Which of the following characteristics is NOT correct with reference to the black soil of Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)Black soil is also known as cotton soil.
- (b)It has high moisture-retaining capacity.
- (c)Black soil contains a higher proportion of sand.
- (d)Its structure is cloddy but sometimes crumbly.
Correct — C is the statement that is NOT correct. Black soil (regur, or 'cotton soil') is a clay-rich vertisol, not a sandy soil — its fine clay content is exactly what gives it high moisture retention and its characteristic self-ploughing, cracking behaviour when dry. A high sand content would be the opposite of what defines this soil.
- (a)Black soil is also known as cotton soil. — This statement IS correct — regur/black soil is popularly called 'cotton soil' or 'black cotton soil' because it is highly suited to cotton cultivation, so it cannot be the 'not correct' answer.
- (b)It has high moisture-retaining capacity. — This statement IS correct — black soil's high clay content lets it retain moisture well, a defining trait, so it does not answer the 'NOT correct' question either.
- (d)Its structure is cloddy but sometimes crumbly. — This statement IS correct — black soil's structure is typically cloddy, occasionally turning crumbly at the surface, so it is not the false statement being asked for.
Black soil (regur soil) forms in situ from the weathering of basalt lava — the Deccan Trap — and is defined by its fine clay content, not sand. That clay gives it high moisture retention, a self-ploughing cracking behaviour when dry, and a cloddy-to-crumbly structure. It is called 'cotton soil' because these traits (retaining moisture through dry spells) make it well suited to rain-fed cotton.
The trap in 'NOT correct' questions is treating every plausible-sounding statement as equally likely to be wrong; the reasoning must isolate the one factual error. Here, three statements (name, moisture, structure) are standard textbook facts about black soil, while 'higher proportion of sand' directly contradicts its clay-rich, basalt-derived nature.
- Black soil (regur) is a clay-rich vertisol, not a sandy soil.
- It forms from the in-situ weathering of basaltic lava (Deccan Trap rock).
- High clay content gives it high moisture retention and characteristic dry-season cracking.
- Popularly called 'black cotton soil' for its suitability to cotton cultivation.
Option (c) is the false statement — black soil owes its moisture retention to clay, not sand.
- Assuming black soil is sandy because 'cotton soil' sounds coarse-textured — it is actually clay-rich
- Confusing black soil's dry-season cracking (a clay shrink-swell effect) with a sign of low moisture retention — it is actually a sign of high retention
MPPSC likes 'which statement about black soil is NOT correct' — the safe anchor is clay-rich, basalt-derived, moisture-retentive, cloddy; a claim of 'sandy' or 'low fertility' is usually the false one.
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 achist
- (d) shale and limestone
Answer(b) fissure volcanic rock — the Deccan Trap basalt.
Same soil type (black/regur cotton soil) — tests its basalt origin, the same clay-rich, non-sandy character that makes option (c) false here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Black soil (regur) is formed by the weathering of which type of rock?
- (a)Granite
- (b)Fissure volcanic (basaltic) rock
- (c)Sandstone
- (d)Limestone
Answer(b) Fissure volcanic rock — the basalt of the Deccan Trap.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In which region of Madhya Pradesh is black soil most extensively found?
- (a)Baghelkhand
- (b)Malwa Plateau
- (c)Bundelkhand
- (d)Vindhyan Scarplands
Answer(b) Malwa Plateau — MP's principal black-soil belt.