WBBSE Solutions For Class 6 Geography Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment

WB Class 6 Geography Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. How have human beings disturbed the environmental balance?
Answer:

Human beings have significantly disturbed the environmental balance in the following ways:

1. Create environmental pollution: Rapid deforestation and increasing rate of industrialization and urbanization create environmental pollution, which leads to an environmental imbalance.

2. Increase Earth’s temperature: Harmful emissions of CFC from air conditioners, refrigerators, and coolers destroys the ozone layer and increase the temperature of the Earth, creating further environmental imbalance.

3. Result in global warming: Increased combustion of coal and petroleum results in global warming, which creates floods and droughts.

WBBSE Class 6 Biosphere Notes

4. Result loss of biodiversity: Increased environmental pollution results in loss of biodiversity, which further leads to the extinction of various plant and animal species.

5. Increase soil erosion: Increased deforestation leads to soil erosion which eventually results in floods.

Read And Learn More WBBSE Solutions For Class 6 Geography

Question 2. What are the ways to control environmental pollution?
Answer:

The ways to control environmental pollution are as follows:

1. Controlling indiscriminate deforestation and initiating afforestation.
2. Limiting the use of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum.
3. Increasing the use of renewable sources of energy like solar energy, hydroelectricity, wind energy, tidal energy, and so on.
4. Industrial wastes should be treated before being discharged into rivers.
5. There should be a proper place to dispose of the garbage.
6. Limited use of electronic appliances should be promoted.
7. Awareness of the causes of pollution and the harmful effects of pollution should be increased.
8. Stricter laws, regulations, and a greater understanding and cooperation among the governments of all the countries on Earth to stop pollution.

Question 3. Write down the causes and effects of global warming.
Answer:

The causes and effects of global warming:

The increase in the average temperature of the Earth is known as global warming.

Causes of global warming: The major causes of global warming are as follows:

Burning of fossil fuels: Excessive burning of fossil fuels releases harmful gases such as C02, which increase the temperature of the Earth’s surface.

Short Questions on Biosphere and Environment

Population explosion: To make more living space for the ever-increasing population the forests are being cleared and the trees are being felled at an alarming rate.

Thus, the amount of C02 is increasing in the atmosphere which in turn increases the Earth’s temperature.

Emission of gases from factories: Harmful gases such as nitrogen oxide, emitted from factories raise the temperature of the Earth.

Electronic appliances: Excessive use of electronic appliances is also harmful to the atmosphere. These appliances release CFC gas, which depletes the protective ozone layer and raises the Earth’s temperature.

Effects of global warming: The few harmful effects of global warming are as follows:

Rise in temperature: Average temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.8° Celsius in the last century. The effects of climate change are being noticed all over the Earth.

Rise in the sea level: The melting of the polar ice and the rise in the sea level has become very prominent. Islands and coastal regions are reportedly getting flooded.

 

Occurrence of flood and drought: An increase in the average temperature leads to an increase in the evaporation level, leading to an excess of rainfall.

This results in the increased occurrence of floods in various places. Droughts also become unavoidable in certain places because of the rise in the average temperature.

4. Desertification: Intensification of droughts leads to desertification.

Question 4. Human activities are disrupting the environmental balance”—Explain.
Answer:

Human activities are disrupting the environmental balance:

Human activities are disrupting the environmental balance in many ways, e.g.—

Environmental pollution: So many people are destroying forests, establishing industries, doing agriculture, building settlements, and constantly polluting the environment. As a result, the environmental balance is being disturbed.

Depletion of the Ozone layer: The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), emitted from air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezing devices, is released into the atmosphere.

As a result, the ozone layer is being destroyed and the balance of the environment is being disturbed.

WB Class 6 Geography Question Answer

Global warming: Heat absorbing different gases, released in the air due to the combustion of fossil fuels, is being increased day by day.

As a result, global warming is taking place. Consequently, floods, drought, and other environmental degradation are happening.

Loss of biodiversity: Biodiversity is being destroyed due to excessive environmental pollution, deforestation, the filling of water bodies, etc. As a result, many animals and plants are disappearing from the Earth forever.

Soil erosion and flood: Indiscriminate deforestation leads to soil erosion and consequently the incidents of floods are increasing.

Question 5. Write a short note on the stratification atmosphere based on its composition.
Answer: The atmosphere is divided into two based on its composition. These are:

Homosphere: The Homosphere extends from 0 to 90 km this above the Earth’s surface. In this sphere, 99% are gases, water vapor, and dust particles. Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide are the main gases.

Heterosphere: The Heterosphere is further subdivided into 4 layers.

