Answers to all "Questions, activities and projects" of Chapter 3, Landforms and Life (NCERT Class 6 Social Science, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, 2026-27): mountains, hills, plateaus, plains and deserts, life in different landforms, rivers, and pilgrimage places. All 5 questions are answered, with the key answer highlighted.
In what type of landform is your town / village / city located? Which features mentioned in this chapter do you see around you?
Solution
Example answer (write about your own place):
I live in Lucknow, which is in the Ganga plains, a flat and fertile plain. Around me I see:
flat land with few hills, and fertile soil with fields of wheat, rice and sugarcane;
a river (the Gomti, a tributary of the Ganga) flowing slowly;
many people living close together, roads and railways that are easy to build on flat land.
(Someone living in Shimla would describe mountains with steep slopes, terrace farms and cold winters; someone in Ranchi, a plateau; someone in Jaisalmer, a desert.)
Describe your own place, e.g. Lucknow lies in the Ganga plains: flat, fertile land with fields, a slow river and many towns and roads.
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.
Solution
Chhota Nagpur Plateau (Jharkhand): a raised, fairly flat tableland that rises steeply on at least one side; rocky and hilly in places, with forests, waterfalls and rich minerals such as coal and iron ore.
Ganga plains around Prayagraj: wide, flat, low land made of fertile soil brought by rivers (the Ganga and Yamuna meet here); good for farming and thickly populated.
Himalayan mountains around Almora (Uttarakhand): high land with steep slopes and sharp peaks, some snow-capped; cool climate, pine and deodar forests, terrace farming on the slopes.
A plateau (Chhota Nagpur: raised tableland with minerals and forests), plains (Prayagraj: flat, fertile river land) and mountains (Almora: high Himalayan slopes, cool, terrace farming).
State whether true or false: (a) The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops. (b) Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side. (c) Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform. (d) Mountains, plateaus and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna. (e) Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna. (f) Deserts have unique flora and fauna. (g) Melting snow feeds rivers. (h) Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains make the land fertile. (i) All deserts are hot.
Solution
(a) False. The Himalayas are young mountains with high, sharp peaks; older mountains like the Aravallis have rounded tops.
(b) True.
(c) True. Both are highlands; hills are lower, with less steep slopes and rounded tops.
(d) False. Each landform has its own kinds of plants and animals, suited to its climate and conditions.
(e) False. The Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganga; they meet at Prayagraj.
(f) True. For example, cactus and camels are adapted to hot deserts.
(g) True.
(h) True.
(i) False. Some deserts are cold, like the Gobi Desert or Ladakh.
(a) F (b) T (c) T (d) F (e) F, Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganga (f) T (g) T (h) T (i) F, some deserts are cold
Match words in pairs: Mount Everest, rafting, camels, plateau, Ganga plains, waterway, Mount Kilimanjaro, Yamuna — with Africa, roof of the world, rice fields, desert, river, Ganga, tributary, climbing.
Solution
Word
Pair
Mount Everest
climbing
rafting
river
camels
desert
plateau
roof of the world (the Tibetan Plateau)
Ganga plains
rice fields
waterway
Ganga
Mount Kilimanjaro
Africa
Yamuna
tributary
Everest – climbing; rafting – river; camels – desert; plateau – roof of the world; Ganga plains – rice fields; waterway – Ganga; Kilimanjaro – Africa; Yamuna – tributary.
