Passage Based Questions: Human Geography Nature and Scope | Geography Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage - 1

The Development of Human Geography

The process of adaptation, adjustment with, and modification of the environment started with the appearance of human beings over the surface of the earth in different ecological niches. If we imagine the beginning of human geography with the interaction of the environment and human beings, it has its roots deep in history. Thus, the concerns of human geography have a long temporal continuum, though the approaches to articulate them have changed over time. This dynamism in approaches and thrusts shows the vibrant nature of the discipline. Earlier, there was little interaction between different societies, and the knowledge about each other was limited. Travelers and explorers used to disseminate information about the areas of their visits. Navigational skills were not developed, and voyages were fraught with dangers. The late fifteenth century witnessed attempts at exploration in Europe, and slowly the myths and mysteries about countries and people started to unravel. The colonial period provided impetus to further explorations in order to access the resources of the regions and to obtain inventory-wise information. The intention here is not to present an in-depth historical account but to make you aware of the processes of the steady development of human geography.

Answer Any Three Questions: 
(i) What does the term 'ecological niche' signify?
Ans:  The ecological niche describes how a species interacts within an ecosystem.

(ii) How does history perceive human experience and geography?
Ans:  History perceives human experience from the perspective of time, while geography views it from the perspective of space.

(iii) What is the definition of colonialism?
Ans:  Colonialism is defined as control by one power over a dependent area or people. Colonial empires grew by exploiting the physical and population resources of the people they conquered in order to increase their own power.

(iv) What role did travelers and explorers play regarding the areas they visited?
Ans:  Travelers and explorers disseminated information about the areas they visited.

Passage - 2

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Technology indicates the level of cultural development of society. Human beings were able to develop technology after they developed better understanding of natural laws. For example, the understanding of concepts of friction and heat helped us discover fire. Similarly, understanding of the secrets of DNA and genetics enabled us to conquer many diseases. We use the laws of aerodynamics to develop faster planes. You can see that knowledge about Nature is extremely important to develop technology and technology loosens the shackles of environment on human beings. In the early stages of their interaction with their natural environment humans were greatly influenced by it. They adapted to the dictates of Nature. This is so because the level of technology was very low and the stage of human social development was also primitive. This type of interaction between primitive human society and strong forces of nature was termed as environmental determinism.

Q1: What role does understanding natural laws play in the development of technology?
Ans:

• Understanding natural laws, such as friction and heat, is crucial for technological advancements.
• Knowledge of these laws led to discoveries like fire and enabled the conquering of diseases through genetics.
• Laws of aerodynamics are utilized for developing faster planes, showcasing the importance of nature's understanding in technological progress.

Q2: How did early humans interact with their natural environment, and why was this interaction termed as environmental determinism?
Ans:

• Early humans adapted to the strong forces of nature due to their primitive technology and social development.
• Their interaction with nature was influenced by the low level of technology, and they had to adapt to nature's dictates.
• This interaction, where nature strongly determined human behavior and development, was termed as environmental determinism.

Q3: How does technology impact the relationship between humans and their environment according to the passage?
Ans:

• Technology loosens the shackles of the environment on human beings, enabling them to overcome natural limitations.
• Advancements in technology are rooted in understanding natural laws, leading to innovations like fire, disease control, and faster transportation.
• As technology progresses, humans become less dependent on the environment, marking a shift from environmental determinism to technological empowerment.

Passage - 3

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The people begin to understand their environment and the forces of nature with the passage of time. With social and cultural development, humans develop better and more efficient technology. They move from a state of necessity to a state of freedom. They create possibilities with the resources obtained from the environment. The human activities create cultural landscape. The imprints of human activities are created everywhere; health resorts on highlands, huge urban sprawls, fields, orchards and pastures in plains and rolling hills, ports on the coasts, oceanic routes on the oceanic surface and satellites in the space. The earlier scholars termed this as possibilism. 

