NIOS Class 12 Environmental Science Chapter 8 Human Societies

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NIOS Class 12 Environmental Science Chapter 8 Human Societies

Also, you can read the NIOS book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of NIOS All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NIOS Class 12 Environmental Science Chapter 8 Human Societies Solutions, NIOS Senior Secondary Course Environmental Science Solutions for All Chapter, You can practice these here.

Human Societies

Chapter: 8

Module 3: Human Impact On Environment

Textual Question Answer

INTEXT QUESTIONS 8.1

1. Why did primitive humans decide to lead a settled life? 

Ans: It gave them protection from dangers of hunting gathering life/security.

2. Mention the basis on which settlements may be termed: 

(i) temporary and permanent _______________.

Ans: Duration of settlement.

(ii) rural and urban _________________.

Ans: Size.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 8.2

1. Define urban settlements.

Ans: Living in cities and towns.

2. State any three factors which compel village youth to migrate to cities and towns.

Ans: Poverty/illiteracy/job opportunity.

3. List any three typical features of urban settlements.

Ans: Social heterogeneity/ lack of social control/voluntary associations.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 8.3

1. What is a rural settlement? 

Ans: Living in villages.

2. Why are villages suffering from poverty? 

Ans: Illiteracy/lack of job opportunities/agriculture only vocation/ superstition/ bonded labour.

3. Why are rural-folk more homogeneous socially? 

Ans: Bound together by language/ caste system/same vocation/ similar lifestyle/ any other.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 8.4

1. What is intensive agriculture? 

Ans: Growing more crops on a small piece of land.

2. State two major problems emerging from use of modern technology in farming.

Ans: Depletion of natural resources/waste generation/ adverse effect of use of chemical fertilizers/chemical pesticides use.

3. What are slums? 

Ans: Clusters of huts or houses in parts of cities.

TERMINAL EXERCISE

1. What are the types of human settlements?

Ans: The human settlements classified based on their size and function are –

(i) Rural settlements: human settlements in village areas are called rural settlements.

(ii) Urban settlements: human settlements in cities or towns are called urban settlements.

2. List the reasons for which humans move from villages to cities.

Ans: The factors that attract villagers to cities are as follows:

(i) Employment.

(ii) Better and more opportunities. 

(iii) Better social amenities.

(iv) Better lifestyle. 

(v) Continuous trade and economic expansion. 

(vi) Territorial expansion. 

The factors that force villagers to move to cities are as follows:

(i) Overpopulation (often one or more members move out of large families and then invite others to come to cities).

(ii) Religious/political persecution.

(iii) Slavery/bonded labor.

(iv) Lack of food.

(v) Racial discrimination.

(vi) Natural hazards and climate change.

(vii) Fragmentation of family-owned land.

3. State the differences between rural and urban settlements.

Ans: 

Rural Settlements	Urban Settlements
Nature is predominant, and people are directly related to nature.	The human-made environment is predominant, and people are isolated from nature.
Most of the people depend on agriculture. Only a few people are engaged in non agricultural activities.	Most of the people are engaged in non-agricultural activities like industries, trade, administration, etc.
The size of the community is small.	The size of the community is large.
Population density is less.	Population density is more.
The caste system is present.	The caste system is not present.
Social differences and stratification is much less due to similar vocation.	Differentiation is pronounced due to work-related differences in earnings. Different strata of urban society noticeable.
In racial, cultural, and psychological traits much homogeneity noticeable.	Much heterogeneity in the same country and at the same time.
Social mobility is low. The migration of the population towards cities is mainly due to poverty.	Social mobility is based on achievement. Migration towards villages low.
Social interactions are based on primary contacts. They are more durable and sincere relationships due to simplicity.	Numerous contacts and wide interactions. Casual, short-lived relations-formal and mostly superficial.

4. What are the facilities that rural youth come across when they migrate to urban areas?

Ans: The facilities which urban areas provide to the migrating youth are as follows:

(i) Diagnostic clinics.

(ii) legal services.

(iii) banks.

(iv) markets.

(v) malls.

(vi) departmental stores.

(vii) hotels.

(viii) guest houses.

5. Mention the difficulties faced by villagers who migrate to cities.

Ans: When villagers move to cities, they come across many problems. 

They are:

(i) Lack of greenery and open spaces. 

(ii) Poor air quality: Villages are largely pollution-free, while in urban areas, the air is polluted due to industries, automobiles, thermal power plants, etc.

(iii) Scarcity of water and acute shortage lead to the growth of cheap lead to slums.

(iv) Lack of sanitation and hygiene. 

