Watershed Management and Soil Conservation MCQs 2026

A watershed is best defined as

1. Aa single tree plantation block only✓
2. Ba political district boundary only✓
3. Can underground coal seam✓
4. Dan area of land that drains water to a common outlet✓

Watershed management mainly aims to

1. Amaximize clear-felling only✓
2. Bban all vegetation forever✓
3. Cmanage land and water resources for sustainable use and conservation✓
4. Dconvert all catchments to concrete✓

In Pakistan, watershed degradation in uplands often increases

1. Aalpine glacier growth only✓
2. Bmangrove expansion inland✓
3. Cdownstream flooding and reservoir siltation✓
4. Dzero sediment in rivers✓

Soil erosion by water is accelerated when

1. Adense forest litter is maintained✓
2. Bcontour vegetation strips are kept✓
3. Cmulch covers the surface✓
4. Dvegetation cover is removed and soil is exposed✓

Sheet erosion refers to

1. Aformation of deep narrow gullies only✓
2. Bwind deposition of dunes only✓
3. Cremoval of a thin uniform layer of topsoil by runoff✓
4. Dlandslides of whole hillsides only✓

Rill erosion is characterized by

1. Aonly chemical weathering of rocks✓
2. Bonly frost heaving without water✓
3. Conly underground solution caves✓
4. Dsmall channels cut by concentrated runoff✓

Gully erosion involves

1. Aonly splash from raindrops✓
2. Bonly salt crusting on flats✓
3. Cdeep channels that cannot be removed by ordinary tillage✓
4. Donly glacial scour✓

Contour bunding is a soil conservation practice that

1. Aplants trees only on ridge tops randomly✓
2. Bdrains all water as fast as possible✓
3. Cbuilds earthen bunds along contour lines to slow runoff✓
4. Dremoves all terraces✓

Terracing on steep slopes mainly helps to

1. Aincrease sheet wash always✓
2. Breduce slope length and runoff velocity✓
3. Cremove all soil organic matter✓
4. Dban agroforestry forever✓

Check dams in gullies are used to

1. Aaccelerate headward cutting✓
2. Bremove all vegetation from banks✓
3. Cdeepen the channel indefinitely✓
4. Dtrap sediment and stabilize the gully bed✓

Vegetative barriers (grass strips) on contours help by

1. Aincreasing wind speed at ground level✓
2. Bfiltering runoff and trapping soil✓
3. Cguaranteeing zero infiltration✓
4. Dreplacing the need for any cover crop✓

Afforestation of degraded watersheds is important because trees

1. Aimprove infiltration and reduce peak runoff and erosion✓
2. Balways increase desertification✓
3. Cstop all rainfall permanently✓
4. Dreplace the hydrological cycle entirely✓

Overgrazing in mountain watersheds of Pakistan commonly leads to

1. Athicker litter and less runoff always✓
2. Bautomatic gully healing✓
3. Chigher soil organic matter forever✓
4. Dloss of ground cover and accelerated erosion✓

Siltation of Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs is strongly linked to

1. Aerosion in upstream catchments✓
2. Bexcess mangrove planting in the delta only✓
3. Ctoo little sediment from mountains✓
4. Durban park mulching only✓

A key principle of watershed approach is

1. Aignoring upstream-downstream linkages✓
2. Btreating the catchment as a planning and management unit✓
3. Cmanaging only the river mouth✓
4. Dexcluding community participation always✓

Mulching helps soil conservation mainly by

1. Aprotecting the soil surface from raindrop impact and reducing evaporation✓
2. Bincreasing splash erosion✓
3. Cremoving all organic matter✓
4. Dcompacting subsoil permanently✓

Contour ploughing means

1. Aploughing along contour lines rather than up and down the slope✓
2. Bploughing straight down the steepest fall line✓
3. Cdeep ripping only on ridge crests✓
4. Dzero tillage in all cases✓

Wind erosion is a major concern especially in

1. Adense moist temperate forests only✓
2. Bpermanently flooded mangroves only✓
3. Cglacier ice fields only✓
4. Darid and semi-arid plains with sparse cover (e.g., parts of Punjab/Sindh/Balochistan)✓

Shelterbelts reduce wind erosion by

1. Aincreasing gale force at soil surface✓
2. Bremoving all field boundaries✓
3. Creplacing crops with bare fallow always✓
4. Dlowering wind speed near the ground✓

Riparian vegetation along streams helps to

1. Astabilize banks and filter sediment from runoff✓
2. Balways widen gullies✓
3. Cincrease bank collapse✓
4. Dremove all shade from water✓

