JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

JAC Class 8th Civics Public FacilitiesInText Questions and Answers

Page 108

Question 1.
You have seen the four situations illustrated above (See NCERT page 106-107). Based on these, what impression do you get of the water situation in Chennai?
Answer:
From these four situations, we get the impression of the water situation in Chennai is that the water supply is not same for all the areas. There is a shortage of supply and demand is very high. As a result of this, only those who can afford to pay for water have sufficient access and those who can’t faces many difficulties.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 2.
Pick out the various sources of water for household use from the description alongside (See NCERT page 108).
Answer:
The various sources of water for household use from the description alongside are municipal water, water tanker, private borewell.

Question 3.
What, in your view, is similar, and what is different in Subramanian’s and Padma’s experiences.
Answer:
Similarities in Subramanian’s and Padma’s experiences are as follow:

  1. Both use borewell water
  2. Water shortage problem both of them.
  3. Both get water from tankers.

The differences are:

  1. Subramanian gets municipal water once in two days whereas, Padma does not have a tap connection.
  2. Subramanian spends upto ? 500/- on buying water from the tankers.
  3. Subramanian uses borewell water for washing and sanitation purposes whereas, Padma uses borewell water drinking and washing.

Question 4.
Write a paragraph describing the water supply situation in your area.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

Question 5.
Why does water flow in a trickle in summer in most places in India? Find out.
Answer:
Water flow in a trickle in summer in most places in India because the demand for water is higher and supply is limited. The underground water level also goes down in summer due to hot weather and yield less water.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 6.
Discuss: Is there a general shortage of water for everyone in Chennai? Can you think of two reasons why different people get varying amounts of water?
Answer:
Yes, there is a general shortage of water for everyone in Chennai. Two reasons why different people get varying amounts of water are as follows:

  1. Different financial status, some are rich, some are poor.
  2. More demand and less supply.

Page 111

Question 7.
As Amu and Kumar ride around Chennai…
Amu:
Did you notice that the roads in Saidapet were so bumpy and without streetlights? / wonder what the place is like at night.

Kumar:
What better can you expect in a slum!

Amu:
Why should slums be like that? Shouldn’t they have public facilities?

Kumar: I think public facilities are for all those who live in proper houses in colonies. They are the people who pay taxes.

Amu: Why do you say that! Slum dwellers are also citizens and they have rights too.

Kumar: Arrey! The government will go bankrupt this way!

Amu: Well, it has to find a way. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a slum without proper roads, water, electricity?

Kumar: Err….

Amu: Our Constitution recognises many of the public facilities as being a part of the Right to Life. The government must see that these rights are protected so that everyone can lead a decent life. point of view do you agree Whose with?
Answer:
I agree with Amu’s point of view.

Page 114

Question 8.
Discuss:
Do you think this would be a right step? (See NCERT page 114) What do you think would happen if the government withdraws from the task of supplying water?
Answer:
I don’t think it would be a right step. If the government withdraws from the task of supplying water then it would fail to perform its duty and many people will face serious problems. If the private companies take over the task of supplying water then they would look for more profit rather than thinking about the poor people who cannot afford to buy water. Government’s task is to ensure public facilities to all.

Question 9.
Discuss the main ideas in the above section (See NCERT page 115). What do you think can be done to improve water supply?
Answer:
This section dealt with the successful example of public water supply in Brazil and unsuccessful example of water supply in Bolivia. It also gave details about the better conditions of water supply in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Chennai has also taken steps in rain harvesting process. To improve the water supply certain steps can be taken such as afforestation, rain harvesting, repairing of water pipes, etc.

Question 10.
Do you think it is also important to conserve resources like water and electricity, and to use more public transport?
Answer:
Yes, it is also important to conserve resources like water and electricity, and to use more public transport.

Page 116

Question 11.
Do you think that lack of access to proper sanitation facilities affects peoples’ lives? How?
Answer:
Yes, lack of access to proper sanitation facilities affects peoples’ lives. It directly affects the health of the people and will become victims of many diseases like dysentery, cholera, etc. They won’t be able to work efficiently due to poor health conditions.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 12.
Why do you think that this would impact women and girls more acutely?
Answer:
This would impact women and girls more acutely because they are given less attention most of the time.

JAC Class 8th Civics Public Facilities Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why do you think there are so few cases of private water supply in the world?
Answer:
There are so few cases of private water supply in the world because water is a basic necessity of life and everyone should get access to safe drinking water either free or at affordable rates. It is the government’s responsibility to provide water to everyone. Private companies work towards the only goal of maximising profits. If the responsibility of water supply is handed over to private companies, there would be a steep rise in the price of water, making it unaffordable for many.

Question 2.
Do you think water in Chennai is available to and affordable by all? Discuss.
Answer:
Water in Chennai is not available to and affordable by all. There is an unequal distribution of water in different parts of the city. Certain areas like Anna Nagar receive abundant water while areas like Mylapore get very little water. Municipal supply fails to meet the demand of water in the city.

People from the upper class and middle class buy packaged drinking water or water from tankers. But the situation is different and worst for the poor people as they cannot afford the expense of tankers or packaged water. In the slum areas, water supply runs for barely an hour every day and that too from a single tap that serves over thirty families for all their water needs.

Question 3.
How is the sale of water by farmers to water dealers in Chennai affecting the local people? Do you think local people can object to such exploitation of ground water? Can the government do anything in this regard?
Answer:
Due to the water shortage in Chennai, many private companies have taken it as an opportunity to earn huge profits by selling water in the city. The water is taken from nearby towns and from villages to the north of the city using a fleet of over 13,000 water tankers.

Every month the water dealers pay farmers an advance for the rights to exploit water sources on their land.Due to this trade, the water levels have dropped drastically in all these towns and villages. The water that is taken away from the farms is creating a deficit not only for irrigation but also for drinking water for the villagers.

Yes, the local people can object to such exploitation of ground water because water is a necessity and everyone has equal right to access it. The government should take a strict action against such offensive activities and disallow private companies from buying and supplying water.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 4.
Why are most of the private hospitals and private schools located in major cities and not in towns or rural areas?
Answer:
Most of the private hospitals and private schools located in major cities and not in towns or rural areas because they offer their services at high prices to earn profits and these services are affordable only by the affluent dwellers in the city.

Question 5.
Do you think the distribution of public facilities in our country is adequate and fair? Give an example of your own to explain.
Answer:
No, I don’t think the distribution of public facilities in our country is adequate and fair. For example, people living in cities avail all facilities such as healthcare, electricity, public transport, etc., but these facilities are not available fully in smaller towns and villages. They face major crisis of certain things such as electricity, not have a well developed transport system.

Question 6.
Take some of the public facilities in your area, such as water, electricity, etc. Is there scope to improve these? What in your opinion should be done? Complete the table.
Answer:

Water Is it available? How can it be improved?
Electricity Yes By making its supply available for all the day long and improve the quality of water.
Roads Yes By providing its supply for whole day and keep a check on its theft.
Public Yes Repairing of worn-out roads.
Transport Yes Increasing the frequency of the buses by making more buses on roads available.

Question 7.
Are the above public facilities shared equally by all the people in your area? Elaborate.
Answer:
The above public facilities are not shared equally by all the people in my area. The people living in posh localities avail best facilities. But the people living in slum areas doesn’t have all the facilities. They have crisis of water and electricity. On the other hand, people living in posh areas hardly face any water or electricity crisis.

Question 8.
Data on some of the public facilities are collected as part of the Census. Discuss with your teacher when and how the Census is conducted.
Answer:
The census is conducted in every 10 years. It counts the population of the country means the detailed information are collected. This information is used to measure important things such as ratio of males and females, number of literate people, etc.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 9.
Private educational institutions:
schools, colleges, universities, technical and vocational training institutes are coming up in our country in a big way. On the other hand, educational institutes run by the government are becoming relatively less important. What do you think would be the impact of this? Discuss.
Answer:
The impact of this would be that the weaker sections of the society will be deprived of quality education and the end result of this disparity will be that only the rich will get good education from the private educational institutions while the poor would not be able to afford the same. Education is a basic need and necessity and there should be universal access to education.

The main motive of private education institutes is earning profits, they charge high fees which are affordable only by the affluent section of the society. Thus, the right to quality education is only fulfilled for the rich class. Similarly, if government education institutes are not up to the mark, then weaker sections are again deprived of quality education. This, in turn, results in the disparity of quality education between the rich and the poor.

JAC Class 8th Civics Public Facilities Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
The following is are considered to be a public facilities:
(a) water, health, and education
(b) health, hospital, and gas
(c) water, house, and car
(d) both a and b
Answer:
(a) water, health, and education

Question 2.
The chief feature of the public facilities is:
(a) Once it is provided, its benefits cannot be shared with other people.
(b) Once it is provided, its benefits cannot be taken in the future.
(c) Once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by several people.
(d) None of these
Answer:
(c) Once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by several people.

Question 3.
The government gets money from the:
(a) loan from foreign banks.
(b) loan from Indian banks.
(c) tax collected from the people.
(d) all of these
Answer:
(c) tax collected from the people.

Question 4.
The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the under Article 21.
(a) Right to Equality
(b) Right to Education
(c) Right to Health
(d) Right to Life
Answer:
(d) Right to Life

Question 5.
The basic needs of human beings is / are ……..
(a) Healthcare
(b) Water
(c) Food
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these

Question 6.
Which of the following is the main source of water for poor people?
(a) Borewell water
(b) Water tanker
(c) Muncipal water
(d) Bottled water
Answer:
(b) Water tanker

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 7.
The is a water borne disease.
(a) Dysentery
(b) Measles
(c) Flu
(d) Polio
Answer:
(a) Dysentery

Question 8.
……… is guaranteed for all children aged between 6-14 years.
(a) Right to Life
(b) Right to Education
(c) Right to Equality
(d) Cultural Right
Answer:
(b) Right to Education

Question 9.
……… is not a source of water in rural areas.
(a) Overhead tanks
(b) Wells
(c) Borewells
(d) Handpumps
Answer:
(a) Overhead tanks

Question 10.
According to the standard set by the urban water commission, the supply of water per person in an urban area should be about .
(a) 120 litres per day
(b) 140 litres per day
(c) 160 litres per day
(d) 135 litres per day
Answer:
(d) 135 litres per day

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Question 1. Mention few public facilities that are also provided by private companies.
Answer:
Few public facilities that are also provided by private companies are school, colleges, healthcare and transportation.

