Class 8 Geography Chapter 1 Question Answers - Resources and Development

Q1: “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed”. Who said these words?
Ans: Mahatma Gandhi

Q2: Give a single word for the following:
(i) Materials with potential to satisfy human needs but lacking appropriate technology.
(ii) Resources that can be renewed by physical, chemical, or mechanical processes.
Ans: (i) Stock
(ii) Renewable

Q3: Name any two states with a very low percentage of net sown area.
Ans: Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.

Q4: How does over-irrigation lead to land degradation?
Ans: Over-irrigation causes waterlogging, increasing soil salinity and alkalinity, leading to land degradation.

Q5: Mention any two factors determining the land use pattern of a nation.
Ans: (i) Topography
(ii) Population

Q6: “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed”. Who said these words?
Ans: Mahatma Gandhi

Q7: Name any two factors on which resource development depends.
Ans: (i) Technology
(ii) Quality of human resources.

Q8: Name any two states where mining contributes to land degradation.
Ans: Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

Q9: How can the resources be classified on the basis of origin?
Ans: Resources can be classified as Biotic and Abiotic.

Q10: Classify the following resources as biotic and abiotic.
(i) Metals
(ii) Fauna
Ans: (i) Metals – Abiotic
(ii) Fauna – Biotic

Q11: What is the role of humans in resource development?
Ans: (i) Human beings create technology and institutions to accelerate economic development by interacting with nature.
(ii) They transform materials in the environment into resources for utilization.

Q12: What is gross sown area?
Ans: Gross sown area represents total sown land, counted for each sowing in a year.

Q13: A gas reserve has been discovered in an Ocean. The reserve is 19 km from the coast of the nation. Will it be considered an international resource or a national resource?
Ans: This gas reserve, being within 12 nautical miles from the coast, will be considered a national resource.

Q14: What is wasteland?
Ans: Unused and barren areas like rocky, arid, and desert regions.

Q15: Name any two states with a high percentage of net sown area.
Ans: Punjab and Haryana.

Q16: Name any two states where overgrazing is a main reason for land degradation.
Ans: (i) Madhya Pradesh
(ii) Rajasthan

Q17: How can resources be divided on the basis of exhaustibility?
Ans: Resources can be classified as Renewable and Non-renewable.

Q18: What is a Resource? Give two examples.
Ans: A resource is anything available in our environment that can fulfill our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable. Examples include coal and minerals.

Q19: What is net sown area?
Ans: Net sown area is the land sown once a year.

Q20: How much degraded land is present in India?
Ans: 130 million hectares.

Q21: Name any two states where over-irrigation leads to land degradation.
Ans: (i) Punjab
(ii) Haryana

Q22: What are abiotic resources?
Ans: Abiotic resources are composed of non-living things in the environment.

Q23: What are biotic resources?
Ans: Biotic resources come from the biosphere and include life forms like human beings, flora, fauna, fisheries, and livestock.

Q24: What is the total geographical area of India?
Ans: 3.28 million sq. km.

Q25: Name any two states of India well endowed with solar energy.
Ans: Gujarat and Rajasthan.