Chap 3 : Landforms and Life

Big Questions (Page 41)

Question 1. What are the major types of landforms and their significance to life and culture? Answer: The three major types of landforms are mountains, plateaus, and plains. They are very important for life because they affect the climate, the plants and animals found there, and the jobs people do. For example, people do farming in fertile plains, while mining is common in plateaus rich in minerals. Landforms are also a big part of our culture. Many of our stories, songs, and festivals are connected to the mountains and rivers in the places we live. In India, many mountains and rivers are even considered holy and are worshipped.

Question 2. What are the challenges and opportunities of life associated with each landform? Answer: Each landform has its own set of challenges and opportunities.

• Mountains:
  • Challenges: The weather is often very cold. It is difficult to build roads and houses on steep slopes. Farming is hard, and there is a danger of landslides.
  • Opportunities: Mountains have beautiful scenery which attracts tourists. This creates jobs for people. People can also enjoy sports like skiing and hiking.
• Plateaus:
  • Challenges: The soil on plateaus can be rocky and not very good for farming.
  • Opportunities: Plateaus are often called ‘storehouses of minerals’. This means they are rich in minerals like iron and coal, so mining is a major occupation. Some plateaus also have beautiful waterfalls that attract tourists.
• Plains:
  • Challenges: Many people live in plains, which can lead to overcrowding and pollution. Rivers in plains can sometimes cause floods.
  • Opportunities: The soil in plains is very fertile, which is excellent for growing crops. It is easy to build roads, railways, and houses on flat land. Rivers also make it easy to transport goods and people by boat.

LET’S EXPLORE (Page 42)

Question 1. As a class activity, form groups of four or five students and observe the school’s surroundings. What kind of landscape do you see? Will the landscape change a few kilometres away? Or within some 50 kilometres? Compare with other groups. Answer: (This is an activity for you to do. Here is an example answer.) In my school’s surroundings, I see a plain landscape. The ground is mostly flat with no big hills. The landscape does not change much even a few kilometres away. However, if we travel about 50 kilometres to the north, we might start seeing some small hills.

Question 2. In the same groups, discuss a journey that any of you has made through a region of India. List the different landscapes seen on the way. Compare with other groups. Answer: (This is a group discussion activity. Here is an example of what you could say.) I remember a journey I took by train from Mumbai to Delhi.

• When we started from Mumbai, the land was a coastal plain, which is flat and near the sea.
• As the train moved into central India, we saw some plateaus, which are high, flat lands with some hills.
• As we got closer to Delhi, the landscape became a very flat plain again, known as the Ganga plain, with many farms.

THINK ABOUT IT (Page 43)

Question: What is snow? Answer: Snow is a type of precipitation, just like rain. High up in the sky, where it is very cold, water vapour freezes into tiny ice crystals instead of turning into raindrops. These light, white ice crystals fall to the earth as snow. It is basically water in its solid form.

Discussion Questions (Page 46)

Question 1. What are the ‘western to the eastern oceans’? Can you locate them as well as the ‘Lord of mountains’ on Fig. 5.2? Answer: The ‘western ocean’ refers to the Arabian Sea, and the ‘eastern ocean’ refers to the Bay of Bengal. The ‘Lord of mountains’ mentioned in the poem is the great Himalayan mountain range, which stretches across the north of India between these two seas.

Question 2. Why is Ganga mentioned? Answer: The river Ganga is mentioned for a few reasons.

• It is the largest river that starts from the Himalayas. The poem describes the wind carrying water spray from the Ganga, which shows how mighty the river is.
• The Ganga is a source of water for the land and trees like the deodar.
• It is also a very holy river for many people in India, making it very important culturally.

LET’S EXPLORE (Page 49)

Question 1. These images (Fig. 3.6 on page 50) depict a few challenges that people living in the mountains may face. Discuss them in groups in the class and write one paragraph on each. Answer: Here are the challenges people face in the mountains:

• Flash Flood and Cloudburst: Sometimes, it rains very heavily in a small area, which is called a cloudburst. This can cause a sudden and dangerous flood in the rivers, called a flash flood, which can destroy everything in its path.
• Landslide: On steep mountain slopes, heavy rain can make the soil and rocks loose. This large mass of earth can suddenly slide down, blocking roads and burying houses.
• Avalanche: An avalanche is a landslide made of snow. A huge amount of snow suddenly slides down a mountainside at great speed, which is extremely dangerous for climbers and people living below.
• Heavy Snowfall and Cold Weather: Life becomes very difficult during winter due to heavy snow and extreme cold. Roads get blocked, and it’s hard for people and vehicles to move around.
• Uncontrolled Tourism: When too many tourists visit a mountain area, it can lead to traffic jams, garbage, and pollution. This can spoil the natural beauty and peaceful environment of the mountains.

