Chapter 3 Class 6 Social Science Solutions NCERT,
Landforms and life chapter 3 class 6 social science,
Class 6 Social Science Chapterwise Complete Solutions,
Chapter Summary:
What is Landform?
A landform is a physical feature on the surface of Earth. For example, Mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, beaches, river valleys, etc.
Landforms take shape over millions of years and have a significant connection with the environment and life.
Landforms are broadly divided into three types:
- Mountains
- Plateaus
- Plains
Mountains:
Mountains are landforms that are significantly higher than the surrounding landscape, characterized by a broad base, steep slopes, and a narrow peak (or summit).
Depending on their height, some mountains, such as the Himalayas and the Alps, are covered with snow. At lower altitudes, the melting snow feeds rivers in summer.
Smaller highlands with rounded tops and less height are called hills.
Examples of Mountain Ranges:
- South India: Anamudi (Anai Peak) in Kerala is the highest.
- Aravalli Range (India): One of the oldest mountain ranges, now rounded by erosion.
- Himalayas (Asia): Includes the world’s highest peaks – Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga.
- Andes (South America): The Highest peak is Mount Aconcagua.
- Alps (Europe): The Highest peak is Mont Blanc.
- Eastern Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro (an isolated mountain, not part of a range).
Mountain Environment:
The following are important features of the mountain environment:
1. Montane Forests:
The type of forests that grow in mountainous regions is known as Montane forests. Coniferous trees like pine, fir, spruce, and deodar are some examples. These trees are tall, cone-shaped, and have needle-like leaves.
At higher altitudes, the trees give way to grasses, mosses, and lichen.
Moss: A small green plant without flowers or true roots, often spreading in a cushion-like cover.
Lichen: A plant-like organism that generally clings to rocks, walls, or trees.
2. Wildlife in Mountains:
Mountains are home to many animals and birds such as the golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Canadian lynx, snow leopard, ibex, Himalayan tahr, mountain hare, yak, grey fox, and black bear.
3. Life in the Mountains:
Farming is difficult due to rugged terrain and steep slopes. Regular farming is possible only in valleys.
People practise terrace farming (cutting steps into slopes) to grow crops.
Herding animals is common in many mountain regions.
Tourism provides income, as people visit mountains for scenic beauty, fresh air, sports (skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding), and pilgrimages.
4. Disaster:
Some common disasters in mountainous regions are Flash floods, Landslides, heavy snowfall, cloudbursts, avalanches, etc.
Plateaus:
A plateau is a landform that rises up from the surrounding land and has a more or less flat surface; some of its sides are often steep slopes.
Examples: the Tibetan Plateau (the largest and highest in the world) and the Deccan Plateau (India).
Features of Plateaus:
Their height ranges from a few hundred metres to several thousand metres.
They are rich in minerals, which is why plateaus are called “storehouses of minerals.”
Example: East African Plateau (gold and diamonds).
Chhota Nagpur Plateau (iron, coal, and manganese in India).
Plateau Environment:
1. Terrain:
Many plateaus have rocky soil, which is less fertile than plains and not ideal for farming. An exception is lava plateaus (formed from volcanic activity), which have fertile black soil good for crops.
2. Waterfalls:
Plateaus often have many waterfalls:
- Victoria Falls (Zambezi River, Africa)
- Hundru Falls (Subarnarekha River, Chhota Nagpur Plateau)
- Jog Falls (Sharavati River, Western Ghats)
- Nohkalikai Falls (Cherrapunji Plateau, Meghalaya) – drops 340 m
Plains:
Plains are flat or gently sloping landforms, usually less than 300 metres above sea level.
Floodplains are formed when rivers carry and deposit sediments (sand, silt, rock particles), making the soil fertile.
This fertility makes plains ideal for agriculture, which is the main occupation here.
Life in Plains:
1. Dense population:
Plains have supported human life for thousands of years — the earliest civilisations grew along rivers in fertile plains.
2. Agriculture:
In India, over 40 crore people live in the Ganga plain, where crops like rice, wheat, maize, barley, millets, cotton, jute, and hemp are grown.
Agriculture has shifted from rain-fed farming to irrigation (canals, groundwater), which increases production but also causes groundwater depletion.
3. Navigation:
Plains also allow easy river navigation and have great cultural importance — rivers are often considered sacred, and festivals/rituals are held at their sources and confluences.
The Big Questions?
1. What are the major types of landforms and their significance to life and culture?
Answer.
A landform is a physical feature on the surface of Earth. There are many landforms, in which the major types of landforms are in three types mainly Mountains, Plateaus, and Plains.
Each landform plays an important role in shaping life, culture, and the environment.
Mountains:
Mountains are high, steep landforms that influence climate and rainfall. They are the source of rivers, which provide water for farming and daily life. Mountain regions have unique cultures, traditions, and lifestyles. Many religious places, such as temples and monasteries, are located in mountains (e.g., the Himalayas).
