Very Short Answer Type Questions
1: What is the condition for a substance to be called a resource?
Answer: A substance needs to have some utility to be called a resource.
2: What do you understand by the word “utility”?
Answer: If a substance can be used in any way, it is said to have a utility.
3: What are natural resources?
Answer: Resources that are drawn directly from nature are called natural resources.
4: What is the name given to the type of resources that have limited stock?
Answer: The resources having limited stock are called non-renewable resources.
5: How are resources classified according to their distribution?
Answer: On the basis of their distribution, resources are classified into ubiquitous and localized.
6: Give three examples of abiotic resources.
Answer: Air, land, soils.
7: How are human-made resources different from natural resources?
Answer: Human-made resources have been created by human beings, whereas natural resources are provided by nature.
8: What is human resource development?
Answer: Improving the quality of human skills in order to make them more useful is called human resource development.
Short Answer Type Questions
1: Define resource conservation.
Answer: Resource conservation is the cautious use of the natural resources and giving them time to get renewed. In short, resource conservation implies saving resources for the future generation.
2: Human resources are an important entity, why?
Answer: Human resources refer to people and their contributions. Human resources are important as they are skilled to be able to make the best use of nature in order to enhance the existing resources and also create more resources using the knowledge and technology that they possess. Hence, human resources are considered highly significant.
3: Explain the terms resource conservation and sustainable development.
Answer: Resource conservation is the concept of using resources carefully so that they do not end up quickly. The future generations also need the resources, but if we keep using them at a fast pace, they may end up, thus posing problems for the future. We should use resources in such a balanced way that we satisfy our needs as well as conserve them for future. This concept is called sustainable development.
4: Why are human being resources?
Answer: Human beings are intelligent living beings. They can use their intelligence to realize the utility of substances. Had there been no humans, the resources would not have been resources. Human beings are interdependent on each other, and they prove useful to each other. For example, a postman renders us an important service, so he is a resource.
5: Explain how resources are classified broadly.
Answer: Resources are broadly classified into natural, human-made and human. Natural resources are those that are taken from nature. They are used without modifying them, i.e., in the same form as they exist in. Rivers, lakes, air, soils, minerals, trees, mountains, etc. are natural resources. Human-made resources have not been provided to us by nature. Human beings have used their intelligence to manufacture them for their own use. Examples include vehicles, buildings, roads, telephone, etc.
Human resources include people who serve us in any way. A teacher, doctor, carpenter, cobbler, etc. are human resources.
6: Write a short note on the significance of time and technology in making a substance a resource.
Answer: Time and technology are important factors in making substances resources. With time, technology develops. As technology develops, we begin to discover new ways to make life better. In this process, certain substances which were useless to us earlier become useful. An invention and discovery gives us new resources. An example is hydroelectricity. This technology has made water a source of electricity.
7: As human beings, how can we ensure sustainable development?
Answer: Since we live on the earth, it is our duty to practice sustainable development. We can do this by ensuring that:
(a) The usage of renewable resources is sustainable,
(b) The diversity of life on earth is maintained,
(c) The damage caused to nature by our activities is as low as possible.
Long Answer Type Questions
1: What is a resource? What are the criteria (requirements) for any substance to become a resource?
Answer: All those substances which have some utility or usability are resources for us.
The different criteria required for anything to be resource for us are:
(i) Utility or usability
(ii) Economic value or any other value
(iii) Time and technology inherent, which can make the substance important for present or future requirements of the people. For example: Discovery of fire led to the practice of cooking, Invention of wheel ultimately resulted in the development of newer modes of transport etc.
2: Explain the different types of resources.
Answer: In general there are three types of resources: Natural, Human – made, and Human.
(i) Natural Resources:
Resources that are drawn from nature and used without much modification are called Natural Resources. For example: Air we breathe, Water in well, Rivers and Lakes, Soil, Minerals etc. Natural resources are further divided into various types such as Actual, Potential, Abiotic, Biotic, Renewable, Non-renewable, Ubiquitous and Localized resources.
(ii) Human – Made Resources:
Such resources which have been changed from their original form by human effort are called as Human – Made Resources. For example: Buildings, Roads, Bridges etc. Technology is also an important example of Human – Made Resources.
(iii) Human Resources:
People are the greatest resource of the nation. All other resources of nature become significant only when people extract its usefulness. It is people with their demands and abilities that turn them into resources. Hence, human resource is the ultimate resource.
4: How do we classify natural resources on the basis of their stock?
Answer: On the basis of stock natural resources are further classified or subdivided into Renewable and Non-renewable types.
Renewable Resources: These are the resources which do not depend on the human consumption. These resources get renewed with the use of Human. But there are some kind of renewable resources which are affected with human consumption such as water, soil and forest. Other examples of renewable resources are solar and wind energy.
Non-Renewable Resources: These resources have a limited stock in the nature and may take thousands of years to get renewed. Since this period is much more than human life spans, so, they are called Non-Renewable Resources. For example, coal deposits, petroleum deposits etc.
5: What do you understand by sustainable development? Also mention its basic principles.
Answer: Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development. In other words, Carefully, utilizing resources so that besides meeting the present requirements it also takes care of the need of future generation is known as sustainable development. The basic principles of sustainable development are given below:
1. Respect and care for all forms of life.
2. Improve the quality of human life.
3. Conserve the earth’s vitality and diversity.
4. Minimise the depletion of natural resources.
5. Change personal attitude and practices towards the environment.
6. Enable communities to care for their own environment.
