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

Q1: What is the major objectiw to develop Super Highways?
Ans: The main objective to develop Super Highways is to reduce the time and distance between the four mega cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata with the development of fast and uninterrupted traffic along six lanes between these cities.

Q2: Why was the Haldia seaport set up?
Ans: Haldia seaport was set up to decongest the port of Kolkata as a subsidiary port.

Q3: Why was Jawaharlal Nehru port developed?
Ans: Jawaharlal Nehru port is a subsidiary port mainly developed to decongest the port of Mumbai and serve as a hub port for this region.

Q4: Efficient means of transport are pre-requisites for the fast development.’ Express your views in favour of this statement.
Ans: Efficient means of transport are pre-requisites for fast development because:

• the movement of goods and services from the supply location to demand locations necessitates the need for transport. It widens the market for goods.
• it allows distant and remote areas to be linked with urban and developed , regions.
•  the development and improvement of transport have made delivery of goods faster across long distances and thus reduced cost.
•  immediate relief during war, natural calamity, famine or flood can be easily accessed through efficient means of transport.

Q5: ‘Roadways still have an edge over railways in India.’ Support the statement with arguments.
Ans: Roadways still have an edge over railways in India in the following ways.

• Roads are cheaper than railways and are easier to construct and maintain.
• Roads provide door-to-door service, therefore the cost of loading and unloading
• is much less.
•  Road transport is used as a feeder to other means of transport, i.e. it is a link between railway stations, airports and seaports.
•  Roads can traverse more dissected and undulating topography.
•  It can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and can traverse mountains.
•  Roads are economical is transporting few number of people and smaller amount of goods over short distances.

Q6: Explain with examples the conditions responsible for uneven distribution pattern of the railway network in India.
Ans: The distribution of railway network depends upon physiographic, economic and administrative factors. The following are the conditions responsible for uneven distribution pattern of the railway network in India.

• The northern plains have dense network of railways due to extensive level land, agriculturally and industrially productive region and support high density of population which is favourable for the development of railways. However, the presence of large number of rivers requires the construction of bridges across the rivers which poses some difficulties.
• In the hilly regions of the north and the peninsular plateau regions, railways are constructed through narrow gaps, or tunnels.
• The Himalayas region has less network of railways due to rugged terrain, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
• In the sandy plains of western Rajasthan, swampy regions of Gujarat, thickly forested regions of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, construction of railways is difficult and expensive.
• Recently, the development of Konkan railway along the western coast has contributed to the movement of goods and passengers through the passes and gaps along the Western Ghats to link the most economic region of India.

Q7: Explain any five major problems faced by road transport in India
Ans: The major problems faced by road transport in India are as follows.

• The road network is inadequate when volume of traffic and passengers are taken into consideration.
•  Nearly half of the roads are unmetalled and it limits their usage during the rainy season.
•  Roadways are highly congested in the cities, with frequent traffic jams.
•  Most of the bridges and culverts are old and narrow.
• The national highways are inadequate too.

Q8: Explain the importance of railways as the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
Ans: Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India in the following ways.

• Railways have contributed to the development of multifarious activities like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage and tourism along with the transportation of goods over long distance.
•  It is an important means of transport for long distance travel with ease.
•  It has binded the economic life of the country that has accelarated the development of agriculture and industry by carrying the raw materials to the industries and distribution of finished goods to the consuming markets.

Q9: Describe the significance of tourism as a trade in India.
Ans: Tourism means an activity of visiting places, especially in foreign countries for pleasure.
Tourism is known as a trade because of the following reasons.

• Foreign tourist’s arrivals have increased over the years. 5.78 million foreign tourists visited India in 2010. It contributed ? 64,889 crores as foreign exchange in the year 2010.
• More than 15 million people are directly engaged in tourism industry.
• It helps in the development of Indian handicrafts and other economic activities.
• Foreign tourist visits India for business tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism, eco tourism, heritage tourism, etc.

Q10: Describe the major problems faced by the road transport in India.
Ans: Major problems faced by road transport are:

• In terms of volume of traffic and passengers, the road network is inadequate.
• About half of the roads are unmetalled and get damaged during the rainy season.
• The number of National Highways is inadequate and are poorly maintained.
• The roads are congested in cities and are lacking safety measures.
• Most of the bridges and culverts are old and narrow.

Q11: ‘Road transport and rail transport in India are not competitive but complementary to each other.’ Justify the statement.
Ans: The statement road transport and rail transport in India are not competitive but complementary to each other can be justified in the following ways. 

