GEOGRAPHY QUESTION BANK
RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT
VSA:
Q19. D
Q20. C
Q21. D
Q22. A
SA:
Q5. Fallow land is a cultivable piece of land which has been left uncultivated for a season to
regain its fertility.
It can be converted into cultivated land by applying the following methods:
(i) By adding abundant fertilizers to enrich the soil with essential nutrients.
(ii) By arranging adequate irrigation facilities to provide proper water supply to the land.
LA:
Q12. Resources are unevenly distributed over space and time. There are some regions which can
be considered self sufficient in terms of the availability of resources and there are some regions
which have acute shortage of some vital resources. Therefore resource planning is needed.
Resource planning refers to the strategy for planned and judicious utilisation of resources.
Resource planning is essential for the following reasons:
Resource planning identifies available resources and facilitates their equitable allocation,
ensuring equal distribution among regions.
It distinguishes between nonrenewable and renewable resources, emphasizing the use of
renewable sources for sustainability and environmental protection.
Resource planning promotes resource conservation and minimizes waste, preserving reserves for
future generations.
Q16. Land degradation is the continuous use of land over a long period of time without taking
appropriate measures to conserve and manage it. It is a process where the value and productivity
of land are reduced due to human activities.
The following human activities lead to land degradation:
(i) Deforestation is a major human activity causing land degradation. Large-scale removal of
trees from forests for other purposes damages the land.
(ii) Overgrazing is another factor. Excessive grazing causes damage to grasslands and exposes
the top layer of soil.
These problems can be solved through the following methods:
(i) Afforestation over deforested areas. More awareness about growing more trees can help even
further.
(ii) Proper management of grazing on permanent pastures.
FORESTS AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES:
SA:
Q4. Conservation of forests and wildlife resources is important as it preserves ecological
diversity, our life support systems like water, air and soil, and the genetic diversity of plants and
animals for better growth of species and breeding.
Community initiatives:
(i) In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the
Wildlife Protection Act. In many areas, villagers themselves are protecting habitats and explicitly
rejecting government involvement.
(ii) The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1,200
hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, declaring their own set of rules and
regulations which do not allow hunting.
Q7. Overpopulation is responsible for environmental degradation due to the following reasons:
(i) As the population grows, there is greater demand for natural resources such as land, water,
energy, and food. This increased consumption puts pressure on ecosystems, leading to
deforestation, habitat destruction, depletion of water sources, and overexploitation of natural
resources.
(ii) A larger population produces more waste and pollution. Increased industrial activities and
transportation produce air pollutants and waste products. Improper waste management and
disposal can lead to pollution of water bodies, soil contamination, and environmental hazards.
(iii) As cities expand to accommodate a growing population, natural habitats such as forests,
wetlands, and agricultural lands are often converted into urban areas.
Q8. Poverty is the outcome of environmental destruction due to the following reasons:
(i) Environmental destruction, such as deforestation, pollution, and depletion of natural
resources, can directly impact the livelihoods of people who depend on these resources for their
survival.
(ii) Environmental destruction, such as deforestation, mining, or large-scale infrastructure
projects, often leads to displacement of communities and loss of their lands, making people
owning these lands vulnerable to poverty.
(iii) As environmental resources become scarce or degraded, the competition for these resources
intensifies. This often leaves marginalized communities without access to essential resources like
clean water, fertile land, etc.
Q15. Reserved: Andhra Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
Protected: Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan
Q18. Characteristics of Permanent forests are as follows:
(i) Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates.
(ii) They are maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest produce, and for
protective reasons.
(iii) Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, constituting 75 per cent of its
total forest area.
LA:
Q8. two characteristics of joint Forest Management programme are as follows:
(i) It depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities
mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department.
(ii) In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-
timber forest produce and share in the timber harvested by ‘successful protection’.
ase in the following ways:
(i) In India, the JFM programme involves local communities in the management and restoration
of degraded forests.
(ii) The individuals belonging to these communities are benefitted as they have the right to
receive intermediate advantages such as non-timber forest products and they get a share in the
timber harvested by successful protection.f5
The programme has been in formal existence since 1988 when the state of Odisha passed the first
resolution for joint forest management.
Q16. The project Tiger was launched as an effort to conserve tigers in their natural habitats,
protect them from extinction, and preserve areas of biological importance as a natural heritage.
The Objectives of Project Tiger are as follows:
(i) The primary objective of Project Tiger was to ensure the survival, maintenance and
conservation of the tiger population in India.
(ii) The objective of Project Tiger was to safeguard the native environments of tigers and deter
human intrusion into these habitats.
The effects on conservation of Wildlife are as follows:
(i) Due to the initiatives undertaken by Project Tiger, there has been a rise in the tiger population
in India. The conservation efforts of Project Tiger have also benefited other wildlife species that
share the same habitats as tigers.
(ii) The project has effectively safeguarded the natural environments where tigers reside and
averted their degradation caused by human actions such as logging and mining.
WATER RESOURCES:
VSA:
Q15. the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’
Q16. Krishna
Q17. Chenab
Q18. The total water requirement of the household was fulfilled by practicing roof top water
harvesting.
SA:
Q8. Rainwater harvesting system is a viable alternative both socially, economically and
environmentally.
(i) (i) In hilly and mountainous regions, people build diversion channels like 'gul' or 'kul' in
Western Himalaya for agriculture.
(ii) Keeping in mind the abundance of water from the environment in the flood plains of Bengal,
people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
(iii) In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer,
almost all the houses traditionally and socially had underground tanks or tankas for storing
drinking water.
Q12. The impacts of water scarcity are as follows:
(i) Water scarcity results in limited access to safe drinking water, posing a threat to human
survival
(ii) Inadequate water supply for sanitation leads to water pollution from disease-causing bacteria.
(iii) It can lead to the destruction of entire habitats, causing the death or displacement of animals
and plants due to insufficient water availability.
LA:
Q2.
Some traditional methods of rainwater harvesting adopted in different parts of India are as
follows:
(i) In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the
Western Himalayas for agriculture.
(ii) In Rajasthan, rooftop rainwater harvesting was a common practice to store drinking water.
Houses in Bikaner, Phalodi, and Barmer in Rajasthan, had underground tanks called tankas,
which were part of the well-established rainwater harvesting system.
(iii) In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
(iv) In Meghalaya, a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo
pipes, is prevalent. About 18-20 litres of water enters the bamboo pipe system, gets transported
over hundreds of metres, and finally reduces to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant.
Q4. Rooftop rainwater harvesting is important in Rajasthan for the following reasons:
(i) The rainfall is not reliable in this region and comes rarely for a short period of time.
(ii) There is a lack of perennial Rivers in Rajasthan. Hence, there is a shortage of water supply.
(iii) The rainwater stored in tankas are an extremely reliable source of drinking water when all
other sources are dried up.
(iv) Rain water, or palar pani, as commonly referred to in these parts, is considered the purest
form of natural water.
(v) Many houses construct underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanka’ to beat the summer heat as
it would keep the room cool.
Q5. Ways through which the industrial pollution of freshwater can be reduced are as follows:
(i) Modifying manufacturing processes in different industries to decrease or eliminate pollutants
using pollution prevention techniques.
(ii) Constructing man-made cooling ponds that utilize evaporation, condensation, and radiation
to cool heated effluent waters from industries.
(iii) Treating sewage in water treatment plants connected to industries and regulating the usage
of groundwater by industries.
(iv) Reducing water consumption in processing through reuse and recycling.
(v) Harvesting of rainwater to meet water requirements.
