Question

Given are two lists on crops and geographical conditions, match the following;

Crop	Geographical condition
(i) Barley	(I) Hot, dry climate and poor soil
(ii) Rice	(II) Cool climate and poorer soil
(iii) Millets	(III) Warm, moist climate and high altitude
(iv) Tea	(IV) Hot, moist climate and rich soil

A) (i)-(II), (ii)-(IV), (iii)-(I), (iv)-(III)
B) (i)-(III), (ii)-(IV), (iii)-(I), (iv)-(II)
C) (i)-(II), (ii)-(I), (iii)-(IV), (iv)-(III)
D) (i)-(III), (ii)-(II), (iii)-(IV), (iv)-(I)

Answer 1

Hint: In such types of questions we must think about the basic facts of each crop. Eliminate combinations which you are sure that are wrong and try to compare where each crop is found more commonly. Remember that barley is mostly planted in Eurasia, most of rice production happens in Asia, millets are there in both Africa and Asia, tea can be found in many places like Africa, Asia, South America.

Complete answer:
Recall the facts about each crop and analyze with respect to each option of the geographical locations.
Let us now put together the facts:
- Barley: It is found in abundance in Europe and Asia, in the cooler regions. It can tolerate poor soil.
- Rice: It is commonly found in Asia where the climate is humid, hot or moist. Rice grows better only in rich soil.
- Millets: In hot and dry regions of Africa and Asia millet production takes place. They grow better when the climate is dry, and where it is hot. They too can tolerate poor soil.
- Tea: It is very commonly present in many continents like Asia, South America and Africa; where the climate is again warm and moist, but it grows better in higher altitude.

Clearly the final matching will look like this:
(i) Barley - (II) Cool climate and poorer soil
(ii) Rice - (IV) Hot, moist climate and rich soil
(iii) Millets - (I) Hot, dry climate and poor soil
(iv) Tea - (III) Warm, moist climate and high altitude

Hence the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: While cultivating any plants, one must know the climate and conditions favored by the plant. Otherwise the production will not be satisfactory. Climate does not mean only temperature but it also means the moisture content of the soil, the daylight available and wind in the region. Moisture is a very crucial factor because it must be provided explicitly if it is not available by rainfall. When the moisture is too much, it is again bad for the plants.