CHAPTER 1 : Human Geography (Nature and Scope) NCERT SOLUTION CLASS 12TH GEOGRAPHY | EDUGROWN NOTES

Short Answer Type Questions:

Q1.What do you mean by ‘Dualism in Geography?
Answer:
The teaching and learning of Geography has been a matter of debate amongst geographers. Some examples are:

• Whether geographical phenomena be theoretically interpreted or through historic-institutional approach;
• Whether subject matter be organised and approach to study and teach geography should be regional or systematic;
• Whether geography as a discipline should be a law making/theorising or descriptive?

Q2.State some examples of metaphors used to describe the physical and human phenomena.
Answer:
Some examples of metaphors used to describe the physical and human phenomena are as follows:

• “Face’ of the earth.
• ‘Eye’ of the storm.
• Regions, villages, towns have been described as ‘organisms’.
• Networks of roads, railways and water¬ways are described as “arteries of circulation”.
• “Mouth’ of the river.
• ‘Snout’ (nose) of the glacier.
• “Neck’ of the isthmus.
• “Profile’ of the soil.

Q3.When and how did Human Geography begin? Explain.
Answer:
Human Geography may be said to have originated since man has started interacting with his environment. It has its roots deep in history. Therefore, the concerns of human geography have a long temporal continuum though approaches to articulate them have changed over time. This dynamism and changes in articulation are indicator of vibrant nature of the discipline.

In the beginning, the interaction between various societies was negligible. Therefore knowledge about each other was also limited. Travelers and explorers used to gather information before a journey and navigational skills were underdeveloped. In late 15th century, Europe witnessed attempts of explorations and the myths and mysteries about countries and people started to open up.

In the colonial period, these attempts increased with an objective of getting access to resources and to obtain inventorised information. Through all this we get to know the sequential information about the development of human geography and to understand that the development of this discipline has been a steady process.

Q4.Make a list of elements that human beings have created through their activities on the stage provided by physical environment.
Answer:
Man creates many elements through his activities on the stage provided by physical environment with the help of technology. Houses, villages, cities, farms, ports, items of our daily use and all others So elements of material culture have been created by man using the resources provided by physical environment.

Q5.How do human activities help to create cultural landscape?
Answer:
On the basis of attained knowledge, technology and industries, man has been able to develop cultural landscape. The imprints of human activities are available everywhere.

For example; health resorts on highlands have been used as recreation places, huge urban sprawls, fields, orchards and pastures in plains and rolling hills have added to beauty, ports on the coasts, oceanic routes on the oceanic surface and satellites in the space have enabled man to touch the heights of the sky. This was coined the term “Possibilism.’.

Q6.“There is no free run without accidents.” Explain.
Answer:
In this statement, the thought of Possibilism in which man was taken as free, uncontrolled and master of unlimited powers has been criticized because as a consequence of free run of developed economies many problems are being faced today like green house effect, ozone layer depletion, global warming, receding glaciers, degrading lands, problem of pollution and incurable diseases.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q1.Describe the fields and sub-fields of Geography and its inter-relationship with other fields.
Answer:
Nature of Human Geography is inter-disciplinary. In order to understand and describe the human elements found on the earth, human geography has established strong bond with other social sciences and their helping subjects. With the expansion of knowledge, new subjects keep on developing. These are studied with humanistic approach but because they are not free from geographical and environmental effects, they become subject matter of human geography. Fields under Human Geography include: Social Geography, Urban Geography, Political Geography, Population Geography, Settlement Geography and Economic Geography.

Sub-fields of Social Geography are: Behavioral Geography, Geography of Social Well-being, Geography of Leisure, Cultural Geography, Gender Geography, Historical Geography and Medical Geography.

Sub-fields of Political Geography are Electoral Geography and Military Geography. Sub-fields of Economic Geography are: Geography of Resources, Geography of Agriculture, Geography of Tourism, Geography of Industries, Geography of Marketing and Geography of International Trade.

