Download 15. Identify the problems that have resulted from the indiscriminate

Worksheet – 2
Year: 2016-17
Class: X (A & B)
NAME: ___________________________________
Topic: Resources and Development -B
Subject: Geography
Date: __________________
Q A. Answer the following questions.
15. Identify the problems that have resulted from the indiscriminate use of resources. /
Indiscriminate use of resources in past has a bearing on the current environment. Explain. /
„Indiscriminate use of resources had led to numerous problems.‟ Justify the statement.
Ans. Resources have been generally taken by human beings as the free gifts of nature. The
indiscriminate use of resources in past has led to the following major problems :
Depletion of resources to satisfy the greed of a few people.
Accumulation of resources in a few hands creating rich and poor in the society.
Birth of global ecological crises such as global warming, depletion of ozone layer, environmental
pollution and land degradation.
16. What is resource planning? What are the steps taken in resource planning? Why is resource
planning essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life?
Ans. Resource planning is the technique or skill for proper utilization of resources.
Resource planning can be done in 3 steps –
1. Preparation of inventory of resources - surveying, mapping and identifying the characteristics and
properties of resources.
2. Evaluation in terms of availability – assessment in terms of technology, economy and need.
3. Planning for exploitation – action orientated plan for use and reuse of resources.
The resource planning is essential for the sustainable existence of all forms of life in following
ways :
As resources are limited, their planning is necessary for proper use and the future generation.
Resources are not only limited but there is diversity in availability of resources throughout the
world.
Resource planning is also essential to prevent their over- exploitation.
If the countries will keep on using the resources indiscriminately, the future of the planet will be in
danger.
Sustainable existence will lead to sustainable development.
e.g. Agriculture, industry, transport, communication, etc. are the examples that show how the humans
have turned the resources to their advantage.
17. Explain the need and usefulness of resource planning in India.
Ans. India is a vast country with diversity in availability of resources. The need for the resource
planning in India is essential for following reasons As resources are limited, their planning is necessary for proper use and the future generation.
Resources are not only limited but they are distributed in variation over the different parts of the
country.
Resource planning is also essential to prevent their over- exploitation.
Economic development of the country depends on the efficient management of resources which
can be achieved by resource planning.
Usefulness –
Sustainable existence will lead to sustainable development.
Reduction in wastage.
Reduction in pollution.
Fulfillment of future needs.
18. “India‟s vast and diverse size is the most important resource.” Support the statement.
Ans. India is a vast country with diversity in availability of resources. Its strategic position in Indian
Ocean connects it with east as well as west. Different regions of India are rich in some resources
and deficient in others.
Plateau region of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh is rich in mineral and coal
deposits.
Arunachal Pradesh is rich in water resources but lacks the development of infrastructure.
Rajasthan lacks water resources but is blessed with wind and solar energy.
The cold desert of Ladakh is culturally rich, but, is isolated from the rest of the country.
India is blessed with almost every type of resources – renewable – non-renewable, biotic – abiotic,
human resource as well as cyclic resources.
Such diversity in resources makes it necessary to plan resources at the national, state, regional and
local levels.
19. How are resources associated with colonialism?
Ans. Foreign invaders had established their control over the colonies to exploit their rich resources.
They were able to do so because of higher technological developments made in their countries.
20. Explain with reference to India the reason why some resource-rich regions are economically
backward and some resource-poor regions are economically developed. / There is a
contradiction seen in India that some resource-rich regions are economically backward and
some resource-poor regions are economically developed. Justify.
Ans. India is a vast country with diversity in availability of resources.
1. Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh being in plateau region are rich in minerals
and coal deposits. But the states are considered economically backward as they lack resource
planning.
2. On the contrary, states like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are resource-deficit, still they are
termed as economically developed as they have implemented resource planning.
21. What is resource conservation? Why is it essential?
Ans.
Resource conservation is the management of resources keeping in mind the future needs.
It tries to regenerate and replenish the renewable resources.
It is essential to reduce the socio-economic and environmental problems.
Gandhiji had aptly said, “There is enough for everybody‟s need but not for anybody‟s greed.”
