Short Answer Questions
Q1: What are permanent settlements, and when did humans start living in them?
Ans: Permanent settlements are places where people live for an extended period. Humans started living in permanent settlements when agriculture, trade, and commerce developed.
Q2: Define transhumance.
Ans: Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock from mountain pastures to lowland pastures in winter and from lowland pastures to mountain pastures in summer.
Q3: What is the primary sector in economic activities, and provide an example?
Ans: The primary sector involves the extraction of raw materials from natural sources. An example is agriculture.
Q4: Name four important means of mass communication.
Ans: Newspapers, radio, television, and social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Q5: What are some advantages of road transport over other modes of transport?
Ans: Advantages include lower infrastructure costs, door-to-door delivery, and accessibility to remote areas.
Q6: What is the significance of railways in a country's development?
Ans: Railways are crucial for transporting heavy raw materials and goods, such as iron ore, coal, and steel, and are essential for a country's industrial growth.
Q7: Name three important inland waterways in India.
Ans: The Ganga-Brahmaputra river system, the Godavari, and the backwaters of Kerala.
Q8: How has air transport been beneficial in areas with challenging terrains?
Ans: Air transport is valuable in forested and mountainous regions where constructing roadways and railways is difficult due to the terrain.
Q9: What is the main objective of mass communication through mass media?
Ans: Mass communication aims to reach a large audience simultaneously, providing information, entertainment, and news.
Q10: How have developments in transport and communication shaped the world into a global society?
Ans: Developments in transport and communication have reduced distances, improved accessibility, and enhanced opportunities for trade and global interactions, leading to a global society.
Long Answer Questions
Q1: Describe the differences between permanent and temporary settlements, including the reasons for their existence.
Ans: Permanent settlements are occupied for an extended period, while temporary settlements are inhabited for a shorter duration. Permanent settlements developed with the growth of agriculture, trade, and commerce, leading to the construction of strong houses. Temporary settlements are common among hunter-gatherers, shifting cultivators, and cattle herders. They exist because these groups move seasonally in search of resources and practice transhumance, moving livestock between mountain and lowland pastures.
Q2: Explain the classification of settlements based on population density, providing examples for rural and urban settlements.
Ans: Rural settlements have low population density and primarily engage in activities like agriculture, lumbering, hunting, and fishing. Houses are usually constructed from locally available materials like mud, wood, or stone. Urban settlements, including towns, cities, and metros, have high population density, with secondary activities like manufacturing and tertiary activities like services being dominant. Buildings are made with bricks and cement, and they offer civic amenities like electricity, water supply, sanitation, and public transport.
Q3: Describe the evolution of means of transport from ancient times to the modern era, emphasizing key inventions and their impact.
Ans: In ancient times, humans primarily traveled on foot and used rafts and boats for water transport. The invention of the wheel revolutionized land transport around 5,000 years ago. After the Industrial Revolution, transportation advanced significantly with the development of steam engines, oil-powered vehicles, and airplanes. Today, we have a wide range of means of transport like cars, buses, railways, ships, boats, and airplanes, which have drastically reduced travel times and connected people globally.
Q4: Explain the role of railways in a country's development, highlighting their significance in the transportation of goods and raw materials.
Ans: Railways play a vital role in a country's development by facilitating the transportation of heavy and bulky goods within the country. They are often cheaper and faster than road transport for long distances. Railways are essential for industries as they transport heavy raw materials like iron ore, coal, limestone, steel, and cement. The efficient movement of these raw materials supports industrial growth, contributing to a country's economic development.
Q5: Discuss the importance of communication in our daily lives and distinguish between personal and mass communication.
Ans: Communication is the process of conveying messages, information, thoughts, ideas, or feelings to others. Personal communication involves messages exchanged between two individuals and includes means like telephones, mobile phones, and the Internet. Mass communication, on the other hand, involves reaching a large group of people simultaneously through mass media like newspapers, radio, television, and social media. Both types of communication are integral to our daily lives, keeping us connected and informed.
