Class 10 Geography Chapter 1 Practice Question Answers - Contemporary India - II

Q1: Why is there a wide range of colours, hardness, crystal forms, lustre and density found in minerals?
Ans: A wide range of colours, hardness, crystal forms, lusture and density is found in minerals because a particular mineral is formed from a certain combination of elements and depends upon the physical and chemical conditions under which the material forms.

Q2: How do minerals occur in igneous and metamorphic rocks?
Ans: In igneous and metamorphic rocks minerals occur in the cracks, crevices, faults or joints. The smaller occurrences are called veins and the larger ones are called lodes.

Q3: How do minerals occur in sedimentary rocks?
Ans: In sedimentary rocks, minerals occur in beds or layers. They are deposited in horizontal stratas.

Q4: Why should the use of cattle cake as fuel be discouraged?
Ans: The use of cattle cake as fuel should be discouraged because huge loss of trees will be there when we burn cattle cake and use it as source of fuel. It must be consumed in biogas plants for its effective usage.

Q5: How are gobar gas plants beneficial to the farmers?
Ans: Gobar gas plants are beneficial to the farmers because they provide energy and improved quality of manure.

Q6: ‘There is a pressing need to use renewable energy resources.’ Justify the statement with suitable arguments.
Ans: The given statement can be justified by the following arguments.

• Increased consumption of energy resources has increased our dependence on fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
• There are uncertainties about the energy supplies in future because of their potential shortages.
• Use of non-renewable sources have serious consequences on the growth of national economy as they are getting expensive day by day.
• Above all, non-renewable sources pose a great threat in the form of pollution and other environmental issues.
• Solar, wind, tide, biomass and energy from waste material can thus, be proved advantageous in long run.

Q7: Explain the importance of conservation of minerals. Highlight any three measures to conserve them.
Ans: Minerals conservation is essential because:

• Minerals are non-renewable or finite in nature.
• The rate of formation of minerals is very slow in comparison to the rate of consumption. The geological processes of mineral formation takes place over millions of years.
• They are valuable and short-lived possessions of a country. Continued extraction leads to increasing costs as they are taken from greater depths along with decrease in quality.

The following are the three methods of conserving minerals.

• Minerals have to be used in a planned and sustainable manner.
• Improved technologies should be evolved to make use of low grade ores at low costs.
•  Recycling of metals, using scrap metals and other substitutes would help in the conservation of minerals.
• Using better mining methods will also help to reduce wastage.

Q8: How is the mining activity injurious to the health of the miners and environment? Explain.
Ans: Mining activity is injurious to the health of miners due to the following reasons.

• Inhalation of poisonous gases and dust make them vulnerable to pulmonary diseases.
• The risk of collapse of mine roofs may risk the life of miners.
• Inundation and fires in coalmines are a constant threat to the miners.

The following points show how mining affects the environment.

•  It results in contamination of water.
•  Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of land and soil.
•  It results in air and water pollution.

Q9: How can biogas solve the energy problem mainly in rural India? Give your suggestions.
Ans: Biogas is produced from shrubs, farm waste, animal and human waste mainly for domestic consumption in rural areas. It can solve the energy problem in rural India in the following ways.

• Decomposition of organic matter yields gas, which has higher thermal . efficiency than kerosene, dung cake and charcoal.
• It provides the farmers with energy and improved quality of manure.
• It prevents the loss of trees and manure due to burning of fuel coal and cowdung cakes.

Q10: Why is energy needed? How can we conserve energy resources? Explain.
Ans: Energy is needed for economic development.

• It is required for cooking.
• It is required to provide heat and light.
• It is used for running the machines in industries.
• It is used to propel the vehicles.
• It is essential for the development of agriculture, industry, transport for commercial and domestic purposes

We can save the energy by the following ways.

• Switching off the electrical appliances when not in use
• Use of energy efficient devices like CFC bulbs and appliances
•  Car pooling or use of public transport instead of private vehicles
• Use of alternate sources of energy (non-conventional/renewable sources)

Q11: Why is energy required for all activities? How can energy be generated?
Ans: Energy is required for all our activities. It is needed to cook, to provide heat and light, to propel vehicles, and to drive machinery. Energy can be generated from conventional and non-conventional sources. Conventional resources include fire wood, cattle dung cake, fuel minerals like coal, petroleum etc. Non-conventional resources include solar, wind, tidal, atomic energy, etc.