The greedy and selfish nature of people and the exploitative nature of the technology have resulted
in the resource depletion.
Once mass production will be replaced by production by masses, the resources will be conserved.
22. State the steps taken at the international level for resource conservation.
Ans.
At international level, the Club of Rome for the first time had asked for the resource conservation
in 1968.
Gandhian philosophy related to the resource conservation was presented by Schumacher in his
book „Small is Beautiful‟.
.The concept of sustainable development for the first time was given by the Brundtland
Commission report and was published in the book „Our Common Future‟.
The First International Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 1992 was a step taken further in
the attempt.
23. How have technical and economic development led to more consumption of resources?
Ans.
Technological development results in more industries and thereby increasing the use of resources.
With the economic development the demand for resources increases and results in over
consumption.
In USA, the consumption of mineral resources is five times more than the average consumption.
Technical and economic development led to better infrastructure and better infrastructure can be
created by utilizing more resources.
Gandhiji had rightly said that there is enough for everybody‟s need but not for anybody‟s greed.
For having the sustainable use of resources, he insisted on the production by masses rather than the
mass production.
24. “Land is a natural resource of utmost importance‟ Justify the statement with appropriate
arguments.
Ans.
We live on land and many of our economic activities are done on land.
Land supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, economic activities, transport and
communication systems.
But the fact remains that land is a finite resource. We can not increase it.
That‟s why it becomes important to use the available land with careful planning.
25. What are the main advantages of India‟s land under a variety of relief features? / State the
main relief features of India.
Ans. The total geographical area of India is 3.28 million square km. The country has a variety of
relief features - .
43% land is plain which provides a ground for agriculture and industries.
30% land is mountainous which provides development of tourism and maintain ecology.
27% land is plateau which is the rich resource of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
What is the percentage share of plains in the total land area?
26. State three physical as well as human factors each that determine the use of land in India.
Ans. The use of land is determined by
Physical Factors – topography, climate and soil types.
Human Factors – population density, technological capability, culture and tradition.
27. Explain the utilization of land as a resource. / For what purposes are land resources used? /
State the uses of land resources.
Ans. Land resources are used for following purposes –
Forests
Land not available for cultivation – Barren and waste land; land used for buildings, roads,
railway tracks, etc.
Other uncultivable land – Permanent pastures and grazing lands
Fallow land – Left fallow ( without cultivation) for regaining the fertility of the soil
Net sown area – Where actual cultivation takes place
28. What are the disturbing features of land use pattern in India?
Ans. The most disturbing features of land use pattern in India are India has only around 22% of land under forests while a country should have at least 33% of its
land under forests.
Only around 4% of the country‟s land is under pastures while the country has a huge cattle
population to feed.
The development of the cities is at the cost of forests or the cultivable land.
29. State the optimum desired percentage of forest area in a country?
Ans. The optimum desired percentage of forest area in a country is 33%.
30. Comment over the net sown area in different states of India.
Ans. The pattern of net sown area varies in different states of India.
In states like Haryana and Punjab, with the use of technology under green revolution around
80% of land is sown.
In states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur less than 10% of land is sown.
31. What do you mean by the waste land, current fallow land, other than current fallow land,
cultruable land, cultruable waste land?
Ans. Waste land - The rocky, arid and desert areas as well as the non-agricultural land used for
residence, roads, railways, industries is termed as the wasteland.
Current fallow land – Land left uncultivated for one or less than one agriculture year.
Other than current fallow land – Land left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years.
Cultruable waste land – Land left uncultivated for more than 5 agriculture years.
32. What is land degradation? What are the causes of land degradation? / How are human
activities responsible for degradation of land?
Ans. Land has been degraded due to following human activities Mining has degraded the land in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha
because of deforestation.
Overgrazing has resulted into land degradation in the states rich in cattle population like Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Over irrigation and water logging due to excessive use of technology against the nature has
increased the salinity and alkalinity of soil in the states of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar
Pradesh.
Mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and soapstone for
ceramic industry prevents the seepage thereby affecting the moisture of the soil.
Untreated industrial and domestic wastes are one of the prominent causes of land and water
pollution.
