Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Wheat is the principal Rabi crop, sown in October–December and harvested in April–June; other Rabi crops include barley, gram, mustard and peas. Rice is mainly a Kharif crop, though a second crop is grown in some irrigated regions, cotton is a Kharif crop grown mainly on the black soils of the Deccan, and groundnut is mainly a Kharif oilseed.
- Statement 1: Zaid crops are grown in the short season between the Rabi and Kharif seasons.
- Statement 2: Rabi crops are sown with the onset of the south-west monsoon.
Statement 1 is correct — Zaid crops such as watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder are grown in the summer months between the Rabi harvest and Kharif sowing. Statement 2 is incorrect — it is Kharif crops that are sown with the onset of the monsoon (June–July), while Rabi crops are sown in winter (October–December).
Statement (b) is incorrect — rice needs high temperatures (above 25°C), high humidity and heavy rainfall (above 100 cm), or assured irrigation. The other statements are correct: tea needs well-drained slopes to avoid waterlogging and Assam is the largest producer, jute is concentrated in West Bengal where flood-renewed alluvial soil suits it, and black (regur) soil retains moisture, making it ideal for cotton.
- Assertion (A): Karnataka is the leading producer of coffee in India.
- Reason (R): The hill slopes of the Western Ghats in Karnataka provide shade, adequate rainfall and well-drained soils suited to coffee.
A is correct — Karnataka produces about 70% of India’s coffee, mainly in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan. R is correct and explains A — coffee is grown under shade trees on well-drained hill slopes with moderate to heavy rainfall, exactly the conditions the Western Ghats in Karnataka offer. Coffee was introduced in India in the Baba Budan Hills in the 17th century.
- India is the largest producer of milk in the world.
- India is the largest producer of pulses in the world.
- In India, saffron is cultivated mainly in Himachal Pradesh.
Statement 1 is correct — India is the world’s largest milk producer, a position built on Operation Flood (1970) led by Verghese Kurien. Statement 2 is correct — India is the largest producer, and also the largest consumer and importer, of pulses. Statement 3 is incorrect — saffron is grown mainly in Jammu & Kashmir, especially around Pampore, and Kashmir saffron has a GI tag.
