Geography
India- Size and Location
III. Answer the following questions.
1. Why has 82°30'E been selected as the Standard Meridian of India?
Answer- 82°30' E has been selected as the Standard Meridian of India because it is
situated in the center of all longitudes and latitudes in which our country is located.
2. Why is the difference between the durations of day and night hardly felt at
Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir?
Answer-The difference between the durations of day and night hardly felt at
Kanyakumari because it is near the equator. As the equator receives the direct Sun
rays, there won't be hardly any difference between the day & night. But Kashmir is far
away from the equator.
[Link] the Union Territories of India.
Answer - The Union territories of India are:
1. Delhi
2. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
3. Puducherry
4. Chandigarh
5. Lakshadweep
6. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
7. Ladakh
8. Jammu and Kashmir
4. Area-wise which is the smallest and which is the largest state?
Answer- Largest State: Rajasthan
Smallest State: Goa
[Link] states which do not have an international border or lie on the coast.
Answer Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana.
6. Classify the states into four groups each having common frontiers with
(i) Pakistan (ii) China (iii) Myanmar and (iv) Bangladesh.
Answer- (i) States having common frontiers with Pakistan are Jammu and Kashmir,
Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat.
(ii) States having common frontiers with China are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
(iii) States having common frontiers with Myanmar are Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland,
Manipur, Mizoram.
(iv) States having common frontiers with Bangladesh are Meghalaya, Assam. West
Bengal, Tripura.
7. 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?
● The longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30°.
● Due to this, there is a time lag of about two hours between these states.
● Since Arunachal Pradesh is in the east 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.
8. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great
significance. Why?
● 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 Southeast and East Asia from the Eastern
coast.
● The vast coastline and the natural harbors have benefitted India in carrying out
trade and commerce with its neighboring and distant countries.
● It has given India a distinct climate than the rest of the Asian Continent.
Extra Notes
1. Where does Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep islands lie?
Ans: To the southeast and southwest of the mainland, lies the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep islands in Bay of Bengal and Arabian
Sea respectively.
2. Discuss the location of India.
Ans:India is a vast country. Lying entirely in the Northern hemisphere the
mainland extends between latitudes 8°4′N and 37°6′N and longitudes 68°7′E
and 97°25′E. The Tropic of Cancer (23° 30′N) divides the country into almost
two equal parts.
3. What is the extent of coastline of mainland of India?
Ans:The total length of the coastline of the mainland including Andaman and
Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.
4. What is the area of India?
Ans:The landmass of India has an area of 3.28 million square km. India’s total
area accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the world.
India is the seventh largest country of the world. India has a land boundary of
about 15,200 km.
5. Which mountain bounds India in northwest?
Ans:India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the northwest, north and
north east. South of about 22° north latitude, it begins to taper, and extends
towards the Indian Ocean, dividing it into two seas, the Arabian Sea on the
west and the Bay of Bengal on its east.
6. What is the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the mainland?
Ans:The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the mainland is about 30°. Despite this fact
the east-west extent appears to be smaller than the north-south
extent.
[Link] is time along the Standard Meridian of India passing through Mirzapur
taken as the standard time?
Ans: From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours.
Hence, time along the Standard Meridian of India (82°30′E) passing through
Mirzapur (in Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard time for the whole
country.
8. How is India connected to the world through the sea routes?
● The Trans Indian Ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in
the West and the countries of East Asia provide a strategic central
location to India.
● Note that the Deccan Peninsula protrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus
helping India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and
Europe from the western coast and with Southeast and East Asia from
the eastern coast.
● The long coastline(7516.6 Km)has given an advantage to India’s
maritime trade. Almost 90% of India’s international trade is through sea.
India has major ports on its western and eastern coasts.
[Link] has the opening of the Suez Canal helped in reducing India’s distance
from Europe?
Ans:Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, India’s distance from Europe
has been reduced by 7,000 km.
History
French Revolution Notes
Answer the following in one or two sentences.
[Link] was the ruler of France during the revolution?
Louis XVI of the Bourbon family was the ruler of France.