These are—

1. The Molecular nitrogen (N2) layer extends from 90km to 200km in the atmosphere.
2. The atomic oxygen (02) layer extends from 200km to 1,100km.
3. The helium (He) layer extends from 1,100 km to 3,500km.
4. The hydrogen (H) layer extends from 3,500 km to 10,000 km.

Question 6. What is meant by the biosphere?
Answer:

Biosphere:

Land, water, and air on Earth together create an environment that can support and sustain life. This region of the Earth is occupied by living organisms and is called the biosphere.

The word ‘biosphere’ is derived from the Greek words ‘bios’ meaning ‘life’ and ‘sphaira’ meaning ‘sphere’.

Life forms have been observed up to 300 km above the Earth’s surface and about 200 km below sea level. It is the biosphere that makes the Earth a unique planet in the solar system.

Question 7. What is environmental pollution and How does it happen?
Answer:

Environmental pollution:

Environmental pollution is the contamination of the physical and biological components of the environment in such a way and to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely affected.

Pollution happens when our environment is dirtied or contaminated by waste, chemicals, or other harmful substances, and the natural balance of our environment is disturbed.

The burning of fossil fuels, factory emissions, and exhaust fumes is some causes of air pollution. Industrial wastes (oil, paint, etc), household wastes, and sewage cause water pollution. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides, solid household wastes, and so on cause soil pollution.

Common Questions About the Biosphere

Question 8. What is global warming?
Answer:

Global warming:

The increase in the average temperature of the Earth because of heat from the Earth’s surface remaining trapped in the atmosphere is called global warming.

In the last century, the average temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.8°C.

Global warming occurs as a result of the increased emission of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, and chloroform carbon because of human activity.

Burning of fossil fuels, factory emissions, and indiscriminate cutting down of trees has all contributed to global warming.

Global warming causes the melting of glaciers, changes in sea level, and changes in the amount of rainfall and hence, induces a change in agricultural patterns.

Question 9. Write down a few measures that can be taken to curb global warming and environmental pollution.
Answer:

A few measures that can be taken to curb global warming and environmental pollution:

Measures to be taken to curb global warming, degradation of natural measures, and environmental pollution are as follows:

1. To control tree felling and make provisions for afforestation.
2. To mitigate the use of fossil fuels.
3. The use of refrigerators, ACs and chemicals should be reduced. Thus Ozone layer will be protected.
4. Contaminated water from factories should be treated first before emptying into the drives.
5. Arrangements should be made to dispose of garbage in certain places.
6. People should be made aware of the ill- effects of global environmental degradation.

Question 10. Write the inter-relationship between Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, and the Atmosphere with the Biosphere.
Answer:

The inter-relationship between Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, and the Atmosphere with the Biosphere:

The Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Lithosphere together create such a natural environment, that creation of life on Earth is only possible among the planets of the solar system.

About 35000 species of plants and 1.5 million species of animals scattered in water, land, and air together make living circumstances, known as the biosphere.

Rocks are disintegrated to make soil. The plants collect their essential nutrients from this soil. All other living bodies live by taking food made by plants.

It is not possible for any living thing to survive without water. Simultaneously, oxygen in the atmosphere is essential for life.

So every element which supports life, are obtained from the Atmosphere, Lithosphere, and Hydrosphere.

The destruction of any part of them means the destruction of the entire Biosphere. Thus the Biosphere is entirely dependent on nature.

Practice Questions on Biodiversity in the Biosphere

Question 11. Take a Good look at the world map as it is at present. Do you detect it between the eastern coast of South America and the western coast of Africa? Don’t they seem to be adjacent pieces of jig-saw puzzles fitting against each other?

Now get going: Quickly find other places where you can detect such a fit in the world map.
Answer:

After looking closely at the world map, the similarities that have been found, are—

The east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa (Guinea Coast) have a jig-saw fit (the part marked as A on the map).

There is a morphological similarity between the Weddell Sea in the northern part of Antarctica and the Cape of Good Hope in the southernmost part of Africa (the part marked as Q on the map)

Similarities can be found between the shape of the east coast of Madagascar and the west coast of India (the part marked as 0 on the map).

(Interpretation and Application:: This segment will test whether the students have understood the topics, or whether they are just mugging up.

Important Definitions Related to Biosphere

Question 12. Try out an experiment to know the ‘Hydrological Cycle’ closely. Fill half of a big glass vessel with water. Place a bowl inside the vessel in a central position.

Cover the open side of the vessel with polythene and tie it up with threads. Place a small pebble in a central position on the polythene cover. Keep the entire arrangement in the Sun and intermittently observe the outcome.

Try to comprehend the causes and effects throughout the process and jot them down.

Answer:

I Concept of Hydrological cycle: The continuous cyclic movement of water through solid, liquid, and gaseous states on the Earth’s surface is known as the Water Cycle or the Hydrological cycle.

