In India, cluster bean (Guar) is traditionally used as a vegetable or animal feed, but recently the cultivation of this has assumed significance. Which one of the following statements is correct in this context?

Defines oilseeds as sources of edible and industrial oils and lists many oilseed crops (e.g., castor, jatropha, hemp) used as raw-materials for non-food uses.

A student could use this rule (some oilseed oils serve industrial uses) plus external knowledge about which specific seed oils are used in polymer/bioplastic production to check whether guar/cluster bean oil appears among them.

Lists main oilseeds in India and notes that while most are edible, some are also used as raw material in soap, cosmetics and ointments (i.e., industrial applications).

Since cluster bean (guar) is not listed among main oilseeds here, a student could use a crop distribution map or production statistics to judge whether guar seed oil is produced at scale in India to plausibly support industrial bioplastic manufacture.

Gives an example (groundnut) where seed oil has multiple industrial uses (soap, cosmetics, lubricants, stearin), illustrating that vegetable oils can be feedstocks for diverse industrial products.

A student could compare known industrial uses of groundnut oil with documented applications of guar seed oil (from external sources) to see if bioplastic manufacture is a plausible industrial use for guar oil.

States oil-seed crops are cultivated for edible, industrial, or medicinal purposes and lists common oilseed species, reinforcing that some seed oils serve industrial purposes.

Using this general rule, a student could look up properties (composition, fatty acid profile) of guar seed oil externally to assess whether it matches typical feedstock profiles used in bioplastic synthesis.

Shows an oil crop (oil-palm) is explicitly used for both culinary and industrial processes, demonstrating the dual food/industrial role of plant oils.

A student could extend this example by checking whether guar seed oil has comparable industrial-scale extraction and documented industrial applications (e.g., polymers) to support potential use in biodegradable plastics.

Lists 'guar gum' and 'guar seed' among major agricultural commodities traded in India, implying commercial production and availability of guar-derived products.

A student could use this to infer supply scale and then check whether such industrial-scale supply can meet demand from fracking operations or whether guar is exported to fracking regions.

Describes gums (from acacia, carob, etc.) being used as industrial adhesives and in various industries, showing that natural gums have industrial applications beyond food.

A student could extend this by investigating the range of industrial uses for different natural gums and whether fracturing fluids are among recognized industrial applications.

Explains that natural gas is an extractive industry in India with known fields and industrial use, establishing the presence of a domestic gas-extraction sector.

A student could combine this with knowledge of extraction techniques to ask whether fracking is used in India and thus whether industrial additives like guar gum might be relevant domestically.

Mentions India's major gas reserves and basins (Mumbai High, Cambay, Krishna-Godavari), indicating where gas extraction activity occurs in India.

A student might map these basins against geological data on shale formations and then investigate if fracking has been or could be deployed there using additives such as guar gum.

Gives an example of a natural plant-derived gum (chicle) used in commercial chewing gum, illustrating that plant gums can be processed into commercial products.

A student could use this example to reason that other plant gums (like guar) are processable into various industrial formulations and then look up specific formulations used in fracking fluids.

Lists medicinal plants and gives examples where leaves (and other parts) are used to treat respiratory or infection-related conditions (e.g., Tulsi for cough and cold, Kachnar for asthma).

A student could reason that if other Indian plant leaves have effects on respiratory/allergic conditions, testing guar leaf extract for antihistamine or anti-allergic activity is plausible and design bioassays comparing to known remedies.

States that many plant parts (leaves, stems, roots, barks) are used as raw materials for medicines, indicating a pattern that different plant tissues often contain bioactive compounds.

A student might infer that guar leaves could similarly contain bioactive molecules worth screening for antihistamine activity using standard phytochemical assays.

Gives an example of a plant root containing a specific alkaloid with medicinal (anti‑inflammatory) activity, illustrating that plants produce discrete bioactive compounds.

Use the analogy that guar may produce its own alkaloids or secondary metabolites which could have antihistaminic or anti‑inflammatory effects; this suggests targeted chemical isolation and testing.

Enumerates common vegetable crops and beans cultivated/consumed in India, showing that leafy/bean crops are commonly used as food and potential sources for extracts.

Combine the crop-listing with the idea that edible leaves are often safe to test, motivating experimental screening of guar leaf extracts for pharmacological activity including antihistamine assays.

Describes pulses as an important group of legumes grown in India, listing many pulse species—establishing the agricultural and botanical context for legumes as a source of bioactive substances.

A student could use botanical knowledge that cluster bean is a legume grown in India and compare known bioactivities across legumes to prioritize testing guar leaves for antihistamine properties.

Lists 'guar' (cluster bean) among crops grown in desert/low-water regions, establishing that guar is a cultivated crop in India and indicating typical growing regions/soil.

A student could combine this with basic agronomic facts (area/production maps) to locate large guar-growing zones and then check whether seed/oil yields there could supply biodiesel production.

Gives a concrete example that biodiesel can be extracted from tree-borne oilseeds (Pongamia), showing the general pattern that plant oil sources are used for biodiesel.

Using the rule 'plant oils can yield biodiesel', a student could look up whether guar seeds contain extractable oil and compare its fatty-acid profile to Pongamia or other biodiesel feedstocks.

Explains that pulses/legumes (the botanical group that includes cluster bean) are important crops and describes general properties of legumes (e.g., widespread cultivation and nitrogen fixation).

Knowing guar is a legume, a student can examine whether other legumes are used as oil crops and therefore whether being a legume supports or opposes its suitability as an oilseed for biodiesel.

Quotes India's National Policy on Biofuels listing allowed raw materials (e.g., groundnut seeds, cassava, etc.), providing an official checklist to compare against guar's absence or presence.

A student could use this policy list to check whether guar/guar gum/guar seeds are recognized as a biofuel feedstock by official sources—absence would be a useful clue to question its current role.

Describes groundnut (an oil-bearing legume/bean) as a widely used oilseed crop in India, giving an example of a leguminous crop that is an established source of vegetable oil.

A student could compare groundnut's seed oil content and current use as biofuel feedstock to documented properties of guar seeds to judge plausibility of guar as a biodiesel source.