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Topic Soil organic matter
Asked 2 times across 2 UPSC exams over 7 years (2018–2025), peaking in 2018.
Key insights
- Most tested in CSE — 1 of 2 PYQs
- Most asked in 2018
- Recurs across 2 years (2018–2025)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CSE 2018 → CDS 2025
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (2 of 2) are since 2016.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
CDS2025
Which of the following statements with reference to Humus is/are correct ?
- It is a dark coloured amorphous substance
- Being colloidal in nature, it serves as a reservoir of nutrients. Select the answer
using the code given below :
- A 1 only
- B 2 only
- C Both 1 and 2 ✓
- D Neither 1 nor 2
✓ Correct answer: (C)
Geography › Physical Geography of India
CSE2018
With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements
- A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity
- Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle
- Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A 1 and 2 only
- B 3 only ✓
- C 1 and 3 only
- D 1, 2 and 3
✓ Correct answer: (B)
Agriculture › Soils & Inputs
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