Question 2.
What is the reason for the maximum death among children in India?
Answer:
The reason for maximum death among children in India is caused by the water¬borne diseases.

Question 3.
Name some public facilities that are provided by the government.
Answer:
Public facilities that are provided by the government are healthcare, sanitation, electricity, public transport, roads, schools and colleges.

Question 4.
Which age group of children should get compulsory education according to ‘Right to Education’?
Answer:
The age group of 6 – 14 years of children should get compulsory education according to ‘Right to Education’?

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 5.
Is right to safe drinking water a fundamental right?
Answer:
Yes. Right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use.

Question 6.
What is the role of government in public facilities?
Answer:
One of the most important roles of the government is to ensure that these public facilities are made available to everyone.

Question 7.
What do you mean by government budget?
Answer:
Government budget is an account of the expenses the government has made on its programmes and projects in the past year and how much it plans to spend in the coming year.

Question 81.
What is universal access to water?
Answer:
Universal access to water is the right of every person, whether rich or poor to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfill his/her daily needs at a price that he/she can afford.

Question 9.
Which NGO has been working for three decades to address the problem sanitation?
Answer:
The NGO that has been working for three decades to address the problem of sanitisation is Sulabh.

Question 10.
What do you think is regarded as a sign of failure of the government?
Answer:
A shortage of basic public amenities such as water, healthcare, electricity is taken as a sign of failure of the government.

Short Answer Type Questions 

Question l.
What do you mean by sanitation?
Answer:
The provision of facilities for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces is known as sanitation. This is done by construction of toilets and pipes to carry the sewerage and treating the waste water. This is necessary so as to avoid contamination and diseases.

Question 2.
What is Right to Water?
Answer:
The right to water is recognised as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. This implies that it is the right of every person whether rich or poor to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfill his/ her daily needs at a price that he/she can afford.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 3.
What do you mean by company?
Answer:
A form of business set up by people or by the government is known as a company. Those that are promoted and owned by individuals or groups are called private companies. For example, Reliance is a private company whereas SAIL is a company run by the government.

Question 4.
From where does the government get money for the public facilities?
Answer:
The main source of revenue for the government is the taxes collected from the people and the government is empowered to collect these taxes and use them for such programmes and projects. Such as to supply water, the government has to incur costs in pumping water, carrying it over long distances, laying down pipes for distribution, treating the water for impurities and finally collecting and treating waste water. It meets these expenses partly from the various taxes that it collects and partly by charging a price for water. This price is set so that most people can afford a certain minimum amount of water for daily use.

Question 5.
Why does a lack of proper sanitation affect women and girls more acutely?
Answer:
Lack of proper sanitation affects women and girls more acutely because they often have to wait until dark to go to the toilet. To avoid the need for such frequent toilet use, women often drink less water which causes severe health impacts.

Question 6.
When there is a shortage of public facilities say water then what type of situation arise?
Answer:
When there is a shortage of public facilities say water then the situation which arises is burden for the poor since the shortfalls which occur falls mostly on the poor. Though the middle class people able to cope with it like buying bottled water from private companies or by digging borewells. People who can afford it have safe drinking water but poor people are left out. The poor people faces the crisis the most.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Write in brief the availability of water in different regions of Chennai.
Answer:
The availability of water in different regions of Chennai are:

(i) One of the posh area is Anna Nagar in Chennai. This area looks lush and full with greenery. Then lush greens are maintained by enough spraying of water. Bunglows of rich people have tap water for major part of the day. When the water supply is inadequate, these rich people speak to a senior official whom he knows in the municipal water board and a water tanker is easily arranged for their house.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

(ii) Like most areas of the city, the middle class people, Subramanian’s apartments in Mylapore suffers from water shortage. Once in two days, this area gets municipal water. A private borewell meets some of the resident’s water needs but the water is brackish so the residents use it in their toilets and for washing. For other uses they purchase water from tankers. Water purifiers are installed at homes for drinking purposes.

(iii) Siva lives on a rented house in Madipakkam and gets water once in four days. There is acute shortage of water. For drinking, they buy bottled water.

(iv) Padma lives in the slum area in Saidapet and works as a domestic help. There is a cluster of hutment, which has neither a bathroom nor a tap connection. For 30 such hutments there is a common tap at one comer, in which water comes from a borewell for 20 minutes twice daily.

A family gets to fill a maximum of three buckets within this time. The same water is used for washing and drinking. In summer, the flow becomes a trickle, so that one family gets water only at the cost of another. People have to wait long hours for water tankers. There situation becomes more pathetic during summers.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

→ Two hundred years ago things were very different. Most children were married off at an early age.

  • In some parts of the country, widows were praised if they chose death by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands.
  • Women who died in this manner whether willingly or otherwise, were called ‘sati’ which means virtuous women.
  • In many parts of the country people believed that if a woman was educated, she would become a widow.
  • In most regions, people were divided along lines of caste. Brahmans and Kshatriyas considered themselves as ‘upper castes’.
  • Traders and moneylender were referred as ‘Vaishyas’ were placed after them.
  • Then came peasants and artisans such as weavers and potters who were referred as ‘Shudras’.
  • At the lowest rung were those who laboured to keep cities and villages clean or worked at jobs that upper castes considered polluting, that is, it could lead to the loss of caste status. They were untouchables.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

→ Working Towards Change

  • The development of new forms of communication started. For the first time, books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and pamphlets were printed.
  • All kinds of issues such as social, political, economic and religious could now be debated and discussed by men and sometimes by women as well in the new cities.
  • The discussions could reach out to a wider public and could become linked to movements for social change.
  • Raja Rammohun Roy (1772-1833) founded a reform association known as the Brahmo Sabha (later known as the Brahmo Samaj) in Calcutta.
  • People such as Rammohun Roy are described as reformers because they felt that changes were necessary in society, and unjust practices needed to be done away with.
  • Rammohun Roy was keen to spread the knowledge of Western education in the country and bring about greater freedom and equality for women.

→ Changing the lives of widows

  • Rammohun Roy began a campaign against the practice of sati.
  • Rammohun Roy was well versed in Sanskrit, Persian and several other Indian and Europeon languages.
  • He tried to show through his writings that the practice of widow burning had no sanction in ancient texts.
  • In 1829, sati was banned.
  • Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, used the ancient texts to suggest that widows could remarry.
  • A law was passed in 1856 permitting widow remarriage.
  • By the second half of the nineteenth century, the movement in favour of widow remarriage spread to other parts of the country.
  • In the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras Presidency, Veerasalingam Pantulu fonned an association for widow remarriage.
  • In the north, Swami Dayanand Saraswati who founded the reform association called Arya Samaj also supported widow remarriage.

→ Girls begin going to school

  • Vidyasagar in Calcutta and many other reformers in Bombay set up schools for girls.
  • Throughout the nineteenth century, most educated women were taught at home by liberal fathers or husbands. Sometimes women taught themselves.
  • In the latter part of the century, schools for girls were established by the Arya Samaj in Punjab and Jyotirao Phule in Maharashtra.
  • In aristocratic Muslim households in North India, women leamt to read the Koran in Arabic.
  • Reformers such as Mumtaz Ali reinterpreted verses from the Koran to argue for women’s education.

→ Women write about women

  • From the early twentieth century, Muslim women like the Begums of Bhopal played a notable role in promoting education among women. They founded a primary school for girls at Aligarh.
  • Another remarkable woman, Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain started schools for Muslim girls in Patna and Calcutta.
  • By the 1880s, Indian women began to enter universities.
  • Tarabai Shinde, a woman educated at home at Poona published a book Stripurushtulna (A Comparison between Women and Men) criticising the social differences between men and women.
  • Pandita Ramabai, a great scholar of Sanskrit felt that Hinduism was oppressive towards women and wrote a book about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women.
  • By the end of the nineteenth century, women themselves were actively working for reform.
  • From the early twentieth century, they formed political pressure groups to push through laws for female suffrage (the right to vote) and better health care and education for women.
  • In the twentieth century, leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose lent their support to demands for greater equality and freedom for women.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

→ Caste and Social Reform

  • In Bombay, the Paramhans Mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the abolition of caste.
    During the nineteenth century, Christian missionaries began setting up schools for tribal groups and lower caste children.
  • The poor from the villages and small towns many of them from low castes began moving to the cities where there was a new demand for labour.
  • Some also went to work in plantations in Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad and Indonesia.
  • The army also offered opportunities to lower caste people. A number of Mahar people who were regarded as untouchable, found jobs in the Mahar Regiment.
  • The father of B.R. Ambedkar, the leader of the Dalit movement taught at an army school.

→ Demands for equality and justice

  • By the second half of the nineteenth century, people from within the Non-Brahman castes began organising movements against caste discrimination and demanded social equality and justice.
  • The Satnami movement in Central India was founded by Ghasidas who worked among the leather workers and organised a movement to improve their social status.
  • In eastern Bengal, Haridas Thakur’s Matua sect worked among Chandala cultivators.
  • In what is present-day Kerala, a guru from Ezhava caste, Shri Narayana Guru, proclaimed the ideals of unity for his people.
  • According to him, all humankind belonged to the same caste. One of his famous statements was one caste, one religion, one god for humankind.

