Which factor necessitated compact rural settlements in Rajasthan?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Scarcity of water
Option (1) Barns and Pastures — Incorrect. Barns and pastures lie outside the living area; they do not draw the houses together.
Option (2) Fertile alluvial plains — Incorrect. Fertile plains explain clustering in the northern plains, but dry Rajasthan is not such a plain.
Option (3) Fragmented nature of terrain — Incorrect. Fragmented terrain scatters the houses (dispersed settlements), the opposite of compact ones.
Option (4) Scarcity of water — Correct. In Rajasthan, scarcity of water has necessitated compact settlement. Water is found only at a few places, so families build their houses close to those sources instead of spreading out over the dry land; living together lets them use the available water to the maximum.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 12-06-2023 (Slot 3).
NCERT (2025-26): “Clustered Settlements … The clustered rural settlement is a compact or closely built up area of houses. In this type of village the general living area is distinct and separated from the surrounding farms, barns and pastures.… Such settlements are generally found in fertile alluvial plains and in the northeastern states. Sometimes, people live in compact village for security or defence reasons, such as in the Bundelkhand region of central India and in Nagaland. In Rajasthan, scarcity of water has necessitated compact settlement for maximum utilisation of available water resources.” |