NCERT 6th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Understanding Diversity

Question: How do we explain diversity?

Answer: Diversity is the term that applies to dissimilarities. It may be in language, food, culture, living, religion, etc. India is a unique country where one can observe it extensively. There are a number of festivals, languages, dresses, religions, etc. in India. Still people of India are Indians and they salute the one flag and sing one national anthem. It is unity in diversity.

Diversity occurs when we travel to different parts of the world. Since time immemorial people have been visiting different lands in order to learn something and for trade. They adopted different styles, languages and cultures from all those places.

Diversity also occurs due to geographical variations and natural calamities. For example, Kashmir is a cold place and the temperature goes even below 0°C. Naturally Kashmiri people wear woolen clothes, eat and drink hot food. On the other hand, people in desert areas use different clothes because it is very hot there.

Question: List three ways in which the different geographical location of Kerala and Ladakh would influence the following:

Answer:

1. The food people eat: Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the eastern part of the Jammu and Kashmir. Very little agriculture is possible here. It is therefore people here keep sheep, goats, cows and yaks for their living. They eat meat and milk products like cheese and butter. Kerala is a coastal region. The fertile land and climate are suited to growing rice and a majority of people here eat rice, fish and vegetables.
2. The clothes they wear: Ladakhi people wear woolen clothes including pashmina shawls because it is very cold there. The people of Kerala wear cotton clothes.
3. The work they do: The people of Ladakh rear sheep for its wool. They carefully collect the wool of the sheep and sell this to traders from Kashmir. The main occupations of the people of Kerala are fishing and farming. People grow rice in huge quantity. They also grow a number of spices like pepper, cloves and cardamoms. It is spices that made this region an attractive place for traders.