What factors changed the landscape of India most in the last century?

Answer: (b) Movement of people from rural to urban areas

The key picks rural-to-urban migration.

The idea

Urbanisation increases the share of people living in urban places and changes land use around settlements. Migration can convert village edges into housing, roads and workplaces. Natural population growth and reclassification also contribute; a broad claim about the “most” important landscape change needs a stated measure.

People move towards towns for work or services → Demand for housing rises → Built-up areas spread → Roads and workplaces expand → Nearby farmland changes use → The settlement landscape becomes more urban

Why the others are wrong

(a) Irrigation transformed farming regions.

(c) Industrialisation also transformed landscapes.

(d) Deforestation changed the landscape too.

The trap

Several answers are plausible; the key chooses migration.

Also know

Rural-to-urban migration is one stream alongside rural-to-rural, urban-to-urban and urban-to-rural movement. Irrigation can change crop patterns, while industrialisation and deforestation alter land cover differently. Urbanisation is measured by population share; expansion of built-up land is a related but separate measure.