Geography as a discipline - Chapter 1 Class 11 NCERT Geography Solutions

Answer the questions in about 30 words.

(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?
Ans. Cultural features are also known as man-made features. Therefore some cultural features that can be seen while going to school are:- roads, bridges, railways, markets etc. They are absolutely dissimilar features and they should be included in the study of geography as they are found on the earth’s surface and geography as a subject is concerned with the study of physiographic, social and cultural features, and the interactions between them.

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

Ans. The shape of the earth could be best resembled with a pumpkin because earth is not a perfect circle, it is spherical in shape and the radius of the earth from the center deceases as we go towards North and South Pole.

(iii) Do you celebrate Vanmahotsava? Why do we plant more trees? How do the trees help in maintaining the ecological balance?
Ans. Planting trees is as essential part of instantiating the ecosystem because trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen therefore it helps in fixing and consuming carbon from the atmosphere. When the carbon content in the atmosphere is high, it affects the the global climate tremendously. Trees also help in balancing environmental pollution.

(iv) You have seen elephants, deer, earthworms, trees and grasses. Where do they grow or live? What is the name given to this sphere? Describe some of the important features of this sphere?
Ans. These all animals and organism live together forming a Biosphere. The biosphere is made up of the three components and they are - air, land and water. And if you see life exists in all these spheres.

(v) How much time do you take to reach your school from your house? If your school was located across the road from your house, how much time will it take you to reach school? What is the effect of the distance between your residence and the school? Can you convert time in terms of space and vice versa?
Ans. It is possible to convert time in terms of space and space in terms of time. For example, it can be said that place A is 5 km away from place B or in other words it can also be said that place A is 10 minutes away from place B, if the mode of transportation is with a bike.

3. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.

(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”?
Ans.


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