NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS CLASS – 12 | FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS | CHAPTER- 5 | PRIMARY ACTIVITIES | EDUGROWN |

In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 5 PRIMARY ACTIVITIES NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

Question 1.
Write notes on :
(a) Market gardening
(b) Truck farming
(c) Flower culture
(d) Fruit culture
Answer:
Horticulture. The specialised cultivation of fruit and vegetables and flowers solely for the urban markets is known as horticulture.

Area. It is well developed in the densely populated industrial and urban centres where demand is large. The main areas are N.W. Europe and N.E. parts of U.S.A.

Types of Horticulture :
(a) Market Gardening.
Vegetables are grown in sub-urban areas to meet the daily demand. London, Moscow and California are important centres.

(b) Truck Farming. Areas having favourable climate and so it grows fruits and vegetables for distant markets. It involves movement by trucks and is thus known as truck farming. California is the greatest vegetable growing state.

(c) Flower Culture. Netherlands specializes in the cultivation of spring flowers such as Tulips which are flown to all the major cities of Europe.

(d) Fruit Culture. In warm and sunny climate a variety of fruits are grown such as mangoes, apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, etc. Mangoes are exported from India to foreign markets of Russia, Middle East and Southern continents supply fruit in winter.

Question 2.
Differentiate between co-operative farming and collective farming stating any five points of distinction.
Or
Define the term ‘Co-operative farming
Or
What is the basic principle of Collective farming ?
Answer:
Co-operative Farming
(i) A group of farmers form a co-operative society by pooling in their resources voluntarily for more efficient and profitable farming.

(ii) Individual farms remain intact and farming is a matter of cooperative initiative.

(iii) Co-operative societies help farmers, to procure all important inputs of farming, sell the products at the most favourable terms and help in processing of quality products at cheaper rates.

(iv) Co-operative movement originated over a century ago and has been successful in many western European countries like Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy etc.

(v) In Denmark, the movement has been so successful that practically every farmer is a member of a co-operative.

Collective Farming
(i) Collective farming or the model of Kolkhoz was introduced in erstwhile Soviet Union to improve the inefficiency of the previous methods of agriculture and to boost agricultural production for self-sufficiency.

(ii) The farmers pool in all their resources like land, livestock and labour.

(iii) However, they are allowed to retain very small plots to grow crops in order to meet their daily requirements.

(iv) Yearly targets are set by the government and the produce is also sold to the state at fixed prices. Produce in excess of the fixed amount is distributed among the members or sold in the market.

(a) The farmers have to pay taxes on the farm produces, hired machinery, etc. Members are paid according to the nature of the work allotted to them by the farm management.

Question 3.
Explain any five characteristics ‘ of extensive ‘commercial grain cultivation’ practised in the World.
Answer:
(i) It is practised in Temperate grasslands.
(ii) Wheat is the main crop grown.
(iii) The size of farm is very large.
(iv) Mechanised agriculture is practised.
(v) Yield per hectare is low.
(vi) Field per person is high.

Question 4.
Distinguish between the following :
Or
Describe any five characteristics of ‘subsistence agriculture’ practised in the world. (Delhi 2019)
(i) Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture.
(ii) Intensive and Extensive Agriculture.
Answer:
(i) Subsistence Agriculture and Commercial Agriculture

Subsistence Agriculture

Commercial Agriculture

1. Subsist ence a griculture is the type of farming in which crops are grown for local consumption.2. Sedentary agriculture and intensive agriculture are its main types.3. It is practised in densely populated areas of monsoon region like India. China. Indonesia. Bangladesh, etc.4. Rice is the main crop in S E. Asia. Other cereals are grown in dry areas.5. Size of the land holding is small.6. Simple implements, with large human labour, are used.7. Green manures and fertilizers are used to increase the fertility

1. Commercial agriculture includes the growing of crops for market.2. Plantation farming and extensive farming are its main types.3. It is practised in sparsely populated areas of temperate grasslands. Tropical regions have plantations. Mixed farming and dairy farming in Europe are other forms of it.4. Wheat is grown in temperate regions. Tea, coffee, sugarcane are grown in tropical region.5. Size of the land holding is large.6. Lt is highly mechanised farming.7. Chemical fertilizers are widely used.

