Fundamental Of Physical Geography Chapter 2 The Earth
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    NCERT Solution For Class 11 Geography Fundamental Of Physical Geography

    The Earth Here is the CBSE Geography Chapter 2 for Class 11 students. Summary and detailed explanation of the lesson, including the definitions of difficult words. All of the exercises and questions and answers from the lesson's back end have been completed. NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Geography The Earth Chapter 2 NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Geography The Earth Chapter 2 The following is a summary in Hindi and English for the academic year 2021-2022. You can save these solutions to your computer or use the Class 11 Geography.

    Question 1
    CBSEENGE11010261

    Why are the terrestrial planets rocky?

    Solution
    The terrestrial planets are rocky because they are earth-like and are made up of rocks and metals and have relatively high densities.
    Question 2
    CBSEENGE11010262

    What are the differences between inner planets and outer planets? Mention.

    Solution
    The difference between inner planets and outer planet are mentioned below:
    Inner planets:
    (i)The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
    (ii)They are lying between the sun and the belt of asteroids.
    (iii)These are solids like earth.
    (iv)These are known terrestrial planets.
    (iv)They are relatively smaller and their lower gravity does not hold the escaping gases.
    Outer planets:
    (i)The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
    (ii)They lie away from the asteroid belt.
    (iii)These are gaseous planets as they are made up of gases.
    (iv)They are called Jovian planets.
    (v)They are relatively larger in size. Their higher gravity holds up the gases.
    Question 3
    CBSEENGE11010263

    Explain the stages considered in the development of planets.

    Solution
    The following are considered to be the stages in the development of planets :

    (i)The stars are the localised lumps of gas within a nebula. The gravitational force within the lumps leads to the formation of a core to the gas cloud and the huge rotating disc of gas and dust develops around the gas core.

    (ii)In the next stage, the gas cloud starts getting condensed and the matter around the core develops into smallrounded objects. These small-rounded objects by the process of cohesion develop into what is called planetesimals. Larger bodies start forming by collision, and gravitational attraction causes the material to stick together. Planetesimals are a large number of smaller bodies.
    (iii)In the final stage, these large number of small planetesimals accrete to form a fewer large bodies in the form of planets
    Question 4
    CBSEENGE11010264

    What was the nature of the earth's surface initially ?

    Solution
    The nature of the earth's surface initially was a torrid, rocky and hot, having a thin atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.
    Question 5
    CBSEENGE11010265

    What were the gases which initially formed the earth's atmosphere ?

    Solution
    The gasses were: Hydrogen and helium.
    Question 6
    CBSEENGE11010266

    What is meant by process of differentiation ?

    Solution

    The process of separation of lighter and denser material is called differentiation.

     
    Question 7
    CBSEENGE11010267

    Describe Nebular hypothesis origin of planets.

    Solution
    Nebular hypothesis:
    (i)The hypothesis considered that the planets were formed out of a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun, which was slowly rotating.
    (ii)Later in 1900, Chamberlain and Moulton considered that a wandering star approached the sun. As a result, a cigar-shaped extension of material was separated from the solar surface.
    (iii)As the passing star moved away, the material separated from the solar surface continued to revolve around the sun and it slowly condensed into planets.
    Question 8
    CBSEENGE11010268

    What is the basic difference in the arguments related to the origin of the earth given by :


    (a) Kant and Laplace


    (b) Chamberlain and Moulton?

    Solution
    The Nebular Hypothesis, as proposed by Immanuel Kant and later revised by Laplace in 1796 considered that the planets were formed out of a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun, which was slowly rotating while, in 1900, Chamberlain and Moulton considered that a wandering star approached the sun.
    As a result, a cigar-shaped material separated from the solar surface. As the passing star moved away, the material separated from the sun, continued to revolve around the sun and it slowly condensed into planets.
    Question 9
    CBSEENGE11010269

    What is Nebula ?

    Solution

    A galaxy starts to form by accumulations of hydrogen gas in the form of a very large cloud called nebula. 

    Question 10
    CBSEENGE11010270

    Define Planetesimals

    Solution
    Planetesimals are just like dust particles which came into being by breaking of tonnes of matter out of the sun caused by a passing star.
    Question 11
    CBSEENGE11010271

    Why do planets differ in size and temperature ?

