20+ GK Questions and Answers on Types of Soil in India

Have you ever wondered about what makes India so green and so diverse in terms of vegetation? Well, it is the soil below our feet that makes it happen. The reason behind the diversity of vegetation in India lies in the variety of soil present here. This is why our dedicated farmers can cultivate almost all the crops, such as rice, wheat, tea and cotton. Ever thought about what kind of soil suits what purpose? Test yourself in this interesting quiz on the soils of India. Will you be able to prove your skills and score full marks?

GK Quiz On Types of Soil in India

Here are 20 multiple-choice questions on different types of soil in India.

Q1. Which soil covers the largest part of India and is super good for farming?

a) Red Soil

b) Alluvial Soil

c) Desert Soil

Ans.: b) Alluvial Soil

Explanation: Alluvial soil is an invaluable gift of the rivers. Rivers such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra bring fertile soil from the mountainous regions and deposit it on the plains. This soil covers more than 40% of India and is the most ideal type of soil for growing our major crops such as rice and wheat.

Q2. If you want to grow cotton to make soft clothes, which soil is famous for being the absolute best for it?

a) Black Soil

b) Laterite Soil

c) Mountain Soil

Ans.: a) Black Soil

Explanation: Black Soil is popularly referred to as the "Black Cotton Soil". It is because the cotton plant loves growing in such soil. The soil can retain water for a long period, keeping the water-loving cotton plant happy during the dry seasons.

Q3. What gives Red Soil its bright red colour?

a) Crushed red bricks

b) Iron in the rocks

c) Red chillies

Ans.: b) Iron in the rocks

Explanation: Although it seems like an experiment in science class, it is really the amount of iron contained in Red soil that gives it the colour. In the same way as the metal bikes turn reddish from rust after being around for long, so does iron react with the air.

Q4. What is another local name that farmers use for Black Soil?

a) Khadar

b) Bhangar

c) Regur

Ans.: c) Regur

Explanation: Though referred to as "black soil" by scientists, it is called "Regur" soil by local farmers. It is commonly available in the Deccan Plateau region such as Maharashtra and Gujarat where there were active volcanoes a few million years ago.

Q5. Which soil is very sandy, cannot hold much water, and is mostly found in dry places like Rajasthan?

a) Peaty Soil

b) Arid Soil

c) Alluvial Soil

Ans.: b) Arid Soil

Explanation: The arid soil is nothing but desert soil. Since Rajasthan receives very less rainfall, the soil in Rajasthan is sandy and salty. Farmers require irrigation pipes to provide additional water for growing any crops here.

Q6. Alluvial soil is divided into two types. What do we call the "new" alluvial soil that gets refreshed by floods every year?

a) Khadar

b) Bhangar

c) Usara

Ans.: a) Khadar

Explanation: Flooding of rivers and depositing of mud takes place annually. This new and very fertile mud is known as Khadar. The old mud which lies at a higher level in the river banks and which does not get flooded any more is known as Bhangar.

Q7. Which soil is formed when heavy rain washes away all the good nutrients, leaving behind hard dirt that is great for making bricks?

a) Laterite Soil

b) Red Soil

c) Saline Soil

Ans.: a) Laterite Soil

Explanation: Think about cleaning a chocolate chip cookie under running water such that only the tough part remains. This is exactly what happens when heavy rains fall on Laterite soil. The soft and fertile part of the soil is washed away by water. Once the soil dries up in the sun, it becomes very hard and can be cut into blocks for construction.

Q8. If you are climbing the tall Himalayan mountains, what kind of soil will you mostly find under your hiking boots?

a) Desert Soil

b) Forest and Mountain Soil

c) Black Soil

Ans.: b) Forest and Mountain Soil

Explanation: As its name suggests, such soil is located at a higher altitude, either in mountains or forest regions. Such type of soil is formed from decayed leaves, branches, and twigs. It is very suitable for cultivating apple and aromatic crops.

Q9. Which of these soils is known for swelling up and getting super sticky when it is wet, but develops deep cracks when it dries?

a) Alluvial Soil

b) Black Soil

c) Laterite Soil

Ans.: b) Black Soil

Explanation: Black soil is like play clay. The black soil absorbs lots of water when the rainy season arrives. However, in the summer months, the black soil turns dry and develops huge cracks in it. These cracks allow the air to enter into the soil.

Q10. Red soil looks red most of the time, but it changes its color to yellow under one special condition. When does it look yellow?

a) When it is mixed with water

b) When the sun shines on it

c) When fertilizer is added

Ans.: a) When it is mixed with water

Explanation: This is an amazing magic trick of nature. The soil with a red colour owes its colour due to the presence of iron. However, when this soil has absorbed too much water (it is known as being hydrated by scientists), the color mysteriously changes to yellowish!

Q11. Which soil is mostly found near the sea beaches and river deltas and has too much salt in it?

a) Saline and Alkaline Soil

b) Black Soil

c) Peaty Soil

Ans.: a) Saline and Alkaline Soil

Explanation: "Saline" means "salty." In regions which have sea nearby or where there is an abundance of poor drainage, salt rises to the surface of the earth. Due to the extremely high salinity level in this region, it is very difficult for ordinary plants to thrive here.

Q12. Which soil is famous for growing delicious crops like tea, coffee, and cashew nuts in places like Kerala and Karnataka?

a) Arid Soil

b) Laterite Soil

c) Peaty Soil

Ans.: b) Laterite Soil

Explanation: Although heavy rainfall flushes away many nutrients from the Laterite soil, it is, in fact, ideal for plantation farming. If you just add some fertilizer to the Laterite soil, then you can grow your tea and coffee and cashews in it!

Q13. Peaty soil is very black, heavy, and has a lot of dead plant matter (humus) in it. Where would you usually find it?

a) In hot deserts

b) In wet, marshy areas with heavy rainfall

c) On top of snowy mountains

Ans.: b) In wet, marshy areas with heavy rainfall

Explanation: The peaty soils are common in the swampy and marshy areas where it rains frequently, such as Kerala and West Bengal. Due to the frequent rainfalls and presence of plenty of water, the dead vegetation does not decay and accumulates and makes the soil dark and heavy.

Q14. Almost all soils in India are missing one very important nutrient that plants need to grow big and green. Which one is it?

a) Iron

b) Nitrogen

c) Salt

Ans.: b) Nitrogen

Explanation: Plants just cannot survive without getting Nitrogen for their large leaves, yet soil in India doesn’t usually have sufficient Nitrogen content. This is precisely the reason why farmers need to buy fertilizers that contain Nitrogen (such as Urea).

Q15. What is the older, less fertile type of Alluvial soil called, which has small stones and pebbles mixed inside it?

a) Khadar

b) Bhangar

c) Regur

Ans.: b) Bhangar

Explanation: Just as we know Khadar to be new mud, Bhangar is old alluvium soil. Because it is old soil, it tends to have some white stones called kankar in it and is not as fertile as the newly formed Khadar.

Q16. Which natural force is NOT a main reason for soil erosion (which means the good top dirt getting wiped away)?

a) Fast-flowing water

b) Strong winds

c) Moonlight

Ans.: c) Moonlight

Explanation: The top layer of the soil gets carried off due to very strong winds or heavy rainfalls. The moonlight is just soft light falling on the moon, and it does not do anything to the soil.

Q17. What clever trick do farmers use in hilly mountain areas to stop the soil from washing away during heavy rains?

a) Planting cactus

b) Terrace farming

c) Throwing rocks

Ans.: b) Terrace farming

Explanation: If the seedlings are planted on the steep slope, then all the topsoil will be washed away by rain. Hence, the farmers create wide terraces on the mountainside, and this practice is known as terrace farming. These terraces work like speed breakers for the water and prevent soil erosion.

Q18. The Deccan Plateau in India is covered mostly with Black soil. How was this huge area of black dirt originally created?

a) From ancient rivers flooding

b) From old volcanic lava cooling down

c) From giant meteorites crashing

Ans.: b) From old volcanic lava cooling down

Explanation: Millions of years ago, hot liquid lava from volcanoes spread out over a large part of central India. When that lava finally cooled down and broke into tiny peices over thousands of years, it became the famous black basalt dirt we see today.

Q19. Saline soils are sometimes called by local names in villages. Which of these is a common local name for salty, infertile land?

a) Usara

b) Khadar

c) Bhangar

Ans.: a) Usara

Explanation: In lots of Indian villages, if a piece of land has too much white salt on top and cannot grow crops properly, the local farmers call it "Usara" or "Reh". It basically means barren land where nothing good can grow.

Q20. Which state in India has the largest area covered by the rich and fertile Alluvial Soil?

a) Maharashtra

b) Uttar Pradesh

c) Rajasthan

Ans.: b) Uttar Pradesh

Explanation: The State of Uttar Pradesh is situated in the heart of the vast plains of northern India. As the mighty Ganga river system passes right through it, depositing fresh silt all the time, the UP state possesses the greatest share of this unique agricultural soil.