It can be explained through the following experiment—

Materials Required:

1. A large glass jar,
2. a small bowl,
3. plastic,
4. some thread,
5. a small pebble and
6. little water.

Experiment: The small bowl is placed in the large glass jar. Then the large glass jar is filled with water in such a way that half of the bowl gets submerged in water.

The top of the glass jar is then covered with transparent plastic and the excess part of the plastic is tied tightly around the jar with thread.

Now the pebble is placed on the plastic under sunlight just above the small bowl.

Observation: After staying for a while under sunlight, it can be seen that water droplets have accumulated on the inner side of the plastic cover.

The slope created by the pebble on the plastic causes the droplets to roll and drip into the small bowl placed in the middle of the jar.

Conclusion: From this experiment, it can be concluded that the water in the jar has evaporated due to heat from the sunlight. Later, the vapor condenses into water droplets.

These particles or droplets gather on the inner side of the plastic to the bowl like the rainwater returns back to the waterbodies on Earth.

Thus, this experiment helps us to understand the working of the ongoing hydrological cycle on Earth.

Question 13. Each living being is dependent on its fellow living beings in nature. Likewise, the entire living world is dependent on the environment.
Answer:

To appreciate this independence, make your own little biosphere All you need are a big transparent glass tub with a transparent plastic lid, small pebbles, oysters or mollusks, moss hyacinths and other aquatic herbs and planktons, little fishes, and tadpoles. Keep the pebbles and the mollusks at the base of the tub and fill them to the brim with water.

Allow the fish and the tadpoles to swim in the tub and watch. Keep the tub near a window. Once in a while serve some food for the fish and change the water when it becomes turbid or filthy.

Observe your friends and their surroundings regularly for a week. Note the changes that you see. Don’t forget to share your experience about the living world and the environment with your friends.

Materials Required:

1. A large glass jar with a plastic lid,
2. some small pebbles, stones, snails, oysters, algae, small fishes, tadpoles, hyacinths etc,
3. water.

Experiment: The large glass jar is filled with water and some pebbles and stones are placed inside it. Then algae, hyacinths, and other aquatic plants and snails, oysters, small fishes, tadpoles, etc. are kept in it.

The jar is then placed by the window where sunlight reaches directly. In addition to this, the animals are given food.

Observation: After a few days, it is seen that the plants and the animals kept in the jar are living in harmony. Fishes and snails are feeding on the algae and the food given.

Conclusion: This experiment leads to the conclusion that the plants and animals in the jar depend on the natural environment and survive in harmony.

Plants produce food with the help of sunlight. Small fishes and snails feed on small plants. This shows that animals are dependent on plants for food.

In addition, both plants and animals are also dependent on inert elements such as sunlight, stones, pebbles, and water.

Therefore it can be concluded that the living world is dependent on the natural environment directly or indirectly.

Relatively less hot water sinks from the top of the pan to the bottom. The pieces of colored paper will clearly illustrate this movement inside the pan of water.

This helps us understand ‘convection currents and ‘drifting continents easily. Conduct an experiment to explain this phenomenon.

Materials Required:

1. A transparent large pot,
2. some clean water,
3. gas burner or oven,
4. some pieces of colored paper.

Experiment: First the pot is filled with water and placed on the oven or gas burner. The pieces of colored paper are then thrown into the water.

Observation: As soon as the water starts to boil, the hot water at the bottom of the pot rises to the top then the pieces of paper floating on the water move down towards the bottom of the pot.

Thus the papers move from one place to another.

Interpretation: When the water at the bottom of the pot is rising from the bottom and the cold water from the top is moving down, the current that is generated in the water is called the convection current.

Pieces of paper are moved from one place to another due to this current. Such convection current generates in the interior of the Earth.

Consequently, like the floating papers, plates on the Earth’s surface are continuously moving from one place to another under the influence of convection currents.

Question 14. Crossword

Clues____________________

Down:

1. This is the outermost, solid layer of the lithosphere.
2. This aircraft usually moves through the stratosphere.
4. The layer protects the Earth from harmful UV rays.

Across:

3. This layer of the atmosphere extends up to 16km above the Earth’s surface.
5. This is the innermost layer of the Earth.
6. This layer lies above the stratosphere.

Answer:

Down:

1. Crust,
2. Jet Plane,
4. Ozone

Across:

3. Troposphere,
5. Core,
6. Mesosphere

WBBSE Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. The Earth is the only planet with life – why?
Answer:

The Earth is the only planet with life

The Earth is the only planet in the entire solar system that supports life.

Its distance from the sun, the average surface temperature, the availability of water, and the presence of the atmosphere and soil are some of the important factors that are responsible for the prevalence of life on Earth.

