Environmental Studies PYQs

Concept:

Indian agriculture:

• India is an agriculturally important country.
• Two-thirds of its population is engaged in agricultural activities.
• Agriculture is a primary activity, which produces most of the food that people consume.

Explanation:

A native fruit of India:

• A native fruit is an indigenous fruit that is native to a special specific region or country.
• Mango:
• ​Mango's scientific name is Mangifera indica.
• This edible stone fruit originated in India over 4000 years ago.
• Uttar Pradesh is the largest mango-producing state in India.
• Banana:
• Banana scientific name is Musa paradisiaca Linn.
• In 327BC banana was first discovered as a fruit in the Indian valleys during Alexander the Great and his army invaded this country.
• It probably originated in the south-east Asian countries.

Thus, the fruits/vegetables that were grown in India long ago are mango and banana.

Additional InformationFruit/vegetables and their origin:

Concept:

Kerala:

• India's tropical Malabar Coast state of Kerala features over 600km of the Arabian Sea coastline.
• It's renowned for its beaches with palm trees.
• Some of the fruits and crops that grow in Kerala are betel nut, Palmyra fruit, Coconut, Sapodilla, Cashew, Jungle Jack, Paddy, pea, ginger and tapioca.

Explanation:

Coconut:

• Coconut needs up to 60% of humidity and 22-32^o celsius for growth.
• Also, it needs above 600 meters elevation for growth.
• Kerala is jammed between the sea and coastal mountain and has a high amount of monsoon rain that help for growing coconut tree.
• 45% of Indian production of coconut came from Kerala.

Tapioca:

• This crop is planted during the pre-monsoon season from April to May.
• This plant needs over 100 cm of rainfall and is cultivated at an elevation of thousands of meters, 25-29 degrees Celsius temperature.
• It is a household crop in Kerala due to its ease of cultivation.
• It is a substitute food for rice which was planted on 61,874 hectares of land across Kerala.

Thus, Alex who lives in Kerala is likely to grow coconut and tapioca in his courtyard.

Additional Information

The Correct Answer is: Ants, Bees, Silkworm

Concept:

Supersense:

• It is a powerful sense that an animal/insect or person has.
• Animals have different kinds of senses, they also can hear, smell, see, feel and taste.
• Examples of animals that have super senses are ants, dogs, silkworms,bat-echolocation,catfish-sense of taste, Platypus-Electroreception etc.

 Key Points

Ant:

• If we dropped something sweet on the ground and within minutes many ants collected around it.
• After finding food or sweet the worker ants levels a trail of pheromones on their way to the nest.
• The other ants follow this scent through their smell organ and discovered the food.
• Every ant colony have a unique smell to other, by using this they also can find another ant from their group.

Bees:

• Bees also attract other bees by releasing chemicals when they sting.
• They also use this odour for finding a new home.

Silkworm:

• Silk warm can find his female partner from far away by her smell.
• They release a jasmine-scented chemical through their receptor present in antennae.

Thus, animals/Insects which find others of their own group by smell are ants, bees, and silkworms.

Additional InformationTiger:

• A tiger can at once come to know if there is another tiger in its area by the smell of the urine.
• A tiger will avoid going into another tiger's area.

Dog:

• Dogs mark out their own area on the road.
• They can make out if another dog has come into their area by the smell of its urine or potty (latrine).

Concept:

Conservation of petroleum resources:

• Petroleum is a non-renewable resource.
• Petroleum is those which have limited stock.
• Once the stocks are exhausted it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished**.**
• Using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed is called resource conservation.
• Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.

Explanation:

Bicycle & Metro rail:

• A bicycle uses muscle power rather than petroleum for movement.
• A metro train depends on electricity rather than petroleum for movement.
• Also, a metro rail is a public transports which results in lesser per capita fuel consumption as well as pollution.
• By using these vehicles over cars or buses we can conserve petroleum.

Thus, Shabana suggests her father conserve petroleum-based fuels to go from one place to another and he agreed happily. He will prefer to go by bicycle and metro rail.

