Passage Based Questions: The Origin and Evolution of the Earth | Geography Class 11 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage - 1

Direction: Read the following Passage and Answer the Questions.
One of the earlier and popular arguments was by German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Mathematician Laplace revised it in 1796. It is known as Nebular Hypothesis. The hypothesis considered that the planets were formed out of a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun, which was slowly rotating. In 1950, Otto Schmidt in Russia and Carl Weizascar in Germany somewhat revised the ‘nebular hypothesis’, though differing in details. They considered that the sun was surrounded by solar nebula containing mostly the hydrogen and helium along with what may be termed as dust.

Q1: What is the Nebular Hypothesis, as mentioned in the passage?
Ans:

• The Nebular Hypothesis, initially proposed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant and later revised by mathematician Laplace in 1796, posits that planets were formed from a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun that was slowly rotating.
• In the revised version by Otto Schmidt in Russia and Carl Weizascar in Germany in 1950, it was suggested that the sun was surrounded by a solar nebula primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, along with dust particles.

Q2: Who were the key figures involved in revising the Nebular Hypothesis, and what modifications did they make?
Ans:

• Otto Schmidt in Russia and Carl Weizascar in Germany were the scientists who revised the Nebular Hypothesis.
• They suggested that the solar nebula surrounding the sun primarily contained hydrogen and helium, along with dust particles. Their revision differed in details from the original hypothesis.

Q3: What does the Nebular Hypothesis propose about the formation of planets and their association with the sun?
Ans:

• According to the Nebular Hypothesis, planets were formed from a cloud of material associated with a young sun.
• This material cloud slowly rotated, leading to the formation of planets within the solar system.
• The hypothesis implies a direct connection between the formation of planets and the sun through this cloud of material.

Passage - 2

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Similarly, the distance between the galaxies is also found to be increasing and thereby, the universe is considered to be expanding. However, you will find that besides the increase in the distances between the points on the balloon, the points themselves are expanding. This is not in accordance with the fact. Scientists believe that though the space between the galaxies is increasing, observations do not support the expansion of galaxies. So, the balloon example is only partially correct.

Q1: What evidence supports the idea that the universe is expanding, as mentioned in the passage?
Ans:

• The evidence supporting the idea of the expanding universe lies in the increasing distance between galaxies.
• Observations indicate a continual increase in the distances between galaxies, suggesting that the universe is expanding.

Q2: How does the passage critique the analogy of the expanding universe using the balloon example?
Ans:

• The passage points out a flaw in the commonly used balloon analogy to explain the expanding universe.
• While the analogy suggests points on a balloon increasing in distance from each other, it fails to accurately represent the actual situation in the universe.
• Observations show that although space between galaxies is expanding, galaxies themselves are not necessarily expanding, contrary to what the balloon analogy implies.

Q3: What do scientists believe about the expansion of galaxies in relation to the expanding universe concept?
Ans:

• Scientists believe that while the space between galaxies is increasing, the observations do not consistently support the idea that individual galaxies are expanding.
• This suggests a more complex reality than what the simple balloon analogy portrays, indicating that the analogy is only partially correct in explaining the expansion of the universe.

Passage - 3

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At the Big Bang the “tiny ball” exploded violently. This led to a huge expansion. It is now generally accepted that the event of big bang took place 13.7 billion years before the present. The expansion continues even to the present day. As it grew, some energy was converted into matter. There was particularly rapid expansion within fractions of a second after the bang. Thereafter, the expansion has slowed down. Within first three minutes from the Big Bang event, the first atom began to form.

Q1: Describe the main event associated with the Big Bang theory, as mentioned in the passage.
Ans:

• The Big Bang theory posits that a "tiny ball" exploded violently, leading to a massive expansion of the universe.
• This event occurred approximately 13.7 billion years before the present time.

Q2: What happened during the rapid expansion phase following the Big Bang, according to the passage?
Ans:

• During the rapid expansion that followed the Big Bang, some energy was converted into matter.
• Particularly within fractions of a second after the initial explosion, there was a period of extremely rapid expansion.

