Questions on The climate of India.

1.

Why does Cherrapunji receive higher rainfall than Shillong?

2.

Name the parts of India that are affected by cyclones and depressions and explain the
causes of these.

3.

Which states in India receive winter rain? How is this rain economically beneficial?

4.

Explain how the west coast of India gets rain.

5.

What are the typical features of the tropical monsoon climate?

6.

Why do hill stations in South India never get snow even when the temperature drops
below 0C?

7.

Explain the mechanism of the direction of the Bay of Bengal branch of the SW Monsoon.

8.

Why does India have varied climatic types?

9.

Which type of climate is experienced in the Northern Plains of India? State one important
characteristics of this type of climate.

10.

Explain why Mumbai is warmer than Kanpur in December.

Questions on Soils in India:

1.

How is red soil formed? Mention two important properties of this soil.

2.

Which type of soil is associated with the term leaching? Name two regions in India
where this type of soil is found.

3.

What kind of soil do you need for i) wheat, ii) cotton, iii) bajra?

4.

Differentiate between khadar and bhangar soils and say where either of them is found.

5.

Which soil is of volcanic origin? Which crop thrives best in this soil?

6.

State two methods of soil conservation in semi-arid regions.

7.

Where do find red soil in India? What are its disadvantages?

8.

How is the soil protected from i) sheet erosion, ii) water logging and iii) gully erosion?

9.

Explain why alluvial soil is good for agriculture.

10.

Explain why red soil is red in colour.

Questions on Minerals
1.

Mention two states where limestone is found. Name one district each of Goa and Gujarat
where bauxite is found.

2.

Why is manganese considered to be an important mineral for industrial purposes? Name

two principal buyers of manganese in the world.

3.

What are the main products obtained during refining of petroleum? Name two refineries
of petroleum on the west coast of India.

4.

Fill in the blanks given in the chart:

1.
Two leading states
Mineral

Important use

in

One country other than

India where it is

India where it is found

found
Bauxite

____________ _________________

_________________________

_________________

_________________________

Manganese
_____________

Production of
cement

_________________ __________________________

5. Why is the coal produced in Bangladesh not of much importance? From which country does it
import
6.

What

most
is

the

main

of
product

of

its
bauxite?

coal?

What

are

its

uses?

7. Which Indian state is the greatest producer of iron-ore? What type of ore is it and in which iron
and

steel

mills

is

it

utilized?

8.Why

does

iron

ore

influence

the

economy

of

country?

9. Which country is the largest producer of coal in South Asia? Where does this country rank in
coal

production

in

the

world?

What

are

its

estimated

coal

reserves?

10. Mention two uses of limestone.

Questions on Industries
1.

Explain why the Hooghly basin is the main course for the jute textile industry.

2.

How has the Indian economy been influenced by the textile industry?

3.

Which industry is migrating South? Give reasons.

4.

Why is the silk industry considered a small scale industry? Name the two types of silk
produced in India.

5.

Name the by-products of the sugar industry. Give uses of each.

6.

Name the foreign collaborator of:

1.

Bokaro steel plant.

2.

Rourkela steel plant.

3.

Durgapur steel plant.

4.

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

7.

What are the main resources required for the development of iron and steel industry?

8.

What is the difference between heavy electrical and light electrical?

9.

What are the basic requirements of petro-chemicals? Which was the first public sector
unit to be set up?

10.

What is the significance of electronic industry in India? Name two centers of this industry
in India.
Agriculture in India:

1.

What is clonal planting? What are its advantages?

2.

Differentiate between rabi and kharif crops with examples.

3.

Mention three main problems faced by the Indian agriculture and help given by the
government to solve them.

4.

Differentiate between cash-crops and food-crops.

5.

Complete the chart:

State heading

Temperature

Temperature

Average

production

when sowing

when ripening

Rainfall

Rice

___________

__________

_________

_______

____________

Wheat

___________

__________

_________

_______

____________

Cotton

___________

__________

_________

_______

_____________

Crop

Rabi or kharif

6. Which are the three kinds of coffee grown in India? Which two states lead in its production?
7. State the economic importance of tobacco in India. Where does it stand in production?
8.

What

is

the

Green

Revolution?

9. In reference to sugarcane, distinguish between the sett methods of propagation and ratoon
cropping.
10. Why is the cultivation of oil seeds gaining popularity in recent times?

Answers to Questions on Climate of India

1.

Cherrapunji is situated on the windward side of the Garo and Khasi hills and Shillong on
the leeward side. The Bay of Bengal branch of the SW Monsoon winds get trapped in the funnel
shaped hills and shed their moisture in the windward side.

2.