Additional InformationDisadvantages of petroleum:

• Petroleum causes pollution in our environment.
• Some hazardous materials produce from petroleum.
• During the transport of petroleum if the oil spill in the sea it causes harm to the sea environment.

The correct answer is: Trowel, Saw, Axe 

Concept:

Occupation:

• An occupation is work or profession done by a person for earning and living purposes.
• Some examples of occupations are teaching, doctor, blacksmith, engineering, writer etc.

Explanation:

Blacksmith:

• A blacksmith is a metalworker who primarily works with wrought iron or steel.
• Occasionally they will use other metals, to forge items by hammering, bending, and cutting the metal.
• Gates, grilles, furniture, sculptures, tools like saws, axe and trowels, agricultural equipment, decorative, cooking utensils, and weaponry are among the things blacksmiths create.

Thus, trowel saw, and axe articles are made by a blacksmith.

Additional InformationDifferent occupation:

Answer: carrom board, chess, playing cards 

Concept:

Game :

• A game is a kind of mental or physical activity that is done by people with rules for pleasure or contest purposes.

Indoor game:

• It is a game or sport that is typically carried out at home or in a good shelter building or in a sports venue.
• Ludo, Carrom, puzzles, card games, chess, table tennis, and board games are a few examples of indoor games.

Outdoor game:

• It is an athletic game that is played outdoor at daylight or at night.
• Some examples are tennis, football, cricket, golf, hide and seek, hopscotch, seven Tiles etc.

Key Points

Carrom board:

• It is an Indian-origin tabletop game.
• Typically, the game is played on a wooden square board with pockets in each corner.
• It is a game of active mind that need a good sense of angle and concentration.

Chess:

• A two-player board game is called chess.
• This game makes the brain active and improves thinking capability.
• There are two separate coloured sets of chess pieces.
• Although the sets might not actually be black and white.
• Conventionally, the 64 squares' colours are alternated.

Playing Cards:

• It is any kind of game where the primary device is playing cards.
• It can be traditional or game-specific, also family-related.

Thus, a mother has to choose indoor games to play with her daughter who is unable to go out of her home because of a leg injury. She will choose a carrom board, chess, and playing cards.

Additional InformationBadminton:

• Badminton is an outdoor game that is played by using racquets and shuttlecock across a net.

Tennis:

• Tennis is also a racket game played in singles or doubles using a rubber ball on an open court.

Hopscotch:

• Hopscotch is a famous children's game which needs a physical cognitive workout.
• In this game, the player tossed a lagger into triangles on the ground then jump through the space and collect the object.

Hide and seek:

• It is a popular children's game played with at least two or more players.
• In this game, more than one player hide and one seek them.

Concept:

Costal area of India:

• The coast of India stretches for 7,516.6 kilometres.
• It connects the mainland and islands to the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Indian Ocean in the south, and the Arabian Sea in the west.
• There are 9 states and 4 union territories present in the coastal region of India.

States with coastline

• Gujarat
• Maharashtra
• Goa
• Karnataka
• Kerala
• Tamil Nadu
• Andhra Pradesh
• Odisha
• West Bengal

Union territory

• Daman & Diu
• Puducherry
• Lakshadweep Islands
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Explanation:

Coast with the Arabian Sea:

• Gujarat
• Maharashtra
• Daman and Diu
• Goa
• Karnataka
• Kerela
• Tamil Nadu
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli
• Lakshwadeep

Thus, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra states have a coast with the Arabian Sea.

Additional InformationCoast states of the Bay of Bengal Sea:

• West Bengal
• Odisha
• Andhra Pradesh
• Tamil Nadu

Concept:

Law of inheritance:

• Gregor Mendel conducted hybridisation experiments on garden peas for seven years and proposed the laws of inheritance in living organisms.
• He selected 14 true-breeding pea plant varieties, as pairs which were similar except for one character with contrasting traits.
• Based on these observations, Mendel proposed that something was being stably passed down, unchanged, from parent to offspring through the gametes, over successive generations.

