Question

Match Column I with Column II and choose the correct option:

Column I (Type of Soil)	Column II (Characteristic)
a. Alluvial soil	i. Sandy in texture and saline in nature
b. Black soil	ii. Very fertile, containing potash, phosphorus and lime
c. Laterite soil	iii. Made from lava parent rocks, suitable for cotton cultivation
d. Arid soil	iv. Decrease in humus content in semi-arid environment

• A. a-ii, b-iii, c-i, d-iv
• B. a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i
• C. a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i
• D. a-iii, b-ii, c-i, d-iv

Hint:

Two descriptions almost name their soil. Lava and cotton point to black soil, and sandy with saline points to arid soil. Fix those two and the rest follows.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:

• Rather than matching from Column I, this question can be solved by reading each characteristic in Column II and asking which soil it can only belong to.
• Two of the four descriptions name their soil almost openly.

Step 1: Read description iii, made from lava parent rocks and suitable for cotton.
Only one Indian soil is formed from lava and is famous for cotton, and that is black soil, also called regur. So b takes iii.
Options (B) and (D) pair b with ii instead, so both are out.

Step 2: Read description i, sandy in texture and saline in nature.
Sandy and saline describes the dry western region, so this belongs to arid soil. Therefore d takes i.
Option (A) pairs d with iv, so option (A) is out as well.

Step 3: Confirm the one option still standing.
Only option (C) remains, reading a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i.

Step 4: Verify the two pairs not yet used.
Description ii speaks of high fertility with potash, phosphorus and lime, which fits the river-deposited alluvial soil, so a-ii holds. Description iv speaks of low humus, which fits laterite soil, where heat destroys the decomposing bacteria, so c-iv holds.

Final Answer: (C) a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i