About This Section

This is a collection of important questions with complete model answers covering the whole of Chapter 1 — Resources and Development. They are grouped roughly by marks: 1-mark (very short), 3-mark (short answer) and 5-mark (long answer). Work through them after studying the concept sections to prepare thoroughly for the Board examination.

1-Mark Questions

Q1. Define 'resource'. Ans. Anything in our environment that can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.

Q2. Name the three Himalayan river systems that deposit alluvial soil. Ans. The Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

Q3. What is 'regur' soil commonly used to grow? Ans. Cotton (it is also called black cotton soil).

Q4. Up to how many nautical miles from the coast do oceanic resources belong to the nation? Ans. Up to 12 nautical miles (territorial waters); the Exclusive Economic Zone extends to 200 nautical miles.

1-Mark Questions (continued)

Q5. In which basin are gully-eroded bad lands called ravines? Ans. The Chambal basin.

Q6. What is the desired percentage of forest cover as per the National Forest Policy, 1952? Ans. About 33 per cent of the geographical area.

Q7. What does the Latin word 'later', from which 'laterite' is derived, mean? Ans. Brick.

Q8. Name the report that introduced the concept of 'Sustainable Development'. Ans. The Brundtland Commission Report, 1987 (published as Our Common Future).

3-Mark Questions

Q9. Classify resources on the basis of exhaustibility with examples. Ans. On the basis of exhaustibility, resources are of two types:

  • Renewable (replenishable) — can be renewed by natural processes, e.g. solar energy, wind, water, forests and wildlife.
  • Non-renewable — take millions of years to form and get exhausted after use, e.g. coal, petroleum and minerals. Renewable resources are further divided into continuous (solar, wind) and biological (plants, animals).

3-Mark Questions (continued)

Q10. Explain the three stages of resource planning in India. Ans.

  1. Identification and inventory of resources across regions through surveying, mapping and estimation.
  2. Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutions to implement resource development plans.
  3. Matching the resource development plans with the overall national development plans.

Q11. Why is the net sown area very different in Punjab and in Arunachal Pradesh? Ans. Punjab lies in the fertile, level, irrigated northern plains, so its net sown area exceeds 80 per cent. Arunachal Pradesh is hilly and forested with steep slopes, so very little land can be cultivated and its net sown area is below 10 per cent.

5-Mark Questions

Q12. Describe the classification of resources on the basis of ownership. Ans. On the basis of ownership, resources are of four types:

  • Individual resources — owned privately by individuals, e.g. a farmer's land, a house, a well.
  • Community-owned resources — accessible to all members of a community, e.g. village pastures, public parks and ponds.
  • National resources — belong to the nation; all minerals, water, forests, wildlife and land within the political boundaries, and the sea up to 12 nautical miles, belong to the country.
  • International resources — regulated by international institutions; oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to the open ocean.

5-Mark Questions (continued)

Q13. Explain the major types of soil found in India. Ans.

  • Alluvial soil — most widespread, in the northern plains and deltas; very fertile; suited to wheat, paddy and sugarcane. Types: Bangar (old) and Khadar (new).
  • Black (regur) soil — of the Deccan trap; retains moisture; ideal for cotton.
  • Red and yellow soil — on crystalline igneous rocks in low-rainfall areas; red due to iron, yellow when hydrated.
  • Laterite soil — formed by intense leaching in wet-and-dry tropical climate; acidic; good for tea, coffee, cashew.
  • Arid soil — sandy and saline; found in western Rajasthan; cultivable after irrigation.
  • Forest (mountain) soil — in hilly, forested areas; loamy in valleys, coarse on slopes.

5-Mark Questions (continued)

Q14. What is land degradation? Explain its main human causes and any three conservation measures. Ans. Land degradation is the decline in the quality and productivity of land due to its continuous misuse. Human causes: deforestation due to mining (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, Odisha); overgrazing (Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra); over-irrigation causing waterlogging and salinity (Punjab, Haryana, western UP); and mineral-processing dust and industrial effluents. Conservation measures: afforestation and proper grazing management; planting shelter belts and stabilising sand dunes with thorny bushes; and proper treatment and disposal of industrial effluents.