Explanation:

Experiments of the law of inheritance with yellow and green seeds:

• Mendel investigated characters in the garden pea plant that were manifested as two opposing traits, e.g., tall or dwarf Plants, and yellow or green seeds.
• In the law of inheritance, Mendel denotes yellow colour seed is a dominant trait and the green colour seed is a recessive trait.
• He collected the seeds produced as a result of this cross and grew them to generate plants of the first hybrid generation or the F1.
• He notices all the F1 generation plant seeds are yellow like one of its parents.
• Mendel then self-pollinated the yellow F1 plant's seeds and to his surprise found that in the Filial2 generation some of the offspring were ‘green’.
• At the F2 stage, both the traits were expressed in the proportion of 3:1.
• For the yellow dominant trait, he uses YY and for the recessive green trait, he uses yy.

Thus, phenotypically more plants were having yellow seeds.

Concept:

Water solubility:

• It is a measurement by which we can know at a specific temperature the amount of chemical substance that can dissolve in water.
• The unit of solubility is ppm or mg/L.

Explanation:

Sugar:

• It is a highly soluble polar molecule compound.
• In the structure of sugar, the O-H group is present.
• That interacts with the polar molecule of water by hydrogen bonding.

Vinegar:

• The vinegar attracts water polar molecules because it is also a polar substance composed of acetic acid and water.
• Then it creates a homogenous solution with water.

Salt:

• Salt dissolves in water because the ionic bond in the salt molecule is not strong enough like the covenant bond of water.

Thus,  sugar, vinegar and salt are the substances that dissolve in water.

Additional InformationSolution:

• Solutions are homogeneous mixtures of two or more components.

Solvent:

• The component that is present in the largest quantity in the solution is known as a solvent.

Solute:

• One or more components present in the solution other than the solvent are called solutes.

Concept:

Irrigation:

• Irrigation is the controlled application of water through man-made systems to meet the water requirements of agriculture.
• It is an artificial application of water to crops or plants, especially when an agricultural field does not get enough water through rains.
• Traditional rainwater harvesting in rural areas is done by using surface storage bodies, like lakes, ponds, and irrigation tanks.

Explanation:

Stepwell:

• Stepwell or Baori are ponds with long steps that help to catch water and store them.
• It was an old Indian architecture from the 7^th-19^th century.
• These ponds are used as irrigation tanks for a long time, its mainly used during the seasonal fluctuation in water availability.
• Rainwater is stored in these wells during heavy rain.
• It is also used for drinking water and bathing, and sometimes acts as a sanctuary for travellers.

Thus, the structure used traditionally to harvest rainwater in our country is a stepwell.

Additional InformationTubewell:

• A tube well is a particular kind of water well in which a stainless steel pipe or tube dug underground.
• A strainer is installed on the lower end, and a pump lifts water for irrigation.
• The water table's depth determines the required well depth.

Bore well:

• It is a low-cost and eco-friendly technique for preserving every drop of water by guiding the rainwater to the well.
• It is a method to capture and store rainwater for various uses like irrigation purposes, drinking etc.
• It increases water availability, checks the declining groundwater table, and improves the quality of groundwater through the dilution of contaminants.

Hand pump:

• A manually operated pump is called hand pump.
• Both human and mechanical power is used to move fluid from the ground in a handpump.

Concept:

Space:

• A three-dimensional boundless extent is called space.
• It is the separation between other things and the earth's atmosphere.

Universe:

• It is an endless area that contains planets, stars, galaxies, gases and clouds etc.

Explanation:

Travelling in a spaceship:

• Astronauts feel weightlessness in the absence of gravity, similar to floating.
• Astronauts secure their food with Velcro fasteners to prevent it from floating away.
• They can eat while seated since their trays attach to their laps.
• Although there is no "up" or "down," there is microgravity in space.
• Astronauts can sleep in any position and are hence weightless.
• They must, however, affix themselves in order to prevent floating and colliding with objects.

Thus, need to be strapped themselves to stay at a place.

