CBSE Class 8 Social Science India Our Country Worksheet Set 06

Answer: Backwaters: shallow inlets of water along the coast, separated from the sea by a sand strip, as in Kerala. Coral islands: islands formed by the skeletons of tiny sea animals called corals. Deccan trap: the black lava plateau of the Deccan with black soil. Dun: a flat longitudinal valley between the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks, for example Dehradun. National park: an area protected by the government for wildlife and nature. Nocturnal: active at night. Sanctuary: a reserve where animals are protected from hunting.

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Answer: 1. (b) dun; 2. (a) 8 degrees 4 minutes N to 37 degrees 6 minutes N; 3. (a) Pakistan and Afghanistan; 4. (a) Himadri; 5. (b) Luni.

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Answer: 1. True; 2. False (it is a peak, not a range); 3. True; 4. False (it is the Tropic of Cancer); 5. True.

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Answer: 1. 25; 2. A lagoon (backwater); 3. the Gangotri glacier; 4. Purvanchal; 5. the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

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Answer: India extends from 8 degrees 4 minutes N to 37 degrees 6 minutes N, and from 68 degrees 7 minutes E to 97 degrees 25 minutes E.

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Answer: A large landmass that is part of a continent but is distinct in its geography and culture, such as India in Asia.

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Answer: From the river Indus (Sindhu). The Persians called it Hindu and the Greeks called it Indos, from which the name India came.

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Answer: Mount Everest (8,848 m).

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Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

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Answer: India is large, with the Himalayas in the north that separate it from the rest of Asia, and the sea on three sides. It has varied landforms, climates, people, languages and cultures, like a small continent, so it is called a subcontinent.

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Answer: A dun is a wide, flat longitudinal valley between the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwalik hills, covered with silt and gravel. Examples are Dehradun and Patli Dun.

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Answer: A sanctuary is a protected area where wild animals live safely and hunting is banned. People may live there with some limits. Examples are Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and Periyar.

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Answer: Pakistan and Afghanistan to the north-west, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east, and Sri Lanka (across the Palk Strait) to the south.

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Answer: Plants and animals keep the balance of nature, give us food, medicine, timber and clean air, and help in rainfall and soil. Many species are endangered by hunting and loss of forests, and once they are lost, they cannot be brought back.

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Answer: Alpine forests are found at heights above about 2,400 m in the Himalaya. The climate is cold and snowy. The trees are conifers with cone-shaped bodies and needle-like leaves, such as fir, pine, spruce and juniper, so that snow slides off. At the highest levels there are shrubs and grasses. Animals include the snow leopard, yak and Himalayan ibex.

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Answer: Desert regions get 25 cm or less of rain, so the plants are thorny shrubs and cacti, such as babool, acacia, date palm, khejri and kikar. They have deep roots, thick stems that store water and small or no leaves that reduce loss of water.

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Answer:

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Answer: The Himadri, or Greater Himalaya, is the northernmost and highest range, with an average height of about 6,000 m. It is always covered with snow and has big glaciers, such as Gangotri. It has the highest peaks: Everest, Kanchenjunga and Nanda Devi. It is made of granite and gneiss.

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Answer: The Himachal or Lesser Himalaya lies south of the Himadri, with heights from 3,700 to 4,500 m. The ranges are Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar and Mahabharat. It has beautiful hill stations such as Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital and Darjeeling and valleys like Kashmir and Kullu.

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Answer: Avalanches happen when huge masses of snow and ice slide down a slope, as a result of heavy snowfall, steepness, earthquakes or a rise in temperature. They block roads, destroy villages and bury people, so transport, power and communication are disrupted and people are cut off.

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Answer: Average height of the Himadri: about 6,000 m. By September the rays of the sun shift from the Tropic of Cancer and fall directly on the equator. The Indus has its source near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. Its tributaries in Punjab and Haryana are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.

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Answer: The animal is the Bengal tiger. It is protected by Project Tiger (1973), by tiger reserves, a ban on hunting and laws against trade in skins and bones. Other protected species: the Asiatic lion, one-horned rhinoceros, snow leopard, Indian elephant, gharial and great Indian bustard.

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