CBSE Class 10 Social Science Minerals and Energy Resources Important Questions

1 Marks Questions

Que.No.1: What is mineral?

Ans: Minerals are naturally occurring substances having a definite chemical composition..

Que.No.2: In which kind of rocks a number of layers are found?

Ans: Sedimentary rocks.

Que.No.3: What are placer deposits?

Ans: Alluvial deposits of valley floors and the base of hill are called placer deposits.

Que.No.4: Which types of energy are used to produce electricity?

Ans:.  Geothermal energy.

Que.No.5: Which is the leading producing state of manganese ores in India?

Ans: Odisha

Que.No.6: In which rocks limestone is found?

Ans: Sedimentary rocks.

Que.No.7: What is mica?

Ans: Mica is a mineral made of a series of plate or leaves.

Que.No.8: For which industry Limestone is a basic constituent?

Ans: Cement industry.

Que.No.9: In which state major lignite reserves are found?

Ans: Neyveli in Tamil Nadu. 

Que.No.10: Which mineral is contained in the monazite sand?

Ans: Thorium.

3 Marks Questions

Que.No.1: Why mining is called a killer industry?

Ans: i. The dust and noxious fumes inhaled by miners make them vulnerable to pulmonary disease.

       ii. The risk of collapsing mine roofs is a constant threat to miners.

       iii. The risk of inundation and fires in coalmines area are constant threat to miners.

Que.No.2: What are the main characteristics and importance of mica?

Ans: i. Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates and leaves. It splits easily into a mica sheet of a few centimeters width.

ii. Mica are found in black, green, yellow, or brown colour.

iii. Mica is one of the most indispensable minerals used in electrics and electronic industry.

Que.No.3: What are the uses of copper? Name two leading producing state in India?

Ans: i. Manufacturing electrical cable.

       ii. The electronic industry.

      iii. In chemical industry.

The two leading copper producing states of India are Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Que.No.4: Explain the importance of iron ore in industrial development of the country?

Ans: i. Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development.

       ii. India is endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore.

       iii. India is rich in good quality iron ore like magnetite and hematite.

Que.No.5: Classify the minerals for general and commercial purpose with example.

Ans: Minerals are broadly classified into three categories

1. Metallic minerals: it is further classified into ferrous like iron, ore, nickel, cobalt etc.

Nonferrous like copper, tin, bauxite etc. and precious metal like gold, silver, platinum etc.

1. Non metallic minerals:  do not contain metal. Like mica, sulphur, sandstone etc.
2. Energy minerals: that is obtained from energy resources. Like coal, petroleum, natural gas.

Que.No.6: Describe three characteristics of Odisha Jharkhand belt of iron ore in India.

Ans: i.High grade hematite found in Orissa.

       ii. It is found in Badampahar mines in the Mayurbhunj and Kendujhar districts of Orissa.                                       

       iii. Besides it is also found in the adjoining Singbhum districts of Jharkhand. Hematite iron ore is mined in Goa and Noamudi.

Que.No.7: What is rate whole mining?

Ans: In Meghalay there are large deposits of coal iron ore limestone and dolomite etc. coal mining in Jowai and Cherapumji is done by family members in the form of a long narrow tunnel known as Rat Hole mining.

5 Marks Questions

Que.No.1: Why are minerals important for us? Explain with example.

Ans: i. Minerals are an indispensable part of our lives. Almost everything we use from a tiny pin to a towering building or a ship are all  made of  minerals.

      ii. The railway lines and the tarmac of the roads, our implements and machinery too are made from minerals.  

      iii.   Cars, buses trains aero planes are manufactured from minerals and run on power resources derived from the minerals.. 

      iv. Even the food that we eat contains minerals.

In all stages of development human beings have used minerals for their livelihood, such as decoration festivities religious and ceremonial rites.    

Que.No.2: Discuss the hazards of mining on the life of miners and on the environment.

Ans: i. The dust and noxious fumes inhaled by miners make them vulnerable to pulmonary disease.

       ii. The risk of collapsing mine roofs inundation and fires in coalmines are a constant threat to miners.

      iii. The water sources in the region get contaminated due to mining.

      iv. Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of land and soil resources.

      v. Dumping of waste in water sources leads to increase in stream and river pollution. 

Que.No.3: Right the importance of petroleum. Explain the occurrence of petroleum in India.

Ans: Importance of Petroleum:

1. Petroleum is the major energy source in India.
2. Provides fuel for heat and lighting.
3. Provides lubricant for machinery.
4. Provides raw material for a number of manufacturing industries.
5. Petroleum refineries act as nodal industry for synthetic, textile, fertilizer and chemical industries.

Its occurrence:

1. Most of the petroleum occurrence in India are associated with anticlines and fault traps.
2. In region of folding, anticline or domes, it occurs where oil is trapped in the crest of the up fold
3. Petroleum is also found in fault traps between porous and non porous rocks.  

