WBBSE Solutions For Class 6 Geography Chapter 2 Is the Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth

Class 6 Geography WBBSE Chapter 2 Is the Earth Round Chapter Synopsis

1. A part of the circumference of a circle is called an arc.

2. The radius of a circle is the distance from the centre of a circle to any point in the circumference.

3. A round solid figure that has three dimensions and is shaped like a ball is called a sphere. For example, the Earth is a sphere.

4. The distance from the centre of a sphere to any point on the surface is called the radius of a sphere.

5. The line along which the sky appears to 5. meet the surface of the Earth, is known as the horizon.

6. Although the shape of the Earth has some similarities with an orange or pear, the actual shape of the Earth is as unique as the Earth. This shape is called a geoid.

7. The highest point on the Earth’s surface is Mount Everest in the Himalayas, which is 8848m above sea level.

8. The lowest point on the Earth’s surface is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which is 10,915m below sea level.

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Class 6 Geography WBBSE Chapter 2 Is the Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Analytical Type Questions

Question 1. Give Proof of the spherical shape of the earth.
Answer:

Some facts that give proof of the spherical shape of the Earth are as follows:

1. Photographs received from outer space: Photographs sent by artificial satellites that orbit the Earth show that the Earth is indeed spherical in shape.

2. Observation of the Earth’s shadow: When the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, it is observed to be spherical. It implies that the object casting the shadow is also spherical.

3. Observation of a ship leaving shore: When a ship sails away from shore, first its hull, then its deck, and finally the entire ship disappears from view. This happens because the Earth is spherical.

4. Observation of the horizon: As we climb up a mountain or we ascend in an aeroplane, the circumference of the horizon seems to expand and the shape seems to be circular.

5. Bedford Level Experiment: In 1870 AD, renowned naturalist and surveyor A.R Wallace put in 3 equal stakes in a straight line at equal intervals in the Bedford Canal of the United Kingdom.

Through a telescope, he observed that the second stake seemed to be higher than the first and the third stake.

This proved that the Earth is round. If the Earth were a flat disc, the tops of the stakes would be in a straight line.

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Question 2. Who was the first to have the idea of a round Earth?
Answer:

People who believed that the Earth is round shaped are-

Aristotle: Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, observed the falling shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse and he concluded that the Earth must be having a round shape.

Eratosthenes: Greek philosopher cum geographer Eratosthenes, standing on the seashore in 200 BCE, saw the disappearance of a sailing ship and concluded that the Earth is round.

3. Aryabhatta: Indian scientist Aryabhatta (in 476 CE) supported the idea of the round Earth.

Magellan: Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, sailed continuously westwards, circumnavigating the Earth, and finally returned to the same port. This voyage made him sure that the Earth has a circular shape.

 

Chapter 2 Is the Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Short Analytical Type Questions

Question 1. Give a few practical proofs of the Earth’s spherical shape.
Answer:

A few practical proofs of the Earth’s spherical shape are—

Instance 1: When one observes a ship leaving shore, first it’s the hull, then it’s a deck, and finally the entire ship seems to disappear from view.

Instance 2: when one looks down from a mountaintop, it seems as if the Earth is a spherical object and the sky covers it like a dome. It seems as if the Earth and the sky are meeting at a distant, arc-shaped line.

Instance 3: During a lunar eclipse, the shadow of the Earth falls on the Moon. This shadow is round and it proves that the Earth is spherical in shape.

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Question 2. How did Magellan’s expedition of 1519 prove that the Earth is round?
Answer:

Magellan’s expedition of 1519 prove that the Earth is round:

The famous Portuguese explorer, Magellan, set out in 1519 to circumnavigate the globe with a fleet of five ships.

They always went westwards and after three years, they ended up at that port where they had set sail from. This circumnavigation clearly proves that the Earth is not a flat disc.

If we consider the Earth as a flat disk, then just by travelling to the west continuously, the ships would not have returned where they had started from. This proved beyond doubt that the Earth is round.

