Environments

Topics in the Chapter

• Environment
• Natural Environment

→ Lithosphere

→ Hydrosphere

→ Atmosphere

→ Biosphere

• Ecosystem
• Human Environment

Environment

• Environment originated from French word Environer/Environner meaning “neighbourhood”.
• Anything that surrounds any living organism is called environment.
• Components of Environment:

→ Natural: Air (Atmosphere), Water (Hydrosphere), Land (Lithosphere), Living things (Biosphere).

→ Human interactions: Individual, Family, Society, Religion, Education, Political Situation, Economic.

→ Human made: Parks, Buildings, Bridges, Roads, Industries, Monuments.

Natural Environment

• Anything that surrounds any living organism which was not made by humans is part of Natural Environment.
• Includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.
• Natural environment domains:

Lithosphere

• Solid crust or hard top layer of the earth.
• Made up of rocks and minerals, with a thin layer of soil.
• Irregular surface with landforms like mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys.

→ This domain provides us forests, grasslands, land for agriculture and human settlements.

→ It is also a source of mineral wealth.

Hydrosphere

• Domain of water.
• Includes water bodies like rivers, lakes, seas, oceans.

→ It is essential for all living organisms.

Atmosphere

• Thin layer of air that surrounds the earth.
• Consists of gases, dust, and water vapour.

→ Changes in the atmosphere produce weather and climate.

→ Gravitational force of the earth holds the atmosphere.

→ It protects us from harmful rays and heat of the sun.

Biosphere

• The living world, including plant and animal kingdom.

→ It is a narrow zone where land, water, and air interact to support life.

Ecosystem

• A system formed by interaction of all living organisms with physical and chemical environment.
• All plants, animals, and humans depend on each other and surroundings.

→ Ecosystems can be large like forests, deserts, oceans or small like ponds.

Human Environment

• Humans interact with and modify the environment as per needs.
• Human needs grew with time and became more diverse.

→ They learnt to grow crops, domesticate animals, and lead a settled life.

→ Wheel was invented, surplus food produced, barter system started, and trade developed.

→ Industrial Revolution enabled large scale production.

→ Transport became faster.

→ Information Revolution made communication speedy worldwide.

MCQs

1. Which of the following is biotic?

(a) Plants

(b) Land

(c) Water

(d) Soil

► (a) Plants

2. The domain of water is referred to as

(a) Lithosphere

(b) Ecosystem

(c) Biosphere

(d) Hydrosphere

► (d) Hydrosphere

3. Which among the following terms of utmost significance in the dynamics of resource management was coined in the ‘Brundtland Commission Report’?

(a) Polluter-Pays Principle

(b) Sustainable development

(c) Inclusive Growth

(d) Carrying Capacity

► (b) Sustainable development

4. Which of the following is NOT the major domain of the earth

(a) Troposphere

(b) Biosphere

(c) Lithosphere

(d) Hydrosphere

► (a) Troposphere

5. Which is NOT a natural ecosystem?

(a) Desert

(b) Fishing pond

(c) Forest

(d) None of the above

► (b) Fishing pond

6. ______ must learn to live and use their environment in a harmonious way

(a) Animals

(b) Plants

(c) Humans

(d) Birds

► (c) Humans

7. Lithosphere is made up of

(a) Soil and minerals

(b) Rocks and minerals and Soil

(c) Minerals, soil and water

(d) Water and rocks

► (b) Rocks and minerals and Soil

8. Atmosphere is

(a) It is the liquid crust or the hard top layer of the earth

(b) It is the thin layer of air that surrounds the earth

(c) It is the thick layer of air that surrounds the earth

(d) It is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth

► (b) It is the thin layer of air that surrounds the earth

9. ______ revolution made ____ speedy across the world

(a) Information, communication

(b) Data, communication

(c) Information, conversation

(d) Data, conversation

► (a) Information, communication

10. _____ is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth

(a) Atmosphere

(b) Land

(c) Lithosphere

(d) Biosphere

► (c) Lithosphere

11. Who interacts with the environment and modify it according to their needs?

(a) Plants

(b) Animals

(c) Humans

(d) Rivers

► (c) Humans

12. The ______ holds the atmosphere around the earth.

(a) Atmospheric pressure

(b) Pressure

(c) Gravitational Pressure

(d) Humidity

► (c) Gravitational Pressure

13. Abiotic component of environment is

(a) Bird

(b) Land

(c) Human

(d) None of the above

► (b) Land

14. Which is NOT a component of human environment?

(a) Land

(b) Religion

(c) Community

(d) All of these

► (a) Land

15. On _____ every year World Environment Day is celebrated.

(a) 5 June

(b) 5 July

(c) 25 June

(d) 25 July

► (a) 5 June

16. A _____ is necessary between the natural and human environment

(a) Perfect balance

(b) Imperfect balance

(c) Perfect imbalance

(d) Imperfect imbalance

► (a) Perfect balance

17. Life bearing layer on the earth is

(a) Lithosphere

(b) Hydroshphere

(c) Atmoshpere

(d) Biosphere

► (d) Biosphere

18. Human beings _____ with the environment and modify it according to their ____

(a) Need, goods

(b) Interact, goods

(c) Interact, needs

(d) Goods, needs

► (c) Interact, needs