Que.No.4: Why are the conservation of energy resources essential?

Ans: i. Energy is the basic requirement for economic development.

ii. Every sector of the national economy – agriculture, industry transport, commercial and domestic needs inputs of energy.                                                                                                                          

1. The economic development plans implemented since Independence necessarily required    increasing amounts of energy to remain operational.
2. As a result, consumption of energy in all forms has been steadily rising all over the country.
3. There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable path of energy development.

Que.No.5: Bring out the difference between thermal power project and hydro electric power project?

Ans: Thermal power: A thermal power station is a power station in which heat energy is converted to electric power.

Hydro electric power: it is generated by fast following water which is a renewable resource.

The difference between of these as follows:

Important Questions for NCERT Class 10 Social Science Minerals And Energy Resources

Question. What are the four types of coal? Write one main characteristics of each.
Ans. Coal is an important and abundantly available fossil fuel in India. It is formed due to the compression of plant material over millions of years. It is a bulky material and loses weight on use as it is reduced to ash.
The four major forms of coal are:
(i) Peat: Decaying plants in swamps produce peat. It has a low carbon and high moisture contents and low heating capacity.
(ii) Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity.
(iii) Bituminous coal is buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures. It is the most popular coal in commercial use. Metallurgical coal is high grade bituminous coal which has a special value for smelting iron in blast furnaces.
(iv) Anthracite is the highest quality hard coal.

Question. Bring out the differences between thermal power and hydel power project.
Ans. The differences between thermal power and hydel power project are given below:

Question. Suggest some ways to conserve minerals.
Ans. Conservation of minerals is essential ways to conserve them are given below:
(i) All natural resources including minerals should be used judiciously so that future generations may also avail their benefits.
(ii) Recycling of metals should be done.
(iii) Scrap metals and other substitutes should be used.
(iv) Minerals resources should be used in a planned and sustainable manner.
(v) Wastage of minerals should be stopped.

Question. Why do we need to conserve energy resources?
Ans. We need to conserve energy resources because of the following reasons:
(i) Energy is a basic requirement for economic development. Every sector of national economy—agriculture, industry, transport, commercial and domestic—needs inputs of energy.
(ii) There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable path of energy development.
(iii) India is presently one of the least energy efficient countries in the world. We have to adopt a cautious approach for judicious use of our limited energy resources.
(iv) Various development plans require increasing amount of energy to remain operational.
(v) The success of economic development plans depends on energy resources.
(vi) Consumption of energy in all forms has been steadily rising all over the country. Therefore, it is necessary to minimise its consumption. We must keep it in mind that our energy resources are limited.
(vii) There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable path of energy development. We should promote energy conservation and use of renewable energy resources.

Question. How can we save our limited energy sources? Suggest ways for its judicious use.
                           Or
“We have to adopt a cautious approach for the judicious use of our limited energy resources”. Support the statement with three examples.
Ans. Since we have limited energy sources, it is our prime duty to conserve them as far as possible:
Ways to conserve energy sources:
(i) Using public transport instead of individual vehicles.
(ii) Switching off electricity when not in use.
(iii) Using non-conventional sources more and more.
(iv) Using power saving devices.
We should promptly adopt the above measures in order to save energy. We must keep it in mind that energy saved is energy produced.

Question. Name a few multi-purpose projects of India.
Ans. (i) Bhakra Nangal
(ii) Damodar Valley Corporation
(iii) Kopili Tydel Project

Question. The use of non-conventional sources of energy should be encouraged. What may be the reason behind this?
                           Or
Explain why the use of non-conventional sources of energy is becoming necessary in our country? Give three reasons.
                           Or
What are non-conventional sources of energy? Why is there a pressing need to use these sources of energy?
Ans. The use of non-conventional sources of energy is becoming necessary because:
(i) In the growing consumption of energy in the country has made us dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas and it may lead to shortages in the supply of oil, gas and coal in future.
(ii) Rising prices of oil and gas has adversely affected the foreign exchange.
(iii) The growth of the national economy is getting slowed down.
(iv) Ever-increasing use of fossil fuels is causing serious environmental problems.
(v) Non-conventional sources of energy are renewable and also eco-friendly.

Question. How are health and environment affected by the process of mining?
Ans. (i) Mining activity is often called a “killer industry” due to high risks involved.
(ii) The dust and poisonous fumes inhaled by the miners expose them to pulmonary diseases.
(iii) The risk of collapsing mine roofs, inundation and fires in coal mines are a constant threat to miners.
(iv) The water sources in the region get contaminated due to mining.
(v) Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of land, soil and river pollution.

Question. Why is using dung cake being discouraged?
Ans. Using dung cake is being discouraged because it consumes most valuable manure which could be used in agriculture.

Question. How is thermal electricity generated?
Ans. Thermal electricity is generated by using coal, petroleum and natural gas.