Question

Which of the following statements about the crops and resources utilized in the Nile valley is correct?

1. Rice and cotton were summer crops, while wheat and barley were winter crops.
2. Palm trees were grown, but their parts were not significantly utilized.
3. The irrigation system primarily supported the cultivation of grains.

• A. i, iii
• B. i only
• C. None of these
• D. ii only

Answer 1

Answer:

B. i only

• Settled agriculture is possible only where a permanent source of water is available.

• Farmers have practised agriculture along the Nile valley in Egypt for more than 5000 years.

• They devised a system of using floodwaters for irrigation by storing the overflow from the Nile in shallow basins that were bounded by raised banks.

• This water could be stored for more than a month and was lifted into narrow canals with the help of water-lifting devices, such as the shaduf and the noria, that were powered by animals and human beings.

• The canals directed the water to the fields where rice and cotton were grown in summer, and wheat, barley, beans and other crops were produced in winter.

• Palm trees were also grown, and almost every part of these trees was used in one way or another.