Agriculture Class 8 Questions and Answers Geography Chapter 4
Geography Class 8 Chapter 4 NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Answer the following questions.
(i) What is agriculture?
(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture?
(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?
(iv) What is plantation agriculture?
(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.
Answer:
(i) The primary activity that involves cultivation of crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock to referred to as agriculture.
(ii) The factors influencing agriculture include topography of land and climate.
(iii) A form of agriculture in which a plot of land is cleared by felling trees and burning them is called shifting cultivation. The ashes are later mixed with the soil and crops are grown. The land is left abandoned for sometime.
Disadvantages of shifting cultivation :
- It leads to differentation.
- Causes soil erosion.
- The soil can loose its fertility.
(iv) A type of commercial farming where only a single crop like tea or coffee or sugarcane or rubber, etc. is grown is referred to as plantation. In this type of farming large amount of labour and capital are required. The produce is processed in the form itself or nearby factories.
(v) Two major crops are jute and cotton.
Climate conditions required for their growth are as follow :
- Jute grows well or alluvial soil and requires high temperature
- Cotton needs light rainfall, high temperature and bright sunshine for its growth.
Question 2.
Tick the correct answer.
(i) Horticulture means
(а) growing of fruits and vegetables
(b) primitive farming
(c) growing of wheat
Answer:
(а) growing of fruits and vegetables
(ii) Golden fibre refers to
(a) tea
(b) cotton
(c) jute
Answer:
(c) jute
(iii) Leading producers of coffee
(a) Brazil
(b) India
(c) Russia
Answer:
(a) Brazil
Question 3.
Give reasons.
(i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.
(ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.
Answer:
(i) In India, agriculture is a farming activity because 2/3rd of its population is dependent on agriculture and India’s soil and climate is favourable for agriculture. India’s population in rural areas is illiterate, farmers prefer agriculture since they acquire the required skills for their ancestors and this feel comfortable with it.
(ii) The growing of crops depends on a lot of factors. Climate, rainfall, humidity, etc. are some important factors for growing crops. In the absence of certain conditions, it may not be possible to grow a certain crop. Thus, different crops are grown in different regions.
Question 4.
Distinguish between the followings.
(i) Primary activities and tertiary activities.
Answer:
| Primary activities | Territory activities |
| 1. Activities which direct involve extraction and production of nature resources. | 1. Activities which provide support to both primary and secondary activities. |
| 2. Example : agriculture, fishing etc. | 2. Example : transport, banking, insurance etc. |
(ii) Subsistence farming and intensive farming.
Answer:
| Subsistence farming | Intensive farming |
| 1. A type of farming in which farmers grow enough food to feed the family. | 1. A type of farming done on a large scale. |
| 2. Low level of technology and household labour is used. | 2. Simple tools and more labour used. |
| 3. The output produced is small | 3. The output produced is large. |
Question 5.
Activity
(i) Collect seeds of wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, oilseeds and pulses available in the market. Bring them to the class and find out in which type of soil they grow.
(ii) Find out the difference between the life style of farmers in the USA and India on the basis of pictures collected from magazines, books, newspapers and the internet.
Answer:
(i) Collect the seeds of wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, oilseeds, and pulses available in the market yourself and bring them to the class
(ii ) The lifestyle of an Indian farmer is much different from that of a farmer in the USA. In India farm lands are small while in USA the farms are very big as much as 250 hectares. An Indian farmer lives in his home while an American farmer lives in his farm. Most of the work done in Indian farms is manual and some machines are used. In USA all the work is done by machines even the soil is tested in laboratories to assess the nutrients of the sort. Thus, an American farmer is much advanced than an Indian farmer.
Question 6.
For Fun
Solve the crossword puzzle with the help of given clues.
| Across | Down |
| 1. Crop that needs well-drained fertile soils, moderate temperatures, and lots of sunshine (5) 2. Increasing production through the use of HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides (5, 10) 4. USA, Canada, Russia, Australia are major producers of this crop (5) 10. Type of farming to meet family needs (11) 13. Rearing of animals for sale (9) 14. Growing grapes for wines (11) |
1. Coarse grains are also called (7) 3. Cultivation involving slash and bum (8) 5. Growing of crops, fruits, and vegetables (11) 6. Tea, coffee, sugarcane, and rubber are grown in (11) 7. Requires 210 frost-free days for growth (6) 8. Growing of flowers (12) 9. Also called ‘Golden Fibre’ (4) 11. Also known as paddy (4) 12. Activity concerned with the extraction of natural resources (7) |
Answer:
