Case Based Questions: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife | Social Studies (SST) Class 9 PDF Download

Case Study 1

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate option:

Our country, India, is one of the 12 mega bio-diversity countries of the world. With about 47,000 plant species India occupies tenth place in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. There are about 15,000 flowering plants in India, which account for 6 per cent in the world’s total number of flowering plants. The country has many non-flowering plants, such as ferns, algae and fungi. India also has approximately 90,000 species of animals, as well as, a rich variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters. Natural vegetation refers to a plant community, which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is termed as a virgin vegetation. Thus, cultivated crops and fruits orchards form part of vegetation but not natural vegetation.

Q1. How many mega bio-diversity countries are there in the world?

a. 10

b. 11

c. 12

d. 13

Q2. Which plant out of algae, fungi, ferns and orchids is a flowering plant?

a. Algae

b. Fungi

c. Ferns

d. Orchids

Q3. What is the rank of India in Asia in terms of plants diversity?

a. Second

b.  Sixth 

c. Fourth

d. Third

c. Fourth

d. Fifth

Q4. What is the name given to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time?

a. Natural vegetation

b. Virgin vegetation

c. Both a. and b.

d. None of these

Q5. How much natural is the natural vegetation of India today? Given reason.

a. Various new species of plants are raised in laboratories and they are planted to have better results.

b. Human interference is continuously increasing day by day which is deteriorating the quality of nature.

c. Both a. and b. are the reasons.

d. The greed of human being leads to over-utilisation of natural resources.

Q6. There are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read them and choose the correct option:

Assertion (A): India is rich in bio-diversity.

Reason (R): India has many species of non-flowering plants.

a. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

b. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

c. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.

d. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
1. Ans. (c)
2. Ans. (d)
3. Ans. (c)
4. Ans. (c)
5. Ans. (c)
6. Ans. (b)

Case Study 2

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate option:

In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. This type of vegetation is found in the North-western part of the country, including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main plant species. Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil in order to get moisture. The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimise evaporation. These forests give way to thorn forests and scrubs in arid areas. In these forests, the common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels.

Q1. Where are thorn forests and scrubs commonly found?

a. Western slopes of Western Ghats

b. North-western part of the country

c. North-eastern states

d. Coastal delta areas

Q2. Which of the following is not a characteristic feature of these forests?

a. Trees are scattered and have long roots.

b. The stems are succulent to conserve water.

c. They spread over the region receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm.

d. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimise evaporation.

Q3. Which of the following is the main plant species found in these forests?

a. Acacias

b. Bamboos

c. Sandalwood

d. Mulberry

Q4. In which of the following states the thorn forests and scrubs are found?

a. Gujarat

b. Rajasthan

c. Madhya Pradesh

d. All of these

Q5. What is the amount of rainfall received in these areas?

a. Between 100 cm and 200 cm

b. Between 70 cm and 100 cm

c. Less than 70 cm

d. Over 200 cm

Q6. How much of the total forested areas of India are covered by tropical thorn forests?

a. 10%

b. 5%

c. 20%

d. 12%
1. Ans. (b)
2. Ans. (c)
3. Ans. (a)
4. Ans. (d)
5. Ans. (c)
6. Ans. (b)

Case Study 3

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow:

In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to the corresponding change in natural vegetation. As such, there is a succession of natural vegetation belts in the same order as we see from the tropical to the tundra region. The wet temperate type of forests are found between a height of 1,000 and 2,000 metres. Evergreen broad-leaf trees, such as oaks and chestnuts predominate. Between 1,500 and 3,000 metres, temperate forests containing coniferous trees, like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar, are found. These forests cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas, places having high altitude in Southern and North-East India. At higher elevations, temperate grasslands are common. At high altitudes, generally, more than 3,600 metres above the sea level, temperate forests and grasslands give way to the

Alpine vegetation. Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches are the common trees of these forests.

Q1. What is montane vegetation?

Q2. What type of forests are found between 1,500 and 3,000 metres of height?

Q3. What are the common animals found in montane forests?

Ans1. The vegetation found on high altitudes is known as montane vegetation where the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to the corresponding change in natural vegetation.
Ans2. Between 1,500 and 3,000 metres, temperate forests containing coniferous trees are found that cover mostly the Southern slope of the Himalayas.
Ans3. The common animals found in montane forests are the Kashmir stag, spotted deer, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, shaggy horn wild ibex, bear and rare red panda, sheep and goats with thick hair.