Chapter 9 - Life in the Temperate Grasslands Extra Questions
Multiple Choice Questions1. What are the Temperate Grasslands of North America called?
a) Prairies
b) Desert
c) Down
d) Veld
Answer: a) Prairies
2. Which is the Latin word that means meadow?
a) Priata
b) aqua
c) sedimentaria
d) None of these
Answer: a) Priata
3. Which country does the river Mississippi drain?
a) Australia
b) USA
c) Russia
d) Canada
Answer: b) USA
4. The prairies are bound by the Rocky Mountains in the
a) South
b) East
c) North
d) West
Answer: d) West
5. The prairies are bound by the Great Lakes in the
a) West
b) South
c) East
d) North
Answer: c) East
6. Saskatchewan is located in which of the following country?
a) Canada
b) Norway
c) Russia
d) Australia
Answer: a) Canada
7. The grasslands of Prairies were the home of native Americans often called
a) Red Indians
b) Saudis
c) Australian
d) Russian
Answer: a) Red Indians
8. ______ is a hot wind that blows in winter
a) Chinook
b) Westerlies
c) Easterlies
d) Loo
Answer: a) Chinook
9. Large cattle farms called
a) farms
b) wind farms
c) ranches
d) All of these
Answer: c) ranches
10. The Prairies are also known as the
a) orchards of the world
b) granaries of the world
c) option a) and b)
d) None of these
Answer: b) granaries of the world
11. What is the second major industry of Canada?
a) Dairy farming
b) Coal mining
c) Gold mining
d) None of these
Answer: a) Dairy farming
12. The important cities in American Prairies are
a) Chicago
b) Minneapolis
c) Kansas
d) All of these
Answer: d) All of these
13. What lies to the west of veld grasslands?
a) Drakensburg
b) River Orange
c) Kalahari desert
d) Nothing
Answer: c) Kalahari desert
14. Which is the coldest month in the Veld grasslands?
a) January
b) July
c) June
d) October
Answer: b) July
15. Which of these animal is not found in the Velds?
a) Leopard
b) Cheetah
c) Kudu
d) Dinosaur
Answer: d) Dinosaur
16. What is Kimberley famous for?
a) Wood
b) Diamonds
c) Silver
d) Steel
Answer: b) Diamonds
17. Merino is a species of
a) Fish
b) Elephant
c) Camel
d) Sheep
Answer: d) Sheep
18. _________ is known for being the gold capital of the world.
a) New York
b) Helsinki
c) Johannesburg
d) Canberra
Answer: c) Johannesburg
Answer the following questions:
19. Define grasslands.
Answer: Grassland can be defined as a region where grasses form the dominant type of plant life. Grasslands make up almost a quarter of the total land surface. There are 2 types of grasslands, Tropical and Temperate Grasslands.
20. What does the word Prairie mean?
Answer: The word Prairie originated from Latin word priata which means meadow.
21. Name various grasslands along with their areas.
Answer:
→ Tropical Grasslands
• Savanna in East Africa
• Campos in Brazil
• Llanos in Venezuela
→ Temperate Grasslands
• Pampas in Argentina
• Prairie in North America
• Veld in South Africa
• Steppe in Central Asia
• Down in Australia
22. Write in brief about Prairies.
Answer:
• The temperate grasslands of North America are known as the Prairies.
• It is a region of flat, gently sloping or hilly land.
• For the most part, prairies are treeless but, near the low lying plains, flanking river valleys, woodlands can be found. Tall grass, upto two metres high, dominates, the landscape. It is actually a “sea of grass.”
• The prairies are bound by the Rocky Mountains in the West and the Great Lakes in the East.
• In the USA, the area is drained by the tributaries of Mississippi and the Canadian prairies are drained by the tributaries of Saskatchewan Rivers.
23. Name the various tribes living in the prairies.
Answer: The various tribes living in the prairies are the Apache, the Crow, the Cree and the Pawnee.
24. Give a short note on the climate of Prairies.
Answer:
• Being located in the heart of a continent, the climate is of continental type with extreme temperatures.
• The summers are warm with temperatures of around 20°C, while in winter -20°C has been recorded in Winnipeg, Canada.
• In winters a thick blanket of snow covers this region. The annual rainfall is moderate and is ideal for the growth of grass.
• Due to the absence of the north-south barrier, a local wind “Chinook” blows here.
25. What is Chinook?
Answer: Chinook is a hot wind that blows in winter and therefore raises the temperature within a short time. This increase in temperature results in the melting of snow, making pasture land available for grazing of animals.
26. Give a short note on flora and fauna of Prairies.
Answer:
• Prairies are practically tree-less. Where water is available, trees such as willows, alders and poplars grow.
• Places that receive rainfall of over 50 cm, are suitable for farming as the soil is fertile. Though the major crop of this area is maize, other crops including potatoes, soybean, cotton and alfa-alfa is also grown.