Question 3. What is Lunar Eclipse? How does the Phenomenon of lunar Eclipse Prove that the Earth is round?
Answer:

Lunar Eclipse:

All heavenly bodies revolve in space in their own unique orbits. The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon revolves around the Earth in their own orbits.

If at any point during their revolutions, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon in a straight line.

Class 6 Geography Question Answer WBBSE

The Sun’s light is unable to reach the Moon because the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. This is called a lunar eclipse.

During a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow that falls on the Moon is seen to be circular in shape. This shows that the shape of the Earth is round.

Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first person to observe that the Earth is round in shape by noticing the circular shadow of the Earth during the lunar eclipse.

Only a circular or spherical object can have a circular shadow. Even when we see through a telescope, all other planets are seen to be spheres. So, it is natural to deduce that the Earth is also spherical in shape.

Question 4. Write a short note on the horizon.
Answer:

Horizon:

The line where the surface of the Earth and the sky meet is the horizon. The imaginary line that traces the horizon is called the line of the horizon.

When we stand on a flat stretch of land, our line of sight ends at a distant point where the sky and the surface of the Earth meet.

This is the horizon. This seems to be a straight line. When we stand on a mountain peak, the line of the horizon appears to be an arc.

When our line of sight is obstructed by trees or buildings, the skyline is called the visible horizon.

Class 6 Geography Question Answer WBBSE

Question 5. What does the Earth’s shape seem like from space?
Answer:

Earth’s shape seem like from space:

As seen from outer space, the Earth looks like a bright, blue sphere suspended in space.

The photographs sent by astronauts from space and from the Moon and also those taken by artificial satellites show that the Earth is spherical.

But, calculations have shown that the Earth is actually an oblate spheroid—not quite a sphere. Geographers think that there is no object existing on earth which is similar in shape to that of the Earth.

So the Earth should be described to have a unique shape like that of itself.

Question 6. Why the Earth apparently seems to be flat?
Answer:

Earth apparently seems to be flat:

The Earth apparently seems to be flat to those who live on earth, because—

1. The radius of the Earth is about 6,400 km. As a result, the curvature of the circumference of the Earth is huge, which is normally not visible to the human eye.

2. The visible limit of surroundings to the naked human eye from any point on the Earth’s surface is very low. As a result, the farthest a person can see from any location appears merely flat.

Question 7. Why the Sun Rises at different times at Different places on earth?
Answer:

Sun Rises at different times at Different places on earth:

The Earth apparently seems to be flat to those who live on earth, because—

The radius of the Earth is about 6,400 km. As a result, the curvature of the circumference of the Earth is huge, which is normally not visible to the human eye.

The visible limit of surroundings to the naked human eye from any point on the Earth’s surface is very low. As a result, the farthest a person can see from any location appears merely flat.

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. From where can we get photographs of the Earth?
Answer:

We can get photographs of the Earth from man-made satellites orbiting in space.

Question 2. What do you understand by the horizon?
Answer:

Horizon:

When we stand on a vast, open ground or in a wide open space and look around us, the Earth and the sky seem to meet at an arc-shaped line. This line is called the horizon. The horizon always remains circular.

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Question 3. How did people use to determine direction before the compass was invented?
Answer:

In ancient times before the compass was invented, people used the Pole Star to determine north, Hadley’s Octant to determine south, the Morning Star to determine east in the morning and Evening Star to determine west in the evening.