Q1: How does social and cultural development influence the evolution of technology according to the passage?
Ans:

• With social and cultural development, humans enhance their understanding of nature and develop more efficient technology.
• Progress in social and cultural aspects leads to the development of technology, enabling humans to move from necessity to freedom.

Q2: What concept is introduced in the passage to describe the human ability to create possibilities and shape the environment?
Ans:

• The concept introduced in the passage is "possibilism."
• Possibilism refers to the idea that human activities, driven by social and cultural development, create possibilities by utilizing resources from the environment to shape the cultural landscape.

Q3: How does the passage illustrate the diverse ways in which human activities leave imprints on the environment?
Ans:

• Human activities leave imprints in various forms, such as health resorts in highlands, urban sprawls, agricultural fields, orchards, and pastures in plains and hills, ports along the coasts, oceanic routes on the sea, and even satellites in space.
• These imprints collectively form the cultural landscape, showcasing the extent of human impact and adaptation on different terrains.

Passage - 4

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A geographer, Griffith Taylor introduced another concept which reflects a middle path (Madhyam Marg) between the two ideas of environmental determinism and possibilism. He termed it as Neodeterminism or stop and go determinism. Those of you who live in cities and those who have visited a city, might have seen that traffic is regulated by lights on the cross-roads. Red light means ‘stop’, amber light provides a gap between red and green lights ‘to get set’ and green light means ‘go’. The concept shows that neither is there a situation of absolute necessity (environmental determinism) nor is there a condition of absolute freedom (possibilism).

Q1: What concept did Griffith Taylor introduce, and how does it differ from environmental determinism and possibilism?
Ans:

• Griffith Taylor introduced the concept of "Neodeterminism" or "stop and go determinism."
• Neodeterminism represents a middle path between environmental determinism and possibilism, acknowledging neither absolute necessity (as in environmental determinism) nor absolute freedom (as in possibilism). It is comparable to the traffic light system where red means 'stop,' amber provides a gap to 'get set,' and green means 'go.'

Q2: How is the concept of Neodeterminism illustrated using the analogy of traffic lights?
Ans:

• In the analogy of traffic lights, red light signifies 'stop,' indicating a situation akin to environmental determinism where human actions are restricted by environmental factors.
• Amber light provides a gap between red and green, symbolizing the transitional state of neodeterminism, where there's room for adaptation and choice.
• Green light means 'go,' representing the freedom to act and shape the environment, similar to the possibilist perspective.

Q3: What does the concept of Neodeterminism suggest about the relationship between human actions and the environment?
Ans:

• Neodeterminism suggests that human actions are neither completely constrained by environmental factors (as in environmental determinism) nor entirely free from environmental influence (as in possibilism).
• It implies that human activities exist in a nuanced state, where there is room for adaptation and choice, reflecting a balanced interaction between human agency and environmental conditions.

Passage - 5

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Human geography, as you have seen, attempts to explain the relationship between all elements of human life and the space they occur over. Thus, human geography assumes a highly inter-disciplinary nature. It develops close interface with other sister disciplines in social sciences in order to understand and explain human elements on the surface of the earth. With the expansion of knowledge, new subfields emerge and it has also happened to human geography

Q1: What is the main objective of human geography, as mentioned in the passage?
Ans:

• The main objective of human geography is to explain the relationship between all elements of human life and the space they occur over.
• Human geography aims to understand and explain human elements on the surface of the earth by studying the intricate connections between human activities and their geographical context.

Q2: How does human geography demonstrate an interdisciplinary nature according to the passage?
Ans:

• Human geography assumes a highly interdisciplinary nature by developing a close interface with other sister disciplines in social sciences.
• It collaborates with various social science disciplines to comprehensively understand and explain human phenomena, recognizing the complex interplay between human life and geographical space.

Q3: What happens to the field of human geography with the expansion of knowledge, as mentioned in the passage?
Ans:

• With the expansion of knowledge, new subfields emerge within human geography.
• As knowledge grows, human geography continues to evolve, leading to the emergence of specialized subfields that focus on specific aspects of human life and their spatial relationships, reflecting the dynamic nature of the discipline.