Q3: When did the formation of the first atom occur after the Big Bang, and how long did it take?
Ans:

• Within the first three minutes from the Big Bang event, the first atom began to form.
• This rapid formation of atoms signified a crucial milestone in the early stages of the universe's development.

Passage - 4

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A galaxy contains a large number of stars. Galaxies spread over vast distances that are measured in thousands of light-years. The diameters of individual galaxies range from 80,000-150,000 light years. A galaxy starts to form by accumulation of hydrogen gas in the form of a very large cloud called nebula. Eventually, growing nebula develops localised clumps of gas. These clumps continue to grow into even denser gaseous bodies, giving rise to formation of stars. The formation of stars is believed to have taken place some 5-6 billion years ago.

Q1: What is the initial process in the formation of a galaxy, according to the passage?
Ans:

• A galaxy starts to form by the accumulation of hydrogen gas in the form of a large cloud known as a nebula.
• Over time, these nebulae develop localized clumps of gas, which continue to grow into denser gaseous bodies, eventually leading to the formation of stars.

Q2: What are the typical diameters of individual galaxies, and how are galaxies measured in terms of distance?
Ans:

• The diameters of individual galaxies range from 80,000 to 150,000 light-years.
• Galaxies are measured in vast distances, typically in thousands of light-years, indicating the immense scale over which galaxies spread.

Q3: When is it believed that the formation of stars took place, and what is the process leading to star formation?
Ans:

• The formation of stars is believed to have occurred some 5-6 billion years ago.
• Stars form as growing nebulae develop localized clumps of gas, which continue to condense and grow into denser gaseous bodies, eventually giving rise to the formation of stars.

Passage - 5

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During the cooling of the earth, gases and water vapour were released from the interior solid earth. This started the evolution of the present atmosphere. The early atmosphere largely contained water vapour, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and very little of free oxygen. The process through which the gases were outpoured from the interior is called degassing. Continuous volcanic eruptions contributed water vapour and gases to the atmosphere.

Q1: How did the early atmosphere of Earth evolve, and what were its main components?
Ans:

• The early atmosphere of Earth evolved as gases and water vapor were released from the cooling interior solid earth.
• The early atmosphere mainly consisted of water vapor, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and very little free oxygen.

Q2: What process led to the release of gases and water vapor from the interior solid earth, and what is this process called?
Ans:

• The gases and water vapor were released from the interior solid earth during the cooling process.
• This process of releasing gases from the Earth's interior is called degassing.

Q3: Besides degassing, what other natural phenomenon contributed to the early Earth's atmosphere?
Ans:

• Continuous volcanic eruptions also contributed to the early Earth's atmosphere by releasing water vapor and gases into the air.
• Volcanic activity played a significant role in shaping the composition of the atmosphere during Earth's early stages.

Passage - 6

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The last phase in the evolution of the earth relates to the origin and evolution of life. It is undoubtedly clear that initially the earth or even the atmosphere of the earth was not conducive for the development of life. Modern scientists refer to the origin of life as a kind of chemical reaction, which first generated complex organic molecules and assembled them. This assemblage was such that they could duplicate themselves converting inanimate matter into living substance. The record of life that existed on this planet in different periods is found in rocks in the form of fossils.

Q1: What does the last phase in the evolution of Earth primarily concern, as mentioned in the passage?
Ans: The last phase in the evolution of Earth relates to the origin and evolution of life.

Q2: How do modern scientists describe the origin of life, according to the passage?
Ans:

• Modern scientists describe the origin of life as a chemical reaction that generated complex organic molecules.
• These molecules assembled in a way that allowed them to duplicate themselves, transforming inanimate matter into living substance.

Q3: Where is the record of past life on Earth found, and in what form?
Ans:

• The record of life that existed on Earth in different periods is found in rocks in the form of fossils.
• Fossils provide evidence of the diverse life forms that inhabited the planet during various geological eras.