18 questions·with explanations·for RAS, Patwari, VDO and other Rajasthan exams
Questions
Q1
IR8, the high-yielding 'miracle rice' variety introduced in India in 1966 during the Green Revolution, was developed at:
(1)CIMMYT (Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre), Mexico
(2)ICRISAT, Patancheru (Hyderabad)
(3)Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack
(4)International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines✓ Correct answer
Answer: (4) International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines
Explanation
IR8 was bred at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Philippines; CIMMYT, Mexico supplied the semi-dwarf wheats.
Q2
Dhanashakti, released in Maharashtra in 2012 as the first mineral-biofortified crop variety in India (developed by ICRISAT with Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth), is a high-iron variety of:
(1)Wheat
(2)Pearl millet (bajra)✓ Correct answer
(3)Maize
(4)Sorghum (jowar)
Answer: (2) Pearl millet (bajra)
Explanation
Dhanashakti is an iron-rich open-pollinated pearl millet (bajra) variety, released in Maharashtra in 2012 and nationally in 2013.
Q3
The GM mustard hybrid DMH-11, developed at Delhi University's Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, uses which genetic system to make large-scale hybrid seed production possible?
(1)Antifreeze-protein gene taken from Arctic fish
(2)Antisense gene that delays fruit ripening
(3)Genes for beta-carotene (provitamin A) synthesis
(4)Barnase–barstar male-sterility and fertility-restorer system✓ Correct answer
Answer: (4) Barnase–barstar male-sterility and fertility-restorer system
Explanation
DMH-11 uses the barnase gene (male sterility) in one parent and barstar (restores fertility) in the other, allowing mustard hybrids to be produced.
Q4
Bollgard II Bt cotton, approved in India in 2006, differs from the first-generation Bt cotton mainly because it carries:
(1)Two insecticidal genes, cry1Ac and cry2Ab✓ Correct answer
(2)Only the single gene cry1Ac
(3)The cry1Ac gene plus a drought-tolerance gene
(4)The cry3Bb gene against root-feeding beetles
Answer: (1) Two insecticidal genes, cry1Ac and cry2Ab
Explanation
Bollgard I had only cry1Ac; Bollgard II (2006) stacks cry1Ac and cry2Ab for wider bollworm control.
Q5
Consider the following statements about biofertilisers:
1. Azolla, used in paddy fields, carries the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena.
2. Rhizobium is a free-living bacterium that fixes nitrogen in the soil without any host plant.
3. Mycorrhizal fungi mainly help plant roots absorb phosphorus from the soil.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(1)1 and 2 only
(2)2 and 3 only
(3)1 and 3 only✓ Correct answer
(4)1, 2 and 3
Answer: (3) 1 and 3 only
Explanation
Statement 2 is wrong: Rhizobium fixes nitrogen symbiotically in legume root nodules; Azotobacter is the free-living fixer.
Q6
Match List-I (bio-agent) with List-II (description):
List-I: A. Trichoderma B. Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) C. Beauveria bassiana D. Azadirachtin
List-II: 1. Botanical pesticide obtained from neem 2. Fungus that suppresses soil-borne plant pathogens 3. Virus that kills caterpillars such as Helicoverpa 4. Fungus that infects and kills insect pests
(1)A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(2)A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1✓ Correct answer
(3)A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
(4)A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
Answer: (2) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
Explanation
Trichoderma is an antagonist of soil-borne fungal pathogens, NPV kills caterpillars, Beauveria is an entomopathogenic fungus and azadirachtin is the active principle of neem.
Q7
Consider the following statements about the Soil Health Card scheme:
1. It was launched by the Prime Minister on 19 February 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
2. The card reports the status of the soil on 12 parameters, including N, P, K, sulphur, micronutrients, pH, EC and organic carbon.
3. Under the scheme, a fresh card is meant to be issued to every farmer every year.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(1)1 and 2 only✓ Correct answer
(2)2 and 3 only
(3)1 and 3 only
(4)1, 2 and 3
Answer: (1) 1 and 2 only
Explanation
The scheme was launched at Suratgarh (Sri Ganganagar) on 19 February 2015 and covers 12 parameters; cards are to be issued every 2 years, not every year.
Q8
'Per Drop More Crop', which promotes drip and sprinkler (micro) irrigation, was launched in 2015-16 as a component of:
Per Drop More Crop was the micro-irrigation component of PMKSY from 2015-16 to 2021-22; since 2022-23 it has been implemented under PM-RKVY.
Q9
In micro-irrigation, the term 'fertigation' refers to:
(1)Spraying fertilisers directly on the leaves of standing crops
(2)Coating seeds with fertilisers and biofertilisers before sowing
(3)Placing fertiliser pellets deep in the soil beside the plant roots
(4)Applying fertilisers dissolved in irrigation water, usually through a drip system✓ Correct answer
Answer: (4) Applying fertilisers dissolved in irrigation water, usually through a drip system
Explanation
Fertigation means supplying fertilisers through the irrigation water (mostly drip), which saves fertiliser and places nutrients at the root zone.