Plateaus:
Plateaus are flat-topped elevated areas rich in minerals and natural resources, making them important for mining and industry. Some plateaus have fertile volcanic soil, suitable for farming. They also have scenic beauty and cultural diversity due to their varied terrain.
Plains:
Plains are flat, fertile regions ideal for agriculture and human settlement. They support dense populations and are centers of trade, transport, and civilization (e.g., the Ganga and Nile river plains).
Rivers flowing through plains hold religious and cultural importance, with many festivals and rituals celebrated along them.
2. What are the challenges and opportunities of life associated with each landform?
Answer.
Each landform presents both challenges and opportunities for people living there:
Mountains:
Opportunities: Water reservoirs, Source of rivers, Tourism, animal herding, hydropower, scenic beauty, and unique biodiversity.
Challenges: Harsh climate, difficult farming, landslides, avalanches, and limited transport.
Plateaus:
Opportunities: Storehouse of minerals, Industries, generation of hydroelectric power, and fertile black soil in volcanic regions.
Challenges: Rocky terrain, limited agriculture, water scarcity, and poor connectivity.
Plains:
Opportunities: Abundance of groundwater, pleasant climate, Fertile soil for farming, easy transport, trade, dense settlement, and development of civilizations.
Challenges: Floods, deforestation, overpopulation, and depletion of groundwater.
Questions, activities, and projects:
1. In what type of landform is your town/village/city located? Which features mentioned in this chapter do you see around you?
Answer.
My village is located on the plains, which are flat and fertile lands. The main features I see around are crops, fertile soil, rivers, and a dense population. The land is suitable for agriculture, roads are well-connected, and the area supports trade and transport easily.
2. Let us go back to our initial trip from Chhota Nagpur to Prayagraj and Almora. Describe the three landforms you came across on the way.
Answer.
Chhota Nagpur (Plateau): It is a plateau region, located in Central India, mainly in Jharkhand, which is rich in minerals like coal and iron. The surface is rocky and slightly elevated.
Prayagraj ( Plain): It lies in the northern plains, where the land is flat and very fertile due to the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
Almora ( mountain): It is situated in the mountain region of Uttarakhand, surrounded by hills, forests, and valleys.
Thus, the journey covers plateau → plain → mountain landforms.
3. List a few famous pilgrimage spots in India along with the landforms in which they are found.
Answer.
The following are some famous pilgrimage spots in India, along with the landforms in which they are found:
1. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri ( Mountains): Uttarakhand
2. Amarnath and Vaishno Devi (Mountains): Jammu & Kashmir
3. Prayagraj, Mathura, Ayodhya, and Kashi (Plains): Uttar Pradesh
4. Tirupati ( Hills / Plateau): Andhra Pradesh
5. Rameswaram ( Coastal Plain): Tamil Nadu
6. Jagannath Temple (Coastal Plain): Odisha
7. Deoghar ( Plateau): Jharkhand
4. State whether true or false —
1. The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops.
2. Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side.
3. Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform.
4. Mountains, plateaus, and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna.
5. Ganga is a tributary of the Yamuna.
6. Deserts have unique flora and fauna.
7. Melting snow feeds rivers.
8. Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains make the land fertile.
9. All deserts are hot.
Answer.
1. The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops.
Answer. False: The Himalayas are young mountains with high, pointed peaks.
2. Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side.
Answer. True: Plateaus often have steep sides on one or more sides.
3. Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform.
Answer. True: Both are elevated landforms, differing only in height and slope.
4. Mountains, plateaus, and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna.
Answer. False: They have different vegetation and animals due to varying climates.
5. Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna.
Answer. False: The Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganga.
6. Deserts have unique flora and fauna.
Answer. True: Deserts support special plants and animals adapted to dry conditions.
7. Melting snow feeds rivers.
Answer. True: Rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna are fed by melting snow from the mountains.
8. Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains make the land fertile.
Answer. True: River deposits enrich soil fertility in plains.
9. All deserts are hot.
Answer. False: Some deserts, like the Ladakh Desert, are cold deserts.
5. Match words in pairs:
Answer.
Mount Everest: Climbing
rafting: river
camels: desert
plateau: roof of the world
Gangetic plains: rice fields
waterway: Ganga
Mount Kilimanjaro: Africa
Yamuna: tributary
Chapter-Wise Solutions of Class 6 Social Science
- Chapter 1 | Locating Places on Earth
- Chapter 2 | Oceans and Continents
- Chapter 3 | Landforms and Life
- Chapter 4 | Timeline and Sources of History
- Chapter 5 | India, That Is Bharat
- Chapter 6 | The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation
- Chapter 7 | India’s Cultural Roots
- Chapter 8 | Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
- Chapter 9 | Family and Community
- Chapter 10 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 1 Governance
- Chapter 11 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 2 Local Government in Rural Areas
- Chapter 12 | Grassroots Democracy – Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas
- Chapter 13 | The Value of Work
- Chapter 14 | Economic Activities Around Us
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