Concept:

Paralympics:

• The Paralympics are also referred to as the Games of the Paralympians.
• The first Paralympics game occurred in 1960.
• This is a recurring series of international multi-sport competitions that feature athletes who have a variety of physical impairments.
• Such as impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of motion, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment, and intellectual impairment.
• There are Paralympic Winter and Summer Games.

Explanation:

Deepa Malik:

• Deepa Malik is an Indian para-athlete.
• She started her career at the age of 30.
• She is the first Indian woman who won a medal in the Paralympics.
• She earned a silver medal in the shot put event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
• She earned a gold medal in the 2018 Dubai Para Athletic Grand Prix in the F-53/54 Javelin competition.
• In the F-53 category, she is currently ranked first in the world.
• She was honoured with the Padma Sri award in 2017.
• Her aim in joining sports spread awareness of the fact that physically challenged individuals can obtain independence and self-reliance.

Thus, Deepa Malik is a para-athlete who is a symbol of grit and determination.

Additional InformationNeeraj Chopra:

• Subedar Neeraj Chopra is a track and field athlete from India.
• He is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lovlina Borgohain:

• Lovlina Borgohain is an Indian boxer from Assam.
• She won a bronze medal in the women's welterweight event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sakshi Malik:

• Sakshi Malik is an Indian freestyle wrestler from Haryana.
• She won a bronze medal in the 58 kg category wrestling at the 2016 summer  Olympic event.

Concept:

Distance:

• When an object moves from one place to another without any regard for direction, the total movement of the object called distance.
• Formula= speed * time

Speed:

• When an object moves along a path, the time rate that the object need is called speed.
• Formula=distance/time.

Average speed:

• In a particular time interval, the total distance travelled by an object is called an average seed.
• Formula=(Total distance)/(Total Time)

Explanation:

• Given, that Nagarcoil express left Ahemdabad at 11:50 hrs on 23.11.20.
• Reches Kochikode at 17.45hrs on 24.11.2020.
• On 23.11.2020 the time difference between, 11.50 am to 23.50 pm is 12 hours.
• After that, the time difference between 23.11.2020, 23.50 pm to  24^th November 17.45 pm is 17 hours 55 min.
• So,  the train takes to travel the distance is 12 hours + 17 hours 55 min= 29 hours 55 minutes

Thus, 29 hours 55 min the train takes to travel the distance.

Concept:

Art and craft:

• A creative practice that falls into the category of decorative design and handmade works is called arts and crafts.
• Examples are painting, sculpture making, pottery making, and textile work.

Explanation:

Phoolkari:

• The Punjabi word Phulkari, which means "flower work" or "floral work," is derived from two words: "Phul"(flower) and "Kari,"(work).
• The Punjabi women invented the Phulkari embroidery in the fifteenth century.
• It is a Punjabi rural needlework custom produced by hand.

Madhubani:

• It is a well-known Indian art, it is practised in the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal.
• These paintings, which are distinguished by intricate geometrical patterns, are well known for depicting ceremonial material for specific events, such as festivals, religious rites, etc.
• Typically, plants and other natural sources are used to create the hues used in Madhubani paintings.

Warli:

• The majority of the tribal people who produce Warli paintings are from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra, India.
• A circle, a triangle, and a square are the geometric shapes used in these simple wall paintings.
• These forms represent many natural elements.

Thus, Harpreet went on a trip with his family to Punjab, Bihar and Maharashtra and collected artwork from those states. Harpreet collected Phoolkari, Madhubani, and Warli art.

Additional InformationKalamkari:

• A type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile known as kalamkari is made in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
• In the twenty-three-stage process of Kalamkari, only natural dyes are employed.

Pattachitra:

• The eastern Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal are the origins of the ancient cloth-based scroll painting technique known as Patachitra or Pattachitra.
• The Patachitra art form is renowned for its fine details and the mythical and folktale stories that are engraved in them.

Adaptation to school is an addiction to structured learning and the new school environment.

