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Q78 (IAS/2022) Geography › Indian Economic Geography › Mineral resource distribution Official Key

With reference to India, consider the following statements : 1. Monazite is a source of rare earths. 2. Monazite contains thorium. 3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India. 4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2 (1, 2 and 4 only). Here is the comprehensive breakdown:

  • Statement 1 and 2 are correct: Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals (like Cerium and Neodymium) and significant amounts of Thorium, which is crucial for India’s three-stage nuclear power program.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: While monazite is found in the beach sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, it does not occur naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands. Its distribution is localized and concentrated in specific heavy mineral sand deposits.
  • Statement 4 is correct: Monazite is a "prescribed substance" under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Due to its radioactive nature, the Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), a government body, holds the exclusive rights to process and export monazite. Private entities are prohibited from handling it to ensure national security and nuclear safety.

Therefore, since statement 3 is factually overgeneralized, Option 2 is the only accurate choice.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to India, consider the following statements : 1. Monazite is a source of rare earths. 2. Monazite contains thorium. 3. Mon…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a classic '2+1' question: 2 facts from NCERT Geography (Statements 1 & 2), 1 logic-based elimination trap (Statement 3), and 1 regulatory fact (Statement 4). The key to solving wasn't knowing the regulation, but spotting the geographical impossibility in Statement 3.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In India, is monazite a source of rare earth elements?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 9: Distribution of World Natural Resources > thorium > p. 40
Presence: 5/5
“Torium is a by-product of the extraction of rare earths from monazite sands. Torium was used for the breeding of nuclear fuel uranium. It is used as a nuclear fuel in aircraft engines. Torium is a very efective radiation shield. India's Kakrapara-1 reactor is the world's frst reactor which uses thorium. Australia, USA, and India have large deposits of thorium, followed by Canada, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states thorium is a by-product of extracting rare earths from monazite sands.
  • Directly links monazite sands with the extraction of rare earth elements.
INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Mineral and Energy Resources > Nuclear Energy Resources > p. 61
Presence: 4/5
“Nuclear energy has emerged as a viable source in recent times. Important minerals used for the generation of nuclear energy are uranium and thorium. Uranium deposits occur in the Dharwar rocks. Geographically, uranium ores are known to occur in several locations along the Singbhum Copper belt. It is also found in Udaipur, Alwar and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Bhandara district of Maharashtra and Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Thorium is mainly obtained from monazite and ilmenite in the beach sands along the coast of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. World's richest monazite deposits occur in Palakkad and Kollam districts of Kerala, near Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahanadi river delta in Odisha.”
Why this source?
  • Identifies monazite in beach sands of Kerala and Tamil Nadu as the source of thorium.
  • Describes large monazite deposits in India (Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha), implying commercial recovery of associated minerals.
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > ii) The West Coastal Plain > p. 65
Presence: 3/5
“The backwaters are important tourist spots, and are of importance for transportation, fishing and even agriculture. The region has deposits of Monazite sands which is reddish brown and rich in phosphate. Monazite is radioactive due to the presence of thorium.”
Why this source?
  • Notes the west coastal plain has monazite sands containing thorium, establishing coastal placer occurrence in India.
  • Links monazite’s radioactivity to thorium, supporting its role as a source of nuclear/associated rare elements.
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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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