(ii) Intensive and Extensive Agriculture (CBSE Output Delhi 2017)

Intensive Agriculture

Extensive Agriculture

1. Intensive agriculture means the application of large amount of labour and capital to small fields to obtain high yield per unit area of land and to produce many crops a year.2. It is carried on in densely populated areas like China. India. N.W. Europe etc. where availability of per capita land is low.3. It is practised in old world countries and is known as oriental agriculture also.4. It is of two types. In wet areas, it is intensive subsistence dominated by wet paddy. In other areas, it is dominated by other food crops.5. The size of land holdings is small.6. Much human labour is used. Machinery is not so widely used.7. Livestock farming is little developed due 1o poor pastures.

1. Extensive agriculture means highly mechanised farming on large holdings, employing little labour to get a large total yield. But it is a capital intensive farming.2. It is best developed in sparsely populated areas like Steppes, Prairies, the Pampas and Downs (Temperate Grasslands) where large land holdings are available.3. It is a new development and is carried out- in new world countries.4. It has a marked speci-alisation of wheat monoculture. It is a type of plantation agriculture in mid-latitudes5. The size of land holdings is very large (16,000 Hectares).6. It is highly mechanised farming. A small labour force is used.7. Livestock farming supplements agriculture due to availability of grasslands.

Question 5.
(a) What is Gathering ? What are its main characteristics ?
(b) In which areas, is it still practiced ?
(c) What products are gathered from it ?
(d) Examine the future of gathering in the world.
Answer:
Gathering is one of the oldest activity of man. Man survived on edible plants gathered from forests to meet food requirements.
(а) Characteristics.

• It is practised in regions with harsh climatic conditions
• It involves primitive societies who extract both plants and animals to satisfy their needs for food, shelter and clothing.
• This type of activity requires a small amount of capital investment.
• It operates at very low level of technology.
• The yield per person is very low and little or no surplus is produced.

(b) Areas. Gathering is practised in :

• high latitude zones which include northern Canada, northern Eurasia and southern Chile.
• Low latitude zones such as the Amazon Basin, tropical Africa, Northern fringe of Australia and the interior parts of Southeast Asia.

(c) Products
In modern times some gathering is market oriented and has become commercial.

• Gatherers collect valuable plants such as leaves, barks of trees and medicinal plants and after simple processing sell the products in the market.
• They use various parts of the plants, for example, the bark is used for quinine, tanin extract and cork
• leaves supply materials for beverages, drugs, cosmetics, fibres, thatch and fabrics; nuts for food and oils and tree trunk yield rubber, balata, gums and resins.

(d) Future of gathering
Gathering has little chance of becoming important at the global level. Products of such an activity cannot compete in the world market. Synthetic products often of better quality and at lower prices have replaced many items.

Question 6.
Describe the main features of Pastoral nomadism and the areas associated with it.
Answer:
Pastoralism. The domestication of animals was one of the early steps in the development of civilisation. People living in different climatic conditions selected and domesticated animals found in those regions e.g. cattle and horses in the grasslands, sheep and reindeer in the tundra regions, camel in the tropical deserts, and llama and yak in the high altitudes of the Andes and the Himalayas respectively.

These animals were the chief sources of milk, meat, wool and hides. In the tropical and temperate grasslands of the world, livestock, herding and rearing constitutes as pastoral nomadism.

Pastoral nomadism. It is a subsistence activity depending on animals. Since these people do not live a settled life, they are called nomads. Each nomadic community occupies a well-defined territory. The animals depend entirely on natural vegetation.

Cattle are reared in grasslands receiving more rain and having soft and long grasses. Sheep are reared in low rainfall areas with short grasses. Goats are common in the rugged terrain with scanty grasses. There are six widely distributed species reared by pastoral nomads : sheep, goats, camels, cattle, horses and donkeys.