[Link] the three ‘Estates’ into which French society was divided before the Revolution.
● The First Estate — Clergy
● The Second Estate — Nobility
● The Third Estate — Common people.
[Link] did the French Revolution occur?
14th July, 1789.
[Link] were tithes?
It was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
[Link] was taille?
It was a direct tax to be paid to the State.
[Link] formed the National Assembly in France in 1789?
Third Estate
[Link] class of society in France was behind the French Revolution?
Middle class.
[Link] was the slogan of the French revolutionaries?
Liberty, Fraternity and Equality.
[Link] what charges was Louis XVI of France sentenced to death?
Treason.
[Link] was the feudal system?
It was a system under which land was granted to landlords in return for military or labour
services.
[Link] philosopher had forwarded the principle of voting by the assembly as a whole,
where each member should have one vote, during the rule of Louis XVI?
Rousseau.
[Link] which book did Rousseau mention the idea of one person, one vote?
The Social Contract.
[Link] the titles of the books written by :
(a) Rousseau -The Social Contract
(b) Charles Montesquieu - The Spirit of the Laws.
[Link] proposed a division of power within the government?
Montesquieu.
[Link] any four French philosophers who inspired the French people to revolt.
● Jean Jacques Rousseau
● Montesquieu
● Voltaire
● John Locke
[Link] was Bastille hated by the French people?
Bastille was hated because it stood for the despotic power of the king.
[Link] did France abolish the monarchy and became republic?
21st September, 1792.
[Link] was the leader of the Jacobin Club?
Maximilian Robespierre.
[Link] does the Red Cap worn by Sans-Culottes in France symbolize?
Liberty.
[Link] the political body to which the three estates of French society sent their
representatives?
The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their
representatives.
Answer the following questions
1. How was the system of estates organized in French society?
The French society was divided into 3 estates.
(i) The Clergy
(ii) The Nobility and
(iii) Businessmen, merchants, court officials, peasants, artisans, landless labour &
Servants
The members of the first two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility, enjoyed certain
privileges by birth. The most important of these was exemption from paying taxes to the
state.
Peasants, belonging to the 3rd estate made up 90 per cent of the population. Peasants
were obliged to render services to the members of the 1st and 2nd estate and to work in
their houses and fields and to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.
2.“Ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of the French
Revolution”. Explain the statement in the light of the French Revolution.
● People of the Third Estate demanded a society based on freedom and
opportunities for all.
● The National Assembly was formed in 1789 with an objective to limit the powers
of the monarch.
● The Constitution framed in 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizens.
● Censorship was abolished in 1789.
3.“The inequality that existed in the French Society in the Old Regime became the
cause of the French Revolution”. Justify the statement by giving three suitable
examples.
● French Society was divided into three Estates. The First Estate consisted of
clergy, the Second Estate consisted of nobility and the Third Estate consisted of
businessmen, traders, merchants, artisans, peasants and servants.
● The members of Church and nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth, the most
important being the exemption from paying taxes to the State.
● Feudal dues were extracted by nobles from peasants and one-tenth of the
agricultural produce of peasants, in the form of Tithes, came to the share of
clergy. All members of the Third Estate including peasants paid taxes, thus, the
burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the Third
Estate alone creating heavy discontentment.
[Link] the importance of the following dates:-
(i) 1774 (ii) 1789 (iii) 1791 (iv) 1792-93
The importance of the dates are:-
● 1774-Louis XVI became the King of France
● 1789-Convocation of Estates General,Third Estate formed the National
Assembly, The Bastille was stormed
● 1791-A constitution was framed to limit the powers of the king and to guarantee
basic rights to all human beings.
● 1792-93-France became a Republic and the King was beheaded. The Jacobin
republic was overthrown.
5. How did the fall of Bastille prison become the immediate cause of the French
revolution?
● On the morning of 14th July, 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm. The
king ordered his troops to move to the city.
● Rumours spread that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the
citizens.
● Some 7000 men and women gathered in the front of the town hall and decided to
form a people’s militia. A group of several hundred people marched towards the
eastern part of the city and stormed the fortress- prison,the Bastille.
