Chapter-1

Geography as a Discipline

1. Multiple choice questions

Question 1(i).

Which one of the following scholars coined the term ‘Geography’?

(a) Herodotus

(b) Erathosthenese

(c) Galileo

(d) Aristotle.

Answer:

(b) Erathosthenese

Question 1(ii).

Which one of the following features can be termed as ‘physical feature’?

(a) Port

(b) Road

(c) Plain

(d) Water park.

Answer:

(c) Plain

Question 1(iii).

Make correct pairs from the following two columns and mark the correct option.

1. Meteorology A. Population Geography

2. Demography B. Soil Geography

3. Sociology C. Climatology
 4. Pedology D. Social Geography

(a) 1B,2C,3A,4D

(b) 1A,2D,3B,4C

(c) 1D,2B,3C,4A

(d) 1C,2A,3D,4B.

Answer:

(d) 1C.2A,3D,4B

Question 1(iv).

Which one of the following questions is related to cause-effect relationship?

(a) Why

(b) Where

(c) What

(d) When.

Answer:

(a) Why

Question 1(v).

Which one of the following disciplines attempts temporal synthesis?

(a) Sociology

(b) Geography

(c) Anthropology

(d) History.

Answer:

(a) History.

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.

Question 2(i).
What important cultural features do you observe while going to school? Are they
similar or dissimilar? Should they be included in the study of geography or not? If
yes, why?

Answer:

When we go to school we see shops, theatres, roads, temple, mosque, church,

houses, government offices, etc on the way. These represent cultural features. All of
these features are dissimilar.

Yes, these must be included in the study of geography as they play an important role
in understanding human geography. They are an inseparable part of social and
cultural geography.

Question 2(ii).

You have seen a tennis ball, a cricket ball, an orange and a pumpkin. Which one
amongst these resembles the shape of the earth? Why have you chosen this
particular item to describe the shape of the earth?

Answer:

We have seen tennis ball, a cricket ball, an orange and a pumpkin. Amongst them an
orange resembles the shape of the earth the most because tennis ball and cricket
ball are almost circles or spheres and pumpkin is comparatively longer. But earth is
geoid type flatter towards poles which is like an orange.

Question 2(iii).

Do you celebrate Van Mahotsava in your school? Why do we plant so many trees?
How do the trees maintain ecological balance?

Answer:

Yes, we celebrate Van Mahotsava in our school. We plant many trees on this
occasion because trees provide us oxygen, food, rubber, paper, medicinal herbs and
uncountable life-giving things. Plants take in carbon dioxide and give oxygen and in
this way they maintain ecological balance.

Question 2(iv).

You have seen elephants, deer, earthworms, trees and grasses. Where do they live
or grow? What is the name given to this sphere? Can you describe some of the
important features of this sphere?

Answer:

We have seen elephants, deer, earthworms, trees and grasses. They live and grow on
the biosphere. Important features of biosphere are as follows:
 ● The combined form of land sphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere where
life is possible is called biosphere.

● Plants and animals are biotic elements of biosphere while soil, water, air,
etc are abiotic elements.

● Both moving and non-moving living beings are seen on the biosphere.
Moving living beings include animals, insects, birdsr aquatic animals,
human beings, etc while non-moving beings include trees, plants, grass,
etc.

Question 2(v).

How much time do you take to reach your school from your house? Had the school
been located across the road from your house, how much time would you have
taken to reach school? What is the effect of the distance between your residence
and the school on the time taken in commuting? Can you convert time into space
and vice versa?

Answer:

It takes me around one hour to reach my school. Had my school been located across
the road from my house, I could reach there within two minutes. Due to long distance
between my residence and school a lot of time gets wasted in commuting. It affects
my studies as lesser time is left for studies.

Space can be converted into time as we say that so and place is at 45 minutes
distance from here but time cannot be converted into space.

3. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

Question 3(i).

You observe every day in your surroundings that there is variation in natural as well
as cultural phenomena. All the trees are not of the same variety. All the birds and
animals you see, are different. All these different elements are found on the earth.
Can you now argue that geography is the study of “areal differentiation”?

Answer:

We observe every day in our surroundings that there is variation in natural as well as
cultural phenomena. All the trees are not of the same variety. All the birds and
animals we see, are different. All these different elements are found on the earth. It is
right to say that Geography is the study of “areal differentiation” but it will be
absolutely wrong to say that geography is the study of only “areal differentiation.”

Geography as a discipline is related to space and takes note of spatial

characteristics and attributes. It studies the patterns of distribution, location and
concentration of phenomena over space and interprets them providing explanations
for these patterns. It takes note of the associations and inter- relationships between
the phenomena over space and interprets them providing explanations for these
patterns. It also takes note of the associations and inter-relationships between the
phenomena resulting from the dynamic interaction between human beings and their
physical environment. Geography helps in understanding the reality in totality in its
spatial perspective. Geography, thus, not only takes note of the differences in the
phenomena from place to place but integrates them holistically which may be
different at other places.

Question 3(ii).

You have already studied geography, history, civics and economics as parts of
social studies. Attempt an integration of these disciplines highlighting their
interface.

Answer:

Geography is an integrated discipline.

1. Geography and History: The geographical factors have modified the course of
history in different parts of the world. Every geographical phenomenon undergoes
change through time and can be explained temporarily. The changes in landforms,
climate, vegetation, economic activities, occupations and cultural developments
have followed a definite historical course.

2.Geography and Civics: The core concern of political science is territory, people and
sovereignty while political geography is also interested in the study of the state as a
spatial unit as well as people and their political behaviour.

3. Geography and Economics: Economics deals with basic attributes of the economy
such as production, distribution, exchange and consumption. Each of these
attributes also has spatial aspects and here comes the role of economic geography
to study the spatial aspects of production, distribution, exchange and consumption.

Project Work

Select forest as a natural resource.

(i) Prepare a map of India showing the distribution of different types of forests.

(ii) Write about the economic importance of forests for the country.

(iii) Prepare a historical account of conservation of forests in India with focus on

Chipko movements in Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.

Answer:

(ii) Forests are very important for the economy of a country.

● Forests provide shelter to wild animals.

 ● We get wood from forests.

● We get paper, grass, bamboo, medicinal herbs, rubber, tea, coffee, food
items, fodder from animals, etc from trees.

● Trees play an important role in preventing soil erosion.

(iii) Attempt yourself.