NDA (I) 2023 General Ability Test · Question 95 of 149

Correct — D, electrical and electronic industries. Mica is an excellent electrical insulator that also withstands high temperatures, so it is used mainly in the electrical and electronics industries — as insulation in capacitors, heating elements, and electrical appliances.

• (a)food and beverage industry — Mica is not a food-industry material; its value is as an insulator.
• (b)iron and steel industry — Manganese and limestone serve steel-making; mica's role is electrical insulation, not steel.
• (c)aluminium industry — Bauxite and cryolite are the aluminium inputs; mica is not used there.

Mica is a sheet silicate that splits into thin, transparent, flexible sheets. Its combination of high dielectric strength, thermal stability and chemical inertness makes it an ideal insulator. India (notably the Jharkhand–Bihar belt) has been a major mica producer; the mineral is used in capacitors, insulators, and heating-appliance components.

Link mica's key property (electrical insulation, heat resistance) to its main use in the electrical/electronics industry.

• Mica is a sheet silicate that is an excellent electrical insulator.
• It resists high temperatures and is chemically inert.
• Its main use is in electrical and electronic industries (capacitors, insulation).
• India's mica belt lies mainly in Jharkhand–Bihar.

• Guessing a random industry — link the property (insulation) to the use.
• Confusing mica with graphite or asbestos.

Asked as the main industrial use of mica, or its key property.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Mica is prized mainly because it is a good

  • (a)conductor of heat
  • (b)electrical insulator
  • (c)fuel
  • (d)abrasive

  Answer(b) electrical insulator.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  India's mica belt lies mainly in

  • (a)Jharkhand–Bihar
  • (b)Gujarat–Rajasthan
  • (c)Kerala–Tamil Nadu
  • (d)Punjab–Haryana

  Answer(a) Jharkhand–Bihar.