Question 2. Also discuss why, despite many such challenges, people still choose to live in the mountains. Answer: People choose to live in the mountains for many reasons. For many, it is their ancestral home, where their families have lived for hundreds of years. They are used to the lifestyle and have learned how to deal with the challenges. Many people love the peaceful environment, clean air, and beautiful scenery. They also find work there through tourism, terrace farming, and herding animals.

LET’S EXPLORE (Page 53)

Question: Use the colour code in Fig. 3.8 to add a landform to each name. Answer:

• Mountain Ranges: Rocky Range, Andes Range, Atlas Range, Ural Range, Himalaya Range, Alaska Range.
• Plateaus: Patagonian Plateau, East African Plateau, Tibetan Plateau, Mongolian Plateau.
• River Plains: Mississippi Plain, Amazon Plain, Nile Plain, Indus Plain, Ganga & Brahmaputra Plain, Yangtze Plain.

LET’S EXPLORE (Page 54)

Question 1. Which colour is the Ganga plain? Answer: In the satellite image, the Ganga plain is shown in green.

Question 2. What does the white expanse represent? Answer: The white expanse at the top of the image represents the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayan mountains.

Question 3. What does the brown expanse at the bottom left of the image represent? Answer: The brown expanse at the bottom left represents drier land, which could be a plateau or a desert area where there are fewer plants.

LET’S EXPLORE (Page 55)

Question 1. Can you give examples of river sources or confluences from your region that are regarded sacred by any community? Answer: (This answer depends on your region. Here is an example.) An example of a sacred confluence is the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj (Allahabad). It is the meeting point of three rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. This place is considered very holy by Hindus.

Question 2. Visit a nearby river and observe all activities there, whether economic or cultural. Note them down and discuss with your classmates. Answer: (This is an activity for you to do. Here is an example of what you might observe.) When I visited a nearby river, I saw many activities:

• Economic Activities: I saw fishermen casting their nets to catch fish. There were also boats that were being used to carry people from one bank to the other.
• Cultural Activities: I saw some people offering prayers on the river bank and lighting small lamps. It seemed like a place of worship for them.

Question (Page 56)

Question: Name some popular tourist destinations in India and identify the category of landform they are associated with. Answer:

• Shimla: It is located in the mountains (Himalayas).
• Goa: It is a coastal plain.
• Ooty: It is situated on a plateau (part of the Nilgiri Hills).
• Ladakh: It is a high-altitude mountainous region and a cold desert.
• Jaipur: It is located in a plain.

Questions, activities and projects (Page 58)

Question 1. In what type of landform is your town / village / city located? Which features mentioned in this chapter do you see around you? Answer: (This answer depends on where you live. Here is an example.) My city, Lucknow, is located in the Ganga plain. A major feature I see around me is flat land that stretches for many kilometres. A river named Gomti also flows through my city. The soil here is very fertile, and there are many farms in the nearby villages.

Question 2. Let us go back to our initial trip from Chhota Nagpur to Prayagraj and Almora. Describe the three landforms you came across on the way. Answer: On the trip, we would see three different landforms:

1. We start in Chhota Nagpur, which is a plateau. This is an area of high land that is mostly flat on top.
2. Next, we travel to Prayagraj, which is located in the Ganga plain. This land is very flat and fertile, created by the river Ganga.
3. Finally, we go to Almora, which is in the Himalayan mountains. This area has high peaks and steep slopes.

Question 3. List a few famous pilgrimage spots in India along with the landforms in which they are found. Answer:

• Kedarnath and Badrinath: They are located in the high mountains of the Himalayas.
• Varanasi and Haridwar: They are located in the plains, on the banks of the holy river Ganga.
• Vaishno Devi: This shrine is located in the Trikuta mountains in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Tirupati Temple: It is located in the Seshachalam hills in Andhra Pradesh.

Question 4. State whether true or false. Answer:

• The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops. – False
• Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side. – True
• Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform. – True
• Mountains, plateaus and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna. – False
• Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna. – False
• Deserts have unique flora and fauna. – True
• Melting snow feeds rivers. – True
• Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains makes the land fertile. – True
• All deserts are hot. – False

Question 5. Match words in pairs. Answer:

• Mount Everest – climbing
• rafting – river
• camels – desert
• plateau – roof of the world (referring to the Tibetan Plateau)
• Gangetic plains – rice fields
• waterway – Ganga
• Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa
• Yamuna – tributary