Class 9 Geography Chapter 1 HOTS Questions - Contemporary India - I

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Questions

• The islands group lies close to the Malabar coast of Kerala. They are composed of small coral islands. The archipelago is a Union Territory and is governed by the Union Government of India.
• Kavarati serves as the capital of this Union Territory. This island group has a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Q2: How does India occupy an important strategic position in South Asia?

Ans: 

• India occupies an important strategic position in South Asia because the Indian Ocean allows routes to other countries in Europe.
• The oil rich countries of the Persian Gulf are in close proximity and no other country has a long coastline along the Indian Ocean.
• India shares its land boundaries with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China (Tibet), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Our southern neighbours across the sea consists of the two island countries Sri-Lanka and Maldives.
• India has had strong geographical and historical links with her neighbours. If we look at the physical map of Asia we will notice how India stands apart from he rest of Asia.

Value-based Questions (VBQs)

• The total length of the coastline of the mainland including two island groups namely Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.
• It is the coastal region that provides India with a number of sea-ports, minor as well as major, and harbours to take on large scale sea-trade activities which are cheapest means of transport and helped India carry on its international trade.
• The long coastline offers India a huge scope of power-generation. It is possible for the country to install hydro power plants in the sea and get energy needs for the people of coastal areas of the country.

Q4: “India’s land routes have been important since ancient times.” Support this statements with valid points.
Ans:

• India’s contacts with the world have continued through the ages but her relationships through the land routes are much older than her maritime contacts.
• The various passes across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the ancient travellers, while the oceans restricted such interaction for a long time. These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities since ancient times.
• The ideas of the Upanishads and the Ramayana, the stories of Panchtantra, the Indian numerals and the decimal system thus could reach many parts of the world.
• The spices, Muslin and other merchandise were taken from India to different countries, on the other hand, the influence of Greek sculpture, and the architectural styles of dome and minarets from West Asia can be seen in different parts of our country.