Transhumance. In some parts of the world, the movement of herders follows the change in seasons. For example, in the mountainous regions such as the Himalayas, Gujars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Bhotiyas migrate from the plains to the mountains in summers and from mountains to the plains in winters. Similarly, in the tundra region, the nomadic herders move from south to north in summers and from north to south in winters. Such seasonal migration of people with their animals is known as transhumance.

Areas. Pastoral nomadism is associated with seven distinct areas—high latitude sub-Arctic, Eurasian Steppe, mountainous south-west Asia. Saharan and Arabian deserts, sub-Saharan Savannas, the Andes and the Asian high altitude plateaus. These may broadly be grouped under three broad regions.

(i) Sahara, the largest region extends over nearly 13,000 km., from the Sahel and Sahara in Africa to Mongolia and Central China.
(ii) Tundra, the second region includes the southern border of the tundra region in Eurasia.
(iii) S.W. Africa, the third region comprises of south-west Africa. These areas are either too hot and dry or too cold. Today, nomadic herding supports only 15 to 20 million people in the world.

Question 7.
Describe the development of commercial grazing in different types of grasslands.
Answer:
Commercial Grazing. Commercial grazing is a large scale domestication of animals, on permanent ranches, with scientific methods and fodder crops. It is practised in temperate grasslands. These areas with moderate rain, mild temperature and large surplus land favour the commercial form of grazing. Cattle are kept to produce the products of meat, wool, dairy products for export.

(a) Temperate Grasslands
(i) Prairies. The Prairies grasslands of North America have many large ranches. Better breeds of cattle like Hereford, Friesian and Jersey cow are kept. Merino sheep are grazed on Edward and Mexico plateau. Cattle are fattened on corn for sending to slaughter houses. It is said in the U.S.A., ‘corn goes to market on hoofs’.

(ii) Pampas. S.E. South America includes the grazing lands of Pampas, Patagonia, Uruguay and southern Brazil. The Pampas with 50 to 100 cms rain, cool climate, Alfa-Alfa grass have helped commercial grazing of cattle for beef and wool. Uruguay and Brazil with green grasses are leading exporters of cattle products.

(iii) Australia. Temperate grasslands of Australia include ‘Downs’ grasslands over large areas of Victoria, N.S. Wales, and South Australia. Australia is the leading commercial grazing country of the world. Natural pastures, cool climate, artesian wells, large ranches favour commercial grazing.

(iv) New Zealand. The economic development of New Zealand depends upon sheep and cattle grazing. New Zealand is the leading exporter of beef, wool, butter. Sheep and dairy cattle are kept on small farms.

(v) South Africa. The veld region of South Africa plateau is a region of temperate grasslands. Sheep and Angora goats are grazed for beef and wool.

Question 8.
What is plantation Agriculture ? What are its characteristics ? Name the areas and crops grown there.
Or
Describe any five features of plantation agriculture practiced in different regions of the world?
Answer:
Plantation Agriculture :
Plantation agriculture is a large scale specialised commercial farm of a single cash crop on estates or plantations. Some of the main crops are rubber, oil palm, cotton, tea, cocoa, bananas, pineapples, coffee and sugarcane. The plantations were established by the Europeans during the colonial period in tropics.

Areas. Plantations are found in many parts of tropical regions of Asia, Africa and America.
(i) West Indies, Cuba and Jamaica.
(ii) Guinea and west coast of Africa.
(iii) India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia, Phillipines.

Characteristics :
(i) Plantation farms are generally large (more than 40 hectares) and known as estates or plantations.
(ii) The European skill, organisation and large capital are used on plantations. These use scientific methods of cultivation and a single crop specialisation.
(iii) Local or migrated labour is used on plantation such as Negroes in cotton belt of the U.S.A. and Tamils in tea plantations of Sri Lanka. The plantation system depends on the exploitation of cheap labour.
(iv) It aims at high yields, high quality production and a large output for export.
(v) Plantations are located in coastal areas with developed network of roads, railways, harbours and navigable rivers.

