NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6 – Major Landforms of the Earth

Page No 46:

Question 1:

Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) What are the major landforms?
(b) What is the difference between a mountain and a plateau?
(c) What are the different types of mountains?
(d) How are mountains useful to man?
(e) How are plains formed?
(f) Why are the river plains thickly populated?
(g) Why are mountains thinly populated?

Answer:

(a) The major landforms are: mountains, plateaus and plains.
(b)

Mountain	Plateau
A mountain is any natural elevation of the Earth’s surface. It is considerably higher than the surrounding area.	A plateau is an elevated flat land. It is a flat-topped table land standing above the surrounding area.
Mountains have peaks.	Plateaus are flattened highlands.

(c) The different types of mountains are: fold, block and volcanic.
(d)

Usefulness of Mountains

Mountains are a storehouse of water. Many rivers have their source in the glaciers. Reservoirs are made to harness this water for consumption, irrigation and generating electricity.

River valleys and terraces are ideal for cultivation of crops.

Mountains have a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Mountains provide an idyllic site for tourists.

(e) Most of the plains are formed by rivers and their tributaries. The rivers flow down the slopes of mountains and erode them. They carry forward the eroded material. Then they deposit their load (consisting of stones, sand and silt) along their courses and in their valleys. It is from these deposits that plains are formed.
(f) A lot of flat lands are available in plains. Also, the available land is generally fertile. Hence, plains are the most useful areas for human habitation as well as for cultivation. Transport network can also be easily constructed in plains. Thus, plains are very thickly populated regions of the world.
(g)Mountains have very harsh cold climate. The slopes of the mountains are very steep. Also, mountains offer very little land for farming. For these reasons, mountains are thinly populated.

Question 2:

Tick the correct answers.
(a) The mountains differ from the hills in terms of

(i) elevation

(ii) slope

(iii) aspect

(b) Glaciers are found in

(i) the mountains

(ii) the plains

(iii) the plateaus

(c) The Deccan Plateau is located in

(i) Kenya

(ii) Australia

(iii) India

(d) The river Yangtze flows in

(i) South America

(ii) Australia

(iii) China

(e) An important mountain range of Europe is

(i) the Andes

(ii) the Alps

(iii) the Rockies

Answer:

(a) The mountains differ from the hills in terms of

(i) elevation

(ii) slope

(iii) aspect

(b) Glaciers are found in

(i) the mountains

(ii) the plains

(iii) the plateaus

(c) The Deccan Plateau is located in

(i) Kenya

(ii) Australia

(iii) India

(d) The river Yangtze flows in

(i) South America

(ii) Australia

(iii) China

(e) An important mountain range of Europe is

(i) the Andes

(ii) the Alps

(iii) the Rockies

Question 3:

Fill in the blanks.
(a) A ________ is an unbroken flat or a low-level land.
(b) The Himalayas and the Alps are examples of _________ types of mountains.
(c) __________ areas are rich in mineral deposits.
(d) The _________ is a line of mountains.
(e) The _________ areas are most productive for farming.

Answer:

(a) A plain is an unbroken flat or a low-level land.
(b) The Himalayas and the Alps are examples of fold types of mountains.
(c) Plateau areas are rich in mineral deposits.
(d) The Himalayas is a line of mountains.
(e) The plain areas are most productive for farming.