UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2022

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?

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only
  2. 1, 2 and 4 only
  3. 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer

Correct Answer

1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct — monazite is a source of rare earths and thorium, and only government entities (like IREL) are permitted to process/export it. Statement 3 is incorrect — it does not occur along the entire Indian coastline, only in select coastal stretches like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

Topics: geography, mineral resources, monazite, rare earths and thorium