→ Gulamgiri

  • One of the most vocal amongst the low- caste leaders was Jyotirao Phule. He was bom in 1827 and studied in schools set up by Christian missionaries.
  • As the Aryans established their dominance, they began looking at the defeated population as inferior as low caste people.
  • According to Phule, the upper castes had no right to their land and power. In reality, the land belonged to indigenous people, the so- called low castes.
  • He proposed that Shudras means labouring castes and Ati Shudras means
    untouchables should unite to challenge caste discrimination.
  • The Satyashodhak Samaj which is an association Phule founded propagated caste equality.
  • In 1873, Phule wrote a book named Gulamgiri meaning slavery.
  • He was concerned about the plight of upper caste women, the miseries of the labourer, and the humiliation of the low castes.
  • This movement for caste reform was continued in the twentieth century by other great dalit leaders such as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in western India and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in the south.

→ Who could enter temples?

  • Ambedkar was bom into a Mahar family. In school he was forced to sit outside the classroom on the ground and was not allowed to drink water from taps that upper caste children used.
  • On his return to India from US in 1919, he wrote extensively about upper caste power in contemporary society.
  • In 1927, Ambedkar started a temple entry movement, in which his Mahar caste followers participated.
  • Ambedkar led three such movements for temple entry between 1927 and 1935.
  • His aim was to make everyone see the power of caste prejudices within society.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

→ The Non-Brahman movement

  • In the early twentieth century, the non-Brahman movement started.
  • The initiative came from those non-Brahman castes that had acquired access to education, wealth and influence.
  • E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker or Periyar as he was called came from a middle-class family.
  • He had been an ascetic in his early life and had studied Sanskrit scriptures carefully.
  • Convinced that untouchables had to fight for their dignity, Periyar founded the Self Respect Movement.
  • He became a member of the Congress but left it in disgust when he found that at a feast organised by nationalists, seating arrangements followed caste distinctions.
  • He argued that untouchables were the true upholders of an original Tamil and Dravidian culture which had been subjugated by Brahmans.
  • Periyar was an outspoken critic of Hindu scriptures especially the Codes of Manu, the ancient lawgiver and the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana.
  • Orthodox Hindu society also reacted by founding Sanatan Dharma Sabhas and the Bharat Dharma Mahamandal in the north and associations such as the Brahman Sabha in Bengal.
  • The object of these associations was to uphold caste distinctions as a cornerstone of Hinduism, and show how this was sanctified by scriptures.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

→ In large societies in which different communities of people live together, these rules are formulated through consensus and in modem countries this consensus is usually available in written form. A written document in which we find the rules is called a Constitution.

→ Why Does a Country Need a Constitution?

  • The Constitution serves several purposes. First, it lays out certain ideals that form the basis of the kind of country that we as citizens aspire to live in. Or, a Constitution tells us what the fundamental nature of our society is.
  • A Constitution helps serve as a set of rules and principles that all persons in a country can agree upon as the basis of the way in which they want the country to be governed.
  • This includes not only the type of government but also an agreement on certain ideals that they all believe the country should uphold.
  • In 2006 the people of Nepal finally succeeded in putting an end to the powers of the King. The people had to write a new Constitution to establish Nepal as
    a democracy. The reason that they did not want to continue with the previous Constitution is because it did not reflect the ideals of the country that they want Nepal to be and that they have fought for.
  • The people of Nepal adopted a new Constitution for the country in 2015.
  • The second important purpose of a Constitution is to define the nature of a country’s political system.
  • The Constitution plays a crucial role in laying out certain important guidelines that govern decision making within these societies.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

→ In a democracy, we choose our leaders so that they can exercise power responsibly on behalf of common people.

  • However, there is always the possibility that these leaders might misuse their authority and the Constitution usually provides safeguards against this.
  • In democratic societies, the Constitution often lays down rules that guard against the misuse of authority by our political leaders.
  • The Right to Equality is one of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
  • Another important function that a Constitution plays in a democracy is to make sure that a dominant group does not use its power against other, less powerful people or groups.
  • The Constitution usually contains rules that ensure that minorities are not excluded from anything that is routinely available to the majority.
  • Another reason why we have a Constitution is precisely to prevent this tyranny or domination by the majority of a minority.
  • The third significant reason why we need a Constitution is to save us from ourselves.
  • The Constitution helps to protect us against certain decisions that we might take that could have an adverse effect on the larger principles that the country believes in.

→ The Indian Constitution: Key Features

  • By the beginning of the twentieth century, the Indian national movement had been active in the struggle for independence from British rule for several decades.
  • During the freedom struggle the nationalists had devoted a great deal of time to imagining and planning what a free India would be like.
  • The leaders work was to work out the ways in which a democratic government would be set up in India and the rules that would determine its functioning.
  • • This was done not by one person but by a group of around 300 people who became members of the Constituent Assembly in 1946 and who met periodically for the next three years to write India’s Constitution.
  • When the Constitution was being written, India was going through considerable turmoil. The partition of the country into India and Pakistan was imminent, some of the Princely States remained undecided about their future, and the socio-economic condition of the vast mass of people appeared dismal.
  • The final document also reflects its concern for eradicating poverty through socio-economic reforms as well as emphasising the crucial role the people can play in choosing their representatives.

→ The key features of the Indian Constitution are given below:

  • Federalism
  • Parliamentary Form of Government
  • Separation of Powers
  • Fundamental Rights
  • Secularism

→ Federalism:

  • This refers to the existence of more than one level of government in the country. In India, we have governments at the state level and at the centre. Panchayati Raj is the third tier of government.
  • The vast number of communities in India meant that a system of government needed to be devised that did not involve only persons sitting in the capital city of New Delhi and making decisions for everyone.
  • It was important to have another level of government in the states so that decisions could be made for that particular area.
  • While each state in India enjoys autonomy in exercising powers on certain issues, subjects of national concern require that all of these states follow the laws of the central government.
  • Under federalism, the states are not merely agents of the federal government but draw their authority from the Constitution as well. All persons in India are governed by laws and policies made by each of these levels of government.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

→ Parliamentary Form of Government:

  • The different tiers of government consist of representatives who are elected by the people.
  • The Constitution of India guarantees universal adult suffrage for all citizens.
  • The people of India have a direct role in electing their representatives.
  • Every citizen of the country, irrespective of his/her social background, can also contest in elections. These representatives are accountable to the people.

→ Separation of Powers:

  • According to the Constitution, there are three organs of government. They are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
  • The legislature refers to our elected representatives.
  • The executive is a smaller group of people who are responsible for implementing laws and running the government.
  • The judiciary refers to the system of courts in this country.
  • In order to prevent the misuse of power by any one branch of government, the Constitution says that each of these organs . should exercise different powers.

→ Fundamental Rights:

  • The section on Fundamental Rights has often been referred to as the ‘conscience’ of the Indian Constitution.
  • Fundamental Rights protect citizens against the arbitrary and absolute exercise of power by the State.
  • The Constitution guarantees the rights of individuals against the State as well as against other individuals.
  • The Constitution also guarantees the rights of minorities against the majority.
  • As Dr Ambedkar has said about these Fundamental Rights, their object is two-fold.
  • The first objective is that every citizen must be in a position to claim those rights.
  • Secondly, these rights must be binding upon every authority that has got the power to make laws.
  • The Constitution also has a section called Directive Principles of State Policy.
  • This section was designed by the members of the Constituent Assembly to ensure greater social and economic reforms and to serve as a guide to the independent Indian State to institute laws and policies that help reduce the poverty of the masses.

→ Secularism:
A secular state is one in which the state does not officially promote any one religion as the state religion.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

→ The acts of discrimination take place more easily when one religion is given official recognition by the State at the expense of other religions.

→ What is Secularism?

  • The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices as they interpret these.
  • In keeping with this idea of religious freedom for all, India also adopted a strategy of separating the power of religion and the power of the State.
  • Secularism refers to this separation of religion from the State.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

→ Why is it Important to Separate Religion from the State?

  • The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from State power. This is important for a country to function democratically.
  • If the majority religious group has access to State power. then it could quite easily use this power and financial resources to discriminate against and persecute persons of other religions.
  • This tyranny of the majority could result in discrimination, coercion and at times even the killing of religious minorities.
  • The tyranny of the majority and the violation of Fundamental Rights that can result is one reason why it is important to separate the State and religion in democratic societies.
  • Another reason that is important to separate religion from the State in democratic societies is because we also need to protect the freedom of individuals to exit from their religion, embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious teachings differently.

→ What is Indian Secularism?

  • The Indian Constitution mandates that the Indian State be secular.
  • According to the Constitution, only a secular State can realise its objectives to ensure the following:
    • That one religious community does not dominate another;
    • That some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community;
    • That the State does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.
  • The Indian State works in various ways to prevent the domination. First, it uses a strategy of distancing itself from religion.
  • The Indian State is not ruled by a religious group and nor does it support any one religion.
  • Government schools cannot promote any one religion either in their morning prayers or through religious celebrations. This rule does not apply to private schools.
  • The second way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination is through a strategy of non-interference.
  • The third way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination is through a strategy of intervention.
  • In order to prevent the religion-based exclusion and discrimination of Tower castes’, the Indian Constitution bans untouchability.
  • To ensure that laws relating to equal inheritance rights are respected, the State may have to intervene in the religion-based ‘personal laws’ of communities.
  • The intervention of the State can also be in the form of support.
  • The Indian Constitution grants the right to religious communities to set up their own schools and colleges.
  • The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the legislature from making laws ‘respecting an establishment of religion’ or that ‘prohibit the free exercise of religion’.
  • In the U.S.A., the separation between State and religion means that neither the State nor religion can interfere in the affairs of one another.
  • Unlike the strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism, in Indian secularism the State can intervene in religious affairs. This is the difference.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

→ In Indian secularism, though the State is not strictly separate from religion it does maintain a principled distance vis-a-vis religion.

  • This means that any interference in religion by the State has to be based on the ideals laid out in the Constitution.
  • The Indian State is secular and works in various ways to prevent religious domination.
  • The Indian Constitution guarantees Fundamental Rights that are based on these secular principles.
  • The knowledge that such rights exist makes us sensitive to the violations that occurs and enables us to take action when these violations take place.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

→ The Parliament enables citizens of India to participate in decision making and control the government, thus making it the most important symbol of Indian democracy and a key feature of the Constitution.