• Road transport is more suitable for short distances whereas rail transport is more suitable for long distances.
• Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances whereas rail transport is more suitable for large number of people and heavy goods.
• Road transport is beneficial for perishable goods to be carried by roads in short period of time whereas non-perishable and bulky are transported by railways for a longer distances.
• Road transport increases the efficiency of railways.
• Road transport links the rural areas with railway stations.
• The deficiency of railways is compensated by road transport.

Q12: How do means of transport and communication play an important role in the economic development of the country? Explain.
Ans: Dense and efficient network of transport and communication is a pre-requisite for the development of local, national and global trade of today because of the following reasons.

• We use different material and services in our daily life. Some of these are available in our immediate surroundings while other requirements are met by bringing things from other places. Movement of these goods and services can be over three domains of earth.
• Today the world has converted into a large village with the help of efficient and fast-moving transport.
• Transport has been able to achieve this with the help of equally developed communication system.
• Therefore transport, communication and trade are complementary to each other.
• Today, India is well linked with rest of the world despite its vast size diversity, linguistic and socio-cultural plurality.

Q13: Why is air travel preferred in the north-eastern states of India? Explain
Ans: Air travel is more popular in the north-eastern states of India because of the following reasons.

• North eastern part of the country is marked with the presence of big rivers where other means of transport cannot be laid.
• It is marked with dissected relief that makes it impossible to access the area through other means of transport other than air.
• The entire area is covered with dense forest that resists land movement.
• This area is often hit by frequent floods. Air travel is thus required.
• It has a long international frontier that requires quick response which is possible only through air transport.

Q14: Give reasons for which foreign tourists visit India.
Ans: Foreign tourists visit India due to the following reasons.

• India has been an excellent place for heritage tourism. It is rich in culture and ethnicity.
• Many tourists come here for adventure in the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, etc.
• Southern India provides excellent opportunities for medical tourism, which attracts tourists from the world.

Q15: Why is the distribution of roads not uniform in India? Explain with examples.
Ans: The distribution of roads is not uniform in India because of the following reasons.

• India has vast and diverse relief features with high mountains and plateaus which restrict construction of roads in many area.
• India is a land of rivers with dissected tributaries. It is not possible to lay roads in these areas where the rivers often create havoc during floods.
• Keeping in view the low volume of passengers and traffic, it is not economical to lay roads in such areas.

Q16: ‘Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its prosperity.’ Support the statement with suitable examples.
Ans: Advancement of international trade of a country is an index of its economic prosperity. The following points can justify the statement.

• No country can survive without international trade because resources are space bound.
• Advancement of international trade of a country leads to its economic prosperity because such a trade provides so many jobs to workers as well as business to traders.
• It is through international trade that we earn much of our foreign exchange which is required for importing many essential goods.
• Foreign trade helps in transfer of technology.
• International trade gives rise to competition. Domestic producers make their production process efficient to meet the international standards and thus, are able to compete.

Q17:  Indian railways binds the economic life of the country as well as accelerates the development of industry and agriculture.’ Justify the statement.
Ans: They are principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers. They help in multifarious ways like business, sightseeing, along with transportation of goods over long distances.

• Economic development of a region depends upon the dense network of rail transport.
• They link areas of production with that of consumption, agriculture with industry and village with towns and cities.
• They help in industrial development by assemblage of raw materials and distribution of finished goods.
• They help in regional development.
• Railways help in the development of all the three sectors of the economy— primary, secondary and tertiary.

Q18: How can you help the Indian Railways to run the trains as per schedule? Explain.
Ans: We can help the Indian Railways to run the trains as per schedule by:

• keeping the trains tracks clean, clear and well maintained.
• avoiding the pulling of chains for unnecessary reasons.
• avoiding the damage done to the railway property.

Q19: What are the means of communication? How do they create awareness ahjong the masses and integrate the people? Explain with four examples.
Ans: Communication refers to conveying of messages and ideas between individuals or to the masses. The means of mass communication are radio, television, media and films.
They create awareness among the mass and integrated the people in the following ways.

• Every day at regular intervals, we hear or watch the news on the radio and television. News are given on variety of subjects and topics and people come to know what is happening in the society, politics and economy.
• Newspaper also gives news on variety of subjects like politics, society, financial, sports and international. The news are given in details (of the day before). They also carry advertisements.
• India is the largest producer of feature films in the world. It produces short films, feature films and video short films.
• Means of communication also integrate the people. If we see about any unforeseen calamity on the television or read about it in the newspaper, the country stands united to help the victims.

• Construction of new railway lines and extension of additional routes along certain routes.
• Electrification of railway network.
• Introduction of super fast trains like Shatabadi, Rajdhani, etc.
• Computerised reservation of booking and cancellation of tickets.