RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture  Important Questions and Answers.

RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. 
Growing many crops with more tools and more labour on a small plot are called
(a) subsistence farming
(b) intensive subsistence farming
(c) shifting cultivation
(d) nomadic herding 
Answer:
(b) intensive subsistence farming

Question 2. 
Agriculture done by one family fulfils its requirement is called
(a) intensive subsistence agriculture
(b) subsistence agriculture
(c) primitive subsistence agriculture
(d) shifting cultivation 
Answer:
(b) subsistence agriculture

Question 3. 
Which of the following is the characteristic of subsistence farming
(a) agriculture for the need of a family 
(b) low yield due to traditional methods
(c) use of low-level technology
(d)All of the above
Answer:
(d)All of the above

Question 4. 
Shifting cultivation is practised in
(a) thickly forested areas of the Amazon basin
(b) tropical Africa
(c) parts of Northeast India
(d) All of the above 
Answer:
(d) All of the above

Question 5. 
Commercial agriculture includes
(a) commercial grain farming
(b) mixed farming
(c) plantation agriculture
(d) All of the above 
Answer:
(d) All of the above 

Question 6. 
Conditions required for rice crop include
(a) high temperature 
(b) high humidity
(c) high rainfall 
(d) All of the above
Answer:
(d) All of the above

Question 7. 
Millets or coarse grains are grown in India including
(a) Jowar 
(b) Bajra 
(c) Ragi 
(d) All of the above 
Answer:
(d) All of the above 

Question 8. 
Essential for agriculture development
(a) improved irrigation facilities
(b) high yielding varieties of seeds
(c) use of modem machines
(d) All of the above
Answer:
(d) All of the above

Question 9. 
Which of the following is an example of secondary activity?
(a) fishery 
(b) business
(c) wearing of clothes 
(d) storage
Answer:
(c) wearing of clothes

Question 10. 
Which is the major producing country of rice?
(a) China 
(b) Sri Lanka
(c) India 
(d) Japan 
Answer:
(a) China

Fill in the blanks

Question 1. 
Agriculture, fishing and gathering are all included in ................activities.
Answer:
primary

Question 2. 
India’s ................ population is still dependent on agriculture. 
Answer:
two-third

Question 3.
Transport, trade, banking, insurance, etc. are the example of ................ activities.
Answer:
secondary

Question 4.
.............. farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
Answer:
subsistence

Question 5. 
................cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn agriculture.
Answer:
shifting
  
Question 6. 
............. agriculture is found in the tropical regions of the world.
Answer:
plantation.

State True or False

Question 1. 
The transformation from a plant to a finished product involves three types of economic activities.
Answer:
True

Question 2. 
Agriculture is a tertiary activity.
Answer:
False

Question 3. 
The cultivation of bananas is an example of plantation agriculture.
Answer:
True

Question 4. 
Nomadic herding is found in Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir India.
Answer:
True

Question 5. 
In India,.the farmer works as a businessman. 
Answer:
False

Match Correctly

Question 1.

(a)	(b)
Jhooming	Mexico
Milpa	North-east India
Roca	Malaysia
Ladang	Brazil

Answer:

(a)	(b)
Jhooming	North-east India
Milpa	Mexico
Roca	Brazil
Ladang	Malaysia

Question 2.

(a)	(b)
Horticulture	Fish culture
Viticulture	Silk work rearing
Agriculture	Farming
Sericulture	Growing grapes
Pisciculture	Growing vegetables, fruits & flowers

Answer:

(a)	(b)
Horticulture	Growing vegetables, fruits & flowers
Viticulture	Growing grapes
Agriculture	Farming
Sericulture	Silk worms rearing
Pisciculture	Fish culture

 

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Into how many parts economic activities can be divided?
Answer:
Economic activities can be divided into three parts:

1. primary, 
2. secondary and 
3. tertiary. 

Question 2. 
Give two examples of tertiary activities.
Answer:

1. Transport
2. Banking.

Question 3. 
Where does the word agriculture originate? 
Answer:
The word agriculture is derived from the Latin word ager or Agri meaning soil and culture meaning cultivation.

Question 4. 
Sericulture refers to the cultivation of which crop?
Answer:
Sericulture refers to the commercial rearing of silkworms.

Question 5. 
What is pisciculture?
Answer:
Pisciculture refers to the breeding of fishes in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

Question 6. 
What is viticulture?
Answer:
The cultivation of grapes is called viticulture. 

Question 7. 
What is called growing vegetables, fruits and flowers for commercial use?
Answer:
Growing vegetables, fruits and flowers for commercial use is called horticulture.

Question 8. 
What is organic farming?
Answer:
Inorganic, forming, organic manure and natural pesticides are used instead of chemicals. 

Question 9. 
What is commercial forming?
Answer:
In commercial farming, crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in the market.

Question 10. 
What is mixed forming?
Answer:
In mixed farming land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock. 

Question 11. 
Coarse grains are grown in which type of soil?
Answer:
Coarse grains are grown in sandy soil. 

Question 12. 
What conditions are required for the cultivation of maize?
Answer:
Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine.

Question 13. 
What conditions are required for the cultivation of coffee?
Answer:
Coffee requires a warm and wet climate and well-drained loamy soil.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
What do you understand by subsistence farming?
Answer:
Subsistence farming is practised to meet the needs of the former’s fondly. Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce small output. Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

Question 2. 
Explain intensive subsistence farming in your own words.
Answer:
Intensive subsistence farming is a type of subsistence farming. In intensive subsistence agriculture, the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. Climate with a large number of days with sunshine and fertile soils permits the growing of more than one crop annually on the same plot. Rice is the main crop.

Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of the south, southeast and east Asia.

Question 3. 
What do you mean by nomadic herding?
Answer:
Nomadic herding is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. In this type of forming, herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along with defined routes. This type of movement arises in response to climatic constraints and terrain. Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared. They provide milk, meat, wool, hides and other products to the herders and their families.

Question 4. 
What do you mean by commercial grain fanning? 
Answer:
Commercial grain farming is a type of commercial farming. In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purposes. Wheat and maize are common commercially grown grains. Major areas where commercial grain farming is practised are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia. These areas are sparsely populated with large forms spreading over hundreds of hectares. Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a single crop can be grown. In this, farmers produce food grains and get income by selling them in the market.

Question 5. 
When does food security exist?
Answer:
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Question 6. 
Write a brief note on rice as a food crop.
Answer:
Rice is the major food crop of the world It is the staple diet of the tropical and sub¬tropical regions. Rice needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial clayey soil, which can retain water. China leads in the production of rice followed by India,- Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt. In favourable climatic conditions as in West Bengal and Bangladesh, two to three crops are grown in a year.

Question 7. 
Write a brief note on cotton as a commercial crop.
Answer:
Cotton is a major commercial crop. Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth. It grows best on black and alluvial soils. China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton. It is one of the main raw materials for the cotton textile industry.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
What is agriculture? Explain the different types of agriculture.
Answer:
Agriculture is a primary activity It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, and flowers and rearing livestock.
Types of agriculture:
Depending upon the geographical conditions, the demand for produce, labour and the level of technology, farming can be classified into two main types. These arc subsistence farming and commercial farming.

1. Subsistence Farming:
This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer's family. Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce small output. Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.
(i) In intensive subsistence agriculture the fanner cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour and grows more than one crop annually on the same plot. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of the south, southeast and east Asia.

(ii) Primitive subsistence agriculture includes shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.

(a) Shifting Cultivation:
A plot of land is cleared by the felling of the trees and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown. After the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn agriculture.

(b) Nomadic herding:
In this type of farming, herdsmen move from" place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along with defined routes.

2. Commercial Farming:
In commercial farming, crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in the Market. The area cultivated and the amount of capital used are large. Most of the work is done by machines. Commercial farming includes commercial grain farming, mixed farming and plantation agriculture.

(i) Commercial grain farming:
In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purposes.
(ii) Mixed farming:
In mixed farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.
(iii) Plantation agriculture:
Plantations are a type of commercial farming where single crops of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.

Question 2. 
Describe the major crops produced in agriculture.
Answer:
The major crops produced in agriculture are as follows 
1. Rice:
Rice is the major food crop in the world. Rice needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall. China leads in the production of rice followed by India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt. In favourable climatic conditions as in West Bengal and Bangladesh, two to three crops are grown in a year.

2. Wheat:
Wheat requires moderate temperature and rainfall during the growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest. It thrives best in a well-drained loamy soil. Wheat is grown extensively in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India. In India, it is grown in winter.

3. Millets:
They are also known as coarse grains and can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils. It is a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate rainfall. Jowar, bajra and ragi are grown in India. Other countries are Nigeria, China and Niger.

4. Maize:
Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine. It needs well-drained fertile soils. Maize is grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India and Mexico.

5. Cotton:
Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall and bright sunshine for its growth. China, the USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton.

6. Jute:
Jute grows well on alluvial soil and requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and a humid climate. India and Bangladesh are the leading producers of jute.

7. Coffee:
Coffee requires a warm and wet climate and well-drained loamy soil. Hill slopes are more suitable for the growth of this crop. Brazil is the leading producer followed by Columbia and India.

8. Tea:
Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations. This requires a cool climate and well-distributed high rainfall throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves.

Question 3. 
What do you understand by agricultural development? Explain the development of agriculture by giving one example of each of the agriculture farms of India and the USA. 
Answer:
Agriculture development:
Agricultural development refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand of the increasing population. This can be achieved in many ways such as increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds. The mechanisation of agriculture is also another aspect of agricultural development. The ultimate aim of agriculture development is to increase food. security.

A Farm in India:
There is a small village Adilabad in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. Munna Lai is a small farmer in this village who has farmland of about 1.5 hectares. His house is in the main village. He purchases high yielding varieties of seeds from the market every alternate year. The land is fertile and he grows at least two crops in a year which are normally wheat or rice and pulses. The farmer takes the advice of his friends and elders as well as government agricultural officers regarding farming practices. 

He takes a tractor on rent for ploughing his field. There is a tubewell in the nearby field which he takes on rent to irrigate his field. Munna Lai also has two buffaloes and a few hens. He sells milk in the cooperative store located in the nearby town. All the members of the family help him in various farm activities. He sells his produce in the mandi located in the nearby town.

A Farm in the USA: The average size of a farm in the USA is much larger than that of an Indian farm. The typical farm size in the USA is about 250 hectares. The farmer generally resides on the farm. Some of the major crops grown are com, soybean, wheat, cotton and sugarbeet. Joe Horan, a farmer in the Midwest USA, in Iowa State owns about 300 hectares of land. He grows com on his field after making sure that soil and water resources meet the needs of these crops. Adequate measures are taken to control pests that can damage the crop. From time to time he sends the soil samples to a soil testing laboratory to check whether the nutrients are sufficient or not. His computer is linked to the satellite which gives him a precise picture of his field.

He uses tractors, seed drills, levellers, a combined harvester and thresher to perform various agricultural operations. The former in the USA works as a businessman and not as a peasant former.