Q1- Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Orissa
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Tripura
Ans- (c) Orissa
(ii) The easternmost longitude of India is
(a) 97° 25′ E
(b) 68° 7′ E
(c) 77° 6′ E
(d) 82° 32′ E
Ans- (a) 97°25′E
(iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontiers with
(a) China
(b) Bhutan
(c) Nepal
(d) Myanmar
Ans- (c) Nepal
(iv) If you intend to visit Kavarati during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of India you will be going to-
(a) Puducherry
(b) Lakshadweep
(c) Andaman and Nicobar
(d) Diu and Daman
Ans- (c) Lakshadweep
(v) My friend hails from a country which does not share land boundary with India. Identify the country
(a) Bhutan
(b) Tajikistan
(c) Bangladesh
(d) Nepal
Ans- (b) Tajikistan
Q2- Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian sea.
Ans- (i): Lakshadweep
(ii) Name the countries which are larger than India.
Ans- (ii): Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia
(iii) Which island group of India lies to its south-east?
Ans- (iii): Andaman and Nicobar group of islands.
(iv) Which island countries are our southern neighbours?
Ans- (iv): Maldives, Sri Lanka.
Q3- The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?
Ans-
- The longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30°.
- The earth takes 4 minutes to rotate through 1° of longitude.
- Therefore the time taken by the earth to rotate through 30° is 30×4=120 minutes i.e. 2 hours.
- Due to this, there is time lag of about two hours between these states.
- Since Arunachal Pradesh is in the east hence the sun rises earlier here; compared to in Gujarat. The Indian Standard Time is taken from the time of Standard Meridian of India and hence the watches show the same time in both the states.
Q4- The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great significance. Why?
Ans- The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great significance because –
- It has given India a strategic advantage due to the Trans Indian ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the West and the countries of East Asia.
- This helps India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the Western coast and with the Southeast and East Asia from the Eastern coast.
- The vast coastline and the natural harbours have benefitted India in carrying out trade and commerce with its neighbouring and distant countries since ancient times.
- It has given India a distinct climate than the rest of the Asian Continent.
- No other country has such a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India. It is India’s eminent position in the Indian Ocean which has given the name of an Ocean after it.
Q5- Identify the following with the help of map reading.
(i) The Island groups of India lying in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Ans- (i) Lakshadweep
(ii) The countries constituting Indian Subcontinent.
Ans- (ii): Countries which make the Indian subcontinent are Pakistan in the north-west, India at the core, Nepal in the north, Bhutan in the north-east and Bangladesh in the east.
(iii) The states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes.
Ans- (iii): Tropic of Cancer passes through the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
(iv) The northernmost latitude in degrees.
Ans- (iv): 37°6′ N
(v) The southernmost latitude of the Indian mainland in degrees.
Ans- (v): 8°4′ N
(vi) The eastern and the western most longitude in degrees.
Ans- (vi): Western – 68°7′ E, Eastern – 97°25′ E
(vii) The place situated on the three seas.
Ans- (vii): Kanyakumari
(viii) The strait separating Sri Lanka from India.
Ans- (viii): The Palk Strait.
(ix) The Union Territories of India.
Ans- (ix): Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Puducherry (Pondicherry).