Question

Match List-I with List-II:

• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (III), (B) - (I), (C) - (II), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (II), (B) - (III), (C) - (IV), (D) - (I)
• (A) - (III), (B) - (II), (C) - (I), (D) - (IV)

Hint:

Understanding soil taxonomy helps in classifying soil types based on their physical and chemical properties.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Each soil order has distinctive features. Ultisols have low base saturation, Vertisols are known for their shrink-swell capacity, Mollisols are rich in organic matter and nutrients, and Alfisols have a higher base saturation with well-developed horizons.

Answer 2

Diagnostic-feature approach: Each soil order in the list is identified by its single most defining diagnostic property.
Ultisols are strongly weathered soils with a clay-enriched subsurface horizon and low base saturation (below 35%). Vertisols contain a high proportion of expanding (smectite) clays, giving them a distinctive shrink-swell behaviour with deep cracks on drying. Mollisols are grassland-derived soils with a thick, dark, organic-matter- and nutrient-rich surface horizon. Alfisols are moderately weathered soils with well-developed horizons and a higher base saturation (above 35%) than Ultisols.
Matching each order to its diagnostic property in this way reproduces the pairing (A)-(III), (B)-(II), (C)-(I), (D)-(IV).