Question 2. Mention the biotic components of the biosphere.
Answer:

The biotic components of the biosphere:

The biotic components of the biosphere are all animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses. These living things as well as the whole living world depend on the abiotic components of the biosphere.

Conceptual Questions on Human Impact on the Biosphere

Question 3. Mention the abiotic components of the biosphere.
Answer:

The abiotic components of the biosphere:

Water, air, sunlight, soil, rocks, etc. are the abiotic components of the biosphere. These elements have no life.

But these are for the formation of the environment. These also help in the creation of biotic components.

Question 4. Write a comparison among the three oceans— Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian.
Answer: A comparison among the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans is as follows—

Question 5. Take some water on a plate and keep it in the Sun. See after a few hours if the water in the plate is as much as it was when you kept it.
Answer:

After a few hours of placing a small amount of water in a dish in the Sun the amount of water reduced, as some of the water has evaporated.

Question 6. Fill in the knowledge hive with information on the continent of Asia.

Answer:

1. Most populous continent of the world.

2. Himalayas, the highest mountain range is located here.

3. Mawsynram, the place with the highest rainfall on Earth is located here.

4. 44 countries form this continent.

5. World’s deepest lake (Lake Baikal), highest plateau (Pamir), largest plateau (Tibetan Plateau), and largest plain (West Siberian Plain) are all located here.

WBBSE Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. How many plant species are there in the biosphere?
Answer: 35 thousand.

Question 2. In which atmospheric layer we can find Ozone gas?
Answer: Stratosphere.

Question 3. Write a name of a biotic element.
Answer: Plant.

Question 4. What do you mean by CFC?
Answer: Chlorofluorocarbon.

Question 5. Why the average temperature of the Earth is rising?
Answer: For global warming.

Question 6. Write the name of the fossil fuel.
Answer: Petroleum.

Question 7. Troposphere: Stratosphere: Mesosphere: Ozonosphere
Answer: Ozonosphere (not a main layer)

Question 8. Crust: Lithosphere: Mantle: Core
Answer: Lithosphere (not a layer of the Earth’s interior)

Question 9. Asia: Europe: North America: Southern Ocean
Answer: Southern Ocean (not a continent)

Question 10. Pangaea: Panthalassa: Theory of Continental Drift: Arabian Sea
Answer: Arabian Sea (not a part of the concept of Continental drift)

Question 11. In ancient times, there was one single huge landmass called Panthalassa.
Answer: Pangaea

Question 12. On the surface of the Earth, rocks, and soil form the mantle.
Answer: Blue

Question 13. Ozone gas is red in color.
Answer: Lithosphere

Question 14. A layer of ozone gas is present in the Troposphere.
Answer: Stratosphere

Class 6 Geography Question Answer WBBSE

Question 15. I appear blue because the particles in the air scatter violet and blue light from the sunlight the most. Who am I?
Answer: Sky

Question 16. I am the layer of the atmosphere through which jet planes move and where ozone has a high concentration. Who am I?
Answer: Stratosphere

Question 17. Radio transmission is possible because of me. Who am I?
Answer: Thermosphere

Question 18. I am the only known home for all known living objects. Who am I?
Answer: Earth

WBBSE Class 6 Geography WBBSE Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Fill In The Blanks

Question 1. Water masses are about _____________ % more than landmasses in the southern hemisphere.
Answer: 15

Question 2. All the biotic components depend on the _____________ components.
Answer: Aboitic

Question 3. Air is a _____________ component of the environment.
Answer: Physical

Question 4. The ozone layer present in
Answer: Stratosphere

Question 5. _____________ layer of the atmosphere protects the Earth from harmful solar radiation.
Answer: Ozone

Question 6. The ozone layer protects us from _____________ rays.
Answer: Uv

Question 7. Coal is a_____________ fuel.
Answer: Fossil

Question 8. Rapid deforestation causes _____________
Answer: Global warming

Question 9. Due to global warming mean Sea Level is_____________
Answer: Rising

WBBSE Class 6 Geography Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Write True Or False

Question 1. The number of plant species in the biosphere is 1.5 million.
Answer: False

Question 2. Green plants in the biosphere can produce their food on their own.
Answer: True

Question 3. The word ‘Biosphere’ is derived from a Roman word.
Answer: False

Question 4. Sunlight is a biotic element.
Answer: False

Question 5. Global warming can result in floods.
Answer: True

Question 6. Establishment of industries is a cause of environmental degradation.
Answer: True

Question 7. Global warming is making the polar ice melt.
Answer: True

WBBSE Chapter 5 Water Land Air Topic C Biosphere And Environment Match The Columns

Question 1.

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