    Solution
    The planets differ in size and temperature due to their varying distances from the sun.
    Question 12
    CBSEENGE11010272

    Name one galaxy.

    Solution
    Milky Way
    Question 13
    CBSEENGE11010273
    Question 14
    CBSEENGE11010274

    Who was the first to propose the Nebular hypothesis ?

    Solution
    The German philosopher Immanuel Kant.
    Question 15
    CBSEENGE11010275

    When was the earth formed ?

    Solution
    The earth came into existence about 4600 million years ago.
    Question 16
    CBSEENGE11010276

    Discuss the stages considered by the Big Bang Theory in the development of the universe. 

    Solution
    The Big Bang Theory considers the following stages in the development of the universe.
    (i) In the beginning, all matter forming the universe existed in one place in the form of a “tiny ball” (singular atom) with an unimaginably small volume, infinite temperature and infinite density.
    (ii) At the Big Bang the “tiny ball” exploded violently. This led to a huge expansion. It is now generally accepted that the event of big bang took place 13.7 billion years before the present. The expansion continues even to the present day. As it grew, some energy was converted into matter. There was particularly rapid expansion within fractions of a second after the bang. Thereafter, the expansion has slowed down. Within first three minutes from the Big Bang event, the first atom began to form.
    (iii) Within 300,000 years from the Big Bang, temperature dropped to 4,500K and gave rise to atomic matter. The universe became transparent.The product of the moment of inertia and the angular velocity of a rotating body is called its angular momentum.
    Question 17
    CBSEENGE11010277

    How was the solid crust of the earth formed?

    Solution
    The cooling and condensation of the gaseous material of the surface of the earth led to the formation its solid crust.

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    Question 18
    CBSEENGE11010278

    How was the atmosphere formed ?

    Solution
    The higher gaseous material started floating over the crust over the earth forming atmosphere.
    Question 19
    CBSEENGE11010279

    How does the planet earth appears from the space ?

    Solution
    It appears blue from the space.
    Question 20
    CBSEENGE11010280

    Which are the inner planets and why?

    Solution
    Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are called as inner planets as they lie between the sun and the belt of asteroids.
    Question 21
    CBSEENGE11010281

    Which are the Gas Giant planets?

    Solution
    Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are called Gas Giant planets.
    Question 22
    CBSEENGE11010282

    What is degassing ?

    Solution
    The process through which the gases were outpoured from the interior is called degassing.
    Question 23
    CBSEENGE11010283

    What does our solar system consist?

    Solution
    Our solar system consists of the sun (the star), 9 planets, 63 moons, millions of smaller bodies like asteroids and comets and huge quantity of dust-grains and gases.
    Question 24
    CBSEENGE11010284

    What is the centrifugal force ?

    Solution
    A force which pulls a mass away from the centre of a rotating body is called the centrifugal force.
    Question 25
    CBSEENGE11010285

    Define Milky Way.

    Solution
    The galaxy to which our solar system belongs is popularly known as the Milky Way.
    Question 26
    CBSEENGE11010286

    Write an explanatory note on the ‘Big Bang Theory’.

    Solution
    The most popular argument regarding the origin of the universe is the Big Bang Theory. It is also called expanding universe hypothesis.

    The Big Bang Theory considers the following stages in the development of the universe.
    (i) In the beginning, all matter forming the universe existed in one place in the form of a “tiny ball” (singular atom) with an unimaginably small volume, infinite temperature and infinite density. 

    (ii) At the Big Bang the “tiny ball” exploded violently. This led to a huge expansion. It is now generally accepted that the event of big bang took place 13.7 billion years before the present. The expansion continues even to the present day. As it grew, some energy was converted into matter. There was particularly rapid expansion within fractions of a second after the bang. Thereafter, the expansion has slowed down. Within first three minutes from the Big Bang event, the first atom began to form.
    (iii) Within 300,000 years from the Big Bang, temperature dropped to 4,500K and gave rise to atomic matter. The universe became transparent.
    Question 27
    CBSEENGE11010287

    Trace the origin of life on earth.