Q12: Which is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India? Mention its different forms.
Ans: The most abundantly available fossil fuel in India is coal. Coal is used as a domestic fuel for generation of thermal power and to supply energy to industries.
The following points show the importance of different types of coal.

• Lignite: It is a low-grade brown coal, which is soft and has a high moisture content. It is used for generation of electricity.
• Bituminous: The most popular variety of commercial and metallurgical coal is bituminous. It is formed due to high temperature deep in the interior. It has a special value in smelting of iron in blast furnaces.
• Anthracite: The highest quality of hard coal is known as Anthracite. It has the highest content of carbon and is mainly used for power generation in metallurgy.

Q13: Explain any three values which inspire us to conserve our energy resources.
Ans: Three values which inspire us to conserve our energy resources are as follows:

• Consciousness towards environment and its protection is required. Excess and careless use of resources will degrade the environment. Use of renewable power resources will address global issues of pollution.
• We should adopt a responsible attitude towards the use of power resources as they are in limited quantity. Wise use of these resources can be the only remedy.
• We have to be accountable towards future generation. We should adopt sustainable development so as to preserve the resources for use by our generations to come.

Q14: Why is solar energy fast becoming popular in rural and remote areas of India? Explain.
Ans: Solar energy is fast becoming popular in rural and remote areas of India because of the following reasons.

• It is one of the best forms of non-conventional sources of energy.
• It is not very expensive to install photovoltaic technology which converts solar light into solar energy.
• Tapping solar energy will reduce the dependence of dung cakes and will provide adequate manure for agriculture.

Q15: Which state is the largest producer of manganese in India? Mention any four uses of manganese.
Ans: Odisha is the largest producer of manganese in India.
Four uses of manganese are as follows:

• Manganese is used in manufacture of steel and ferro-manganese alloy.
• It is used in manufacturing bleaching powder.
• It is a raw material in manufacturing insecticides.
• It is also used in making paints.

Q16: ‘Minerals are unevenly distributed in India.’ Explain with three examples.
Ans: Minerals are unevenly distributed in India. This can be explained by giving the following examples.

• Peninsular rocks contain most of the reserves of coal, metallic minerals, mica and other non-metallic minerals.
• Sedimentary rocks on the western and eastern sides of the peninsula in Gujarat and Assam have rich petroleum deposits.
• Rajasthan, together with the peninsular region, has reserves of non-ferrous minerals.

Q17: How is energy a basic requirement for the economic development of the country? Explain with examples.
Ans: Energy is a basic requirement for the economic development of a country in the following ways.

• Every sector of the national economy—agriculture, industry, transport, commercial and domestic—needs inputs of energy.
• The economic development plans implemented since independence require increasing amounts of energy to remain operational.
• Energy is used for all activities. To provide light and heat, to propel vehicles and drive machinery in industries.
• For example, coal provides a large percentage of energy for country’s economic needs, supply energy to industries as well as for domestic use.
• Also, natural gas is an important clean energy resource found in association with petroleum. It is used as a source of energy as an industrial raw material in petro-chemical industry.

Q18: Mention any three major iron-ore belts in India. Write any three characteristics of the southernmost iron-ore belt.
Ans: The three major iron-ore belts in India are:

• Orissa-Jharkhand belt.
• Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt
• Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt
• Maharashtra-Goa belt

The three characteristics of the southern-most belt, Ballari-Chitradurga- Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt, are as follows.

• It has large reserves of iron ore.
• The Khudremukh mines, located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, are a hundred per cent export unit.
• Khudremukh deposits are one of the largest mines in the world.

Q19: How is solar energy becoming popular in rural and remote areas of India? Explain.
Ans: Solar energy is becoming popular in rural and remote areas of India because of the following reasons:

• It has reduced the dependence of rural households on firewood and dung cakes.
•  It has been able to reduce environment pollution to a great extent.
• Dung cakes used earlier are now utilised for increasing fertility of the soil.
• Being abundant in nature it is available all through the year.
• Moreover tapping of solar energy is not expensive and thus is preferred by all.
•  It can be stored and used later.

Q20: ‘We have to adopt a cautious approach for the judicious use of our limited energy resources.’ Support the statement with three examples.
Ans: We have to adopt a cautious approach for the judicious use of our limited energy resources because of the following reasons.

• They are non-renewable, once consumed we will not be able to get them back.
• Energy is required for all our activities—to cook, to provide light and heat, to drive vehicles and machinery, so, it should be used judiciously.
• Keeping in mind the needs of our future generation, we have to adopt the policy of sustainable development.