→ Why should People Decide?

  • People from various backgrounds joined the struggle and they were inspired by the ideas of freedom, equality and participation in decision- making.
  • As far back as 1885, the Indian National Congress demanded that there be elected members in the legislature with a right to discuss the budget and ask questions.
  • The Government of India Act 1909, allowed for some elected representation.
  • While these early legislatures under the British government were in response to the growing demands of the nationalists, they did not allow for all adults to vote nor could people participate in decision making.
  • With the coming of independence, we were going to be citizens of a free country.
  • This did not mean that the government could do what it felt like, it meant that the government had to be sensitive to people’s needs and demands.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

→ People and their Representatives

  • The take-off point for a democracy is the idea of consent, i.e., the desire, approval and participation of people.
  • The basic idea in the democratic government is that the individual or the citizen are the most important person and that in principle the government as well as other public institutions need to have the trust of these citizens.
  • People would elect their representatives to the Parliament, then, one group from among these elected representatives form the government.
  • The Parliament, which is made up of all representatives together, controls and guides the government.

→ The Role of the Parliament

  • Created after 1947, the Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in principles of democracy.
  • The Parliament in our system has immense powers because it is the representative of the people.
  • The Lok Sabha is usually elected once every five years.
  • Each of these constituencies elects one person to the Parliament. The candidates who contest elections usually belong to different political parties.
  • Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament.
  • Once elections to the Parliament have taken place, the Parliament needs to perform the following functions:

→ To Select the National Government

  • Parliament of India consists of the President, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
  • After the Lok Sabha elections, a list is prepared showing how many MPs belong to each political party.
  • For a political party to form the government, they must have a majority of elected MPs.
  • The Opposition in Parliament is formed by all the political parties that oppose the majority party/coalition formed.
  • The largest amongst these parties is called the Opposition party.
  • One of the most important functions of the Lok Sabha is to select the executive.
  • The Prime Minister of India is the leader of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha.
  • From the MPs who belong to the majority party, the Prime Minister selects ministers to work with her to implement decisions.
  • These ministers then take charge of different areas of government functioning like health, education, finance, etc.
  • The different political parties join together with similar interests as they didn’t get majority of votes and who are interested in similar concerns to form what is known as a coalition government.
  • The Rajya Sabha functions primarily as the representative of the states of India in the Parliament.
  • The Rajya Sabha can also initiate legislation and a bill is required to pass through the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law.
  • The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

→ To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

  • The question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can elicit information about the working of the government.
  • This is a very important way through which the Parliament controls the executive.
  • Asking questions of the government is a crucial task for every MP.
  • The Opposition parties play a critical role in the healthy functioning of a democracy.
  • The government gets valuable feedback and is kept on its toes by the questions asked by the MPs.
  • The MPs as representatives of the people have a central role in controlling, guiding and informing Parliament and this is a key aspect of the functioning of Indian democracy.

→ Law-Making
Law-making is a significant function of Parliament.

→ Who are the People in Parliament?

  • Parliament now has more and more people from different backgrounds.
  • There has also been an increase in political participation from the Dalits and backward classes.
  • There is a realisation that when interests and experiences separate us it is important to ensure that communities that have been historically marginalised are given adequate representation.
  • With this in mind, some seats are reserved in Parliament for SCs and STs.
  • Similarly, it has more recently been suggested that there should be reservation of seats for women.
  • It is issues of this kind that force the country to ask certain difficult and often unresolved questions about whether our democratic system is representative enough.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 6 Human Resource

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 6 Human Resource

JAC Class 8th Geography Human Resource InText Questions and Answers

Page 63

Question 1.
Study Fig. 6.1 and find out of the world’s total population which continent has: Of every 100 people in the world…
JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 6 Human Resource 1
(a) only 5 per cent
(b) only 13 per cent
(c) only 1 per cent
(d) only 12 per cent
Answer:
(a) North America
(b) Africa
(c) Ocenia (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands)
(d) Europe

Page 64

Question 2.
Look at Fig 6.2 and find out: of these countries how many are in Asia? Colour them on a world map.
JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 6 Human Resource 2
Answer:
There are 7 countries in Asia Japan, Russia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, India and China. On a world map, students need to colour on their own.

Page 67

Question 3.
Every human being is potential resource for the society. What will be your contribution as a human resource?
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

JAC Class 8th Geography Human Resource Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 2.

(i) Which does the term population distribution refer to?
(a) How population in a specified area changes over time.
(b) The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area.
(c) The way in which people are spread across a given area.
Answer:
(c) The way in which people are spread across a given area.

(ii) Which are three main factors that cause population change?
(a) Births, deaths and marriage
(b) Births, deaths and migration
(c) Births, deaths and life expectancy
Answer:
(b) Births, deaths and migration

(iii) In 1999, the world population reached
(a) 1 billion
(b) 3 billion
(c) 6 billion
Answer:
(c) 6 billion

(iv) What is a population pyramid?
(a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population.
(b) When the population density of an area is so high that people live in tali buildings.
(c) Pattern of population distribution in large urban areas.
Answer:
(a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population.

Question 3.
Complete the sentences below using some of the following words:
sparsely, favourable, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely When people are attracted to an area it becomes populated Factors that influence this include climate; good supplies of resources and land.
Answer:
When people are attracted to an area it becomes ..densely., populated Factors that influence this include ..favourable., climate; good supplies of …natural… resources and …fertile… land.

Question 4.
Activity
Discuss the characteristics of a society with ‘too many under 15s’ and one with ‘too few under 15s’.
Hint:
need for schools; pension schemes, teachers, toys, wheel chairs, labour supply, hospitals.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

JAC Class 8th Geography Human Resource Important Questions and Answer

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
When was the Ministry of Human Resources Development created to help the people of India to be healthy, educated and happy?
(a) 1990
(b) 1980
(c) 1995
(d) 1985
Answer:
(d) 1985

Question 2.
More than 90 per cent of world’s population lives on about per cent of the land surface.
(a) 30
(b) 20
(c) 10
(d) 40
Answer:
(c) 10

Question 3.
Population……..is the number of people living in a unit area of the earth’s surface. India has 382 people per square per kilometer whereas the world’s average is 14 only.
(a) density
(b) pyramid
(c) distribution
(d) number
Answer:
(a) density

Question 4.
The difference between emigrant and immigrant is:
(a) An emigrant is a person leaving her home country and an immigrant is a person leaving his home country.
(b) An emigrant is a person leaving her home country and an immigrant is a person entering a new country.
(c) An immigrant is a person leaving her home country and an emigrant is a person entering a new country.
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) An emigrant is a person leaving her home country and an immigrant is a person entering a new country.

Question 5.
The main factors that brings a population change of an area are
(a) births, deaths, migration.
(b) births, deaths, style.
(c) births, deaths, religion.
(d) births, deaths, climate.
Answer:
(a) births, deaths, migration.

Question 6.
The least number of people live in the………continent.
(a) Africa
(b) Asia
(c) Antarctica
(d) Europe
Answer:
(c) Antarctica

Question 7.
The most populated continent is …….
(a) North America
(c) South America
(b) Asia
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) Asia

Question 8. According to population, India’s rank in the world is…….
(a) first
(b) second
(c) third
(d) fourth
(d) none of these
Answer:
(b) second

Question 9.
Human resources differ from one another in respect of………
(a) education level
(b) sex
(c) age
(d) all of these
Answer:
(d) all of these

Question 10.
The method and way in which people are spread across the surface of the earth is called as the pattern of population.
(a) distribution
(b) density
(c) pyramid
(d) none of these
Answer:
(a) distribution

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What do you mean by birth rate and death rate?
Answer:
The number of live births per 1000 persons is known as birth rate. The number of deaths per 1000 persons is known as death rate.

Question 2.
Which country has experienced a loss in population due to emigration?
Answer:
Sudan is the country which has experienced a loss in population due to emigration.

Question 3.
What is the percentage of the world’s population who lives in about 10% of the land surface?
Answer:
The world’s population who lives in about 10% of the land surface is 90 per cent.

Question 4.
Why is population growth slowing in United Kingdom?
Answer:
In United Kingdom, population growth is slowing because of both low birth and death rates.

Question 5.
What do you mean by life expectancy?
Answer:
The number of years that an average person can expect to live is known as the life expectancy.

Question 6.
What is called as the pattern of population distribution?
Answer:
The way in which people are spread across the earth surface is called the pattern of population distribution.

Question 7.
What do you understand by population density?
Answer:
By population density we understand that it is the number of people living in a unit area of the earth’s surface. It is normally expressed as per square km.

Question 8.
People migrate from rural areas to urban areas. Why?
Answer:
Within countries large number of people may move from the rural areas to urban areas in search of better employment, education and health facilities.

Question 9.
Who are immigrants?
Answer:
Immigrants are those people who arrive in a country.

Question 10.
Who are emigrants?
Answer:
Emigrants are those people who leave a country.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
Distinguish between productive and dependent population.
Answer:

Productive Population Dependent Population
Population engaged in productive economic activities. Population is dependent on productive population and not engaged in any economic activities.
15-59 years of age group belongs to this category. Below 15 years and above 60 years belongs to this group.
People are economically independent. People are economically dependent.

Question 2.
What is the general movement of international migrations? Why it happens?
Answer:
The general movement of international migrations is from the less developed nations to the more developed nations in search of better employment opportunities and better living standards.

Question 3.
When was Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PKVY) started? What was the objective of this scheme?
Answer:
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PKVY) was started in 2015. Its aim was to train one crore Indian youth from 2016 to 2020. The objective of this scheme is to encourage towards employable skills by giving quality training to probable and existing wage earners.

Question 4.
What does the shape of a population pyramid of Japan point out? Answer: In countries like Japan, low birth rates make the pyramid narrow at the base. Decreased death rates allow numbers of people to reach old age.
JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 6 Human Resource 3
Answer:
Population Pyramid of Japan – The base of the pyramid is narrow. This indicates less birth rate when compared to the death rate. Since the birth rate is less, the number of children who grow into adults will also be considerably less. So, the overall population is also less.