Other than this, Sociology, Psychology, Welfare Economics, Demographic Studies, History, Epidemiology, Anthropology, Urban Studies and Planning, Political Science, Psephology, Military Science, Demography, Urban or Rural Planning, Agricultural Sciences, Industrial Economics, Business Studies, Commerce, Tourism 6s Travel Management and International Trade are such disciplines which study human activities and behavior. As the scope of these disciplines is expanding, it is also leading to increase in the scope of Human Geography.

Q2.How did man develop and expand proper technology?
Answer:
Human beings were able to develop proper technology using his knowledge and intelligence. It has taken man a long time to reach at the present level of technology. In primitive age when the level of technology was very low man was bound to follow the dictates of nature. In those times man was a slave of nature, scared of its powerful force and used to worship nature to make it happy. In these conditions the state of cultural development was also primitive.

However, the process was gradual but man developed technology and it is also to be noted that man has been able to utilize this technology only after understanding the various laws of nature. For example; understanding of laws of friction gave birth to many inventions. Similarly after understanding secrets of DNA and laws of genetics, man has overcome many diseases and aeroplanes could be invented only after understanding the laws of aerodynamics. Today the level of technology is touching the heights of sky through which man seems to get free from the natural forces. Earthquake, cyclones, landslides, volcanoes and other natural disasters keep reminding man that he is still a slave to nature.

It implies that man can’t be completely free from natural forces but with the development of technology man has become free from nature and this freedom can be expanded further. Man needs to follow Stop and Go approach. It means possibilities can be created within the limits which do not damage the environment and there is no free run without accidents.

Q3.Differentiate between Physical Environment and Cultural Environment.
Answer:

Physical Environment	Cultural Environment
Physical environment includes all those elements which nature has made available as free gifts for human development. For example, land forms, soils, climate, water, natural flora and fauna, etc.	It includes all those physical-cultural elements which have been developed by man through his gained knowledge and technology. For example, houses, villages, towns, network of roads and railways, modes of transportation, industrial units, fields, hospitals, sports complex, means of entertainment, markets, ports and goods of daily and special use.

Q4.Differentiate between Determinism and Possibilism.
Answer:

Determinism

Possibilism

According to this thought, man is a slave of nature. There is direct dependence of human beings on nature for resources and nature is taken as a powerful force, it is worshipped, revered and conserved. If man does not follow the dictates of nature, he has to bear with the aftermaths. Kont, Humbolt, Ritter and German Expert Ratzel and his student Ellen Churchill Semple advocated the philosophy of ‘Determinism.’

French geographers denied to accept determinism and considered man as master of his destiny. They claimed that man has the ability to change the nature completely with his will power. It means that everything is possible for man and it is called possibilism. French expert Lucian Febre and Paul Vidal de la Blache are considered as founder of possibilism.

Q5.Differentiate between Regional Geography and Systematic Geography.
Answer:

Regional Geography	Systematic Geography
Under this all the geographical elements of a region are studied as one unit. And one region is considered a different unit from another region or differentiated from another region only on the basis of these geographical differences. We need to understand this regional difference in geographical context.	Under this special geographical elements of a regional unit are studied and which are generally based on political units. Therefore, it is the individual study of a special geographical feature of a region.

Q6.Differentiate between Humanistic or Welfare School of Thought and Behavioral School of Thought.
Answer:

Welfare School of Thought

Behavioral School of Thought

Welfare School of Thought was mainly concerned with the different aspects of social well-being of the people. These included aspects such as housing, health and education. Geographers have developed welfare as a base to study geography. This thought was the result of rapid changes that happened after Second World War because this war gave birth to many human problems, therefore to solve these problems, welfare or humanistic thought has developed.

In 1950-60, on the basis of psychological researches through qualitative and other methods many humanitarian aspects like human race, caste and religion. Behavioural School of thought laid great emphasis on lived experience and the perception of space by social categories based on ethnicity, race and religion, etc.

Q7.Differentiate between Nomothetic and Ideographic.
Answer:

Nomothetic	Ideographic
Under this, the subject matter of geography is studied as per fixed principles. Before study, aims and objectives are determined then its laws are fixed. Attaining goals on the basis of these laws is the objective of a geographer.	Under this, the description of geographical elements is prepared and under this a geographer tries to understand which of the natural and geographical factors have affected interaction of human activities and to what extent.