● In the armed fight, the commander of Bastille was killed and prisoners released.
Since the Bastille stood the despotic power of the kind, it led people towards the
success of the French Revolution.
6. What does the subsistence crisis mean?What led to the subsistence crisis in France?
● Subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood
are endangered.
● The demand for foodgrains increased as the population had increased in France
from 23 million to 28 million. Production of grains could not keep pace with the
[Link], the price of bread, which was the staple diet of the majority rose
rapidly.
● Most workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owners fixed
their wages. But wages did not keep pace with the rise in [Link], the gap
between the poor and rich widened.
● Things became worse whenever drought and hail reduced the harvest. This led
to a subsistence crisis , something that occurred frequently in France during the
Old Regime.
[Link] was the main objective of the Constitution drafted by the National Assembly?
● The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791.
● Its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers, instead of
being concentrated in the hands of one person, were now separated and
assigned to different institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary.
● This made France a constitutional Monarchy.
[Link] were the members of the National Assembly elected?
● Members of the National Assembly were elected indirectly.
● Citizens voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Not all
citizens, however, had the right to vote.
● Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
labourer’s wage were given the status of active citizens and were eligible to vote.
● The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens.
● To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to
belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.
[Link] a note about the Jacobin Club.
● The members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous
sections of society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as
shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and
daily-wage workers.
● Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
● The Jacobin Club was the strongest of the many clubs that were formed. In the
summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection
● They stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held
the king himself hostage for several hours.
● Later elections were held. The Jacobian Government came to power. The newly
elected assembly was called the Convention.
● The Jacobin leader , Robespierre, headed the Assembly. Robespierre followed a
policy of severe control and punishment.
● Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began
to demand moderation.
● Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794.
● The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize
power.
[Link] compelled Louis XVI to raise taxes in France?
● Wars and Economic Crisis : In 1774, when Louis XVI ascended the throne, he
found an empty treasure. The nation had gone into deep debt because of the
fighting in the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Revolutionary War in
America under Louis XVI. In this war, France helped the 13 American colonies to
gain their independence from Britain. The war added more than a billion livers to a
debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
● Debt Trap: Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10 per cent
interest on loans. So the French government was obliged to spend an increasing
percentage of its budget on interest payments alone. To meet its regular
expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government
offices or universities the state was forced to increase taxes.
● Extravagant Court: France under various kings had an extravagant court at the
immense palace of Versailles.
11 .Explain the circumstances under which Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the
National Assembly.
Or What were the main causes of the French Revolution of1789?
(i) Assembly of the Estates: On 5th May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of
the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes. Voting in the Estates General in
the past had been conducted according to the principle that each estate had one vote.
This time too, Louis XVI was determined to continue the same practice. But members of
the Third Estate demanded that voting now should be conducted by the assembly as a
whole, where each member would have one vote. When the king rejected this proposal,
members of the Third Estate walked out of the assembly in protest.
(ii) National Assembly: The representatives of the Third Estate viewed themselves as
spokesmen for the whole French nation. On 20th June, they assembled in the hall of an
indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles. They declared themselves a National
Assembly, and swore not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that
would limit the powers of the monarch. They were led by Mirabeau and Abbe’ Sieyes.
(iii) Turmoil in France: While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting the
Constitution, the rest of France seethed with turmoil. Due to bad harvest, there was
shortage of food, and there was also rumor that bands of brigands were on their way to
destroy the ripe crops. Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants started attacking nobles.
Under all these circumstances, Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National
Assembly.
(iv) Storming the Bastille: On the morning of 14th July, 1789, the agitated crowd
stormed and destroyed the Bastille. Under all these circumstances, Louis XVI finally
accorded recognition to the National Assembly.
(v) France became a Republic: In 1792 the Jacobians held the king hostage and
declared to form a new government. The newly elected Assembly was called the
Convention. On 21st September 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France
as a republic.
Economics
The story of village of Palampur
Answer the following briefly.