• Areas where rainfall is very little or unreliable, grasses are short and sparse. These areas are suitable for cattle rearing. Large cattle farms called ranches are looked after by sturdy men called cowboys.
• Bison or the American buffalo is the most important animal of this region. It nearly got extinct due to its indiscriminate hunting and is now a protected species. The other animals found in this region are rabbits, coyotes, gophers and Prairie dog.
27. Why are Prairies also known as “Granaries of the world”?
Answer: The Prairies are also known as the “Granaries of the world,” due to the huge surplus of wheat production.
28. Name some important cities in American and Canadian Prairies.
Answer: Important cities in the American prairies are Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Kansas and Denver. In the Canadian prairies the important cities are Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary and Winnipeg.
29. Give a short note on the people of Prairies.
Answer:
• The people of this region are very hardworking. They have successfully harnessed technology to utilise their rich natural resources.
• Two of the most developed countries in the world - the USA and Canada are located in this region.
• Scientific methods of cultivation and use of tractors, harvesters and combines has made North America a surplus food producer.
• The Prairies are also known as the “Granaries of the world,” due to the huge surplus of wheat production.
• Dairy farming is another major industry. The dairy belt extends from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Coast in the east. Dairy farming and extensive agriculture both promote setting up of food processing industries.
• Large mineral deposits particularly coal and iron and a good network of roads, railways and canals in this region have made it the most industrialised region in the world.
30. Give an account on Velds.
Answer:
• The temperate grasslands of South Africa are called the Velds.
• Velds are rolling plateaus with varying heights ranging from 600 m to 1100 m.
• It is bound by the Drakensburg Mountains on the east. To its west lies the Kalahari Desert. On the northeastern part, “high Velds” are located that attain a height of more than 1600 m, in some places.
• The tributaries of rivers Orange and Limpopo drain the region.
31. Name the countries that are covered by the Velds.
Answer: The countries that are covered by the Velds are South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho.
32. How did Velds get its name?
Answer: The Veld name was given by the Dutch settlers before South Africa was colonised by the British.
33. Write in brief about the Climate of Velds.
Answer:
• The Velds have a mild climate due to the influence of the Indian Ocean.
• Winters are cold and dry.
• Temperatures vary between 5°C and 10°C and July is the coldest month.
• Summers are short and warm. Johannesburg records about 20°C temperature in the summer.
• The Velds receive rainfall mainly in the summer months from November to February. This is mainly because of the warm ocean currents that wash the shores of the velds.
• If the rainfall is scanty in the winter months from June till August, drought may occur.
34. Write about the flora and fauna of the Velds.
Answer: The vegetation cover is sparse. Grasses dominate the landscape. Red grass grows in bush Velds. In the high Velds acacia and maroola are seen to be growing. The animals of the Velds are primarily lions, leopards, cheetah and kudu.
35. Write in brief about the occupation of the people of the Velds.
Answer:
• Velds are known for cattle rearing and mining. The soils are not very fertile in the Velds due to the presence of discontinuous grasses exposing barren surface.
• However where the land is fertile crops are grown. The main crops are maize, wheat, barley, oats and potato. Cash crops like tobacco, sugarcane and cotton are also grown.
• Sheep rearing is the most important occupation of the people. Sheep is bred mainly for wool and has given rise to the wool industry in the Velds.
• Merino sheep is a popular species and their wool is very warm. Dairy farming is the next important occupation.
• Cattle are reared in the warmer and wetter regions and the dairy products like butter, cheese are produced for both domestic supply and also for export.
• The Velds have rich reserve of minerals. Iron and steel industry has developed where coal and iron are present. Gold and diamond mining are major occupations of people of this region.
• Johannesburg is known for being the gold capital of the world. Kimberley is famous for its diamond mines. Mining of diamond and gold in South Africa led to the establishment of trade ties with Britain and gradually South Africa became a British Colony. This mineral rich area has a well-developed network of transport.
36. Velds lie in the Southern hemisphere. When it is summers in Velds, what season would it be in the prairies?
Answer: When it is summers in Velds, it would be winters in the Prairies.
Fill in the blanks:
37. Areas with little rainfall have short grasses.
38. Velds are drained by the rivers Orange and Limpopo.
39. River Mississippi drains United States of America.
40. Prairies have large mineral deposits of coal and iron.
41. Temperate grasslands of South Africa are called Velds.
42. The dairy belt extends from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Coast in the east.
43. Kimberley is famous for its diamond mines.
44. The Canadian prairies are drained by the tributaries of Saskatchewan Rivers.
45. American buffalo is also known as Bison.
46. Chinook is a hot wind that blows in winter.
47. Combine is a single machine which can combine the tasks of sowing, ploughing and threshing.
No comments:
Post a Comment