Q10
In precision farming, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), used to judge crop health from satellite or drone images, is calculated from the reflectance in which two bands?
(1)Red and near-infrared✓ Correct answer
(2)Blue and green
(3)Ultraviolet and blue
(4)Thermal infrared and microwave
Answer: (1) Red and near-infrared
Explanation
NDVI = (NIR − Red)/(NIR + Red); healthy leaves absorb red light and strongly reflect near-infrared.
Q11
In precision agriculture, 'Variable Rate Technology' (VRT) means:
(1)Applying the same dose of every input uniformly over the whole field
(2)Applying seed, fertiliser or water at different rates in different parts of a field as per site-specific need✓ Correct answer
(3)Changing the crop variety grown in a field every season
(4)Selling produce at rates that vary with daily mandi prices
Answer: (2) Applying seed, fertiliser or water at different rates in different parts of a field as per site-specific need
Explanation
VRT uses GPS/GIS maps and sensors to vary input doses within a field, cutting waste and cost.
Q12
Consider the following statements about drones in Indian agriculture:
1. In February 2022, the Prime Minister flagged off 100 'Kisan drones' in different parts of the country for spraying pesticides and nutrients.
2. The 'Namo Drone Didi' scheme, approved in November 2023, aims to provide drones to 15,000 selected women self-help groups for agricultural services.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(1)1 only
(2)2 only
(3)Both 1 and 2✓ Correct answer
(4)Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (3) Both 1 and 2
Explanation
Both are correct: 100 Kisan drones were flagged off on 19 February 2022, and Namo Drone Didi targets 15,000 women SHGs who rent out drone services.
Q13
To prevent sprouting of stored potatoes and onions, food irradiation plants in India mainly use:
(1)Ultraviolet rays from mercury lamps
(2)Infrared rays from heating coils
(3)Gamma rays from cobalt-60✓ Correct answer
(4)Microwaves from magnetrons
Answer: (3) Gamma rays from cobalt-60
Explanation
Low-dose gamma irradiation from a cobalt-60 source (e.g. BARC's technology) inhibits sprouting and extends shelf life.
Q14
Under FSSAI regulations, the use of calcium carbide for ripening fruits is banned. Which of the following is permitted for artificial ripening of fruits?
(1)Acetylene gas
(2)Sulphur dioxide gas
(3)Methane gas
(4)Ethylene gas✓ Correct answer
Answer: (4) Ethylene gas
Explanation
FSSAI bans calcium carbide (which releases acetylene) but permits ethylene gas up to 100 ppm, depending on crop, variety and maturity.
Q15
The 'Pusa Zero Energy Cool Chamber', developed by IARI for on-farm storage of fruits and vegetables, keeps the produce cool mainly by:
(1)Evaporative cooling from wet sand packed between double brick walls✓ Correct answer
(2)A small solar-powered vapour-compression unit
(3)Blocks of ice placed under the storage racks
(4)Burying the produce in an underground pit
Answer: (1) Evaporative cooling from wet sand packed between double brick walls
Explanation
Water evaporating from the wet sand between the brick walls absorbs heat, lowering temperature and keeping humidity high without electricity.
Q16
Match List-I (ICAR institute) with List-II (location in Rajasthan):
List-I: A. Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research B. National Research Centre on Seed Spices C. Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute D. Central Institute for Arid Horticulture
List-II: 1. Bikaner 2. Bharatpur 3. Avikanagar (Tonk) 4. Ajmer
(1)A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2
(2)A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1✓ Correct answer
(3)A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
(4)A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Answer: (2) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
Explanation
DRMR is at Sewar (Bharatpur), NRCSS at Tabiji (Ajmer), CSWRI at Avikanagar (Tonk) and CIAH at Bikaner.
Q17
Consider the following statements about the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI):
1. It is a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
2. It began in 1952 as the Desert Afforestation Research Station.
3. It took its present form in 1959 on the recommendation of a UNESCO expert.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(1)1 and 2 only
(2)2 and 3 only✓ Correct answer
(3)1 and 3 only
(4)1, 2 and 3
Answer: (2) 2 and 3 only
Explanation
CAZRI is an ICAR institute, not a CSIR lab; it grew from the 1952 Desert Afforestation Research Station and became CAZRI in 1959 on a UNESCO expert's advice.
Q18
Sex-sorted semen technology, promoted for dairy animals under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, is used mainly to:
(1)Get only male calves for draught work
(2)Produce exact clones of high-yielding cows
(3)Get female calves with about 90% accuracy✓ Correct answer
(4)Raise the fat content of milk of the inseminated cow
Answer: (3) Get female calves with about 90% accuracy
Explanation
Sorting X- and Y-bearing sperm lets farmers get mostly (about 90%) female calves, raising milk output and reducing stray male cattle.