[Link] is the aim of production?
The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want.
2. What are the non-farming activities carried out in the village of Palampur?
Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small
scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale.
3. How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?
Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tube wells in the
fields and is used in various types of small business.
4. What do you mean by working capital?
Some money is always required for production to make payments and buy other
necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital.
5. What do you mean by Rabi crops?When are they sown and harvested?
Rabi crops are grown in winter and harvested in spring season, e.g. Potato, wheat,
barley,mustard etc.
6. What do you mean by Kharif crops? When are they sown and harvested?
Kharif crops are sown in the rainy season and harvested in autumn. E.g., jawar and
bajra, sugarcane, cotton etc.
II. Answer the following questions
1. What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming methods?
To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known as multiple
cropping. E.g. sugarcane is sown along with wheat in winter season as sugar cane is
harvested once in every year. Modern farming methods are the use of improved
methods and techniques to be used in agriculture to increase yield per hectare. Use of
HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides, electric tube wells etc are modern farming
methods.
2. What is the Green Revolution? Which crop benefited the most due to the Green
Revolution?
Green Revolution is the term given to the introduction of high-yielding varieties of
seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation which provided the increase in
production needed to make India self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving
agriculture in India. It was brought to India by the initiative of the Indian government.
Rice and wheat were the most benefited crops from the Green Revolution. It was
started in 1960 in Punjab.
3. What are the non-farm production activities taking place in Palampur? Make a short
list.
(a) Dairy: Dairy is a common activity in many families of Palampur. People feed their
buffalos on various kinds of grass and the jowar and bajra that grow during the rainy
season. The milk is sold in Raiganj, the nearby large village. Two traders from Shahpur
town have set up collection cum chilling centers at Raiganj from where the milk is
transported to far away towns and cities.
(b) Small-scale manufacturing: Less than fifty people are engaged in manufacturing in
Palampur. Unlike the manufacturing that takes place in the big factories in the towns
and cities, manufacturing in Palampur involves very simple production methods and
are done on a small scale.
(c) The Shopkeepers: People involved in trade are not many in Palampur. The traders
of Palampur are shopkeepers who buy various goods from wholesale markets in the
cities and sell them in the village.
(d) Transport: There are varieties of vehicles on the road connecting Palampur to
[Link] Wallahs, tongawallah, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and people driving
the traditional bullock cart and bogey are people in the transport services.
4. What are the four modern methods of farming which heralded the Green
Revolution? Write one harmful effect of Green Revolution.
Modern methods of farming are:
a. Multiple cropping.
b. Fertilizers and HYV seeds.
c. Irrigation.
d. Farm machinery.
Harmful effect:
a. Fertilizers pollute the [Link] farming methods requires more capital
b. Chemical fertilizers kill the micro- organisms in the soil.
4. Suggest methods to promote non-farm production activities in villages
1. Betterment in the Transport System
If the Transportation in Villages is promoted many people will get employment
opportunities and they won’t have to depend on agriculture always. After a good
Transportation system is set up, villagers can go to the cities for work.
2. Promotion of Dairy activities
Dairy is also a non-farm work; in villages setting up Dairy services can be started for
welfare of villagers.
3. Setting up Cottage Industries
In villages we can set up small scale industries for promotion of local handicrafts like
basket weaving, pottery etc.
4. Employment Schemes in Rural Areas
Government can set up new employment schemes in more and more villages to
ensure that everyone has something to do and get proper wages.
[Link] farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do
you agree?
i) The Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian farmers to the
cultivation of wheat and rice using High Yielding Varieties(HYV) of seeds compared to
the traditional seeds.
ii) HYV seeds promised to produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant. As
a result, the same piece of land would produce far more quantities of food grains than
that was possible earlier.
iii) Tube Wells were set up for irrigation, and the farmers use pesticides and chemical
fertilizers in farming which are produced in industries.
iv) Farm machinery like tractors, threshers, harvesters, which made ploughing and
harvesting faster, are also used as modern farming methods, which are also
manufactured in the industries.