What is the main cause of land degradation in Punjab?
In which states overgrazing is responsible for land degradation?
In which states had mining caused severe land degradation?
33. What are the ways to solve the problem of land degradation? / Describe the measures of
controlling land degradation. / Explain the ways to solve the problem of land degradation in
India.
Ans. Land degradation can be controlled in India through following ways –
Afforestation
Proper management of grazing
Planting shelter belts of plants
Stabilization of sand dunes by planting thorny bushes
Proper management of waste land
Controlling of mining
Proper discharge of industrial wastes after treatment
34. Why is soil considered as a resource? / What is the importance of soil as a resource?
Ans.
Soil is considered as a resource because it is used to satisfy our needs.
It is the most renewable natural resource.
It is the medium of plant growth.
It supports different types of living organisms on the earth.
It helps in providing the food.
It is the base of our life.
35. Explain the factors for soil formation.
Ans.
The basic material for soil formation is provided by parent rock. The colour, texture and thickness
of soil depend on the parent rock.
Climatic conditions help in breaking the parent rock. The soil formation takes more rapidly in high
temperature and heavy rainfall.
Biotic factors – plants and animals help in the weathering the rocks slowly but continuously.
Various forces of nature such as action of running water, change in temperature, wind and glaciers,
action of decomposers etc. help in formation of soil.
A rich, fertile and mature soil can be formed when soil is left undisturbed over a long span of
period. A short span leads to thin and immature soil.
Topography also affects soil formation. Steep slopes usually have thin soils due to sheet erosion.
Thick fertile soil develops in the valleys and lowlands.
36. What is soil erosion? What are the main causes of soil erosion?
Ans.
Taking away or washing away of the soil cover ( denudation of soil) by wind or water is known as
soil erosion.
Causes of soil erosion :
Human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, construction, mining, etc.
Natural forces like wind, water, glaciers.
Gully erosion - The running water cuts through clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies.
The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as ravines or bad land. Eg. Chambal, Vasad
ravines
Sheet erosion – Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope causing washing
away of the top soil.
Wind erosion - Wind blows loose top soil off in plains or slopes.
Defective farming methods too lead to soil erosion.
Name the land with deep channels that is unfit for cultivation?Ravines or bad land
Gully erosion is common in which basin?
Chambal River basin
37. What are the various methods of soil conservation? / Suggest the methods to control soil
erosion in India. / What steps can be taken to control soil erosion in hilly areas?
Ans. Following are the methods to control soil erosion :
Contour ploughing – Ploughing along the contour lines can check the speed of flowing water down
the slopes. (Hills)
Step or Terrace cultivation – Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces to reduce the soil
erosion. It has been done in Central and Western Himalayas to check the soil erosion. (Hills)
Plugging of gullies to prevent gully erosion. (Hills)
Strip cropping – Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass can be grown in between the
strips of crops. This will break the speed of wind to prevent soil erosion due to wind. (Plains)
Shelter belt plantation – Trees are planted in lines to prevent soil erosion. Such rows of trees are
called shelter belts. The method has been useful in stabilising sand dunes and deserts in western
India. (Deserts)
Which regions of India have well developed terrace farming?
38. What type of soil is found in the river deltas of the eastern coast? Give its five important
features. / Describe alluvial soil under the following heads – Formation, distribution and
nutrients.
Ans.
Alluvial soil is widely spread in India and is found in the northern plains and the delta region
of the eastern coast.
It is formed due to deposition of the silt and materials brought down by the Himalayan Rivers
– the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra in the northern plains and the Krishna, the Kaveri,
the Godavari and the Mahanadi Rivers in the delta region of the eastern coast.
It is highly fertile and therefore the regions are highly populated and intensively cultivated.
It has various proportions of sand, silt and clay.
On the basis of age it could be of two types – Khadar (old alluvium) and Bangar (new
alluvium).
It is rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
It is ideal for the crop of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereals and pulses.
39. Which soils are found at the foothills?
Ans.
In the upper reaches of the valleys, i.e, at the break of slopes, the soils are coarse.
Such soils are common in piedmont plains like Duars, Chos and Terai.
