Arrange the following steps of primitive subsistence agriculture in sequential order.
(A) Vegetation is usually cleared
(B) Ashes of burnt vegetation added to soil for enhancing fertility
(C) Cleared vegetation is burnt by fire
(D) Farmers shift to another part and clear other patch
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (C), (B), (D)
(A) Vegetation is usually cleared — first. The farmer clears a small patch of forest.
(C) Cleared vegetation is burnt by fire — second. The vegetation is burnt, which is why shifting cultivation is also called slash and burn agriculture.
(B) Ashes of burnt vegetation added to soil for enhancing fertility — third. The ashes add to the fertility of the soil, and crops are grown on the patch with simple tools.
(D) Farmers shift to another part and clear other patch — last. After 3 to 5 years the soil loses its fertility, so the farmer shifts and clears another patch.
Note: The book gives clearing and burning together in one phrase, “The vegetation is usually cleared by fire”. NTA split it into two steps, (A) and (C). The vegetation must be cleared before it can be burnt, so the order follows from the book.
NCERT (2026-27): “Primitive Subsistence Agriculture … Primitive subsistence agriculture or shifting cultivation is widely practised by many tribes in the tropics, especially in Africa, south and central America and south east Asia (Fig. 4.7). The vegetation is usually cleared by fire, and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil. Shifting cultivation is thus, also called slash and burn agriculture. The cultivated patches are very small and cultivation is done with very primitive tools such as sticks and hoes. After sometime (3 to 5 years) the soil looses its fertility and the farmer shifts to another parts and clears other patch of the forest for cultivation.” |