Question 5.
Why some countries such as Kenya have high population growth rate?
Answer:
Some countries such as Kenya had high population growth rate because they have both high birth and death rates. Nowadays, with improved health care, the death rates have fallen but birth rates still remain high which leads to high growth rate.

Question 6.
What has caused the population explosion?
Answer:
In 1804, the world’s population reache(d) one billion. A hundred and fifty years later, in 1959 the world’s population reached 3 billion and it is often known as population explosion. Less than 40 years later, in 1999, the population doubled to 6 billion. The main reason for this growth was that with better food supplies and medicine, numbers of deaths were fallen down, while the number of births still remained fairly high.

Question 7.
Do you think climate affect the population distribution of an area? If yes, then how?
Answer:
Yes, I think climate affects the population distribution of an area. People usually avoid extreme climates that are very hot or very cold like Sahara desert, polar regions of Russia, Canada and Antarctica.

Question 8.
In brief write about the distribution of population.
Answer:
Distribution of population:

  1. More than 90 per cent of the world’s population lives in about 10 per cent of the land surface.
  2. The distribution of population in the world is extremely uneven. Some areas are very crowded and some are sparsely populated.
  3. Very few people live in high latitude areas, tropical deserts, high mountains and areas of equatorial forests. Many more people live north of the Equator than south of the Equator.
  4. Almost three-quarters of the world’s people live in two continents Asia and Africa.

Question 9.
Why do you think population study essential for the government?
Answer:
Population study is essential for the government because it helps to plan for the areas such as education, housing, social security, education, employment and environmental preservation and conservation.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Explain briefly the Ministry of Human Resources Development in India.
Answer:
The Ministry of Human Resources Development in India is an Indian government ministry which is responsible for the development of human resources. It has been divided into departments:

  • The Department of School Education and Literacy: it deals with primary education and literacy.
  • The Department of Higher Education: it deals with secondary and post-secondary education.

In 1910, under the British rule, the department originated as the Indian Education Department. After independence, the Ministry of Education was created in 1947. The Ministry of Education was merged with the newly created Ministry of Human Resources Development in 1985. The Ministry’s objective is to achieve universal access and enrollment, universal retention of children upto 14 years of age in school and essential and fundamental improvement in the quality of education to enable all children to achieve substantial levels of learning. Also paying special attention to disadvantaged groups such as the poor, females and the minorities.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 5 Industries

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 5 Industries

JAC Class 8th Geography IndustriesIn Text Questions and Answers

Page 48

Question 1.
Trace the journey of your shirt from a cotton field to your wardrobe.
Answer:
Cotton yam that is used in making cotton garments have to go through a long journey from fields to our wardrobes. The first step is naturally growing cotton in the fields which takes a long time and lot of efforts. Cotton is found in small bud like structures. During harvesting season, farmers pluck out cotton buds and separate raw cotton. The raw cotton is then spinned on a hand loom or power loom. After spinning, cotton yam is weaved to make finished cotton cloth. This cloth is used by tailors to make different garments and sold to retailers. We buy garments from retailers and that is how it reaches us.

Page 49

Question 2.
Give some examples of agro-based industries.
Answer:
Some agro-based industries are tea industry, sugar industry, textile industry, food processing industries.

Page 50

Question 3.
Find out the inputs, outputs and processes involved in the manufacture of a leather shoe.
Answer:
The inputs, outputs and processes involved in the manufacture of a leather shoe:

Input:
Raw material, labour, land cost, transportation cost, infrastmcture.

Output:
Leather shoes

Processes:
Activities to convert hide into leather, washing, cleaning, cutting into different design, sewing, polishing, packing, then out for sale in market.

Page 55

Question 4:
With the help of an atlas identify some iron and steel industries in India and mark their location on an outline map of India.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

Page 58

Question 5.
Collect different types of pieces of cloth from a tailor’s shop and classify them under cotton, silk, synthetic and woolen. Find out the raw materials used in their manufacturing.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own. Raw material cotton crop silkworm yam wool

Page 58

Question 6.
On an outline map of the world mark the places which provide raw material to cotton textile industry of Osaka.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

JAC Class 8th Geography Industries Textbook Questions and Answers

Answer The Following Questions.

Question 1.

(i) What is meant by the term ‘industry’?
Answer:
The term ‘Industry’ deals with the economic activity that is concerned with production of goods, extraction of minerals or the provision of services.

(ii) Which are the main factors which influence the location of an industry?
Answer:
The main factors which influence the location of an industry are land, labour, water, power, availability of raw materials, transport and market.

(iii) Which industry is often referred to as the backbone of modern industry and why?
Answer:
Iron and steel industry is often referred to as the backbone of modem industry because most of the things are either made of iron or steel or whose products are used as raw materials for other industries.

(iv) Why cotton textile industry rapidly expanded in Mumbai?
Answer:
Cotton textile industry rapidly expanded in Mumbai because of many favourable conditions such as it has warm and moist climate, facility of port for importing machineries, availability of raw materials and skilled labour easily.

Tick the correct answer.

Question 2.

(i) Fort Gloster is located in
(a) West Bengal
(b) California
(c) Gujarat
Answer:
(a) West Bengal

(ii) Which one of the following is a natural fibre?
(a) nylon
(b) jute
(c) acryclic
Answer:
(b) jute

Distinguish between the followings.

Question 3.

(i) Agro-based and mineral based industry
Answer:

Agro-based industry Mineral based industry
Plants and animal based products are used as raw materials. Mineral ores are used as raw materials.
It provides employment mostly in rural areas. It provides employment in both mral and urban areas.
Examples: jute industry, cotton industry, diary products, etc. Examples: iron and steel industry, etc.

(ii) Public sector and joint sector industry
Answer:

Public sector industry Joint sector industry
These industries are owned and run by the government. These industries are owned and operated by the state as well as individuals.
Examples: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., BHEL, Steel Authority of India Ltd., etc. Examples: Maruti Udyog, etc.
These are managed by the workforce appointed by the government. These are managed by government as well as private employees.

Question 4.
Give two examples of the following in the space provided:
(i) Raw Materials: ………..and……….
Answer:
plants, ores.

(ii) End products:………. and………..
Answer:
Motorbikes, shoes

(iii) Tertiary Activities:……… and ………
Answer:
Banking, transport

(iv) Agro-based Industries:………… and ……
Answer:
Jute, sugar industry

(v) Cottage Industries: …… and ……
Answer:
Pottery, mats
Answer:

(vi) Co-operatives: and
Answer:
Sudha dairy, Khadi industry

Question 5.
Activity
How to identify a location for establishing an industry :
Divide your class into groups. Each group is a Board of Directors faced with the problem of choosing a suitable site for an iron and steel plant of Developed Dweep. A team of technical experts has submitted a report with notes and a map. The team considered access to iron ore, coal, water and limestone, as well as the main market, sources of labour and port facilities. The team has suggested two sites, X and Y. The Board of Directors has to take the final decision about where to locate the steel plant.

  • Read the report submitted by the team.
  • Study the map to find out the distances of the resources from each site.
  • Give each resource a ‘weight’ from 1 to 10, according to its importance. The greater the ‘pull’ of the factor on the industry the higher the weight from 1 to 10.
  • Complete the table on the next page.
  • The site with the lowest total should be the most satisfactory site.
  • Remember each group of directors can decide differently.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 5 Industries 1
Report Factors/Resources affecting the location of a proposed Iron and Steel Plant on Developed Dweep.

  • Iron ore:
    This is a very large deposit of low grade iron ore. Long distance transportation of the ore would be uneconomic.
  • Coal:
    The only coalfield contains rich deposits of high grade coal. Transportation of the coal is by railway, which is relatively cheap.
  • Limestone:
    This is widely available over the island, but the purest deposits are in the Chuna Mountains.
  • Water:
    Both the tributaries of River Neel carry sufficient water to supply a large iron and steel plant in all seasons. The sea water because of its high salt content is unsuitable.
  • Market:
    It is expected that the chief market for the Plant’s products will be the engineering works of Rajdhanipur. Transport costs for the products-mainly small steel bars and light steel plates would be relatively low.
  • Labour supply:
    This will have to be recruited mainly from the unskilled workers in the 3 fishing villages of Hill, Rah and
    Sing. It is expected that most workers will commute daily from their present homes.
  • Port facilities:
    These are at present minimal. There is a good, deep natural harbour at port Paschimpur developed to import metal alloys.
Resource Distance from X Distance from X Weighting 1-10 Distance X weight for site X Distant X weight for site Y
Iron ore
Coal
Limestone
Water
Chief market
Labour supply
Total =

Students need to do it on their own

JAC Class 8th Geography Industries Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:
The countries where the textile industries concentrated are…….. .
(a) Japan
(b) India
(c) Taiwan
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these

Question 2.
Steel is widely used for industrial purposes because
(a) of ability to resist rusting.
(b) of being tough.
(c) both a and b
(d) none of these
Answer:
(c) both a and b

Question 3.
The is a mineral based industry.
(a) coffee
(b) petrochemical
(c) sugar
(d) cotton
Answer:
(b) petrochemical

Question 4.
Public sector plants market their steel through:
(a) SAIL
(b) Tata Steel
(c) TISCO
(d) HAL
Answer:
(a) SAIL

Question 5.
In India, has emerged as the ‘electronic city’.
(a) Bengaluru
(b) Mumbai
(d) Pune
Answer:
(a) Bengaluru

Question 6.
The first cement plant was setup in….. .
(a) Kolkata
(b) Chennai
(d) Delhi
Answer:
(b) Chennai

Question 7.
Silica is used as raw material in industries.
(a) steel
(b) aluminum
(c) cement
(d) none of these
A(c) cement

Question 8.
The largest producer and consumer of steel in the world is/ are
(a) India
(b) China
(c) USA
(d) both b and c
Answer:
(b) China

Question 9.
The challenge that Jute industry facein India is/are:
(a) competition from synthetic substitution.
(b) poor market price.
(c) low productivity of labour.
(d) high cost.
Answer:
(a) competition from synthetic substitution.

