Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A) : Red soil denotes the second largest soil group of India.
Reason (R) : Red soil surrounds the black soil in the south, east and north directions.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below :
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is false, but (R) is true.
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is true, but (R) is false.
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Assertion (A) is correct. In the traditional geographical classification of Indian soils, red soil has a very extensive distribution after alluvial soil and is therefore regarded as the second largest soil group of India.
Reason (R) is also correct. Red soils extend over a large part of Peninsular India and are found surrounding the black cotton soil zone towards its south, east and north.
However, (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). Red soil being the second largest soil group is related to its total geographical extent; surrounding black soil in different directions describes only its spatial distribution.
Red soils mainly develop through the weathering of ancient crystalline rocks such as granite and gneiss. Iron compounds are responsible for their reddish colour, and these soils are generally low in organic matter.