Key Points

Activity for teaching adaptation- 

• The Child's adjustment to school is influenced by the classroom environment. If a student is comfortable, interested, and not afraid in the classroom, the process of adaptation is aided.
• The teacher should conduct a discussion in the classroom about different changes in the new student's life and how he handled them to give children an opportunity to understand adaptation.
• This activity will help children to develop friendships with their peers and feel less social tension.
• This discussion will also develop self-esteem in the new child and he will not feel isolated in the classroom.

Hence, we conclude that the best activity for teaching students about adaptation is having a discussion in the class about different changes in the new student's life and how he handled them.

Whereas sharing the rules of the school only will make it hard for the new student to adapt.

Video conferencing refers to an online meeting in which two or more individuals participate in a live audio-visual conversation. Participants can see, here communicate to each other in real-time no matter where they live in the world.

Key Points

• Features of video conferencing app-
• Virtual background- The Virtual Background feature allows you to display an image or video as your background. This feature requires a green screen to detect the difference between you and your background.
• GIF in the chat - This feature of video conferencing has recently become important in the communication industry. Furthermore, while employing there are no language hurdles to consider. It helps to communicate without speaking. In most circumstances, a GIF can summarise exactly what you are trying to say much more quickly than words can.
• Audio call- This feature enables people on multiple phones to connect on the same call.

Each individual can hear or speak with everyone else on the line.

Hence, we conclude that GIFs in the chat can best demonstrate how communication can be done without speaking.

A constructivist classroom is associated with the constructivist approach to education which prioritizes collaborative learning by engaging students in conversations and projects.

• Constructivism encourages students to create knowledge through experience rather than merely passing it from the teacher to the student.

Key PointsFeatures of a constructivist approach-

• Students are actively involved in problem-solving. Students ask questions, study topics, and use a variety of resources to find answers.
• The constructivist approach places a strong emphasis on collaboration among students. It emphasizes collaboration with others while learning such as peer learning, group activities, etc.
• Students are in charge of their learning and take the initiative by reflecting on their experiences. As a result, they become experts in their learning.
• Children are active participants rather than passive receivers of the information.
• In a constructivist classroom, activities are engaging and child-centered and the teacher fosters a learning process in which children are encouraged to be self-reliant and autonomous.

Hence, we conclude that using the color of the river to identify the presence of pollutants in the exercise most closely aligns constructivist approach.

The other three activities do not follow the constructivist approach as they do not involve children actively in the learning process.

Active learning is a process of teaching that involve students actively engaged with course material through conversations, discussions, problem-solving, role plays, and other ways.

 Key PointsCharacteristics of active learning tasks-

• Active learning tasks allow children to interact with the material in a way that encourages creative thinking.
• It provides students with the opportunity to have first-hand experience.
• Active learning tasks encourage children to make their ideas explicit which helps teachers to assess students learning.
• Students are active participants rather than passive listeners.
• It encourages students to establish a connection between their existing knowledge and new concepts, allowing them to reflect on their understanding.
• It places a strong emphasis on collaboration among students.

Hence, we conclude that the best example of students engaging in active learning is students discussing in pairs the impact of the decline of traditional crafts on the livelihoods of craftsmen.

Whereas all the other mentioned activities involve copying from the textbook which does not encourage creative thinking and does not allow children to express their views and thoughts.

Authentic tasks are defined as tasks in which students can apply their knowledge or abilities to real-world situations. It is designed to assess their ability to apply knowledge and skills.

Key PointsDiscussing water conservation techniques-

• The teacher will ask the students to discuss with their families and make some habits to conserve water.
• This will help children to conserve and utilize water wisely and can assist to reduce wastage of water both now and in the future.
• Children will be able to complete more daily activities with less water, and these healthy habits will become a way of life for them.
• This will teach children the significance of water conservation from an early age, allowing them to build lifelong water-saving habits.
• This activity is a child-centered method as it encourages children to be actively involved in the learning process.

Hence, we conclude that the authentic task is asking students to discuss with their families and make some habit changes to conserve water.

 Confusion Points

• Creating and pasting stickers across water sources is not an authentic task as it does not help children to apply their knowledge to a real-world situation.
• Creating an indicator to test the purity of water will not help children to understand water conservation.