Which one of the following is the largest coal producing centre of Ukraine?
- (a)Donetsk
- (b)Kyiv
- (c)Kharkiv
- (d)Zaporizhzhia
Correct — A, Donetsk. Donetsk lies in the Donets Basin (Donbas), Ukraine's historic coal-mining heartland and by far its largest coal-producing region. The city itself grew as a coal-and-steel centre, and the surrounding Donbas coalfield has long supplied most of the country's coal.
- (b)Kyiv — Kyiv is Ukraine's capital and its political and cultural centre, not a coal-mining hub.
- (c)Kharkiv — Kharkiv is a major engineering and industrial city in the north-east, but it is not the country's coal-producing centre.
- (d)Zaporizhzhia — Zaporizhzhia is known for metallurgy, Dnieper hydro power and a large nuclear plant, not for coal production.
Ukraine's coal is concentrated in the Donbas (Donets Basin) in the east, centred on Donetsk and Luhansk. This hard-coal/anthracite belt fed the region's iron-and-steel industry, which is why the Donbas has long been so economically and strategically contested.
Elimination works well here: Kyiv (capital), Kharkiv (engineering) and Zaporizhzhia (metallurgy/nuclear) are each famous for something other than coal — the coal name is Donetsk / the Donbas.
- Donetsk sits in the Donbas (Donets Basin), Ukraine's main coalfield
- Historically a combined coal-and-steel centre
- The Donbas is Ukraine's largest coal-producing region
- Contrast: Kyiv (capital), Zaporizhzhia (metallurgy / hydro / nuclear)
- Picking the capital (Kyiv) by default
- Confusing coal (Donetsk) with metallurgy/nuclear (Zaporizhzhia)
As a country↔resource/centre match, often riding a current-affairs region (Donbas) that is in the news.
Consider the following pairs: Area of conflict mentioned in news — Country where it is located. 1. Donbas — Syria; 2. Kachin — Ethiopia; 3. Tigray — North Yemen. How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Answer(d) None
Shares the Donbas (Donets Basin) concept — the Donetsk-centred Donbas is in eastern Ukraine, not Syria, so none of the pairs match.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Donbas region, prominent in recent news, is chiefly associated with which of the following?
- (a)Coal mining and heavy industry
- (b)Wine and viticulture
- (c)Deep-sea fishing
- (d)Diamond mining
Answer(a) Coal mining and heavy industry (the Donets Basin).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia has been in the news mainly on account of:
- (a)a large nuclear power plant
- (b)a coal export terminal
- (c)an oil refinery complex
- (d)a gold mine
Answer(a) Europe's largest nuclear power plant.