NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
Questions within the Lesson
Q.1. Find out the names of the glaciers and passes that lie in Great Himalayas.
Ans. Glaciers in the Great Himalayas — Gangotri, Chaturangi, Bhagirathi, Kharak, Satopanth, Kamet, Milam and Pindari.
Passes in the Great Himalayas — Karakoram pass, Shipkila pass, Nathula, Bomdila pass.
Q.2. Find out the name of the states where highest peaks are located.
Ans. Mountain peaks States
Kanchenjunga Sikkim
Nanga Parbat Jammu and Kashmir
Nanda Devi Uttarakhand
Kamet Uttarakhand
Namcha Barwa Assam
Q.3. Find out location of Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet from your atlas and also name the states where they are located.
Ans. Mussoorie
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Questions in the Exercise
Q.2. Answer the following questions briefly
(i) What are tectonic plates ?
Ans. Large fragments of the Earth’s crust torn due to the rising currents are called tectonic plates.
(ii) Which continents of today were part of the Gondwanaland?
Ans. South America, Africa and Australia.
(iii) What is the ‘Bhabar’?
Ans. Bhabar is a pebble studded formation situated at the junction of mountain and plain.
(iv) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.
Ans. The Great or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri, the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal, and the Outer Himalayas or the Shivaliks.
(v) Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya ranges?
Ans. The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya Ranges.
(vi) Name the island group of India having coral origin.
Ans. Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of India having coral origin.
Q.3. Distinguish between
(i) Converging and Diverging Tectonic Plates.
Ans. Converging Plates Diverging Plates
(a) When tectonic plates move towards (a) When tectonic plates move away from each other, they are called converging each other, they are termed as plates. diverging plates.
(b) When they move towards each other, (b) When they move away from each other, they collide or crumble or one of they do not collide or crumble. them slides under the other.
(c) Converging plates cause folds.
](d) Diverging plates cause fractures
in the crust.
(ii) Distinguish between Bangar and Khadar.
Bangar Khadar
(a) Formed of older alluvium (a) Renewed every year.
(b) Lies above flood plains of rivers. (b) Is newer, younger deposit of flood
(c) Presents a terrace like feature. (c) Contains calcerous deposits locally
known as Kankar.
(d) Less fertile
(e) More fertile
(iii) Distinguish between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
Ans. Western Ghats Eastern Ghats
(a) They stand like a continuous wall and (a) They are discontinuous and irregular. can be crossed through passes only. They have been dissected by rivers Thal Ghat provides passage to rails which have made their passages to and roads. reach the Bay of Bengal.
(b) This range is a source of many large (b) No big river originates from this rivers. range.
(c) It obstructs the monsoon winds coming (c) They are almost parallel to the from the Arabian Sea which causes monsoons originating in the Bay
heavy rainfall in the Western Coastal of Bengal and do not cause Plain. much rainfall.
Q.4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.
Ans. Geologists claim that a sea was located where the Himalayas now stand. Internal and external changes of Earth’s crust occurred. It is said that one of the crustal plates, called the Indo-Australian plate, separated from the super-continent named Gondwanaland. It drifted slowly towards the north to collide with the Eurasian plate five million years ago. The northern edge of the Indo-Australian plate was pushed beneath the Eurasian plate. After the collision of these two plates, the sedimentary rocks of enclosed ocean folded to form the Himalayas.
Q.5. Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular Plateau.
Ans. The major physiographic divisions of India are :
(i) The Great Mountains of the North.
(ii) The North Indian Plain.
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Coastal Plains and
(v) The Islands.
Himalayan Region Peninsular Plateau
(a) This region comprises greatest and
(a) Rugged and dissected terrain plateau is highest mountain ranges a remnant portion of the supercontinent of the world. the Gondwanaland.
(b) The ranges have I-shaped
(b) It has horsts, rift valleys and troughs. and U-shaped valleys.
(c) It is the origin of perennial rivers.
(c) It has rainfed, seasonal rivers.
(d) Young fold mountains made from the Created from igneous and metamorphic uplift of the strata formed by rocks after splitting of Gondwanaland. the sedimentary rocks.
(e) Parallelly arranged mountain (e) Rivers dissect. Faults and vertical
ranges are separated by movement of the Earth mark the plateau.
valleys and plains.