Areas :
(a) Most of the estates are owned by Europeans. British companies own rubber plantations of Malaysia, Tea estates of India and Sri Lanka and Banana plantations in West Indies.
(b) The French established cocoa and coffee plantation in west Africa.
(c) The British established sugarcane and banana plantations in West Indies.
(d) Spanish and Americans established coconut and sugarcane plantation in Phillipines.

Question 9.
Write detailed notes on :
Or
(a) Compare the features of Mixed farming and Diary farming in five points?
(a) Mixed Farming
(b) Dairy Farming
Answer:
(a) Mixed Farming: Mixed farming involves the growing of crops and raising of animals on the same farm. Besides cultivation, other subsidiary occupations like cattle rearing, poultry farming, dairy farming etc. are practised.

Livestock is fed on fodder crops in winter. In summer, cattle graze on pastures. Many factors have favoured the development of mixed farming :

• Urban and industrial population.
• Facilities of transport.
• Nearness to market.
• Certain rainfall.
• Intensive methods.

Areas. It is practised in highly developed parts of the world. Mixed farming is found through- out Europe, Eastern and Northern America, Pampas, S.E. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Characteristics :
(i) This type of farming is highly intensive, scientific and specialised.
(ii) Mixed farms are moderate in size.
(iii) It represents truly mixed economy because crops and livestocks are equally integrated.
(iv) Cereals are grown with other crops practising crop rotation, inter cropping and crop-combination.
(v) Mixed farming is characterised by high capital expenditure on machinery and farm building.
(vi) Chemical fertilizers are extensively used to maintain the fertility of the soils.
(vii) The labour is skilled and expert in farming.

(viii) Mixed farming has threefold advantages:

• It protects the farmers against the risk of poor prices, crop failure and diseases.
• Labour is evenly spread throughout the year.
• Soil fertility is maintained by crop rotation.

(ix) Livestock is fed on fodder crop, pastures and other crops.
(x) The farmers have a higher standard of living.

(b) Dairy Farming: Dairy farming is an advanced type of farming. Cattle are kept to produce milk. Milk is a highly nutritious food. Milk is used to form many products like butter, cheese, condensed milk, etc. Dairy cattle include many breeds of cows and buffaloes.

Geographical factors favouring dairy farming :

• A cool-temperate climate
• Moderate temperatures
• Sufficient rainfall
• Rich pastures
• Nearness to markets
• Skilled labour
• Capital
• Developed means of transport.
• Technical knowledge.

Modern methods of refrigeration, cold storage, milking and preparing dairy products need technical and scientific knowledge.

Major Dairy Regions. The major dairy regions of the world are found in the cool-temperate regions of the world.

1. N.W. Europe. This dairy region extends from Atlanic coast to Moscow for a distance of 3000 kms. This industry is highly developed in Denmark and the Netherlands. Denmark has 9000 co-operative societies engaged in dairy farming.

2. N.E. American Region. This dairy region extends from Atlantic coast to great lakes of North America. The U.S.A. and Canada are among the leading dairy countries of the world. St. Lawrence valley and Wisconsin states are the main area of dairy region.

3. Australia-New Zealand (Tasmania) Region. New Zealand and Australia have well developed dairy farming. Cattle are reared in North Iceland, Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales. New Zealand is the largest exporter of butter and cheese in the world.

Question 10.
Large scale mechanised grain cultivation results in low yield per acre, but High yield per man.” Discuss.
Answer:
Extensive agriculture is practised in temperate grasslands. It is a large scale mechanised farming on large farms. It results in low yield per acre but high yield per man.

(i) Wheat is the main cereal grown. The average yield is 20 Bushels per acre. It is low as compared to yield of wheat in countries having intensive cultivation, for example in Belgium it is 60 Bushels per acre.

(ii) The farms are highly mechanised. A single machine can do the work of 50 to 100 labourers. Labour force is small and the yield per man is high.

(iii) It is practised in sparsely populated areas. Therefore production per man is high.

(iv) The size of the farms is very large. The methods are not intensive. The total output is large but the yield per acre is low.