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. In ancient times, humans used to think the earth was—

1. Spherical
2. Flat
3. Rectangular

Answer: 2. Flat

Question 2. The point at which the earth meets the sky is called the—

1. Horizon
2. Shore
3. Equator

Answer: 1. Horizon

Question 3. Eratosthenes was a geographer of—

1. Greece
2. Rome
3. Germany

Answer: 1. Greece

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Question 4. The greek philosopher; who concluded that the earth is round was—

1. Pythagoras
2. Aristotle
3. Ptolemy

Answer: 2. Aristotle

Question 5. Pythagoras was a—

1. Greek mathematician
2. Roman philosopher
3. Indian geographer

Answer: 1. Greek mathematician

Question 6. A lunar eclipse occurs when—

1. The earth’s shadow falls on the moon
2. The moon’s shadow falls on the earth
3. The sun’s shadow falls on the moon

Answer: 1. The earth’s shadow falls on the moon

Question 7. A circular shadow is always cast by an object that is—

1. Circular or spherical in shape
2. Triangular in shape
3. Rectangular in shape

Answer: 1. Circular or spherical in shape

Question 8. If the earth was a flat disc, it would have experienced sunrise at all places—

1. At the same time
2. Different times
3. At midnight

Answer: 1. At the same time

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Question 9. When astronauts look at the earth from space, it appears like a—

1. Bright green ball
2. Big orange ball
3. Blue ball

Answer: 3. Blue ball

Question 10. Indian scientist who first said that the earth is spherical is—

1. C.V Raman
2. Aryabhatta
3. A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Answer: 2. Aryabhatta

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Fill in the blanks

Question 1. In 1519, Portuguese explorer___________set out to travel around the world with a fleet of five ships.
Answer: Magellan

Question 2. The greater the radius of an arc,___________ the curvature is going to be.
Answer: Lesser

Question 3. The horizon always remains ___________
Answer: Circular or arc Shaped

Question 4. If you imagine the Earth to be a flat stretch of land, the sky is like a huge___________ upturned on it.
Answer: Saucer

Question 5. Images showing the Earth’s spherical shape have been taken from artificial ___________.
Answer: Satellites

Question 6. Greek philosophers concluded that the Earth is round by observing the circular shadow of the Earth on the ___________ Moon during the lunar eclipse.
Answer: Aristotle

Question 7. The ancient Indian scientist ___________ endorsed the idea of a round Earth.
Answer: Arya Bhatta

Question 8. The Earth’s spherical shape was first scientifically proven by mathematician ___________.
Answer: Aristotle

WBBSE Class 6 Geography Question Answer

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Write True Or False

Question 1. Almost 500 years before the birth of Christ, Greek mathematician and philosopher Eratosthenes said that the Earth is round.
Answer: False

Question 2. The mean radius of the Earth is 6,400 km.
Answer: True

Question 3. In photographs taken from space, the Earth appears like a flat disc.
Answer: False

Question 4. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth casts a round shadow on the Moon.
Answer: False

Question 5. Greek philosopher Aristotle stated that the Earth’s shape is earth-shaped or geoid.
Answer: False

Question 6. The Earth rotates on its own axis.
Answer: True

Question 7. When a ship sails away from shore, first its mast, then its deck, and finally the entire ship disappears from view.
Answer: False

Question 8. The ocean looks like a sphere when viewed from the deck of a ship.
Answer: True

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Match The Columns

 

Answer: 1-D,2-A,3-E,4-B,5-C

Chapter 2 Is The Earth Round Topic A The Spherical Earth Answer In One Or Two Words

Question 1. The Earth is round”—who was the first person to say this?
Answer: Pythagoras.

Question 2. The Earth is round” – who was the first Indian scientist to think this?
Answer: Aryabhatta.

Question 3. Who was the first person to deduce that the Earth is round by observing the shadow of a lunar eclipse?
Answer: Greek philosopher Aristotle.

Question 4. What is the average radius of the Earth?
Answer: 6,400km.

WBBSE Class 6 Geography Question Answer

Question 5. During a lunar eclipse, whose shadow falls on the Moon?
Answer: The Earth’s shadow.

Question 6. What shape is the line of the horizon?
Answer: Circular.

Question 7. Which heavenly body helped ancient people to determine the southern direction?
Answer: Hadley’s Octant.

Question 8. Which instrument was used by the navigators to determine the direction of navigation in ancient times?
Answer: Compass.