Question

Column I represents the size of the soil particles and Column II represents type of solid components. Which of the following is correct match for the Column I and Column II

	Column I		Column II
A.	0.2 to 2.00 mm	i.	Slit
B.	Less than 0.002 mm	ii.	Clay
C.	0.02 to 0.2 mm	iii.	Coarse sand particle
D.	0.002 to 0.02 mm	iv	Fine sand particle

A. A - (ii),B - (iii),C - (iv),D - (i)
B. A - (iv),B - (i),C - (iii),D - (ii)
C. A - (iii),B - (ii),C - (iv),D - (i)
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. It is commonly called earth or dirt and is a major component of the earth’s ecosystem. Slit, clay, sand, etc. are all different types of soil.

Complete Answer:
- Silt soil is light and moisture-retentive soil type and has a high fertility rating. They are composed of medium size particles. They are well-drained and can hold moisture very well. As they are very fine particles they can be easily compacted and are very prone to washing away with rain. They are created by different physical processes that are capable of splitting the generally sand-sized quartz crystals of primary rocks by exploiting deficiencies in their lattice. Their size ranges from 0.002 to 0.02 mm.

- Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil particles that are composed of hydrous aluminum phyllosilicates, which develops plasticity when they are wet. Clays are plastic in nature due to the presence of water content, geometry, and plasticity. The size of clay particles is smaller than ).002 mm.

- Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. Its particles can either be finer than gravel or coarser than silt. Rocks erode over a long period, mainly by water and wind, and their sediments are transported downstream. These sediments form the fine sand grain by continuously breaking apart into smaller pieces. The type of rock the sediment originated from and the intensity of the environment gives different compositions of sand. For example, dunes are made by dry conditions or wind deposition. Beach sand by erosion, etc. Sand can be divided into various types based on their sizes: very fine sand, fine sand, medium sand, coarse sand, and very coarse sand. Coarse sand particles are 0.2 to 2.00 mm in size and 0.02 to 0.2 mm particles comprise fine sand.

Hence, the correct option is C, “A - (iii), B - (ii), C - (iv), D - (i)”.

Note: The soil texture is determined by the relative amounts of the individual particles of sand, silt, and clay that make up the soil. The interaction of the individual mineral particles with organic matter, water, gases via biotic and abiotic processes causes those particles to flocculate to form aggregates or peds.