Geography Chapter 1 Resources

and Development
Question 1.
What do you understand by a
‘Resource’? Give examples.
Answer:
Everything available in our
environment which can be used to
satisfy our needs, is called a
resource. It should be
technologically accessible,
economically feasible and
culturally acceptable. Only then, it
can be termed as a ‘Resource’.
Examples are: minerals, forests,
fossil fuels etc..

Question 2.
“Resources are a function of human
activities.” Justify this statement.
Answer:
Mere presence of resources, as
free gifts of nature, does not make
them resources. Human beings are
essential components of resources
because they transform material
available in our environment into
resources. The utility of resources
depends on the stage of cultural
development of man and the tools
and technology used by him.

Question 3
Explain four types of resources
based on ownership and give one
example of each type.
Answer:
On the basis of ownership, there
are four types of resources:
1. Individual Resources.
Resources, which are owned
privately by individuals, e.g.,
farmers own
pieces of land or houses.
Plantation, pasture lands,
water in wells are some
resources owned by
individuals.
2. Community Owned
Resources. These resources
are accessible to all the
members of the community,
e.g., village ponds, public
parks, playgrounds in urban
areas are accessible to all the
residents of that area.
3. National Resources. All the
resources within the political
boundary of a nation including
the territorial water (oceanic
area upto 12 nautical miles
from the coast) extending into
the ocean and resources
therein belong to the nation,
e.g., all minerals, forests,
wildlife, water resources, land
etc.
4. International Resources.
There are international
institutions which own and
regulate some resources, e.g.,
The oceanic resources beyond
200 km of the Exclusive
Economic Zone belong to the
open ocean and no individual
country can utilise these
 without the concurrence of
international institutions.
Question 4
Distinguish between the following:
1. Potential and Developed
Resources;
2. Stock and Reserves.
Answer:
1. Potential Resources. Resources
which are found in a region, but
have not been utilised, e.g.r Gujarat
and Rajasthan have a lot of
potential for the development of
wind and solar energy, but so far
they have not been developed fully.
Developed Resources. Resources
which are surveyed and their
quality and quantity have been
determined for utilisation. The
development of resources depends
on technology and level of their
feasibility, e.g., water resources
used for hydel power generation or
irrigation purposes.
2. Stock. Materials in the
environment, which have the
potential to satisfy human needs
but man does not have the
appropriate technology to access
them are included among stock,
e.g. water is a compound of two
inflammable gases: hydrogen and
oxygen, which can be used as a rich
Source of energy. But we do not
have the required technical know-
how to use them for this purpose.
Reserves. Reserves are the subset
of the stock, which can be put into
use with the help of existing
technical ‘know-how’ but their full
use has been postponed for
meeting the future needs, e.g.,
forest reserves, iron-ore reserves,
water in the dams etc.

Question-5 India has enormous

diversity in the availability of
resources.” Name four varied
regions to justify this statement.
Answer:
There are regions which are rich or
self-sufficient in certain types of
resources and there are areas that
are deficient or have acute
shortage of some vital resources.
For example:
1. The states of Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh are rich in minerals
and coal deposits.
2. Arunachal Pradesh has
abundance of water resources
but lacks in infrastructural
development.
3. Rajasthan is very well
endowed with solar and wind
energy but lacks in water
resources.
4. The cold desert area of
Ladakh has very rich cultural
heritage. It is deficient in
water, infrastructure and
some vital minerals.
Such cases call for balanced
resource planning at different
levels.
Question 6
Explain the concept of resource
conservation as voiced by Gandhiji.
(2012)
Or
Whom did Gandhiji make
responsible for the depletion of
resources at the global level?
Answer:
Gandhiji voiced his concern about
resource conservation in these
Words: “There is enough far
everybody’s need and not for
anybody’s greed.” He placed the
greedy and selfish individuals as
the root cause for resource
depletion at the global level. He
was against ‘mass production’ and
wanted to replace it with
‘production by the masses’.
 1. Indiscriminate use of
resources by human beings
has led to the depletion of
resources for satisfying the
greed of few individuals.
2. Irrational consumption and
over-utilization of resources
leads to socio-economic and
environmental problems.

Question 7
Write four institutional efforts
made at global level for ‘resource
conservation’.
Answer:
1. At the international level,
the Club of Rome advocated
resource conservation for the
 first time in a more systematic
way in 1968.
2. In 1974, the Gandhian
Philosophy was presented
once again by Schumacher in
his book “Small is Beautiful”.
3. Brundtland Commission
Report in 1987, introduced the
concept of ‘sustainable
development’ and advocated it
as a means for resource
conservation. This was
subsequently published in a
book entitled “Our Common
Future”.
4. In June 1992, the first
‘International Earth Summit’
was held in Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil, in which 100 heads of
States met for addressing
 urgent problems of
environmental protection and
socio-economic development
at the global level.
Question 8
Write the major features of Rio de
Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992.
Answer:
1. In 1992,100 heads of
States met in Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil, for the first
‘International Earth Summit’.
2. The summit was convened
for addressing urgent
problems of:
oenvironmental protection
and
 o socio-economic
development at global
level.
3. The assembled leaders
signed the Declaration on
Global Climatic Change and
the Biological Diversity.
4. The Rio convention
endorsed the global Forest
Principles and adopted
‘Agenda 21’ for achieving
sustainable development in
the 21st century. It is an
agenda to combat
environmental damage,
poverty and diseases through
global co-operation on
common interests, mutual
needs and shared
responsibilities.
 Q-9 “Resource planning is essential
for sustainable existence.” Discuss.
OR
What do you understand by
‘sustainable economic
development’?
Answer
i.Sustainable economic development
means that development should
take place without damaging the
environment. Also, development in
the present should not compromise
with the needs of future generation.
Hence, there should be
development without
compromising on future needs. To
 achieve this, resource planning is
necessary to ensure judicious,
rational and equitable distribution
as well as proper utilization of
resources. It is now a prerequisite
for sustained quality of life and
maintenance of global peace as the
environment is a public facility.

Q10-What is the difference

between Stock and Reserve?
Answer
i.Stock- This includes materials in
the environment, which have the
potential to satisfy human needs,
but man does not possess the
appropriate technology to access
them. We do not have the required
technical know-how to use them
 and that is why they remain
unutilized. Ex- Water is a
compound of two inflammable
gases- hydrogen and oxygen, which
can be used as a rich energy source
but this has not been capitalized
upon.
ii. Reserve- Reserves are the
subset of the stock, which can
be put into use with the help of
existing technical know-how, but
their full utilization has not been
achieved so as to meet future
needs. Example- forest reserves,
iron-ore reserves, water in the
dams etc.