Question 10.
Industrial accidents usually happen due to
(a) technical failure.
(b) negligence.
(c) irresponsible handling of materials.
(d) all of these
Answer:
(d) all of these

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Which industry uses Bauxite as raw material?
Answer:
The industry which uses Bauxite as raw material is Aluminum industry.

Question 2.
Which place/city is known as the ‘Manchester of India’?
Answer:
Ahmadabad is known as the ‘Manchester of India’.

Question 3.
Where was the first textile mill in India established?
Answer:
The first textile mill in the country was established at Fort Gloster near Kolkata.

Question 4.
What are the major hubs of Information Technology industry in the world.
Answer:
The major hubs of Information Technology industry are the Silicon Valley of Central California and the Bangalore region of India.

Question 5.
In which countries iron and steel industries in the world are located?
Answer:
The countries in which iron and steel industry is located are Germany, USA, China, Japan and Russia.

Question 6.
What is the link between the mines and the industry in Pittsburgh?
Answer:
The link between mines and the industry in Pittsburgh is one of the world’s best routes for shipping ore cheaply – the famous Great Lakes waterway.

Question 7.
From where does the iron ore come to Pittsburgh?
Answer:
The iron ore come to Pittsburgh from the iron mines at Minnesota, about 1500 km from Pittsburgh.

Question 8.
What do you mean by sunrise industries? Give examples.
Answer:
Emerging industries are also known as ‘Sunrise Industries’. These industries include Information Technology, Wellness, Hospitality and Knowledge.

Question 9:
Where do we find the major industrial regions of the world?
Answer:
Major industrial regions of the world are eastern North America, western and central Europe, eastern Europe and eastern Asia.

Question 10.
In which year, the industrial disaster occurred in Bhopal?
Answer:
On 3rd December 1983, the industrial disaster occurred in Bhopal.

Short Answer Type Questions 

Question 1.
Which industries have replaced the cotton textile industry of Osaka?
Answer:
The cotton textile industry of Osaka has been replaced by other industries, such as iron and steel, machinery, ship building, automobiles, electrical equipment and cement.

Question 2.
What does industrial system composed of?
Answer:
Industrial system composed of the following things:

  • input
  • processes
  • output.

Question 3.
What do you mean by marine based industries?
Answer:
The products from sea and oceans are used as raw materials in marine based industries. Some examples of this industries are manufacturing fish oil, processing sea food.

Question 4.
List the important industrial regions of India.
Answer:
Industrial regions of India are:

  • Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut region
  • Mumbai-Pune region
  • Ahmedabad-Baroda region
  • Chhota Nagpur region
  • Bengaluru-Tamil Nadu region
  • Vishakhapatnam-Guntur region

Question 5.
Why several textile mills close down in Ahmedabad in recent years?
Answer:
Several textile mills have closed down in Ahmedabad in recent years because of the emergence of new textile centres in the country as well as non-upgradation of machines and technology in the mills of Ahmedabad.

Question 6.
What products do industrial plants in Jamshedpur produce?
Answer:
In Jamshedpur, several other industrial plants were set up after TISCO. They produce chemicals, locomotive parts, agricultural equipment, machinery, tinplate, cable and wire.

Question 7.
Why did the cotton textile industry in India could not compete with the industries in the west initially?
Answer:
The production of handwoven cotton textile was expensive and time consuming. Hence, traditional cotton textile industry could not face the competition from the new textile mills of the West, which produced cheap and good quality fabrics.

Question 8.
List the similar points between information technology industry in Bangalore and California.
Answer:
Similar points between information technology industry in Bangalore and California are:

  1. Presence of high quality educational institutions and advanced scientific and technological centres.
  2. Availability of skilled work force.
  3. Good access to markets.
  4. Pleasant climate with an attractive and a clean environment.
  5. Well developed and well connected.

Question 9.
What do you mean by small scale industry?
Answer:
Small scale industries run on small capital and technology that produce large volumes of products such as silk weaving and food processing industries.

Question 10.
What do you mean by secondary activities?
Answer:
In secondary activities or manufacturing, raw materials are changed into products of more value to people. Such as, pulp changes into paper and paper into notebook. These steps represent the different level of manufacturing processes.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Question 1.
On the basis of ownership, industries can be classified into how many parts? Explain.
Answer:
On the basis of ownership, industries can be classified into 4 sectors. They are private sector, state owned or public sector, joint sector and cooperative sector.Private sector industries are owned and operated by individuals or a group of individuals. Examples are Reliance Industries, Adani Groups, Birla Groups, etc The public sector industries are owned and operated by the government.

Examples are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited, BHEL, etc Joint sector industries are owned and operated by the state and individuals or a group of individuals. An example of joint sector industry is Maruti Udyog Limite(d) Co-operative sector industries are owned and operated by the producers orsuppliers of raw materials, workers or both. Example of co-operative venture are Anand Milk Union Limited and Sudha Dairy.

Question 2.
On the basis of raw materials, industries can be classified Explain.
Answer:
On the basis of raw materials, industries can be classified into the following industries: agro-based, mineral based, marine based and forest based Agro-based industries use plant and animal based products as their raw materials. Examples of agro-based industries are food processing, vegetable oil, cotton textile, dairy products and leather industries. Mineral based industries are primary industries that use mineral ores as their raw materials. The products of these industries feed other industries.

Example Iron made from iron ore is the product of mineral based industry and this is used as raw material for the manufacture of a number of other products, such as heavy machinery, building materials and railway coaches. Marine based industries use products from the sea and oceans as raw materials. Some examples are industries processing sea food or manufacturing fish oil. Forest based industries utilise forest produce as raw materials. The industries associated with forests are pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, furniture and buildings.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

→ Three types of economic activities are involved in transformation from a plant to a finished product. These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

  • Agriculture, fishing and gathering are examples of primary activities. It includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.
  • Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth are examples of secondary activity. It is concerned with the processing of the primary resources.
  • Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of tertiary activities. These provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services.
  • In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity. Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture.
  • The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land. Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

→ Farm System:

  • The important inputs in agriculture or farming are seeds, fertilisers, machinery and labour.
  • Ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting are other operations involved.
  • The outputs from the system include crops, wool, dairy and poultry products.

→ Types of Farming:
Farming is categorised into two main types. These are subsistence farming and commercial farming.

→ Subsistence Farming:

  • This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
  • Subsistence farming can be categorised as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

→ Intensive Subsistence Farming:

  • In this type, the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour.
  • Rice is the main crop. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds.
  • It is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.

→ Primitive Subsistence Farming:

  • It can be categorised in shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.
  • Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and bum’ agriculture.
  • It is practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of south-east Asia and north-east India.
  • These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation.
  • Crops like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown.
  • Once the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot.

→ Nomadic herding is the type of farming where herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes. Due to climatic constraints and terrain, this type of movement arises.

  • Commonly reared animals are sheep, camel, yak and goats.
  • They provide milk, meat, wool, hides and other products to the herders and their families.
  • It is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.

→ Commercial Farming:

  • In this type of farming, crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market.
  • Commercial farming is categorised in three types: commercial grain farming, mixed farming and plantation agriculture.

→ Commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose.

  • Commercially grown grains are wheat and maize.
  • Major areas are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

→ Mixed farming:

  • In this type of farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock,
  • Major areas are in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, south-east
    Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

→ Plantation agriculture:

  • In this type of farming, single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.
  • Large amount of labour and capital are required. Transport network is essential for such farming.
  • Majorly they are found in the tropical regions of the world. Some of the examples are rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka.

→ Major Crops:

  • Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and millets. Jute and cotton are fibre crops. Important beverage crops are tea and coffee.
  • Crops are grown to meet the requirements of the growing population.

→ Rice:

  • It is the major food crop of the world.
  • It is the staple diet of the tropical and sub¬tropical regions.
  • China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt are the major producers of rice.
  • It needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial clayey soil.

→ Wheat:

  • It requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest.
  • USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India are the leading producers of wheat. In India it is grown in winter.

→ Millets:

  • Millets are also known as coarse grains. It includes jowar, bajra and ragi.
  • It can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils. It needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate rainfall.
  • Leading producers are India, Nigeria, China and Niger.

→ Maize:

  • It requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine and fertile soil.
  • North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico are the producers of maize.

→ Cotton:

  • It requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.
  • It grows best on black and alluvial soils.
  • The leading producers of cotton are China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

→ Jute:

  • It is also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’.
  • It requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate and grows well on alluvial soil.
  • The leading producers of jute are India and Bangladesh.

→ Coffee:

  • It requires warm and wet climate and well drained loamy soil.
  • The leading producer is Brazil followed by Columbia and India.

→ Tea:

  • It requires cool climate and well-distributed high rainfall throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves.
  • Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka produce the best quality tea in the world.

→ Agricultural Development:

  • It refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand of increasing population.
  • Another aspect of agricultural development is mechanisation of agriculture.
  • The major aim of agricultural development is to increase food security.
  • Developing countries which has large populations usually practice intensive agriculture.
  • Larger holdings are more suitable for commercial agriculture as in USA, Canada and Australia.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation

→ How the British saw Education The tradition of Orientalism

  • William Jones was appointment as a junior judge at the Supreme Court that the Company had set up in Calcutta. In addition to being an expert in law, Jones was a linguist.
  • He had studied Greek and Latin at Oxford, knew French and English and also had learnt Arabic and Persian.
  • He also learnt Sanskrit language.
  • Englishmen like Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Nathaniel Halhed were also busy discovering the ancient Indian heritage and mastering Indian languages and translating Sanskrit and Persian works into English.
  • Together with them, Jones set up the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and started a journal called Asiatick Researches.
  • Jones and Colebrooke shared a deep respect for ancient cultures, both of India and the West.
  • They felt that indian civilisation had attained its glory in the ancient past but had subsequently declined.
  • In order to understand India it was necessary to discover the sacred and legal texts that were produced in the ancient period.
  • This project which was done by Kones and Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Colebrooke believed that would not only help the British leam from Indian culture but it would also help Indians rediscover their own heritage and understand the lost glories of their past.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation

→ In this process, the British would become the guardians of Indian culture as well as its masters.

