Very Short Question and Answers:

1. What did the child intend to do after learning about Earth's uniqueness?
A: After learning about Earth's uniqueness, the child intended to put up the information
on a poster.
2. What factors have contributed to the existence of life on the Earth?
A: Life exists on the Earth due to the presence of three components— land, air and
water.
3. What do you understand by the term atmosphere?
A: The layer of various gases that surrounds the Earth like an envelope is called the
atmosphere.
4. In what ways is the biosphere different from the other spheres?
A: Biosphere is different from the other spheres as it is the only sphere where life
exists.
5. Name the life-sustaining elements present on the Earth.
A: The life-sustaining elements present on the Earth are land, air and water.
6. How do tree roots impact the soil (lithosphere)?
A: Tree roots bind the soil and prevent it from erosion. It also adds to soil fertility
once trees die and decompose.
7. In which domain of the Earth does life exists?
A: Life exists in the Biosphere.
8. What factors have enabled the existence of life in this domain?
A: The factors that have enabled the existence of life in this domain are the presence
of land, air and water.
9. What is the origin of the word "atmosphere"?
A: The word atmosphere comes from the ancient Greek words atmós (meaning
vapour) and sphaîra (meaning sphere).
10. Why is air pressure higher at the sea level?
A: The air pressure at sea level is higher because the air density here is the highest.
11. What is the force that holds the atmosphere in place?
A: The gravitational pull of the Earth holds the atmosphere in place.
12. Why is air pressure higher at the sea level?
A: The air pressure at sea level is higher because the air density here is the highest.
13. Explain the significance of the ozone layer within the stratosphere.
A: The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun
and prevents it from reaching the Earth.
14. What do you mean by noctilucent clouds?
A: Noctilucent clouds are ice clouds found in the Mesosphere.
15. In which layer of the atmosphere do auroras occur?
A: Auroras occur in the thermosphere.
16. How does water vapour in the atmosphere influence weather conditions in a
region?
A: Water vapour absorbs the heat and thus lowers the temperature in a particular
region.
17. What are the causes behind the depletion of the ozone layer?
A: The ozone layer is getting depleted due to the rising pollution levels. The main
cause of ozone depletion and the ozone hole is the emission of manufactured chemicals
that are used in refrigerators and air conditioners.
18. Name the layer of the atmosphere where meteors burn.
A: The layer of the atmosphere where meteors burn is Mesosphere.
19. Name the uppermost layer of the atmosphere.
A: The uppermost layer of the atmosphere is known as exosphere.
20. What is the significance of the ozone layer in the atmosphere?
A: The ozone layer absorbs the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun and prevents it from
reaching the Earth.
21. Give the meaning of the word "lithosphere" based on its Greek origin.
A: The word Lithosphere comes from the ancient Greek words lithos (meaning
stone) and sphaîra (meaning sphere).
22. Why do continents float over the oceans?
A: Sial is made up of lighter minerals than Sima and thus the continents float over the
oceans.
23. How is the lithosphere divided, and what landforms does it include?
A: The lithosphere is divided into two parts—the continents and the ocean basins,
which includes many landforms such as mountains, hills, plateaus and plains.
24. Distinguish between Pangea and Panthalassa.
A: Pangea was the supercontinent that consisted of all the present-day continents
Together whereas Panthalassa was the vast water body surrounding the Pangea.
25. Which is the largest continent in terms of area?
A: The largest continent in terms of area is Asia.
26. Name the second largest continent of the world in terms of area.
A: The second largest continent of the world in terms of area is Africa.
27. What is Eurasia?
A: The large continental area formed by certain parts of Asia and Europe is known as
Eurasia.
28. Where were the Mesosaurus fossils found?
A: Mesosaurus fossils have been found in both South America and Africa.
29. Identify the largest continent of the world.
A: The largest continent of the world is Asia.
30. How much land area does it occupy on Earth?
A: It covers nearly 33 per cent of land on Earth.
31. Name the third largest continent of the world.
A: The third largest continent of the world is North America.
32. What is the importance of the Isthmus of Panama?
A: The isthmus of Panama separates North America from South America.
33. Why are there no permanent human settlements in Antarctica?
A: Antarctica is very cold, as it is permanently covered with thick ice sheets. So, no
human settlements are found there.
