Today, India is one of the leading countries in the world with respect to both the total amount

of land under agriculture and the agricultural output. It is also among the highest exporters of
agricultural produce in the world. However, a lot still needs to be done to improve the condition of
agriculture and marginal farmers in India.

Look and learn:

1. Intensive farming
2. South Asia and Southeast Asia

MINERALS
A. 1. ore 2. igneous, metamorphic 3. non-metallic 4. ocean 5. Iron, manganese
6. peninsular

B. 1. True
2. True
3. False. Fossil fuels are mostly found in sedimentary rocks.
4. True
5. False. Extraction of minerals from the oceans is expensive and difficult and therefore not profitable.
6. False. Silver is used in photographic film to capture the picture.

C. 1. d. shale 2. b. plastics 3. c. Odisha 4. d. petroleum

D. 1. Iron is extracted from iron ore and is used in the production of steel. Steel has a wide variety of
uses in construction, transport, household appliances and industrial machinery. Hence, iron ore is
an important mineral.
2. Minerals are inorganic in nature. Coal is organic in nature since it is formed over millions of years
from the decayed remains of dead plants. So coal is not classified as a mineral.
3. Bauxite, which is the ore of aluminium, is light, strong and rust-proof. It is, therefore, used to make
aeroplanes.
4. Copper is a good conductor of heat and electricity. So it is used in wires and electronics.
5. Mica is shiny and light weight so it is used in paint and cosmetics.

E. 1. Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances found in the Earth’s crust. They are solid and
homogeneous in nature and often crystalline in form. Minerals are of two types—metallic and
non-metallic. Ores are rocks in which there is a high concentration of minerals.
2. Metallic minerals are generally found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Gold, copper, iron, tin,
zinc, silver, bauxite, manganese, uranium (any three)
3. Mineral fuels are formed over millions of years from the dead and decayed remains of plants and
animals.
4. When rocks containing minerals undergo erosion and weathering, they result in the formation of
sand and gravel. These are deposited by rivers onto valley floors and in piedmont areas. Gold and
tin are often found in this manner.
Just like on land, there are vast quantities of many minerals present in the ocean and on the ocean
floor. However, the process of extraction of minerals from the ocean floor is difficult and expensive.
The most common mineral obtained from the ocean is salt.

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 5. The following are some of the well-defined mineral belts in India:
Eastern Belt: Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Central Belt: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Southern Belt: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Southwestern Belt:
North Karnataka, Goa, Northwestern Belt: Rajasthan and Gujarat.

F. 1.

Metallic minerals Non-metallic minerals

They contain metals in their raw form. They do not contain metals.

They are hard and shiny. They are not shiny.

They are ductile and malleable. They are brittle and inflexible and break easily.

They are generally found in igneous and They are generally found in sedimentary rocks.
metamorphic rocks.

2.

Igneous rocks Sedimentary rocks Metamorphic rocks

They are formed when magma They are formed over millions Sometimes, igneous and
from the interior of the Earth of years from sediments sedimentary rocks get
comes to the surface, cools deposited in layers on a buried under the surface
and solidifies. flat surface. The layers get of the Earth. Here they are
cemented together under subjected to intense heat and
their own weight to form pressure, which makes them
sedimentary rocks. metamorphose into new kinds
of rock called metamorphic
rocks.

Examples: granite, basalt Examples: sandstone, coal, Examples: slate, gneiss,

shale, limestone diamond, marble

3. Minerals occur in various forms in the Earth’s crust, depending on their process of formation.
Sedimentary ore deposits: Minerals found in sedimentary rocks are characterised by their
occurrence in thick level sheets. Some common examples are limestone, clay and chalk.
Igneous ore deposits: Many important minerals are found as rich ore deposits in igneous rocks.
Igneous ore deposits occur in veins or lodes rather than as sheets. Metals such as copper and zinc
are extracted from such rocks.
Alluvial deposits: When rocks containing minerals undergo erosion and weathering, they result in
the formation of sand and gravel. These are deposited by rivers onto valley floors and in piedmont
areas. Gold and tin are often found in this manner.
Oceanic mineral deposits: Just like on land, there are vast quantities of many minerals present
in the ocean. However, the process of extraction of minerals from the ocean floor is difficult and
expensive. The most common mineral obtained from the ocean is salt.

