1. Friendship with Geography
Complete solutions to the Exercise. Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Six Geography.
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Exercise
(1) What are the meanings of the words ‘Geo’ and ‘graphia’?
- ✓ a) Earth and to describe
- b) Sky and to describe
- c) Climate and describe
- d) Mountain and describe
Answer: ‘Geo’ means Earth and ‘graphia’ means description.
The word Geography comes from the Greek word ‘Geographia’. Put together, it means ‘the science that describes the Earth’.
(2) Which are the elements studied in Geography?
- a) Only human elements
- b) Only physical elements
- ✓ c) Biological and human elements on the earth
- d) Only atmospheric elements
Answer: Biological and human elements on the earth
Options (a), (b) and (d) are wrong because each of them says ‘only’. Geography studies both the physical components (land, water, air and living things) and the human-made components on the surface of the Earth, and the relationship between them. Option (c) is the only one that includes both natural and human elements, so it is the correct choice.
(3) Which of the following is the primary source of geographic data?
- a) Textbook
- b) Map
- ✓ c) Field visit
- d) Gazette
Answer: Field visit
On a field visit we go to the place ourselves and collect information through our own observations. A textbook, a map and a gazette contain information that someone else has already collected and presented, so they are secondary sources.
(4) Collecting data about climate in a village from villagers is which source?
- a) Secondary source
- ✓ b) Primary source
- c) Documented source
- d) Historical source
Answer: Primary source
Talking to villagers directly is an interview, and the information comes straight from the people who experience that climate. Interviews are an example of a primary source.
(5) Which skill does a student develop while collecting data through maps, field visits and satellite images?
- a) Memorising
- b) Drawing
- c) Writing
- ✓ d) Observation and analysis
Answer: Observation and analysis
(6) Which one of the following is not a primary source?
- a) An interview conducted by oneself
- b) A survey conducted by oneself
- c) Self-experienced field visit
- ✓ d) A travelogue read by oneself
Answer: A travelogue read by oneself
A travelogue is written by someone else about their own journey. Reading it gives us information collected by another person, so it is a secondary source even though we read it ourselves.
(7) Which one of the following statements is not true about the secondary sources?
- ✓ a) The credibility of the data collected through this is more
- b) The data in this are collected on the basis of researches.
- c) These data sources are not easily available
- d) The data in these can be outdated.
Answer: The credibility of the data collected through this is more
Secondary data has relatively low credibility, and it depends on the author or organisation that collected it. It is primary data that has more credibility. Note that statement (c) is also untrue — secondary data is easily available through books, reports and the internet. Since the question asks for one option, (a) is the better answer, as credibility is the key difference the chapter stresses. Check with your teacher which option your school accepts.
(1) The meaning of Geography is ‘the science that describes the earth’.
Correct
‘Geo’ means the Earth and ‘graphia’ means description, so Geography means the science that describes the Earth.
(2) In Geography, only the physical structure of the Earth is studied.
Incorrect
Corrected statement: In Geography, the physical and human-made (anthropogenic) components on the surface of the Earth and their interdependence are studied.
(3) Photographs and videos are the primary sources.
Incorrect
Corrected statement: Photographs and videos are the secondary sources.
Photographs and videos made by other people and obtained from books, newspapers or the internet contain information that has already been collected and presented, so they are secondary sources. However, a photograph or video that you record yourself during a field visit, as a record of your own observation, is a primary source.
(4) Research and research papers are the secondary sources.
Correct
A research paper or research journal presents data that has already been collected, analysed and published by someone else, so for the reader it is a secondary source.
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(1) Explain the concept ‘Geography’.
The word ‘Geography’ is taken from the Greek word ‘Geographia’. ‘Geo’ means the Earth and ‘graphia’ means description. So Geography means ‘the science that describes the Earth’.
Geography includes the study of the physical and anthropogenic (man-made) components on the surface of the Earth and their interdependence. The physical components are land, water, air and living things; the human components are population, settlements, economic activities and changing social conditions.
Physical Geography and Human Geography are the two main branches of geographic study. According to the scope of study, various sub-branches of Geography have also been formed. Geography is therefore not just memorising the names of countries or drawing maps; it is a science that teaches the relation between man and the environment.
(2) Explain the differences between the primary and secondary sources of geographic study.