The south east coast of India gets affected by tropical cyclones during October-November
due to local variations in heat and moisture. The cyclones originate in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands
rainfall.

and

travel

west

or

north-west,

in

the

Bay

of

Bengal

and

bring

heavy

North-west India experiences westerly depressions coming from the

Mediterranean Sea from December to February, these are however, cyclonic rains and beneficial
to crops.
3.

Tamil Nadu, some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
northern Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and western Uttar Pradesh get winter rain. This winter season is
the season of growing crops so the rain is very much beneficial for the growing of wheat in north
India and rice in Tamil Nadu.

4.

The west coast of India gets rain from the Arabian Sea Branch of the south west
Monsoon winds. Due to the presence of high Western Ghats, heavy rainfall is caused in the west
coast.

5.

Alternative hot and dry seasons, followed by rainy season from June to September. Four
seasons- Hot dry season from March to May; SW Monsoon season from June to September;
retreating Monsoon in October-November; cool and wet NE Monsoon from December-February.

6.

The hill stations in South India always have high ground temperature as the places are
situated near the equator and even if the precipitation is in the form of snow flakes, it condense
due to high ground temperature forming dense fog.

7.

The Bay of Bengal branch after reaching the slopes of the Himalayas cannot blow over
and hence breaks into two branches-one blows over the Indo-Gangetic Plain causing rain and
the other towards Myanmar. Thus places in the East get more rainfall than the places in the west.

8.

India has vast latitudinal extent which gives rise to Equatorial, Tropical and Temperate
climate. Apart from this presence of high mountains also bring about many changes in the
temperature and amount of rainfall.

9.

Tropical Monson type of climate. Characteristics: hot summers with heavy monsoonal
rainfall from June to September.

10.

Mumbai is on the coast and in the tropics whereas Kanpur is in the interior of the country
and therefore gets extremes type of climate. When the sun is in the southern hemisphere,
Kanpur gets more slanting rays of sun than Mumbai. Mumbai is also moderated by sea breezes.
Answers to Questions on Soil

1.

Red soil is formed as a result of the denudation of the ancient crystalline and
metamorphic rocks of the Peninsular Plateau. Properties: i) light in texture, friable and porous,
ii) deficient in lime, nitrogen, phosphorus and humus.

2.

Laterite soil is associated with the term leaching. This soil is found in the summits of
Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Assam.

3.

Wheat: clayey loamy soil, well drained with small lime content, like alluvial soil.
Cotton: black cotton regur
soil.

Bajra:

red soil.
4.

Khadar: newer alluvial soil, darker in colour, finer particles, clayey and loamy. Found in
lower valleys and deltas of rivers.
Bhangar: older alluvial soil, light grey in colour, coarser particles and calcareous clay.
Found 30m above sea level in river terraces.

5.

Black soil or regur soil is of volcanic origin. Cotton thrives best in this soil.

6.

Growing shelter belts and stopping over-grazing by selecting plots for rotational grazing.

7.

Red soil is found in the plateau regions, in the Peninsular India, Malwa, Chhota Nagpur
Plateau, parts of south Karnataka, Goa, NE Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and large areas of Tamil
Nadu. Red soil is friable and porous; deficient in humus, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and needs
fertilizers.

8.

i) Sheet erosion: growing of forests, trees and grass-roots that hold the top-soil.
Ii) Water logging: fertilizing and maintaining nutrients of soil and making
it fit for cultivation.

Iii) Gully erosion: plugging of gullies and construction of dams across

rivers and streams to regulate the flow and prevent floods.

9.

Very fertile soil being brought down by rivers as well as rich in chemical ingredients.

10.

Red soil is rich in iron content.

Answers to Questions on Industry
1. i) The Ganga-Brahmaputra basin provides 90% of the raw material.
2. ii) Coal is easily available.

3. Iii) Abundant fresh water for processing, washing and dyeing jute.
4. iv) Humid climate for spinning and weaving yarn.
5. v) Cheap labour and cheap transport.
6. vi) Kolkata port facility.
2. i) The most important foreign exchange earner for the country.
ii) provides employment to millions of people.
iii)Cotton industry is basis of khadi and handloom industry, employing many people directly and
indirectly, provides off-season income.
3. Sugar industry, migrating to Maharashtra. Longer crushing season, has no frost or fog, has
large co-operative farms, access to best hybrid seeds, use of fertilizers and insecticides, the
sucrose content is high and the factories are close to the fields, moist winds from the Arabian
Sea.
4. Silk is produced in rural areas where rearing of silk-worm is carried on as it is labour intensive.
Types of silk: Mulberry-silk worms. Non-mulberry-eri, tussar, muga.
5. Bagasse, used for making paper, cardboard, insulation board; molasses used for making
plastics, synthetic rubber, power alcohol, rum, chemicals and for moderating tobacco for
smoking.
6. Bokaro Steel Plant- Russia.
Rourkela- Krupps and Demag, Germany.
Durgapur- Britian.
Visakhapatnam- Russia
7. The main resources required are:
1.