Q.6. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.
Ans. The Northern Plains have been formed from the alluvium that the mountain rivers deposited here. This turned the soil on the surfaced land fertile for growing a rich harvest of variety of crops. This led to the development of the Indus River Valley Civilisation. The rich soil was further aided by favourable climate and constant water supply from the rivers. Between the mouths of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the North Indian Plain covers a distance of 3200 km. It is 300 to 150 km wide at some places. The North Indian Plains have the Indus river system in thewest and the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system in the east. The first includes Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj. The Indus flows into the Arabian Sea.
The second includes Ganga, its tributaries and the Brahmaputra which combine as Meghna as they drain into the Bay of Bengal. They form the world’s largest and fastest growing delta. The difference in relief has led the North Indian Plains to be divided into four zones :
A. NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
Questions within the Lesson
Q.1. Find out the names of the glaciers and passes that lie in Great Himalayas. (Page 11)
Ans. Glaciers in the Great Himalayas — Gangotri, Chaturangi, Bhagirathi, Kharak, Satopanth, Kamet, Milam and Pindari.
Passes in the Great Himalayas — Karakoram pass, Shipkila pass, Nathula, Bomdila pass.
Q.2. Find out the name of the states where highest peaks are located. (Page 11)
Ans. Mountain peaks States
Kanchenjunga Sikkim
Nanga Parbat Jammu and Kashmir
Nanda Devi Uttarakhand
Kamet Uttarakhand
Namcha Barwa Assam
Q.3. Find out location of Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet from your atlas and also name the states where they are located.
Ans. Mussoorie
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Questions in the Exercise
Q.2. Answer the following questions briefly
(i) What are tectonic plates ?
Ans. Large fragments of the Earth’s crust torn due to the rising currents are called tectonic plates.
(ii) Which continents of today were part of the Gondwanaland?
Ans. South America, Africa and Australia.
(iii) What is the ‘Bhabar’?
Ans. Bhabar is a pebble studded formation situated at the junction of mountain and plain.
(iv) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.
Ans. The Great or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri, the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal, and the Outer Himalayas or the Shivaliks.
(v) Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya ranges?
Ans. The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya Ranges.
(vi) Name the island group of India having coral origin.
Ans. Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of India having coral origin.
Q.3. Distinguish between
(i) Converging and Diverging Tectonic Plates.
Ans. Converging Plates Diverging Plates
(a) When tectonic plates move towards, (a) When tectonic plates move away from each other, they are called converging each other, they are termed as plates. diverging plates.
(b) When they move towards each other, (b) When they move away from each other, they collide or crumble or one of they do not collide or crumble. them slides under the other.
(c) Converging plates cause folds. (c) Diverging plates cause fractures in the crust.
(ii) Distinguish between Bangar and Khadar.
Bangar Khadar
(a) Formed of older alluvium (a) Renewed every year.
(b) Lies above flood plains of rivers. (b) Is newer, younger deposit of flood
(c) Presents a terrace like feature. (c) Contains calcerous deposits locally known as Kankar.
(d) Less fertile (d) More fertile
(iii) Distinguish between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
Ans. Western Ghats Eastern Ghats
(a) They stand like a continuous wall and (a) They are discontinuous and irregular. can be crossed through passes only. They have been dissected by rivers Thal Ghat provides passage to rails which have made their passages to
and roads. reach the Bay of Bengal.
(b) This range is a source of many large (b) No big river originates from this rivers. range.
(c) It obstructs the monsoon winds coming (c) They are almost parallel to the from the Arabian Sea which causes monsoons originating in the Bay
heavy rainfall in the Western Coastal of Bengal and do not cause Plain. much rainfall.
Q.4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.
Ans. Geologists claim that a sea was located where the Himalayas now stand. Internal and external changes of Earth’s crust occurred. It is said that one of the crustal plates, called the Indo-Australian plate, separated from the super-continent named Gondwanaland. It drifted slowly
towards the north to collide with the Eurasian plate five million years ago. The northern edge of the Indo-Australian plate was pushed beneath the Eurasian plate. After the collision of these two plates, the sedimentary rocks of enclosed ocean folded to form the Himalayas.
Q.5. Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular Plateau.
Ans. The major physiographic divisions of India are :
(i) The Great Mountains of the North.
