Q. 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?

The oil extracted from seeds is used in the manufacture of biodegradable plastics
The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas
The leaf extract of this plant has the properties of anti-histamines
It is a source of high quality biodiesel

Answer: (b) The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas

Cluster bean (Guar) is native to India and is widely grown in dry, warm, and arid regions.
The guar or cluster bean is an annual legume and the source of Guar gum. Guar gum is derived from guar seeds, a legume crop that grows in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana.
The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas.
Guar gum is used as a stabilizing, thickening and suspending agent in drilling fluids.
It is traditionally used as a vegetable or animal feed.
This legume is a valuable plant in a crop rotation cycle, as it lives in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
India is the world’s largest producer of guar.