40. Why alluvial soil is called the fertile soil?
Ans. It is the most fertile soil due to adequate content of potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
41. Differentiate between the khadar and bhangar.
Ans.
Khadar
Bangar
1. It is the new alluvium.
2. It is more fertile.
3. It is found near the river banks.
It is the old alluvium.
It is less fertile.
It is found away from the rivers near the
foothills.
4. It has fine particles.
It has higher concentration of kankar.
5. It is sandy and light in colour.
It is clayey and dark in colour.
42. Enumerate the features of „regur‟ soil. / Which geographical factors are responsible for the
formation of black soil? Why is it considered the most suitable soil for growing cotton? / By
what names is black soil known as ? In which regions the black soils are found? Why? / What
are the drawbacks of black soil?
Ans. Names The soil black in colour is known as the black soil or regur soil.
It is ideal for growing cotton and is therefore known as the black cotton soil.
Formation and Distribution It is found in the Deccan Plateau as it is formed due to cooling down of molten lava.
It is found in the plateau region of the states of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and the Krishna and Godavari river valleys.
Advantages Its clay content is high and is therefore has good water holding capacity.
It is rich in nutrients like, calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
Formation of cracks helps in aeration.
Drawbacks –
It is poor in phosphoric content.
It develops cracks in the hot weather.
It gets sticky when wet and has to be immediately tilled after the first shower or during the
pre-monsoon period.
Which soil type is made up of lava flows?
In which states is black soil found?
Which soil is ideal for growing cotton?
Which soil is known as regur soil?
Which state has the largest area under black soil? – Maharashtra
43. Describe any five distinct characteristics of arid Soils‟. / Why are arid soils found to be
non-productive?
Ans.
The soil is red to brown in colour and is sandy in nature.
It is found in the regions of dry climate with high temperature.
It is very saline in nature that salt can be obtained by evaporating water.
The rate of evaporation is faster.
The soil lacks humus and moisture.
The lower layer of the soil has kankar due to high calcium content which in turn restricts
infiltration of water.
It can be made cultivable with the proper methods of irrigation. Eg. Rajasthan
44. Explain the characteristics of the Forest Soils.
Ans.
Found in the rain forests of hilly and mountain areas.
The soil is loamy and silty in valleys and is fertile here.
The soil is coarse in the upper slopes.
The soil in the snow covered areas is acidic and low in humus.
45. How are red and yellow soils formed? Why do they look red?
Ans.
Red soil develops on the crystalline igneous rocks.
Found in the areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern Deccan Plateau – the states of
Odisha, Chhattisgarh, foothills of Western Ghats and the southern part of the central Ganga plains.
It develops a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron.
It looks yellow in hydrated form.
46. How laterite soils are formed? Give one positive and one negative aspect of laterite soils. /
Name the states in which laterite soils are found. Give its any two characteristics.
Ans.
The laterite soil develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall.
It is formed due to intense leaching caused by heavy rains.
Humus content is low due to killing of microorganisms by high temperature. (negative aspect)
It is found in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and hilly areas of Assam
and Odisha.
It is suitable for agriculture by using manures and fertilizers.
After proper soil conservation, it is used to grow coffee and tea in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. (positive aspect)
In which states laterite soil is found?
Which soil type is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rainfall?
The term ‘laterite’ had been derived from which word and what is its meaning?
It has been derived from a Latin word „later‟ which means brick.
47. Distinguish between red soil and laterite soil stating any three points of distinction.
Ans.
Red Soil
Laterite Soil
1. It is formed by the weathering of igneous and
It is formed due to leaching caused by
metamorphic rocks.
heavy rainfall.
2. It is fertile only where it is deep.
It is less fertile.
3. Humus content is less due to high temperature.
Humus content is less due to leaching
caused by heavy rainfall and high
temperature.
4. It is less crystalline.
It is crystalline.
5. It is red in colour due to diffusion of iron.
It is red in colour due to little clay and
much gravel of sand stones.
6. Found in the plateau region of Karnataka,
Found in the hilly areas of Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
Kerala, Odisha, Assam.
and Jharkhand.