(ii) The North Indian Plain.
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Coastal Plains and
(v) The Islands.
Himalayan Region Peninsular Plateau
(a) This region comprises greatest and (a) Rugged and dissected terrain plateau is highest mountain ranges a remnant portion of the supercontinent of the world. the Gondwanaland.
(b) The ranges have I-shaped (b) It has horsts, rift valleys and troughs. and U-shaped valleys.
(c) It is the origin of perennial rivers. (c) It has rainfed, seasonal rivers.
(d) Young fold mountains made from the (d) Created from igneous and metamorphic uplift of the strata formed by rocks after splitting of Gondwanaland. the sedimentary rocks.
(e) Parallelly arranged mountain (e) Rivers dissect. Faults and vertical ranges are separated by movement of the Earth mark the plateau. valleys and plains.
Q.6. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.
Ans. The Northern Plains have been formed from the alluvium that the mountain rivers deposited here. This turned the soil on the surfaced land fertile for growing a rich harvest of variety of crops. This led to the development of the Indus River Valley Civilisation. The rich soil was further aided by favourable climate and constant water supply from the rivers. Between the mouths of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the North Indian Plain covers a distance of 3200 km. It is 300 to 150 km wide at some places. The North Indian Plains have the Indus river system in the west and the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system in the east. The first includes Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj. The Indus flows into the Arabian Sea.
The second includes Ganga, its tributaries and the Brahmaputra which combine as Meghna as they drain into the Bay of Bengal. They form the world’s largest and fastest growing delta.
Q.7. Write short notes on the following.
(i) The Indian Desert
Ans. Lying towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills, the Indian desert is formed of sandy plain covered with sand dunes. Receiving less than 10 mm rainfall in a year, the region has arid climate, low vegetation and streams that appear only in the rainy season. But they soon disappear into the sands, lacking enough water to reach the sea. Large areas of the deserts have crescent shaped sand dunes, i.e. barchans, while longitudinal dunes are abundant near Indo-Pakistan boundary.
(ii) Central Highlands.
Ans. The northern part of the Peninsular Plateau consists of plateaus, denuded mountain ranges and low hills made of igneous rocks. In the north-west are the Aravali range, running in south-west, north-east direction forming a discontinuous ridge. Thar Desert lies to the west of Aravali ranges. The southern boundary is demarcated by the Vindhya Range with Kaimur Hills in the eastern extent. The Malwa plateau lies between Aravalis and Vindhyas. Between the valleys of Narmada and the Son, escarpments are formed by the Vindhyan Kaimur range.
(iii) Island groups of India.
Ans. The Lakshadweep consists of many small islands located opposite the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. The islands of this group are formed of coral deposits called ‘atolls’ in Malayalam which refer to their ring or ‘horse-shoe’ shape. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, are larger in size. They are more in number and more widely scattered. There are about 200 islands in the Andaman group and 19 islands in the Nicobar group.
Q.7. Write short notes on the following.
(i) The Indian Desert
Ans. Lying towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills, the Indian desert is formed of sandy plain covered with sand dunes. Receiving less than 10 mm rainfall in a year, the region has arid climate, low vegetation and streams that appear only in the rainy season. But they soon disappear into the sands, lacking enough water to reach the sea. Large areas of the deserts have crescent shaped sand dunes, i.e. barchans, while longitudinal dunes are abundant near Indo-Pakistan boundary.
(ii) Central Highlands.
Ans. The northern part of the Peninsular Plateau consists of plateaus, denuded mountain ranges and low hills made of igneous rocks. In the north-west are the Aravali range, running in south-west, north-east direction forming a discontinuous ridge. Thar Desert lies to the west of Aravali ranges. The southern boundary is demarcated by the Vindhya Range with Kaimur Hills in the eastern extent. The Malwa plateau lies between Aravalis and Vindhyas. Between the valleys of Narmada and the Son, escarpments are formed by the Vindhyan Kaimur range.
(iii) Island groups of India.
Ans. The Lakshadweep consists of many small islands located opposite the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. The islands of this group are formed of coral deposits called ‘atolls’ in Malayalam which refer to their ring or ‘horse-shoe’ shape. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, are larger in size. They are more in number and more widely scattered. There are about 200 islands in the Andaman group and 19 islands in the Nicobar group.