UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — “Save both people and fields”: Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches nationwide ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ from Taraori in Karnal

Q1. With reference to the pricing and subsidy regime for chemical fertilisers in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. For urea, the farm-gate retail price is fixed, and the subsidy is the element that varies to absorb changes in the delivered cost.
  2. Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme, the subsidy per kg of nutrient is fixed in advance for a period instead of adjusting automatically to cover a manufacturer's actual cost.
  3. Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme, the Government notifies the maximum retail price of each grade of phosphatic and potassic fertiliser.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Fertiliser use in India is skewed towards nitrogen, well beyond the recommended proportion relative to phosphorus and potassium.
  2. The retail price of urea is fixed by the Government irrespective of production cost, whereas the retail prices of phosphatic and potassic fertilisers are decontrolled.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Consider the following data on fertiliser use in India: the recommended N:P:K use ratio is about 4:2:1; the reported actual use ratio is about 6.7:2.4:1; and nitrogen use efficiency is estimated at 30–45%. Which of the following inferences can validly be drawn from the above data?

  1. Relative to potassium, nitrogen is being applied in a much higher proportion than recommended.
  2. India's absolute consumption of phosphatic fertilisers falls short of what its crops require.
  3. More than half of the nitrogen applied is not taken up by the crops.
  4. Most of the nitrogen that crops fail to take up is lost by leaching into groundwater.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Imbalanced, urea-heavy fertiliser use, together with low soil organic matter, has been linked to deficiencies of micronutrients in Indian soils.
  2. The Soil Health Card reports a farm's status for micronutrients such as zinc and boron, besides nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to PM-PRANAM, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A State's reduction in chemical fertiliser use is measured against its own average consumption over the previous three years, not against a uniform national benchmark.
  2. The incentive is credited directly to the bank accounts of individual farmers who reduce their fertiliser purchases.
  3. A State whose consumption of the covered fertilisers in a year exceeds its previous three-year average generates no subsidy saving and hence no incentive for that year.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. With reference to including pulses in a cereal-based crop rotation, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Pulses obtain their nitrogen mainly through free-living soil bacteria such as Azotobacter rather than through bacteria in root nodules.
  2. A pulse crop leaves residual nitrogen and organic matter in the soil that benefits the cereal crop that follows.
  3. Because pulses meet much of their own nitrogen requirement biologically, they generally need less nitrogenous fertiliser than paddy or wheat.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 3 only

Q7. With reference to the production of ammonia for nitrogenous fertilisers, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In the conventional route, the hydrogen used in ammonia synthesis is typically obtained from natural gas.
  2. Green ammonia does away with the Haber–Bosch synthesis step, because nitrogen gets fixed directly during the electrolysis of water.
  3. In both the conventional and the green route, the nitrogen in the ammonia is drawn from the air.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only