- Meaning: Primary data is original data collected through our own actual observations, surveys, measurements and records. Secondary data is data that is already collected, analysed and presented by some other individual, organisation or publication.
- Method of collection: Primary data is collected by actually going to the location, through observations, interviews and measurements. Secondary data is collected indirectly, from books, reports, maps, articles and the internet.
- Credibility: Primary data has more credibility. Secondary data has relatively low credibility and depends on the author or organisation.
- Nature of data: Primary data is raw, direct and new information. Secondary data is already processed and presented in an analysed form.
- Scope: Primary data is location-specific and gives exact data about a limited area. Secondary data can cover a large area and is easily available.
- Cost and time: Primary data requires more effort and time and is more expensive. Secondary data is less expensive and saves effort and time.
- Possibility of error: In primary data, errors may be made by the observer or the instrument. Secondary data may be outdated or may carry the bias of the person who prepared it.
- Examples: Field visit, interview, survey, drone survey images and weather data are primary sources. Globe, maps, atlas, textbooks, reference books, research journals, magazines, newspapers, satellite images and climatic data are secondary sources.
(1) Write a geographic description of any one place that you have visited during the field visit in your own words.
Your answer should describe a place you have actually visited. A good geographic description covers both the physical features (location, land, water, climate, plants and animals) and the human features (people, settlements, occupations, transport) of the place. A sample answer is given below.
A visit to Chikhaldara
Last winter our school took us on a field visit to Chikhaldara in Amravati district. It is the only hill station in the Vidarbha region and lies in the Satpura ranges, at a height of a little over 1,100 metres above sea level.
The land is hilly, with steep slopes, deep valleys and viewpoints from which we could see the forest spread far below. We saw a waterfall and several streams flowing down the slopes. Even in the afternoon the air was cool and pleasant, much cooler than in the plains, because of the height of the place. We were told that it receives heavy rain in the monsoon.
Thick forests of teak and bamboo cover the hills. Chikhaldara is close to the Melghat Tiger Reserve, and the forest is home to many animals and birds. We saw monkeys and many birds, and our guide showed us the footprints of a wild animal near a stream.
The villages here are small and scattered along the slopes. Many of the local people belong to the Korku tribe. They depend on the forest, on farming and on tourism. We saw coffee plantations, which surprised us, because coffee is not usually grown in Maharashtra. Hotels, guides and small shops earn their living from tourists. We also visited the old Gavilgad fort, which shows how the hilly land was used for defence in the past.
I learnt from this visit that the height and forests of the place decide its climate, and the climate and forests in turn decide the occupations of the people who live there.
(2) By observing Figure 1.1, write in your own words about which elements are studied in Geography.
Figure 1.1 shows that Geography studies two groups of elements — physical factors and human factors — and the links between them.
Hydrosphere — rivers, lakes, seas and oceans.
Atmosphere — air, clouds, weather and climate.
Biosphere — plants, animals and all living things.
Human settlement — villages, towns and cities.
Economic activities — farming, industry, trade and transport.
Changing social conditions — how society changes over time.
Environment and sustainable development — using nature carefully so that it lasts for future generations.
In my own words: Geography studies everything on the surface of the Earth — the land, the water, the air and the living world — and also the people who live there, their homes and their work. It studies how these physical and human elements depend on each other, how humans use natural resources, and how we can protect the environment while we develop.
| Means of geographic study | Primary Source | Secondary Source |
|---|---|---|
| Soil samples collected by oneself | ✓ | |
| Map of soil distribution | ✓ | |
| Pictures of various flowers and fruits | ✓ | |
| Report of field visit written by you | ✓ | |
| Video recording of natural beauty of Chikhaldara | ✓ | |
| Travelogues | ✓ | |
| Observations of various types of flowers and fruits by oneself | ✓ | |
| Rock samples collected by oneself | ✓ | |
| Newspaper cuttings of geographic information | ✓ | |
| The samples of cereals and pulses collected by you | ✓ |
A simple way to decide: if you collected, measured, observed or wrote it yourself, it is a primary source. If someone else collected and presented it, it is a secondary source. The video of Chikhaldara is marked secondary because it is not described as recorded by you; if you recorded it yourself during a field visit, it would be a primary source.
The Activities — preparing a wall chart showing the various branches of geography and the subject matter studied in each, and collecting talukawise information about the population or major crops of your district from the internet — are to be done by you with the help of your parents and teachers.