Question

The rural compact settlements characterised by geometrical pattern mostly found in plain areas are known as _________.

• A. Clustered settlements
• B. Hamleted settlements
• C. Dispersed settlements
• D. Semi-clustered settlements

Hint:

Compact villages with a recognisable geometric shape in fertile plains are called clustered settlements.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Recall the types of rural settlements:
NCERT lists four types of rural settlement by form: clustered, semi-clustered, hamleted and dispersed.

Step 2: Match the description:
A clustered settlement is a compact, closely built-up group of houses. The living area stays separate from the farms and pastures around it.
Its streets and houses form a recognisable geometric shape, such as rectangular, radial or linear. Such villages are found mostly in fertile plains.
The question describes exactly this, so the blank is Clustered settlements.

Step 3: Why the other options are wrong:
(B) Hamleted settlements are split into several units that share one village name. They do not form one compact shape.
(C) Dispersed settlements are isolated huts or farms spread out, found in hills, forests and plateau edges.
(D) Semi-clustered settlements arise when part of a village spreads out in a small area, as in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. They are not tightly compact.

Final Answer:
The compact, geometrically patterned villages of the plains are clustered settlements.
\[ \boxed{\text{(A) Clustered settlements}} \]