- (a)a b c d
- (b)b a d c
- (c)d b c a
- (d)d c b a
Correct — D: d c b a. Balaghat, in MP's tribal eastern belt, is a leading producer of the minor millets Kodo and Kutki (d); Betul, with extensive Satpura forest cover, is known for teakwood/sagon (c); Khargone, in the Nimar plains, is one of MP's major chilli-growing districts (b); and Narsinghpur, an agriculturally rich Narmada-valley district, is known for tuar (split pigeon pea) and jaggery (a).
- (a)a b c d — Wrongly pairs Balaghat with tuar/jaggery and Narsinghpur with kodo-kutki — the reverse of the correct district-product matches.
- (b)b a d c — Wrongly pairs Balaghat with chilli and Khargone with kodo-kutki, swapping the correct associations.
- (c)d b c a — Gets Balaghat and Narsinghpur right but swaps Betul and Khargone's products — assigning chilli to Betul and teakwood to Khargone instead of the reverse.
Madhya Pradesh's districts have distinct agro-climatic specialisations tied to their geography: forested belts yield timber (Betul's teak), tribal eastern districts grow minor millets (Balaghat's kodo-kutki), the Nimar plains grow chilli (Khargone), and the fertile Narmada valley supports pulses and sugarcane-based jaggery (Narsinghpur's tuar and gur).
MPPSC's classic 'match the district with its produce' format tests precisely this — the same four items are permuted across options, so the trap is knowing the general facts (MP = teak/millets/chilli/pulses) without pinning the correct district to each.
- Balaghat — Kodo & Kutki (minor millets), tribal eastern MP
- Betul — Teakwood (Sagon), forested Satpura belt
- Khargone — Chilli and chilli products, Nimar plains
- Narsinghpur — Tuar dal (split pigeon pea) & jaggery, Narmada valley
Official answer (d): d–c–b–a, matching every district to its genuine produce.
- Mixing up which district grows which crop when the options only permute the same four labels
- Assuming a district's ODOP-branded product (e.g., Balaghat's Chinnor rice under the PM-FME scheme) is the same as the dominant crop tested here — match questions test district produce generally, not always the ODOP label
MPPSC's signature 'match the district with its product' format cycles through MP's economic geography almost every year; UPSC rarely goes this granular but does test broader agro-climatic region-to-crop associations.
MPPSC_2024_PRE_PaperI_Q392024Match the following districts of Madhya Pradesh with their unique product and choose the correct option: (1) Ashoknagar – (i) Bananas (2) Khargone – (ii) Maheshwari Sarees and Tiger Print (3) Burhanpur – (iii) Chanderi Sarees (4) Mandsaur – (iv) Garlic
- (a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
- (b) (iii) (ii) (i) (iv)
- (c) (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
- (d) (ii) (iii) (iv) (i)
Answer(b) (iii) (ii) (i) (iv)
Same MPPSC question format tested three years later — MP districts matched to a distinctive product/craft (a different district-product set than this 2021 question, but the identical 'district ↔ produce' concept).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Kodo and Kutki, associated with Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, are examples of:
- (a)Minor millets
- (b)Pulses
- (c)Oilseeds
- (d)Spices
Answer(a) Minor millets — hardy, low-input coarse cereals traditionally grown in MP's tribal belt.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, which includes Khargone district, is best known as the state's belt for which cash crop?
- (a)Chilli
- (b)Tea
- (c)Coffee
- (d)Jute
Answer(a) Chilli — Khargone is one of MP's largest chilli-growing districts.