34. Name the waterbodies surrounding Europe.
A: The waterbodies surrounding Europe are the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Arctic
Ocean in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the south.
35. Which valuable resources and minerals does the lithosphere provide?
A: The lithosphere provides coal, petroleum, iron etc.
36. Name the two layers of the lithosphere.
A: The two layers of the lithosphere are as follows:
a. Sial
b. Sima
37. Why is Earth referred to as the "water planet" or "blue planet"?
A: The Earth is known as the water planet or the blue planet because about 71 per
cent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.
38. What are the main sources of freshwater on Earth?
A: The main sources of freshwater are glaciers and underground water.
39. What is the significance of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean?
A: It is the deepest place on the Earth (11,034 metres).
40. Why there are many ports and harbours along the Atlantic coast?
A: There are many ports and harbours along the Atlantic coast because the ocean has an
irregular coastline that allows for construction of good ports and harbours.
41. What is unique about the Indian ocean?
A: It is the only ocean that is named after a country—India.
42. Which waterbody connects the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean?
A: The Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are connected by a narrow stretch of
water known as the Bering Strait.
43. What is unique about the Mariana Trench?
A: It is the deepest place on the Earth ((11,034 metres).
44. Which continents lie to the south of the Arctic Ocean?
A: The continents that lies to the south of the Arctic Ocean are North America, Europe
and Asia
45. How does the shape of the Atlantic Ocean differ from the shape of the Indian
ocean?
A: The Atlantic Ocean is ‘S’ shaped whereas the Indian ocean is triangular shaped.
46. What is the relationship between the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean?
A: Arabian Sea is an extension of the Indian Ocean.
47. What are the three main forms of water movement in the ocean?
A: The three main forms of water movement in the ocean are as follows:
i. Waves
ii. Currents
iii. Tides
48. Define the term ridge.
A: It is a series of waves that generate along the connection between water and air under
the influence of gravity.
49. What determines whether a current is warm or cold?
A: A current is warm or cold depends on the region they originate from.
50. What are the two types of tides?
A: The two types of tides are high tide and low tide.
51. Distinguish between high tides and low tides.
A: High tide: The highest point of sea/ocean water is called high tide.
Low tide: The lowest point of sea/ocean water is called high tide
52. What is a tidal force?
A: The gravitational pull exerted by the moon that causes the tides on the sea / oceans.
53. What purposes do fresh water serve to human beings?
A: Freshwater reservoirs provide water for human activities like irrigation and
transportation.
54. How is ocean water used as a source of energy?
A: Ocean waves are used to generate tidal electricity.
55. What is the name of the longest mountain range on Earth?
A: The name of the longest mountain range on Earth is the Mid Atlantic ridge.
56. Which geological process is responsible for the formation of the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge?
A: It is formed by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
57. Which is the largest ocean in the world?
A: The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.
58. Why is the biosphere considered unique to Earth?
A: The biosphere is considered unique to Earth because land, water and air are in
contact with each other in this zone facilitating life.
59. What are the key components that make up the biosphere?
A: All forms of life, from small, microscopic bacteria to human beings along with non-
living factors such as water, air, etc. exist in the biosphere.
60. What are biomes and how are they classified within the biosphere?
A: Biomes are the areas or zones that have their own distinct climate, plant and animal
life. For example: desert biome, forest biomes.
61. What does a food chain represent in an ecosystem?
A: A food chain represents the flow of energy and nutrients among different organisms
in an ecosystem
62. Why are western coastal areas of Europe warm?
A: The warm ocean current that moves from the western coast of Africa up north
tends to warm the western coastal areas of Europe.
63. What is the span of the Mid- Atlantic ridge?
A: The Mid Atlantic ridge spans for 40,389 miles around the globe.
64. Which sphere is unique to our planet Earth?
A: The biosphere is unique to our planet Earth.
65. Name the two divisions of the biosphere.
A: The two divisions of the biosphere are plant kingdom and animal kingdom.
66. Name some living components found in the pond ecosystem.
A: Some living components found in the pond ecosystem are frog, duck, fish,
mosquito, water lily etc.
67. Why do desert ecosystems have less vegetation?
A: Desert ecosystems have less vegetation due to less rainfall and lack of vegetation
cover.
68. What do you refer to an ecosystem?
A: An ecosystem is a territory in which plants, animals and other organisms, together
with climate and landscape, provide a supportive environment for life.