Major Industries MCQs Quiz | Class 10
This quiz for Class X Geography covers the unit on Manufacturing Industries, specifically focusing on Major Industries like iron & steel, textiles, and cement. Test your knowledge with these MCQs and download your personalized answer sheet as a PDF after submission.
Understanding Major Manufacturing Industries
Manufacturing industries are crucial for a nation’s economic development as they transform raw materials into finished goods, adding value and creating employment. In India, key industries like iron & steel, textiles, and cement form the backbone of industrial growth.
Iron and Steel Industry
The iron and steel industry is considered the backbone of modern industrial development because almost all other industries — heavy, medium, and light — depend on it for their machinery. It is a heavy industry, meaning its raw materials (iron ore, coking coal, limestone) and finished products are bulky and heavy, entailing high transportation costs.
- Raw Materials: Iron ore, coking coal, limestone (in a ratio of approximately 4:2:1). Manganese is also used for hardening steel.
- Location Factors: Availability of raw materials, cheap labor, good transport network, and proximity to markets.
- Key Centers in India: Jamshedpur, Durgapur, Bokaro, Rourkela, Bhilai, Visakhapatnam, Salem. Jamshedpur (Tata Iron and Steel Company – TISCO) is particularly notable as India’s first large-scale iron and steel plant.
- Contribution: Provides steel for infrastructure (buildings, bridges), machinery, automobiles, defense equipment, and consumer goods.
Textile Industry
The textile industry is one of the oldest and largest industries in India, contributing significantly to industrial production, employment generation, and foreign exchange earnings. It is unique as it is self-reliant and complete in the value chain, from fiber to finished garments.
Cotton Textile Industry
Cotton textiles are the most prominent part of the Indian textile sector.
- Raw Material: Cotton, a fibrous crop.
- Early Growth: The first successful modern cotton mill was established in Mumbai in 1854. Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Surat were early hubs due to proximity to raw cotton growing areas, port facilities, and moist climate.
- Current Distribution: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
- Challenges: Erratic power supply, outdated machinery, stiff competition from synthetic fibers and international markets.
Jute Textile Industry
India is the largest producer of raw jute and jute goods. Most of the mills are concentrated in West Bengal, along the Hooghly River basin.
- Raw Material: Jute fiber.
- Key Products: Sacks, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other handicraft items.
- Challenges: Stiff international competition from synthetic substitutes and other jute-producing countries like Bangladesh.
Cement Industry
The cement industry is essential for construction activities like building houses, factories, bridges, roads, airports, dams, and for other commercial establishments.
- Raw Materials: Limestone is the primary raw material, along with silica, alumina, and gypsum. Coal and electric power are crucial.
- Location Factors: Availability of raw materials, proximity to markets, and good rail/road transport.
- First Plant: The first cement plant was set up in Chennai in 1904.
- Key Centers in India: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
- Growth: The industry has seen substantial growth due to government policies and infrastructure development projects.
Quick Revision: Key Industrial Facts
| Industry | Primary Raw Material | Key Centers (Examples) |
|---|---|---|
| Iron & Steel | Iron ore, Coking coal, Limestone | Jamshedpur, Bhilai, Rourkela |
| Cotton Textiles | Cotton | Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore |
| Jute Textiles | Jute fiber | Kolkata (Hooghly basin) |
| Cement | Limestone, Silica, Alumina, Gypsum | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh |
Extra Practice Questions
- What is the ideal ratio of iron ore, coking coal, and limestone used in steel manufacturing?
- Why is the cotton textile industry concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat?
- Name two major challenges faced by the Jute textile industry in India.
- Besides limestone, name two other raw materials essential for cement production.
- Which city is known as the ‘Manchester of India’ due to its flourishing cotton textile industry?
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