    Solution
    0rigin of life on earth:
    (i)Modern scientists refer to the origin of life as a kind of chemical reaction, which first generated complex organic molecules and assembled them.

    (ii)This assemblage was such that they could duplicate themselves converting inanimate matter into living substance. The record of life that existed on this planet in different periods is found in rocks in the form of fossils.
    (iii)The microscopic structures closely related to the present form of blue algae have been found in geological formations that are much older than these were some 3,000 million years ago. It can be assumed that life began to evolve sometime 3,800 million years ago.
    Question 28
    CBSEENGE11010288

    List the stages in the evolution of the earth and explain each stage in brief. 

    Solution

    There are three distinct stages in the evolution of the earth :

    Stage I : In this stage planetesimals accretion happened and the earth originated. It was a barren, rocky and hot object-with a thin atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.

    Stage II : Development of Lithosphere :
    (i)The primordial earth was mostly in volatile state. Its density gradually increased, the temperature inside increased. As a result, the material inside started getting separated depending upon their densities.
    (ii)The heavier materials like nickel and iron sank towards the centre of the earth and the lighter ones moved towards the surface. Over a period of time it cooled and solidified and condensed into a smaller size which later led to the formation of crust.
    (iii)There was a giant-impact on the earth during the formation of the moon which heated it up further which lead to differentiated layered structure of the earth. Starting from the surface of the earth to the central part, distinct layers like crust, mantle, outer core and inner core were formed.

    Stage III : Evolution of Atmosphere and Hydrosphere :
    There are three stages in the evolution of the present day atmosphere

    (a) Loss of primordial atmosphere containing a thin layer of hydrogen and helium as a result of stripping off by solar winds.

    (b) The hot interior of the earth : Contributing to the evolution of the earth. The gases were outpoured from the interior of the earth during the cooling of the earth through the process called degassing. This started the evolution of the early atmosphere which largely contained water vapour, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and very little of free oxygen.

    (c) Finally, the composition of the atmosphere was modified by the living world through the process of photosynthesis.

    Formation of Hydrosphere : The continuous volcanic eruptions contributed water vapour and gases to the atmosphere. As the earth cooled, the water vapour released started getting condensed. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere got dissolved in rainwater and the temperature further decreased causing more condensation and more rains. The rainwater falling onto the surface got collected in the depressions to give rise to oceans. Thus earth's oceans (hydrosphere) were formed within 500 million years from the formation of the earth. The process of photosynthesis was initially confined to oceans only and thus oceans started filling up with the oxygen. Eventually, oceans got saturated with oxygen and the oxygen started to flood the atmosphere.

    Question 29
    CBSEENGE11010289
    Question 30
    CBSEENGE11010290
    Question 31
    CBSEENGE11010291
    Question 32
    CBSEENGE11010292

    Our galaxy is :
    • Meteors
    • Milky Way
    • Protostar
    • None

    Solution

    B.

    Milky Way
    Question 35
    CBSEENGE11010295
    Question 39
    CBSEENGE11010632

    What is a light year?

    Solution
    A light year is a measure of distance and not of time and is equal to the distance travelled by light in one year. It is equal to 9.461 x1012km.

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    Question 40
    CBSEENGE11010633
    Question 41
    CBSEENGE11010634

    What is the mean distance of the sun from earth ?

    Solution
    The mean distance of the Earth from the Sun is 149,598,000 km.
    Question 42
    CBSEENGE11010635

    Why do planets differ in size ?

    Solution
    Because sun burned away matter from the inner planets.
    Question 43
    CBSEENGE11010812

    Give the theory of Laplace about the origin of earth.

    Solution
    1. A German philosopher Immanuel Kant put forward an earlier theory of the origin of the earth which was revised by Laplace in 1796.
    2. This theory is known as Nebular Hypothesis.
    3. According to this theory the planets were formed out of a cloud of material associated with a youthful sun. Later in 1900 Chamberlain and Moulton considered that a wondering star approached the sun and as a result a cigar-shaped material was separated from the solar-surface.
    4. The material separated from the sun continued to revolve around the sun and condensed slowly into planets.
    5. Sir James Jeans and Sir Harold Jeffrey supported this argument. In 1950 Otto Schmidt in Russia and Carl Weizascar in Germany revised the Nebular hypothesis.
    Question 44
    CBSEENGE11010813

    Explain the formation of stars.