(v) Overcrowding also causes several social problems.

6. In what ways has the environment been degraded due to modern technology used in agriculture?

Ans: Modern technology was introduced to enhance productivity to meet the food requirements of the people. The intensive agriculture using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, deforestation, use of modern machinery, etc., has ruined the environment too. 

The harmful effects of the use of modern technology in agriculture were as follows:

(i) Eutrophication and algal blooms were caused by the chemicals present in the runoff water from the fields. Eutrophication kills aquatic life, including fish, which are an important source of food for villages.

(ii) Excessive irrigation leads to waterlogging and salinization of soil (excessive accumulation of salt content in the soil, which adversely affects fertility). 

(iii) Excessive irrigation of water from wells depleted groundwater caused water scarcity.

(iv) Pollution of water bodies likes lakes, ponds, etc., has decreased water quality in many areas resulting in a shortage of safe drinking water.

(v) Soil erosion was caused by the use of modern agricultural implements.

(vi) Siltation of rivers and lakes caused by soil erosion reduced their water holding capacity and led to flooding.

(vii) Continuous cropping on the same land to increase food production gave no time for the soil to revive through the natural processes. Thus soil loses its fertility.

(viii) Cultivation of mountain slopes also causes soil erosion.

7. Justify the following statement: “Urbanization has led to increased resource consumption and waste generations”.

Ans: Resource consumption is proportional to waste generation in urban areas. The resource is exploited to a greater extent to fulfill the growing population’s need, and an equal amount of waste is generated, which is not disposed of properly. 

As more people come to urban areas, resource consumption and waste generation increases. Land, food, and water are required in larger quantities to satisfy the growing population. Construction of concrete buildings and excessive withdrawal of groundwater leads to groundwater depletion.

Urbanization and industrialization produce large quantities of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. Biodegradable wastes may be used for biogas production and can meet the energy requirements. The non-biodegradable waste is dumped in land-fills resulting in soil pollution. Sewage from the domestic sector and industrial effluents are usually discharged without any treatment causing pollution of rivers and lakes.

8. Write a short article on ‘slums’.

Ans: Slums are a common feature of cities in developing countries. Slums are self-constructed shelters from scrap materials like plastic, wooden planks, bamboos, jute, straw, plywood, bricks, mud, etc. These are the clusters of huts or homes in parts of cities built back to back and edge to edge by the landless people who migrate to cities from villages searching for better living conditions. They often lack inadequate sunlight or fresh air due to poor ventilation. Usually, they are one-room shelters occupied by several people. The absence of safe disposal of garbage and solid waste, lack of piped water supply and drainages, and electricity are great problems in the slum. Slums suffer from fire hazards, particularly during summer due to short circuits and carelessness of residents.

9. How has land use undergone changes with progressive urbanization.

Ans: The major land-use change was in the leveling of wetlands and agricultural fields to construct large buildings. As the urban population started to grow rapidly, the requirements for housing, roads, industries, and dams also increased. This led to the encroachment on agricultural fields and forests. Concrete buildings began to be constructed on agricultural fields, grazing land, and deforested areas. Land use changed irreversibly with progressive urbanization. In most developing nations, multi-storied flats are surrounded by squatters and neighborhood slums, attracting new migrants to cities.

10. Write an essay on ‘problems of urban living’.

Ans: Environmental pollution that indirectly affects human living is the major problem of urbanization. Industrialization led to urbanization. The need for houses, roads, Industries, and dams to fulfill urban people’s requirements has led to the conquering of agricultural fields and forests, Deforestation and wetland reformation have paved the way for environmental pollution to a greater extent. Inadequate living space, lack of potable water and light, unhygienic conditions from inadequate sanitation, and safe waste disposal are the major problems in urban areas.

As people start occupying cities and towns, natural resources are greatly exploited. Most of the land area is used to construct large buildings, schools, hospitals, flats, etc. Water is scarce due to the depletion of groundwater. Depletion of groundwater is due to the continuous withdrawal of water to meet human needs and the lack of infiltration of surface water into soil by concrete.

Urbanization and industrialization produce large quantities of waste, both biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Biodegradable waste can be used for biogas production, and non-biodegradable wastes are dumped in landfills. Sewage from the domestic sector and industrial effluents are usually discharged without any treatment causing pollution of rivers and lakes.

Air pollution is caused by smoke from vehicles and industries produced by the burning of fossil fuels.

Slums are a common feature of cities in developing countries. They are self-constructed shelters from scrap materials like plastic, wooden planks, bamboos, jute, straw, plywood, bricks, mud, etc. These areas are compact and unhygienic.