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 4. Minerals play a very important role in our lives. Minerals are used to make houses, means of
transport like buses, cars and trains, computers, mobile phones, synthetic clothes and many
articles of daily use including pencils, toothpastes and toothbrushes. Metallic minerals like iron,
copper and aluminium form the backbone of a country’s economy and industry. Thus, minerals
are of vital importance to us.
Iron ore: Iron derived from iron ore is used to make steel. Steel has a wide variety of uses,
especially in construction, transport, household appliances and industrial machinery.
Bauxite: Bauxite is the ore of aluminium. It is a light, strong, rust-proof metal which is used to make
aeroplanes, automobiles and other vehicles and cans in which food is stored.
Copper: Copper is used to make wires, electronic items and industrial machinery.
Manganese: It is mainly used to make steel. It is also used in the production of batteries, glass and
paint.
Uranium: It is used mainly to generate nuclear energy and in high-powered weapons.
Gold: It is used to make jewellery and has been valuable to national economies since ancient
times. It is also used in electronic items because it is a good conductor of electricity.
Silver: It is used in electrical circuits and for coating engine parts. In photography, it is used to
capture the picture on film. (any five)
5. Mining is the process by which valuable minerals are extracted from the Earth. Various methods
are used to mine minerals depending on the nature of the ore, its position in the crust and its
mode of occurrence. Mining techniques can be divided into three main types:
Surface mining: This type of mining is also called open-pit or open-cast mining. This method is
suitable for minerals that lie close to the surface. The surface vegetation and dirt is removed and
minerals are quarried out of open pits.
Underground mining: In this method, tunnels are dug deep into the Earth to reach the ore buried
inside. The mined ore is brought to the surface for processing.
Drilling: Drilling is a method of mining used to extract petroleum and natural gas. Different types
of drilling methods are used depending on the geographic location of the oil deposit (whether
on land or under the sea), and the soil type. The drilled borehole through which petroleum and
natural gas are brought to the surface is called an oil well.
6. Minerals take millions of years to form. Therefore, they are said to be finite and non-renewable
resources. Hence, it is very important to conserve the Earth’s mineral resources. The following are
some measures to conserve mineral wealth:
● Using available resources carefully and minimising wastage
● Recycling metal scrap to make new products
● Using advanced and efficient technology for mining
● Conducting research to find alternatives to mineral resources
● Building awareness about the need to use resources judiciously

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 Look and learn:
1. It is a bridge 2. Steel 3. Transport, household appliances, industrial machinery

NORTH AMERICA: LOCATION, POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND

PHYSICAL FEATURES
A. 1. Cancer, Arctic 2. Bering Strait 3. Canada, USA, Mexico 4. Denali
5. Columbia Plateau 6. Dust Bowl 7. Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario

B. 1. False. The Rockies form the Continental Divide separating the rivers that flow into the Pacific
Ocean from those draining into the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
2. False. The Cordillera redirects moisture-laden winds from the Pacific Ocean to cause relief rainfall.
3. False. The Canadian Shield is a peneplain that has a number of lakes.
4. False. The Appalachian or Eastern Highlands were once higher than the Rockies but their
elevations were significantly reduced by glacial erosion.
5. False. The Rio Grande River forms the boundary between Mexico and the USA.

C. 1. c. Washington, DC 2. a. twisted ropes or cords

3. b. Mississippi and its tributary, the Ohio River 4. d. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario

D. 1. The Cordillera is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire because of which it has many active volcanoes.
2. The large Intermontane plateaus that lie between the parallel ranges of the Western Cordillera
receive very little rainfall because the mountain ranges that lie to their west prevent the rain-
bearing winds from the Pacific Ocean from reaching them.
3. A series of droughts in parts of the Central Lowlands made the farmers there to give up cultivation
of wheat.The topsoil, which was no longer protected by vegetation, was carried away by the wind.
Due to this, a large area covering Nebraska and Colorado turned into a desolate human-made
desert called the Dust Bowl.
4. The height of the mountains of the Eastern Highlands got significantly reduced due to glacial
erosions.

E. 1. North America is generally divided into these four major physical regions: • The Western
Cordillera • The Central Lowlands • The Eastern Highlands • The Canadian Shield
2. The Central Lowlands are made fertile by layers of sediment brought down and deposited by
glaciers and rivers.
3. The Appalachians and the Piedmont region are rich in deposits of coal, copper, zinc and lead.
4. The word ‘piedmont’ means ‘foot of a mountain’. Thus, piedmont plateaus are raised, flat-topped
landforms found at the foot of mountains.
5. Rivers Yukon, Columbia, Fraser and Colorado
6. The piedmont plateau at the foothills of the Appalachian Range has several springs, streams,
waterfalls and rivers on its eastern slopes. The Tennessee Valley Authority was established in 1933
to use water from these sources for purposes of navigation, power production, land reclamation,
and watershed development.

106

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