    Solution
    The formation of stars are explained below:
    (i)The distribution of matter and energy was not even in the early universe. These initial density differences gave rise to differences in gravitational forces and it caused the matter to get drawn together. These formed the bases for development of galaxies. A galaxy contains a large number of stars.

    (ii)Galaxies spread over vast distances that are measured in thousands of light-years. The diameters of individual galaxies range from 80,000-150,000 light years.A galaxy starts to form by accumulation of hydrogen gas in the form of a very large cloud called nebula.
    (iii)Eventually, growing nebula develops localised clumps of gas.These clumps continue to grow into even denser gaseous bodies, giving rise to formation of stars. The formation of stars is believed to have taken place some 5-6 billion years ago.
    Question 45
    CBSEENGE11010814

    Mention the stages involved in the evolution of the present atmosphere.  

    Solution
    The present composition of earth’s atmosphere is chiefly contributed by nitrogen and oxygen.
    There are three stages in the evolution of the present atmosphere.
    (i)The first stage is marked by the loss of primordial atmosphere.
    (ii)In the second stage, the hot interior of the earth contributed to the evolution of the atmosphere.
    (iii)Finally, the composition of the atmosphere was modified by the living world through the process of photosynthesis.
    Question 46
    CBSEENGE11010815

    What do you know about evolution of the earth ? Explain

    Solution
    There are three distinct stages in the evolution of the earth :

    Stage I : In this stage planetesimals accretion happened and the earth originated. It was a barren, rocky and hot object-with a thin atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.

    Stage II : Development of Lithosphere : The primordial earth was mostly in volatile state. Its density gradually increased, the temperature inside increased. As a result, the material inside started getting separated depending upon their densities. The heavier materials like nickel and iron sank towards the centre of the earth and the lighter ones moved towards the surface. Over a period of time it cooled and solidified and condensed into a smaller size which later led to the formation of crust. There was a giant-impact on the earth during the formation of the moon which heated it up further which lead to differentiated layered structure of the earth. Starting from the surface of the earth to the central part, distinct layers like crust, mantle, outer core and inner core were formed.

    Stage III : Evolution of Atmosphere and Hydrosphere : There are three stages in the evolution of the present day atmosphere

    (a) Loss of primordial atmosphere containing a thin layer of hydrogen and helium as a result of stripping off by solar winds.

    (b) The hol interior of the earth : Contributing to the evolution of the earth. The gases were outpoured from the interior of the earth-during the cooling of the earth through the process called degassing. This started the evolution of the early atmosphere which largely contained water vapour, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and very little of free oxygen.

    (c) Finally the composition of the atmosphere was modified by the living world through the process of photosynthesis.

    Formation of Hydrosphere : The continuous volcanic eruptions contributed water vapour and gases to the atmosphere. As the earth cooled, the water vapour released started getting condensed. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere got dissolved in rainwater and the temperature further decreased causing more condensation and more rains. The rainwater falling onto the surface got collected in the depressions to give rise to oceans. Thus earth's oceans (hydrosphere) were formed within 500 million years from the formation of the earth. The process of photosynthesis was initially confined to oceans only and thus oceans started filling up with the oxygen. Eventually oceans got saturated with oxygen and the oxygen started to flood the atmosphere.

    Question 47
    CBSEENGE11010816

    Describe the development of different layers in the earth.

    Solution
    The development: 
    (i)The earth was mostly in a volatile state during its primordial stage. Due to gradual increase in density the temperature inside has increased. As a result the material inside started getting separated depending on their densities.
    (ii)This allowed heavier materials to sink towards the centre of the earth and the lighter ones to move towards the surface.
    (iii)With passage of time it cooled further and solidified and condensed into a smaller size. This later led to the development of the outer surface in the form of a crust.
    (iv)During the formation of the moon, due to the giant impact, the earth was further heated up.
    (v)It is through the process of differentiation that the earth forming material got separated into different layers.

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