  • British felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry.
  • The officials also thought that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar with and what they valued and treasured, not subjects that were alien to them.
  • They believed in this way that they could win a place in the hearts of the “natives” and only then could the alien rulers expect to be respected by their subjects.
  • With this object in view a madrasa was set up in Calcutta in 1781 to promote the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law.
  • The Hindu College was established in Benaras in 1791 to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit texts that would be useful for the administration of the country.
  • But many were very strong in their criticism of the Orientalists.

→ “Grave errors of the East”

  • From the early nineteenth century many British officials began to criticise the Orientalist vision of learning and said that knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought. Eastern literature was non-serious and light-hearted.
  • James Mill was one of those who attacked the Orientalists. He said that the British effort should not be to teach what the natives wanted or what they respected in order to please them and ‘win a place in their heart’.
  • By the 1830s, the attack on the Orientalists became sharper. One of the most outspoken and influential of such critics of the time was Thomas Babington Macaulay.
  • Macaulay said that who could deny ‘a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia’.
  • Macaulay emphasised on teaching of English could thus be a way of civilising people, changing their tastes, values and culture.
  • Following Macaulay’s minute, the English Education Act of 1835 was introduced.
  • The decision was to make English the medium of instruction for higher education and to stop the promotion of Oriental institutions such as the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College.

→ Education for commerce

  • In 1854, the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London sent an educational despatch to the Governor- General in India.
  • It was issued by Charles Wood who was the President of the Board of Control of the Company and it has come to be known as Wood’s Despatch.
  • One of the practical uses the Despatch pointed to was economic.
  • Introducing Indians to European ways of life would change their tastes and desires and create a demand for British goods.
  • Wood’s Despatch also argued that European learning would improve the moral character of Indians. It would make them truthful and honest and thus supply the Company with civil servants who could be trusted and depended upon.
  • Several measures were introduced by the British. One of them was education departments of the government were set up to extend control over all matters regarding education.
  • In 1857, while the sepoys rose in revolt in Meerut and Delhi, universities were being established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation

→ What Happened to the Local Schools? The report of William Adam

  • In the 1830s, William Adam, a Scottish missionary had been asked by the Company to report on the progress of education in vernacular schools.
  • He found that there were over 1 lakh pathshalas in Bengal and Bihar.
  • These institutions were set up by wealthy people or the local community. At times they were started by a teacher {guru).
  • These were small institutions with no more than 20 students each.
  • There were no fixed fee, no printed books, no separate school building, no benches or chairs, no blackboards, no system of separate classes, no roll call registers, no annual examinations and no regular timetable.
  • In some places, classes were held under a banyan tree and in other places in the comer of a village shop or temple, or at the guru s home.
  • The rich had to pay more fees than the poor.
  • Teaching was oral and the guru decided what to teach in accordance with the needs of the students.
  • The guru interacted separately with groups of children with different levels of learning.
  • Adam also discovered that this flexible system was suited to local needs.

→ New routines, new rules

  • After 1854, the Company decided to improve the system of vernacular education. It felt that this could be done by introducing order within the system, imposing routines, establishing rules, ensuring regular inspections.
  • The Company appointed a number of government pandits. The task of the pandit was to visit the pathshalas and by to improve the standard of teaching.
  • Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination.
  • Students were asked to pay a regular fee, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats and obey the new rules of discipline.
  • Pathshalas which accepted the new rules were supported through government grants. Those who were unwilling to work within the new system received no government support.
  • The new rules and routines had another consequence on poor families. Inability to attend school came to be seen as indiscipline as evidence of the lack of desire to learn.

→ The Agenda for a National Education

  • From the early nineteenth century many thinkers from different parts of India began to talk of the need for a wider spread of education.
  • Impressed with the developments in Europe, some Indians felt that Western education would help modernise India.
  • However, there were other Indians who reacted against Western education.
  • Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore were two such individuals.

→ “English education has enslaved us”

  • Mahatma Gandhi argued that colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians.
  • Mahatma Gandhi wanted an education that could help Indians recover their sense of dignity and self-respect.
  • During the national movement he urged students to leave educational institutions in order to show to the British that Indians were no longer willing to be enslaved.
  • Mahatma Gandhi strongly felt that Indian languages ought to be the medium of teaching.
  • Mahatma Gandhi said that western education focused on reading and writing rather than oral knowledge as it valued textbooks rather than lived experience and practical knowledge.
  • He argued that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul.
  • People had to work with their hands, leam a craft and know how different things operated. This would develop their mind and their capacity to understand.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation

→ Tagore’s “abode of peace”

  • Rabindranath Tagore started the institution in 1901.
  • The experience of his school days in Calcutta shaped Tagore’s ideas of education.
  • According to Tagore, the existing schools killed the natural desire of the child to be creative, her sense of wonder.
  • He chose to set up his school 100 kilometres away from Calcutta, in a rural setting.
  • He saw it as an “abode of peace” (Santiniketan) where living in harmony with nature, children could cultivate their natural creativity.
  • Gandhiji was highly critical of Western civ-ilisation and its worship of machines and technology. But, Tagore wanted to com¬bine elements of modem Western civilisa¬tion with what he saw as the best within Indian tradition.
  • Tagore emphasised the need to teach sci¬ence and technology at Santiniketan along with art, music and dance.
  • Some thinkers wanted changes within the system set up by the British and felt that the system could be extended so as to include wider sections of people.
  • Others urged that alternative systems could be created so that people were educated into a culture that was truly national.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

→ Mamba and Peter stay in two different parts of the world and lead very different lives. This difference is because of the differences in the quality of land, soil, water, natural vegetation, animals and the usage of technology. The availability of such resources is the main reason places differ from each other.

→ Land:

  • One of the most important natural resources is Land.
  • Land covers only about thirty per cent of the total area of the earth’s surface and all parts of this small area are not habitable.
  • Due to varied characteristics of land and climate there is uneven distribution of population in different parts of the world.
  • Plains and river valleys are suitable land for agriculture. Hence, these are the densely populated areas of the world.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

→ Land Use:

  • Land is used for different causes and purposes such as agriculture, forestry, mining, building houses, roads and setting up of industries.
  • Certain physical factors such as topography, soil, climate, minerals and availability of water determines the use of land.
  • Other important determinants of land use pattern are human factors such as population and technology.
  • Land can be divided into two categories on the basis of ownership as – private land and community land.
  • Private land is owned by individuals and community land is owned by the community for common uses like collection of fodder, fruits, nuts or medicinal herbs. The community lands are also known as common property resources.
  • The major threats to the environment because of the expansion of agriculture and construction activities and proceedings are land degradation, landslides, soil erosion, and desertification.

→ Conservation of Land Resource:
The common methods used to conserve land resources are afforestation, land reclamation, regulated use of chemical pesticide and fertilisers and checks on overgrazing land.

→ Soil:

  • Soil is the thin layer of grainy substance covering the surface of the earth and it is very closely linked to land.
  • Category of soil is determined the landforms.
  • Organic matter, minerals and weathered rocks found on the earth forms the soil.
  • The right mix of minerals and organic matter make the soil fertile.

→ Factors of Soil Formation:
The nature of the parent rock and climatic factors are the major factors of soil formation. The topography, role of organic material and time taken for the composition of soil formation are the other factors. Though they all differ from place to place.

→ Degradation of Soil and Conservation Measures:

  • The major threats to soil are soil erosion and depletion.
  • Soil degradation happens due to deforestation, overgrazing, overuse of chemical feritilisers or pesticides, rain wash, landslides and floods.

→ Few methods of soil conservation are:

  • Mulching: The bare ground between plants is covered with a layer of organic matter like straw and it helps to retain soil moisture.
  • Contour barriers: Along contours, stones, grass, soil are used to build barriers. To collect water, trenches are made in front of the barriers.
  • Rock dam: Rocks are piled up to slow down the flow of water and it prevents gullies and further soil loss.
  • Terrace farming: Terraces or broad flat steps are made on the steep slopes so that flat surfaces are available to grow crops. This reduce the surface runoff and soil erosion.
  • Intercropping: Different types of crops are grown in alternate rows and are sown at different times to protect the soil from rain wash.
  • Contour ploughing: To form a natural barrier, ploughing is done parallel to the contours of a hill slope for water to flow down the slope.
  • Shelter belts: Mainly in the coastal and dry regions, rows of trees are planted to check the wind movement to protect soil cover.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

→ Water:

  • Earth is also known as an ‘water planet’ because three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
  • The ocean water is not fit for human consumption as it is saline.
  • Fresh water accounts for only about 2.7 per cent. In this 2.7 per cent, about 70 per cent of this occurs as ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica, Greenland and mountain regions and these are inaccessible due to their locations.
  • Only 1 per cent of freshwater is available and fit for human use. It is found in the form of ground water, as surface water in rivers and lakes and as water vapour in the atmosphere.
  • The most precious substance on earth is fresh water. Its total volume remains constant.
  • Humans use huge amounts of water for drinking, washing but also in the process of production.
  • The main reasons leading to shortages in supply of fresh water is either due to drying up of water sources or water pollution.

→ Problems of Water Availability:

  • Scarcity of water is present in many regions of the world. Mostly countries located in climatic zones are most susceptible to droughts, face great problems of water scarcity.
  • Water shortage may be a result of variation in seasonal or annual precipitation or by over-exploitation and contamination of water sources.

→ Conservation of Water Resources:

  • World is facing a major problem in accessing the clean and adequate water sources.
  • To conserve this valuable resource, steps need to be taken.
  • The major contaminants in waterbodies are the discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage, agricultural chemicals and industrial effluents and pollute water with nitrates, metals and pesticides.
  • Water pollution can be controlled by treating these effluents suitably before releasing them in waterbodies.
  • Another method to save surface runoff is water harvesting.
  • Drip or trickle irrigation is very useful in dry regions with high rates of evaporation.

