Class 7 Geography

Life in Desert

Extra Questions

Very Short Answer Type

Question 1: Name the monasteries in Ladakh.

Answer: Hermis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru.

Question 2: Name the areas where oil was explored in the Sahara desert region.

Answer: Algeria, Libya and Egypt.

Question 3: What forms the vegetation in the Sahara desert?

Answer: Cactus, date palms and acacia.

Question 4: What is a desert?

Answer: Desert is an arid region characterized by extremely high or low temperatures and has scarce vegetation.

Question 5: Where can we find settled population in the Sahara desert region?

Answer: The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt support settled life.

Question 6: Name the nomadic tribes of the Sahara desert.

Answer: Bedouins and Tuaregs.

Short Answer Type Questions:

Question 1: Write a note on the tourism in Ladakh.

Answer: Ladakh is a major tourist attraction for tourists across the globe. The tourists visit the gompas, do trekking to see the meadows and glaciers and witness the ceremonies and festivities.

Question 2: Briefly describe the climate of Ladakh.

Answer: Due to the high altitude, it is freezing cold and dry in Ladakh. In summers the temperature during the day is just above zero degree and the night temperature is much below -30 degree. In winters the temperature remains as low as -40 degrees most of the time.

Question 3: What are the products derived from animals of the Sahara desert and their uses?

Answer: In the Sahara desert, animals such as sheep, goats, camels and horses are reared for the following purposes:

Question 4: How is the landscape of the Sahara desert?

Answer: The Sahara desert has vast stretches of sand. It also has gravel plains and elevated plateaus with bare rocky surface which are more than 2500 m high in some places.

Long Answer Type Questions:

Question 1: Describe the changes in the Sahara desert.

Answer: The discovery of oil is constantly transforming the Sahara desert. The discovery of oil has been made in Algeria, Libya and Egypt. The changes due to business development and infrastructural development are also seen in this area. These include:

Question 2: Describe the flora and fauna of Ladakh.

Answer: Because of extreme dryness, the vegetation is sparse. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. The valleys have groves of willows and poplars. During summer season, trees of fruits such as apples, apricots and walnuts bloom. Several species of birds such as robins, redstars, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common. Some of these are migratory birds. The animals include wild goats, wild sheep, yak and special kinds of dogs. The animals are reared to provide milk, meat, hide and hair.

Question 3: How is the climate of the Sahara desert?

Answer: The climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and parch dry. It has a short rainy season. Since the sky is cloudless and clear, the rate of water evaporation is greater than the rate of water accumulation. Hence there is water scarcity. The temperatures are as high as 50°C. Al Azizia in the Sahara desert, south of Tripoli, Libya recorded the highest temperature of 57.7°C in 1922. This heats up the sand and the bare rocks, which inturn heat up their surroundings. The nights may be freezing cold with temperatures nearing zero degrees Celsius.

Question 4: Describe the people and infrastructure of Ladakh desert.

Answer: The people here are either Muslims or Buddhists. Many Buddhist monasteries dot the Ladakhi landscape with their traditional ‘gompas’. The people of this region resemble the people of Tibet and Central Asia.