Chapter 9: Life in the Desert

Question 1:Answer the following questions.

(a) What are the two types of deserts found in the world?

Answer:The two types of deserts found in the world are:-

• Hot desert.
• Cold desert.

(b) In which continent is the Sahara desert located?

Answer:The Sahara desert is located in the African continent.

(c) What are the climatic conditions of the Ladakh desert?

Answer:The climatic conditions of the Ladakh desert are:-

• Due to its high altitude, the climate is extremely cold and dry.
• The air at this altitude is so thin that the heat of the sun can be felt intensely.
• The day temperatures in summer are just above zero degrees and the night temperatures well below –30°C.
• It is freezing cold in the winters when the temperatures may remain below –40°C for most of the time.

(d) What mainly attracts tourists to Ladakh?

Answer:The things that attract tourists to Ladakh are Visits to the gompas, treks to see the meadows and glaciers, witnessing ceremonies and festivities.

(e) What type of clothes the people of the Sahara desert wear?

Answer:The people of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.

(f) Name the trees that grow in Ladakh.

Answer:During the summer time, the fruit trees like Apple trees, apricot trees, and walnut trees are grown in Ladakh.
Small groups of Willows and poplars are also seen in the valleys.

Question 2:Tick the correct answer.

(i) Sahara is located in which part of Africa

(a) eastern

(b) northern

(c) western

(ii) Sahara is what type of desert

(a) cold

(b) hot

(c) mild

(iii) The Ladakh desert is mainly inhabited by

(a) Christians and Muslims

(b) Buddhists and Muslims

(c) Christians and Buddhists

(iv) Deserts are characterised by

(a) scanty vegetation

(b) heavy precipitation

(c) low evaporation

(v) Hemis in the Ladakh is a famous

(a) temple

(b) church

(c) monastery

(vi) Egypt is famous for growing

(a) wheat

(b) maize

(c) cotton

Answer:

(i). (b) Northern

(ii). (b) hot

(iii). (b) Buddhist and Muslims

(iv). (a) scanty vegetation

(v). (c) monastery

(vi). (c) cotton

Question 3:Match the following.

Answer:

Question 4:Give reasons.

(i) There is scanty vegetation in the deserts.

Answer:There is scanty vegetation in the deserts because of the low rainfall and extreme temperatures. The climate in the deserts is either very hot and dry or very cold and dry. In such a climate, vegetation is difficult. In deserts, rainfall is very less.
Plants and animals cannot survive without a sufficient amount of water.

(ii) People of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes.

Answer:People of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes to protect themselves against dust storms and hot winds. The climate of the Sahara desert is very hot and dry. Hot winds blow throughout the day. Dust storms also occur. This makes the climate of the Sahara desert very harsh for the people.

Question5 :Map skills.

(i) On the outline map of Africa, mark the Sahara desert and any four countries around it.

(ii) On the outline map of India, mark the Karakoram Range, Zanskar Range, Ladakh and Zoji La pass.

Answer(i) :

Answer(ii) :The Karakoram is a mountain range spread across the borders of China, India, and Pakistan, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The Zanskar Range is a mountain range in the union territory of Ladakh that separates Zanskar from Ladakh.
Zoji La is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.