→ Natural Vegetation and Wildlife:

  • Natural vegetation and wildlife exist only in the narrow zone of contact between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere and that is known as biosphere.
  • The life supporting system is called as the ecosystem. Here, living beings are inter-related and interdependent on each other for survival.
  • There are innumerable uses of plants. They provide us with timber, give shelter to animals, produce oxygen, protects soils essentials for growing crops, help in storage of underground water, give us fruits, nuts, latex, turpentine oil, gum, medicinal plants and the paper.
  • Animals big or small, all are integral and essential in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.
  • A vital cleanser of the environment are the vultures and considered as scavengers because they have the ability to feed on dead livestock.
  • Animals provide us milk, meat, hides and wool.
  • Bees and birds have an important role to play as decomposers in the ecosystem.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

→ Distribution of Natural Vegetation:

  • Temperature and moisture are the factors for the growth of vegetation.
  • The major vegetation types of the world are grouped as forests, grasslands, scrubs and tundra.
  • In regions where heavy rainfall occurs, huge trees may thrive.
  • In the regions of moderate rainfall, short stunted trees and grasses grow forming the grasslands of the world.
  • In the regions of low rainfall, thorny shrubs and scrubs grow.
  • Tundra vegetation of cold Polar Regions comprise of mosses and lichens.
  • Population is growing in rapid way and to feed the growing numbers, large regions of forests have been cleared to grow crops. Forests are vanishing rapidly. An urgent need has come up to protect from destruction this valuable resource.

→ Conservation of Natural Vegetation and Wildlife:

  • Many species have become endangered and some are on the verge of extinction.
  • Some of the human and natural factors which gives momentum to the process of extinction of these resources are deforestation, soil erosion, constructional activities, forest fires, tsunami and landslides.
  • Another major and important issue is poaching. The animals are poached for collection and illegal trade of hides, skins, nails, teeth, horns as well as feathers.
  • The animals which are poached are tiger, lion, elephant, deer, blackbuck, crocodile, rhinoceros, snow leopard, ostrich and peacock. We need to create awareness to conserve these animals.
  • To protect our natural vegetation and wildlife, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves are made.
  • Awareness programmes such as social forestry and Vanainohatasava should be encouraged at the regional and community level.
  • School children should also be encouraged to gain more knowledge about such awareness programs and try to conserve it.
  • Laws has been passed in many countries against the trade as well as killing of birds and animals. In India, killing lions, tigers, deer, great Indian bustards and peacocks is illegal.
  • Lists of several species of animals and birds in which trade is prohibited has been established by an international convention CITES.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

→ Textiles and iron and steel industries were crucial for the industrial revolution in the modem world.

  • In the nineteenth century, mechanised production of cotton textiles made Britain the foremost industrial nation.
  • When Britain’s iron and steel industry started growing from the 1850s, Britain came to be known as the “workshop of the world”.
  • With the growth of industrial production, British industrialists began to see India as a vast and huge market for their industrial products and over time manufactured goods from Britain began flooding India.

→ Indian Textiles and the World Market
Indian textiles had long been renowned both for their fine quality and exquisite # craftsmanship. They were extensively traded in Southeast Asia (Java, Sumatra and Penang) and West and Central Asia.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

→ Words tells us histories

  • European traders began referring to all finely woven textiles as “muslin” – a word that acquired wide currency. They first encountered these fine cotton cloths from India carried by Arab merchants in Mosul in present-day Iraq.
  • The cotton textiles which the Portuguese took back to Europe along with the spices came to be called “calico” (derived from Calicut) and hence, calico became the general name for all cotton textiles.
  • In The East India Company’s book, the order in 1730 was for 5,89,000 pieces of cloth.
  • In the order book, a list of 98 varieties of cotton and silk cloths were mentioned. These were known by their common name in the European trade as piece goods- usually woven cloth pieces that were 20 yards long and 1 yard wide.
  • Amongst the pieces ordered were printed cotton cloths called chintz, cossaes (or khassa) and bandanna. Chintz is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.
  • Rich people of England including the Queen herself wore clothes of Indian fabric.
  • Now a days, the word bandanna refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. It originates from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying) and referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.
  • There were other cloths in the order book that were noted by their place of origin such as Kasimbazar, Patna, Calcutta, Orissa, Charpoore.

→ Indian textiles in European markets

  • In 1720, the British government enacted a legislation banning the use of printed cotton textiles, chintz in England. This Act was known as the Calico Act.
  • Competition with Indian textiles also led to a search for technological innovation in England.
  • In 1764, the spinning jenny was invented by John Kaye which increased the productivity of the traditional spindles.
  • In 1786, the invention of the steam engine by Richard Arkwright in revolutionised cotton textile weaving.
  • Cloth could now be woven in immense quantities and cheaply too.
  • Indian textiles continued to dominate world trade till the end of the eighteenth century.
  • European trading companies the Dutch, the French and the English made enormous profits out of this flourishing trade.

→ Who were the weavers?

  • Weavers belonged to communities that specialised in weaving.
  • The tanti weavers of Bengal, the julahas or momin weavers of north India, sale and kaikollar and devangs of south India are some of the communities famous for weaving.
  • The charkha and the takli were household spinning instruments. The thread was spun on the charkha and rolled on the takli.
  • The first stage of production was spinning mostly done by women.
  • In most communities weaving was a task done by men.
  • For coloured textiles, the thread was dyed by the dyer who are known as rangrez.
  • For printed cloth, the weavers needed the help of specialist block printers who are known as chhipigars.

→ The decline of indian textile

  • Indian textiles had to compete with British textiles in the European and American markets.
  • Exporting textiles to England also became increasingly difficult since very high duties were imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
  • Thousands of weavers in India were now thrown out of employment. Bengal weavers were the worst hit.
  • English and European companies stopped buying Indian goods and their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
  • By the 1880s, two-thirds of all the cotton clothes worn by Indians were made of cloth produced in Britain.
  • Thousands of rural women who made a living by spinning cotton thread were rendered jobless.
  • Handloom weaving did not completely die in India because some types of cloths could not be supplied by machines.
  • Sholapur in western India and Madura in South India emerged as important new centres of weaving in the late nineteenth century.
  • Mahatma Gandhi urged people to boycott imported textiles and use hand-spun and handwoven cloth and hence khadi gradually became a symbol of nationalism.
  • In 1931, the Indian National Congress adopted the tricolour flag and the charkha was put at the centre of the flag to represent India.
  • Many weavers became agricultural labourers.
  • Some of these weavers also found work in the new cotton mills that were established in Bombay (now Mumbai), Ahmedabad, Sholapur, Nagpur and Kanpur.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

→ Cotton mills come up:

  • In 1854, the first cotton mill in India was set up as a spinning mill in Bombay.
  • From the early nineteenth century, Bombay had grown as an important port for the export of raw cotton from India to England and China.
  • By 1900, over 84 mills started operating in Bombay.
  • The first mill in Ahmedabad was started in 1861. A year later a mill was established in Kanpur in the United Provinces.
  • In India, the first few decades of its existence, the textile factory industry faced many problems. It found it difficult to compete with the cheap textiles imported from Britain.
  • The first major spurt in the development of cotton factory production in India was during the First World War when textile imports from Britain declined and Indian factories were called upon to produce cloth for military supplies.

→ The Sword of Tipu Sultan and Wootz Steel:

  • Tipu’s legendary swords are now part of valuable collections in museums in England.
  • The sword had an incredibly hard and sharp edge that could easily rip through the opponent’s armour. This quality of the sword came from a special type of high carbon steel called Wootz which was produced all over south India.
  • A year after Tipu Sultan’s death, Francis Buchanan who toured through Mysore in 1800 has left us an account of the technique by which Wootz steel was produced in many hundreds of smelting furnaces in Mysore.
  • Wootz is an anglicised version of the Kannada word ukku, Telugu hukku and Tamil and Malayalam urukku which means steel.
  • Indian Wootz steel fascinated European scientists. Michael Faraday, the legendary scientist and discoverer of electricity and electromagnetism spent four years studying the properties of Indian Wootz (1818-22).

→ Abundant furnaces in villages

  • In Bihar and Central India, in particular every district had smelters that used local deposits of ore to produce iron which was widely used for the manufacture of implements and tools of daily use.
  • The furnaces were most often built of clay and sun-dried bricks. The smelting was done by men while women worked the bellows, pumping air that kept the charcoal burning.
  • By the late nineteenth century, however, the craft of iron smelting was in decline.
  • Many gave up their craft and looked for other means of livelihood.
  • The iron smelters had to pay a very high tax to the forest department for every furnace they used and hence their income reduced.
  • Ironsmiths in India began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. This inevitably lowered the demand for iron produced by local smelters.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

→ Iron and steel factories come up in India

  • In 1904, in the hot month of April, Charles Weld, an American geologist and Dorabji Tata, the eldest son of Jamsetji Tata, were travelling in Chhattisgarh in search of iron ore deposits.
  • One day after travelling for many hours in the forests, Weld and Dorabji came upon a small village and found a group of men and women carrying basket loads of iron ore. These people were the Agarias.
  • Rajhara Hills had one of the finest ores in the world.
  • The Agarias helped in the discovery of a source of iron ore that would later supply the Bhilai Steel Plant.
  • A few years later a large area of forest was cleared on the banks of the river Subamarekha to set up the factory and an industrial township known as Jamshedpur. Here there was water near iron ore deposits.
  • In 1912, the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) that came up began producing steel.
  • TISCO was set up at an opportune time. British experts in the Indian Railways were unwilling to believe that good quality steel could be produced in India.
  • By 1919, the colonial government was buying 90 per cent of the steel manufactured by TISCO. Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry within the British empire.
  • As the nationalist movement developed and the industrial class became stronger, the demand for government protection became louder.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes