Test yourself

Contemporary India – II

Class 10 · Geography

Real UPSC Prelims questions from 2016–2026, linked to this book. Try each one first, then open the answer. 2026 answers follow UPSC's provisional answer key.

Ch 1 · Resources and Development

Prelims 2016 · Q57

With reference to 'Agenda 21', sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:

1.It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
2.It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 1 (Resources and Development).

Class 10 Contemporary India II, ch 1: Agenda 21 was signed by world leaders at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to achieve global sustainable development. So 1 is true and 2 (Johannesburg, 2002) is false. Answer (a).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2016), question 57 ↗

Prelims 2021 · Q64

The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of

(a)brown forest soil
(b)fissure volcanic rock
(c)granite and schist
(d)shale and limestone

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 1 (Resources and Development); Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 1 (The Story of Indian Farming).

Contemporary India – II (ch 1): black soil is typical of the Deccan trap (basalt) region and is made up of lava flows. Exploring Society, Class 7 Part 2 (ch 1): black soil forms from weathered volcanic rock. So (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2021), question 64 ↗

Ch 2 · Forest and Wildlife Resources

Prelims 2022 · Q89

With reference to Indian laws about wildlife protection, consider the following statements:

1.Wild animals are the sole property of the government.
2.When a wild animal is declared protected, such animal is entitled for equal protection whether it is found in protected areas or outside.
3.Apprehension of a protected wild animal becoming a danger to human life is sufficient ground for its capture or killing.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 and 2
(b)2 only
(c)1 and 3
(d)3 only

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 2 (Forest and Wildlife Resources); Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 14 (Biodiversity and Conservation).

The one fact NCERT doesn't give: Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, only some wild animals — such as those hunted illegally or found dead — become government property. Wild animals in general are not its 'sole property'.

Class 10 Contemporary India II, ch 2: protected animals have legal protection against hunting and trade throughout India, not only in protected areas (2 true). With the fact, 1 is false, which leaves only (b). Answer (b).

Beyond NCERT: statement 3 is false too. The Act lets the Chief Wild Life Warden permit killing only an animal that has become dangerous, and only if it cannot be captured, tranquilised or translocated. A mere fear is not enough. Source: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, section 11(1)(a), as amended by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (No. 16 of 2003) — text on the Wildlife Institute of India site (v1.wii.gov.in/wildlife_act_1)

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2022), question 89 ↗

Ch 4 · Agriculture

Prelims 2019 · Q83

With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements:

1.Area under rice cultivation is the highest.
2.Area under the cultivation of jowar is more than that of oilseeds.
3.Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.
4.Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a)1 and 3 only
(b)2, 3 and 4 only
(c)2 and 4 only
(d)1, 2, 3 and 4

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 12 India: People and Economy, Ch 3 (Land Resources and Agriculture); Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 4 (Agriculture).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 12 India: People and Economy, ch 3, puts jowar at about 5.3% of cropped area. Class 10 Contemporary India II, ch 4, puts oilseeds at about 12%. So statement 2 (more area under jowar than oilseeds) is false, and every option except (a) contains it. Note that these shares are for the whole year, not kharif alone.

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2019), question 83 ↗

Prelims 2020 · Q87

"The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost-free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop." Which one of the following is that crop?

(a)Cotton
(b)Jute
(c)Sugarcane
(d)Tea

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 4 (Agriculture).

Contemporary India – II (ch 4): cotton needs high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine. So (a).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2020), question 87 ↗

Prelims 2022 · Q62

Consider the following States:

1.Andhra Pradesh
2.Kerala
3.Himachal Pradesh
4.Tripura

How many of the above are generally known as tea-producing States?

(a)Only one State
(b)Only two States
(c)Only three States
(d)All four States

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 4 (Agriculture).

Contemporary India – II (ch 4) names Kerala among the major tea-producing states, and Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura among the other tea-producing states. All four are tea-producing states. So (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2022), question 62 ↗

Ch 5 · Minerals and Energy Resources

Prelims 2023 · Q6

Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

(a)Aluminium
(b)Copper
(c)Iron
(d)Titanium

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 5 (Minerals and Energy Resources).

Contemporary India – II (ch 5): titanium oxide comes from the minerals rutile, ilmenite and anatase. So (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2023), question 6 ↗

Ch 7 · Lifelines of National Economy

Prelims 2019 · Q65

In the context of India, which of the following factors is/are contributor/contributors to reducing the risk of a currency crisis?

1.The foreign currency earnings of India's IT sector
2.Increasing the government expenditure
3.Remittances from Indians abroad

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a)1 only
(b)1 and 3 only
(c)2 only
(d)1, 2 and 3

Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 7 (Lifelines of National Economy); Class 12 Introductory Macroeconomics, Ch 6 (Open Economy Macroeconomics).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 10 Contemporary India II, ch 7: India earns large foreign exchange from IT exports. Class 12 Macroeconomics, ch 6: remittances ('transfers') are inflows in the balance of payments. Both bring in dollars, which protects the rupee. More government spending does not. Answer (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2019), question 65 ↗

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