeds, fertilisers and machinery.
Q9.
Give one example of a crop usually grown under commercial farming in India.
Answer:
Cotton is a common commercial crop grown under commercial farming in India.
Q10.
What is plantation farming? Give one example.
Answer:
Plantation farming is a type of commercial farming where a single crop is grown on a large estate using capital and labour, e.g., tea plantation in Assam or West Bengal.
B. Cropping Pattern – Major Crops, Food Crops other than Grains, Non-Food Crops
Q11.
What is meant by cropping pattern?
Answer:
Cropping pattern refers to the proportion of area under different crops at a point of time and the way crops are rotated or associated in a region.
Q12.
What are kharif crops? Give one example.
Answer:
Kharif crops are sown with the onset of the monsoon and harvested in September–October, e.g., rice.
Q13.
What are rabi crops? Give one example.
Answer:
Rabi crops are sown in winter and harvested in summer, e.g., wheat.
Q14.
What are zaid crops? Give one example.
Answer:
Zaid crops are grown in the short season between rabi and kharif, e.g., watermelon or cucumber.
Q15.
Name any two major rice-producing states of India.
Answer:
Two major rice-producing states are West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Q16.
What kind of climate is required for growing rice?
Answer:
Rice needs a hot and humid climate with temperatures above 25°C and annual rainfall above 100 cm or assured irrigation.
Q17.
Name any two major wheat-producing states of India.
Answer:
Two major wheat-producing states are Punjab and Haryana.
Q18.
Why are millets called “coarse grains” yet important for us?
Answer:
Millets are called “coarse grains” because of their rough texture, but they are rich in nutrients like iron, calcium and fibre, making them very healthy.
Q19.
Name any two millet crops grown in India.
Answer:
Two millet crops are jowar and bajra.
Q20.
Name any two states which are leading producers of maize in India.
Answer:
Two leading maize-producing states are Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
Q21.
Why are pulses important in our diet as well as for the soil?
Answer:
Pulses are rich in protein for our diet and they also fix nitrogen in the soil, improving soil fertility.
Q22.
Name any two important pulse crops grown in India.
Answer:
Two important pulse crops are tur (arhar) and gram.
Q23.
Name any two major sugarcane-producing states of India.
Answer:
Two major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Q24.
Name any two important oilseed crops grown in India.
Answer:
Two important oilseed crops are groundnut and mustard.
Q25.
Which state is the leading producer of tea in India?
Answer:
Assam is the leading tea-producing state in India.
Q26.
Name any one state famous for coffee cultivation in India.
Answer:
Karnataka is famous for coffee cultivation in India.
Q27.
What do you mean by non-food crops? Give one example.
Answer:
Non-food crops are crops that are not grown for direct eating but for industrial or other uses, e.g., cotton.
Q28.
Name any two fibre crops grown in India.
Answer:
Two fibre crops are cotton and jute.
Q29.
Which soil and climate are most suitable for growing cotton in India?
Answer:
Cotton grows best in black cotton soil and needs a warm climate with light rainfall and bright sunshine.
Q30.
Why is jute called the “Golden Fibre”?
Answer:
Jute is called the “Golden Fibre” because of its shiny golden colour and high economic value as an important fibre crop used in sacks and bags.
C. Technological and Institutional Reforms in Agriculture
Q31.
What was the Green Revolution in India?
Answer:
The Green Revolution was a programme introduced in the 1960s to increase food grain production using HYV seeds, fertilisers, irrigation and modern technology.
Q32.
What does HYV stand for?
Answer:
HYV stands for High Yielding Variety (of seeds).
Q33.
What are institutional reforms in agriculture?
Answer:
Institutional reforms are policy measures and changes in systems such as land reforms, cooperatives and support prices to improve conditions for farmers.
Q34.
What is the full form of MSP in agriculture?
Answer:
MSP stands for Minimum Support Price.
Q35.
Why does the government announce MSP for certain crops?
Answer:
The government announces MSP to guarantee farmers a fair price for their produce and protect them from sharp falls in market prices.
Q36.
Which organisation is responsible for procuring and storing food grains on behalf of the government?
Answer:
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and storing food grains.
Q37.
What is cooperative farming?
Answer:
Cooperative farming is when farmers pool their land, labour and resources and work together as a group to get better credit, inputs and marketing facilities.
Q38.
What is meant by consolidation of land holdings?
Answer:
Consolidation of land holdings means bringing fragmented pieces of land of a farmer into one compact block to make farming more efficient.
Q39.
What is the White Revolution related to?
Answer:
The White Revolution is related to the rapid increase in milk production through improved animal husbandry and dairy development.
Q40.
Why is sustainable agriculture needed in India today?
Answer:
Sustainable agriculture is needed to protect soil, water and environment while maintaining productivity so that future generations can also meet their needs.
D. Food Security in India
Q41.
What is food security?
Answer:
Food security means that all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.
Q42.
Name the government agency that maintains buffer stock of food grains in India.
Answer:
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) maintains the buffer stock of food grains.
Q43.
What is buffer stock?
Answer:
Buffer stock is the store of surplus food grains like wheat and rice kept by the government to be used during shortage, price rise or natural calamities.
Q44.
What is the Public Distribution System (PDS)?
Answer:
PDS is a system through which the government distributes subsidised food grains from buffer stock to the poor through fair price shops.
Q45.
What are fair price shops popularly known as?
Answer:
Fair price shops are popularly known as ration shops.
Q46.
Mention any one group of people who benefit from the PDS in India.
Answer:
The PDS mainly benefits the poor and low-income households who get food grains at subsidised prices.
Q47.
What is seasonal hunger?
Answer:
Seasonal hunger occurs when people face shortage of food at certain times of the year, usually between crop seasons when work is not available.
Q48.
What is chronic hunger?
Answer:
Chronic hunger occurs when people regularly get less food than they need for a long period due to poverty and low income.
Q49.
What is meant by self-sufficiency in food grains?
Answer:
Self-sufficiency in food grains means that a country produces enough food grains to meet its own needs without depending heavily on imports.
Q50.
Why is food security particularly important in a country like India?
Answer:
Food security is vital in India because of its large population, widespread poverty and frequent natural disasters, which can easily lead to hunger and malnutrition if food is not available and affordable.