Ans: B

Exp:

Resources that are drawn from Nature and used without much modification are called natural resources. Natural resources can be broadly categorised into renewable and non-renewable resources.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Soil is an important renewable natural resource. It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few cm in depth. As a core component of land resources, agricultural development and ecological sustainability, it is the basis for food, feed, fuel, and fibre production and for many critical ecosystem services. 

Statement 2 is correct:  Soil is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living organisms on earth, hence it is a living system. The formation of soil depends upon relief, parent rock or bedrock, climate, vegetation, and other forms of life and time. 

Ans: A

Exp:

Wind and water are powerful agents of soil erosion because of their ability to remove and transport soil.

Statement 1 is correct: In arid and semi-arid regions, soil erosion is often primarily driven by wind erosion, also known as aeolian erosion. This type of erosion occurs when the wind picks up and carries away loose soil particles, sand, and dust from the surface of the ground. 

Statement 2 is incorrect: In regions with heavy rainfall and steep slopes, erosion by running water is more significant. It takes place mainly in the form of sheet and gully erosion. Sheet erosion takes place on level lands after a heavy shower, while soil removal is not easily noticeable.

Ans: A

Exp:

Statement- I is correct : Soil degradation can be defined as decline in soil fertility , when the nutritional status declines and depth of soil goes down due to erosion and misuse. Soil degradation is the main factor leading to the depleting soil resource base in India . The degree of soil degradation varies from place to place according to the topography , wind velocity and amount of rainfall .

Statement-II is correct :Quality soil is required for better food production and sustainable agriculture. The overuse of fertilisers and flood irrigation techniques can significantly decrease the quality of the soil . Overuse of fertilisers decreases the nutritional content of the soil. Flood irrigation techniques remove the topsoil, which has a high nutritional content. Thus, both factors contribute to the degradation of soil.

Ans: A

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Laterite soils are rich in bauxite or ferric oxides. They are very poor in lime, magnesia, potash and nitrogen. Sometimes, the phosphate content may be high in the form of iron phosphate. In wetter places, there may be a higher content of humus.

Statement 2 is correct:  Laterite soils lack fertility due to intensive leaching. When manured and irrigated, some laterites are suitable for growing plantation crops like tea, coffee, rubber, cinchona, coconut, areca nut, etc. In some areas, these soils support grazing grounds and scrub forests.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Laterite soils cover an area of 2.48 lakh sq km. A continuous stretch of laterite soil is found on the summits of Western Ghats at 1000 to 1500 m above mean sea level, Eastern Ghats, the Rajmahal Hills, Vindhyan, Satpuras and Malwa Plateau. They also occur at lower levels and in valleys in several other parts of the country. They are well developed in south Maharashtra, parts of Karnataka etc. and are widely scattered in other regions.

Ans: D

Exp:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Laterite soil is also called Brick soil and is widely used for brick production as laterite soil becomes soft when wet and becomes very hard when dry. Ideally, it is developed in an equatorial type climate with high temperature and high rainfall, however, it is also developed in tropical rainforest regions apart from the equatorial region. Laterite soil formed through the process of Lateralization. The suitable climatic condition for the lateralization process is high temperature and heavy precipitation. The laterite soil is both soil and rock type and contains around 90 % of Iron, aluminum, titanium, and manganese oxides. It has a lower content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, and magnesia, which makes it less fertile. 

Pair 2 is correctly matched: Calcification occurs when evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation causing the upward movement of dissolved alkaline salts from the groundwater generally in desert regions. At the same time, the movement of rainwater causes a downward movement of the salts. The net result is the deposition of the translocated cations in the B horizon. In some cases, these deposits can form a hard layer called Caliche. The most common substance involved in this process is calcium carbonate.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: Podzolization is associated with Tiaga Region, which is a humid cold mid-latitude climate having short, cool summers and long, severe winters and coniferous vegetation. Decomposition of coniferous litter and heavy summer precipitation create a soil solution that is strongly acidic. This acidic soil solution enhances the processes of eluviation and leaching causes the removal of soluble base cations and aluminium and iron compounds from the A horizon. This process creates a sub layer in the A horizon comprising of silica sand and ash gray in color. The coniferous forests of these climate regions are an integral part of the podzolization process.