Landslide risk on steep forested slopes often rises after

1. Amaintaining deep-rooted forest cover✓
2. Bdeforestation and road cutting that destabilize slopes✓
3. Ccareful contour drainage design✓
4. Davoiding overloading toe cuts✓

Soil organic matter improves conservation because it

1. Aalways disperses aggregates✓
2. Benhances structure, infiltration and resistance to erosion✓
3. Cguarantees salinity increase✓
4. Dreplaces the need for any cover✓

Participatory watershed management emphasizes

1. Aexcluding villagers from all decisions✓
2. Bonly top-down felling plans✓
3. Cinvolving local communities in planning and benefit sharing✓
4. Dmilitary control of every nursery✓

In rainfed Potohar and similar tracts, water harvesting structures aim to

1. Adrain every drop to the sea instantly✓
2. Bincrease sheet erosion on purpose✓
3. Ccapture and store runoff for crops and recharge✓
4. Dban contour farming✓

Gully plugging with vegetation and structures is intended to

1. Adeepen the gully head✓
2. Bremove all silt deposits✓
3. Chalt gully advance and reclaim eroded land✓
4. Daccelerate bank undercutting✓

A hydrological effect of healthy forest cover in a watershed is often

1. Amore regulated streamflow and reduced peak floods✓
2. Binstant conversion to desert✓
3. Czero infiltration forever✓
4. Dpermanent drying of all springs always✓

Stone pitching or riprap on eroding banks is used to

1. Aremove all bank protection✓
2. Bincrease undercutting✓
3. Carmor the surface against scour✓
4. Dreplace soil with loose sand only✓

Contour trenching on degraded hillsides helps to

1. Achannel all water into one gully✓
2. Bintercept runoff and support tree/grass establishment✓
3. Cexpose subsoil to maximum splash✓
4. Dban any planting in trenches✓

Salinization of irrigated soils is a conservation concern because it

1. Aalways improves forest growth✓
2. Beliminates the need for drainage✓
3. Cis unrelated to water management✓
4. Dreduces productivity and can degrade land✓

The sediment delivery ratio concept relates to

1. Athe fraction of eroded soil that reaches a downstream point✓
2. Bonly the number of forest guards✓
3. Conly nursery polybag volume✓
4. Donly timber royalty rates✓

Bioengineering for slope stabilization uses

1. Aonly concrete without any vegetation✓
2. Bonly explosives✓
3. Conly chemical defoliants✓
4. Dliving plants often with simple structures to reinforce soil✓

Upstream soil conservation benefits downstream agriculture by

1. Areducing silt load and moderating flood peaks✓
2. Bincreasing canal blockage always✓
3. Celiminating irrigation need forever✓
4. Draising desertification in plains always✓

A common cause of watershed degradation in northern Pakistan is

1. Aexcess mangrove planting in Gilgit✓
2. Bdeforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable cultivation on slopes✓
3. Ctoo much permanent snow cover management only✓
4. Dunderuse of all mountain pastures✓

Grassland and pasture improvement in watersheds helps by

1. Aremoving all forage species✓
2. Bmaximizing bare soil patches✓
3. Cencouraging free overstocking without limit✓
4. Dmaintaining ground cover that protects soil✓

Farm ponds in a watershed can serve to

1. Aincrease gully headcut speed✓
2. Bstore runoff for supplemental irrigation and livestock✓
3. Creplace all contour bunds with bare paths✓
4. Deliminate groundwater recharge always✓

The term 'catchment area' is essentially synonymous with

1. Awatershed✓
2. Bonly a single tree crown✓
3. Conly a district tehsil office✓
4. Donly a plywood mill yard✓

Strip cropping for conservation involves

1. Aplanting only one crop downhill forever✓
2. Bclearing all strips to bare fallow✓
3. Calternating strips of close-growing and erosion-prone crops on contours✓
4. Dremoving all grass barriers✓

Recharging groundwater in a watershed is favored by

1. Asealing the entire surface with concrete✓
2. Binfiltration-enhancing practices and vegetation cover✓
3. Cmaximizing bare compacted soil✓
4. Dchannelizing all rain to storm drains only✓

Integrated watershed projects in Pakistan often combine

1. Aonly timber export without conservation✓
2. Bsoil conservation, afforestation, water harvesting and livelihood support✓
3. Conly urban high-rise zoning✓
4. Donly offshore oil drilling✓

The first line of defense against soil erosion on slopes is usually

1. Amaintaining vegetative cover✓
2. Bcomplete deforestation✓
3. Ccontinuous bare fallow✓
4. Ddeep clean tillage up and down slope✓