Differentiate shifting cultivation from pastoral nomadism in land use and mobility.

• A. Shifting cultivation uses temporary tropical plots with slash-and-burn; pastoral nomadism relies on mobility with herds across grazing lands.
• B. Shifting cultivation is nomadic; pastoral nomadism uses fixed plots.
• C. Both rely on permanent cropland and sedentary communities.
• D. Shifting cultivation produces only cash crops; pastoral nomadism produces only cereals.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how people use land and move to sustain their livelihoods. Shifting cultivation works by clearing a temporary plot in a tropical forest, often with slash-and-burn, planting for a few years, and then moving on to a new plot while the old land lies fallow to recover. This creates a cycle of temporary plots and long fallow periods rather than permanent fields, and mobility is limited to rotating through nearby forest plots rather than roaming with a herd over vast distances.

Pastoral nomadism centers on mobility of people with their livestock. Herders move seasonally or across large areas to find grazing and water, rather than cultivating fixed plots. The land use is focused on pasture and forage for animals, with much of the year spent moving rather than staying in one agricultural location.

The other options mix up these ideas: shifting cultivation is not nomadic and pastoral not fixed to plots; both do not rely on permanent cropland or sedentary communities; and pastoral nomadism is not about producing cereals, while shifting cultivation is not restricted to cash crops.