In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with which of the following? (1). Terrace cultivation (2). Deforestation (3). Tropical climate’ Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Deforestation is the clear link. Removing forest cover exposes topsoil to rain and wind, and the roots that held the soil together are gone. Gully and sheet erosion on the Shiwaliks, Chotanagpur plateau and the slopes of the Western Ghats are classic results.

Statement 1 is wrong. Terrace cultivation is a conservation measure. It breaks long slopes into level steps, slows runoff and reduces erosion, which is why it is promoted in Himalayan and Northeast hill farming as a remedy.

Statement 3 is the weaker link. Intense monsoon rain in a tropical climate does raise erosivity, but the question is really testing the human-induced driver of erosion, and the intended answer treats deforestation as the association. This is the one statement where the paper is open to debate, so do not build your answer on it alone.

• Core concept: soil erosion depends on slope, vegetation cover, rainfall and soil type. Mains link: GS3 environment and land degradation, with soil conservation under watershed management and afforestation programmes.

Trap: Treating terrace cultivation as a cause of erosion because it involves ploughing hillsides.