India : The Peninsular Plateau
(PRACHI Excellence in Social Studies)
EXERCISE
A. Multiple choice questions (MCQs).
Choose the correct answer from the given options :
1. A plateau is ________ .
(a) a conical hill. [ ]
(b) a type of valley. [ ]
(c) an elevated flat topped land. [✓]
(d) None of these. [ ]
2. Which of the following is the oldest mountain range of the world?
(a) Himalayas. [ ]
(b) Jaintia. [ ]
(c) Alps. [ ]
(d) Aravallias. [✓]
2. It drains in to the Arabian sea.
(a) River Ganga. [ ]
(b) River Tapi. [✓]
(c) River Krishna. [ ]
(d) River Kaveri. [ ]
4. Which of the following places has diamond mines?
(a) Kanha. [ ]
(b) Panchmarhi. [ ]
(c) Panna. [✓]
(d) Lucknow. [ ]
5. Which of the following pairs is wrong?
(a) Bhilai - A steel plant. [ ]
(b) Paradip - a Port. [ ]
(c) Kuchipudi - classical dance of Haryana. [✓]
(d) Bharatnatyam - classical dance of Tamil Nadu. [ ]
B. Very short answer type questions.
1. What are the two main divisions of the Peninsular plateau?
= The two main divisions of the Peninsular plateau are - i) The Central Highlands and ii) The Deccan Plateau.
2. Name the mountain ranges of the Malwa Plateau.
= The mountain ranges of the Malwa Plateau are - i) Aravali Range and ii) Vindhya Range.
3. Mention the major rivers of the Deccan Plateau.
= The major rivers of the Deccan Plateau are - Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
4. Write down the names of the states found in the peninsular Plateau.
= The names of the states found in the peninsular Plateau are - Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
5. Which is the longest river of the Deccan Plateau?
= Godavari is the longest river of the Deccan Plateau.
6. Which river is also known as Dakshin Ganga?
= Godavari river is also known as Dakshin Ganga.
C. Short answer type questions.
1. What do you know about the extent of the Peninsular Plateau?
= To the south of the northern plains lies the extensive peninsular plateau. This plateau is covering nearly half of the area of India. It is triangular in shape with a broad shape in the north and a narrow apex in the south.
2. How does plateau differ from a mountain?
= Mountain is an elevated land with steep slopes with a summit or peak. On the other hand, a plateau is an elevated flat land with a flat top standing on a raised surface.
3. Differentiate between the Deccan and Malwa Plateaus.
= Deccan plateau has comparatively higher elevation that the Malwa Plateau. Deccan Plateau has larger area than the Malwa Plateau. Deccan Plateau is located in South India and the Malwa Plateau is located in Central India. There are major rivers in Deccan Plateau and they all form deltas near the coast. On the other hand, Malwa Plateau has minor rivers, and they mostly join to other rivers.
4. Give a short note on the east and west flowing rivers of the Peninsular Plateau.
= The West flowing rivers like Narmada and Tapi flow to the Arabian Sea. The East flowing rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri flow to the Bay of Bengal. The West flowing rivers do not form any delta at the coast. The East flowing rivers form deltas at the coast.
5. Write a few lines on the following states.
(a) Andhra Pradesh.
= Andhra Pradesh is bound on the north by Odisha and Chhattisgarh, on the west by Maharashtra and Karnataka, on the South by Tamil Nadu and on the east by the Bay of Bengal. Amaravati is its capital city. The people mainly depend on agriculture. They grow rice, jowar, tobacco, sugar cane and groundnut. The state is the largest producer of tobacco in India.
People mostly speak Telugu. Urdu is also spoken in Hyderabad. Kuchipudi is the most popular dance. Andhra Pradesh is famous for bidri work on brass and copper.
The Charminar and the Salarjung Museum are popular tourist attractions. The Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati is a famous pilgrimage centre.
(b) Karnataka.
= Karnataka lies to the south of Maharashtra. Bengaluru is its capital city. Most of the people of the state are farmers. They grow cotton, sugar cane, coffee, spices and jowar. The forests are full of teak and sandalwood trees. The people of the state speak Kannada. Men usually wear a lungi and shirt while women wear colourful silk sarees. Handicraft items made of sandalwood are very famous. Tourism is famous. The state is known for its Heritage monuments and Economic destinations.
(c) Tamil Nadu.
= Tamil Nadu is famous for its temples. The main temple towns are Madurai, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, and Kanchipuram. Chennai is its capital city. The state is also famous for its silk sarees. Kanchipuram and Madurai are the main centres of silk weaving.
Farming is the main economic activity. Rice, sugar cane, cotton and groundnut are the main crops. Tea and coffee are grown along the slopes of the Nilgiri Hills.
Bharatnatyam is the most popular dance. Tamil is the main language. Pongal is the most popular festival. People eat rice, idli, dosa, upma, sambar and curd.
Major tourist centres are Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, Rameshwaram, Chidambaram, Ooty and many other places.
(d) Maharashtra.
= Mumbai is the capital city of Maharashtra. The Rivers Godavari and Krishna flow through the state. The lava soil of Maharashtra is good for growing cotton, sugar cane, groundnut and millets. Fruits like mangoes, oranges and bananas are also grown in this state.
Men mostly wear a shirt and dhoti while women wear sarees. People speak Marathi. The main festivals are Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri, Diwali and Christmas. Lavani is the folk dance. Important tourist centres of the state are Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Panchgani, Kanheri and Karla caves.
(e) Madhya Pradesh.
= This is a centrally located state of India. Bhopal is its capital. Other big cities include Gwalior, Indore and Jabalpur. Pachmarhi is a beautiful hill station. The Kanha National Park and the Bandhavgarh National Park are the tiger reserves. The Chandela dynasty temples of Khajuraho are world famous. Panna has diamond mines. Wheat and cotton are the main crops grown in this region.
D. Fill in the blanks.
1. Black soil is good for growing cotton and sugar cane.
2. The Chota Nagpur Plateau is rich in mineral resources.
3. Godavari river is the longest river of the Peninsular Plateau.
4. The famous rivers of Jharkhand are Damodar and Subarnrekha.
5. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of tobacco.
E. Read the following statements carefully and mark (✓) on the true and (X) on the false one.
1. Satpura Range is in the north of Vindhya ranges. [X]
2. Dams are built across the rivers to store water for irrigation. [✓]
3. Deccan plateau has deep and fertile soils. [X]
4. Most of the rivers except two flow into the Bay of Bengal. [✓]
5. The Rajmahal Hills are on the western side of the Deccan Plateau. [X]
F. Name the State with which the following are associated.
1. Bharatnatyam - Tamil Nadu.
2. Telugu - Andhra Pradesh.
3. Pongal - Tamil Nadu.
4. Charminar - Andhra Pradesh.
5. Panna ranges - Madhya Pradesh.
6. Kuchipudi - Andhra Pradesh.
7. Ganesh Chaturthi - Maharashtra.
8. Madurai - Tamil Nadu.