Resources and development: 10th Geography

Question: What are shelter belts?

Answer: Rows of trees which are planted in between the crops are known as shelter belts.

Question: How shelter belts helps in file conservation of soil?

Answer: The shelter belts break up the force of the wind.

Question: Name a method which has contributed significantly in soil conservation in western India.

Answer: Shelter belts.

Question: What is net sown area? What percentage of total area is under net sown area in India?

Answer: Area sown once in a year is known as net sown area. In 2008-2009, 46.24% of India’s area was under net sown area.

Question: What is gross sown area?

Answer: Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross sown area.

Question: Which soils is the most widely spread in India?

Answer: Alluvial soil.

Question: What is bad land?

Answer: It is a land which is unsuitable for cultivation. Mainly soil erosion converts a fertile land into a bad land.

Question: What is gully erosion?

Answer: Gully erosion takes place when running water cuts deep ravines in the absence of vegetation. This type of erosion makes soil unfit for cultivation.

Question: What is strip cropping?

Answer: Under strip cropping large fields are divided into strips and different types of crops are grown on alternative strips along contours or across the prevailing direction of winds. This breaks up the force of the wind.

Question: Mention any two man-made and two natural factors responsible for land degradation.

Answer:

1. Man-made: Deforestation, over- grazing, mining, quarrying.
2. Natural: Water logging, wind, running water

Question: Name any four minerals in which the black soil is rich.

Answer:

1. Calcium carbonate
2. Magnesium
3. Potash
4. Lime

Question: What is leaching? Name the soils which develop due to leaching.

Answer: Leaching is a process by which the nutrients in the soil are washed away by heavy rains.
Laterite soils develop due to leaching.

Question: Mention any four proper farming technique which can be helpful in conservation of soil.

Answer:

1. Strip cropping
2. Shelter belt
3. Contour ploughing
4. Terracing

Question: State two disadvantages of the red soil.

Answer:

1. The soil lacks in nitrogen, organic and phosphoric acid contents and is less fertile.
2. Red soils are porous in nature but not retentive to moisture.

Question: ‘It is important to use the available land for various purposes with careful planning’. Give reason.

Answer: Because it is an asset of a finite magnitude.

Question: Mention the various forces of nature which contribute to the formation of soil.

Answer: Change in temperature, action of running water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers etc. contribute to the formation of soil.