Iron-ore

2.

Fuels

3.

Ferro-alloys

4.

Scrap or waste material

5.

Flux

6.

Cheap transport

7.

Water.
8. Heavy electrical require larger electrical output and produce heavier goods like turbines,
transformers, etc. , whereas light electrical require less electricity and produce lighter articles like
fans, bulbs and irons.
9. Raw materials derived from petroleum by-products, LPG and coal, located near refineries for
naphtha and benzene.
10. This industry covers a larger category of essential and luxury products like television,
telephone exchanges. Cellular telecom, electronic equipments, computers, defence, railways as
well as the post and telegraph department.
The main resources required are:
Two centers: Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore in Karnataka.
Answers to Questions on Minerals

1.

Limestone is found in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Bauxite is found in Panaji in Goa
and Jamnagar district of Gujarat.

2.

Manganese is used in the production of steel. It makes the steel strong, removes
impurities and makes it immune to rusting. Two principal buyers of manganese are USA and
Germany.

3.

Lubricants, kerosene, Vaseline, tar, etc. Refineries: Trombay, Mumbai, Kochi, Koyali.

Minerals

Important use

Two leading states in India One country other than

India

Bauxite

Aluminium

Jharkhand,

Chhattisgarh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Bihar

Manganese

Steel

Madhya

Pradesh, Pakistan

Maharashtra, Goa

Limestone

Cement

Andhra

Pradesh,

Gujarat, Sri Lanka and Bhutan

Orissa and Tamil Nadu

1.

The coal produced in Bangladesh is of poor quality-peat and lignite with large moisture
content. It imports coal from India (West Bengal).

2.

Aluminium. It is used in making planes, automobiles, electrical equipment, utensils, rail

wagons, household appliances.

3.

Orissa. Good quality haematite. It is used TISCO, IISCO, Rourkela, Durgapur,

Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj.

4.

Iron-ore is used in the manufacture of iron and steel, a basic industry as well as the raw
material for other important industries.

5.

India; ranks 4th in the world. Estimated coal reserves: 19, 60,000 million metric tones.

6.

Used as a raw material for making cement, fertilizers and as a fluxing agent in the making
of steel.
Answers to Questions on Agriculture

1.

Cuttings are made from the superior mother-plant and planted in nurseries and later
transplanted in plantations. They are 25cm high and get the special flavor and quality of the
mother plant.

2.

Rabi: fields are bared, prepared and sown in September/October; harvested in February;
winter crop, used to produce wheat and barley. Kharif: fields cleared, prepared in April/May,
sown in May end and early June; harvested in September/October; summer crop: rice, cotton.

3.

i) Dependence on rain: government helps by well-irrigation, canals and dams.

ii) small holdings: government encourages co-operative farming.

iii) Outdated methods: government educates them and gives low rate and even interest-free
loan.
iv) Cant afford good seeds, fertilizers: government subsidized by government.
v) Pests and diseases: education in its utilization.
vi) Floods and drought.
5. Food-crops provide food to the farmer and his family, eg, rice, wheat, pulses, for subsistence.
Commercial crops are grown to earn cash, industrial crops like cotton, tobacco.
Crop

State heading

Temperature when Temperature when Average rainfall

Rabi or kharif

production

sowing

ripening

Rice

West Bengal

18-32C

28C

150-300 cm

Kharif

Wheat

Uttar Pradesh

10-15C

20C

50-100 cm

Rabi

cotton

Gujarat

23-32C

27C

80-120 cm

kharif

6.

Arabica, Robusta, Liberica. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.

7. Tobacco products are a large source of income, employment, tax and foreign exchange. India
stands third in its production.
8. A revolution in agriculture to increase food-production, started in 1967-68.new varieties of
maize, rice, wheat are grown by this method, new strategy is used, supply of improved seeds,
machines , technology, chemical fertilizers, greater financial assistance, greater roles of cooperatives, etc.
9. Sett: cutting of two or three joints from the head of healthy cane and planting in equidistant
furrows filled with fertilized soil. This method yields superior cane.
Ratoon: after harvesting the cane is cut close to the ground. The stem grows and produces a
second crop called ratoon, saves time, labour and money, but stems remain thinner, weaker, with
less sucrose.
10. Vegetable oils are healthier and have less fat content. Linseed oil is in great demand for
industrial purposes. Oil extraction in mills provides employment to several people. Oil is also
used in turpentine, resin, margarine, cosmetics and other industries.