Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Life in the Deserts Extra Questions and Answers

Class 7 Geography Chapter 9 Life in the Deserts extra questions and answers available here. Solving class 7 extra questions help students to revise the Chapter most competently. We prepared these questions as per the latest NCERT book and CBSE syllabus. Practicing these extra questions before the exam will ensure excellent marks in the exam.

Life in the Deserts Class 7 Geography Extra Questions and Answers

Very Short Extra Questions and Answers

1: Name the world’s largest desert.

Answer: Sahara

2: Name the capital of Laddakh.

Answer: Leh

3. Sahara is what type of desert?

Answer: Sahara is a hot desert.

4. Ladakh is what type of desert?

Answer: Ladakh is a cold desert.

5. In which continent is the Sahara desert located?

Answer: Sahara desert located is located in Africa.

6. Which is the capital of Ladakh?

Answer: Leh is the capital of Ladakh.

7. When depressions are formed?

Answer: Depressions are formed when the wind blows away the sands.

8. Which is the world’s largest desert?

Answer: Sahara desert is the world’s largest desert.

9. What is the other name of Ladakh? What is its meaning?

Answer: Ladakh is also known as Khapa-chan which means snow land.

10. Name the two nomadic tribes living in the Sahara desert?

Answer: Bedouins and Tuaregs are the two tribes that live in Sahara desert.

11. Name the most important river that flow through Ladakh.

Answer: Indus is the most important river that flow through Ladakh.

12. What type of clothes the people of the Sahara desert wear?

Answer: They wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.

13. Why people of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes?

Answer: They wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.

14. What are the two types of deserts found in the world?

Answer: The two types of deserts found in the world are hot deserts and cold deserts.

15. Write the names of some famous monasteries of Ladakh.

Answer: Some famous monasteries of Ladakh are Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru.

16. How is Leh connected to Kashmir?

Answer: The National Highway 1A connects Leh to Kashmir Valley through the Zoji la Pass.

17. What is Tafilalet?

Answer: Tafilalet is a large Oasis in Morocco with an area of about 13,000 sq.km.

18. What type of place is Drass?

Answer: Drass is one of the coldest inhabited places on earth and is located in Ladakh.

19. Where an oasis is formed?

Answer: In the depressions where underground water reaches the surface, an oasis is formed.

20. Name the animals reared by nomadic tribes of Sahara desert?

Answer: Animals reared by nomadic tribes of Sahara desert are goats, sheep, camels and horses.

Short Extra Questions and Answers

1. What is a Desert?

Answer: It is an arid region characterised by extremely high or low temperatures and has scarce vegetation.

2. What are the four passes that Manali – Leh highway crosses?

Answer: Manali – Leh highway crosses four passes, Rohtang la, Baralacha la Lungalacha la and Tanglang la.

3. What are the main characteristics of the desert areas?

Answer: These areas are characterised by low rainfall, scanty vegetation and extreme temperatures.

4. Which are the two words that make the word Ladakh?

Answer: Ladakh is made up of two words – “La” meaning ‘mountain pass’ and “Dak” meaning ‘country’.

5. Which place recorded the highest temperature of 57.7°C in 1922?

Answer: Al Azizia in the Sahara desert, south of Tripoli, Libya recorded the highest temperature of 57.7°C in 1922.

6. Why does Ladakh desert get very little rainfall?

Answer: As the Ladakh desert lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, there is little rainfall, as low as 10 cm every year.

7. Name the trees that grow in Ladakh.

Answer: There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs, groves of willows and fruit trees such as apples, apricots and walnuts grow in Ladakh.

8. Name the countries that touch the Sahara desert.

Answer: The Sahara desert touches eleven countries. These are Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara.

9. Why oasis in the Sahara has settled population?

Answer: Oasis in the Sahara has settled population because these areas are fertile and people may settle around these water bodies and grow date palms and other crops.

10. Name some common birds of Ladakh.

Answer: Several species of birds are sighted in Ladakh. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common. Some of these are migratory birds.

11. Why do people hunt Chiru or the Tibetan antelope?

Answer: The Chiru or the Tibetan antelope is an endangered species. It is hunted for its wool known as shahtoosh, which is light in weight and extremely warm.

12. Where is Ladakh desert located?

Answer: Ladakh is a cold desert lying in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir. The Karakoram Range in the north and the Zanskar mountains in the south enclose it.

13. Why there is scanty vegetation in the deserts?

Answer: There is scanty vegetation in the deserts because

  • Climate of deserts is extremely hot and dry or cold and dry.
  • There is short rainy season or little rainfall, as low as 10 cm every year.

Long Extra Questions and Answers

1. Why do nomadic tribes of Sahara desert rear livestock?

Answer: Nomadic tribes of Sahara desert rear livestock because these animals provide them with milk, hides from which they make leather for belts, slippers, water bottles; hair is used for mats, carpets, clothes and blankets.

2. What are the climatic conditions of the Sahara desert?

Answer: The climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and parch dry. It has a short rainy season. The temperatures during the day may soar as high as 50°C and the nights may be freezing cold with temperatures nearing zero degrees.

3. How did the Sahara become a desert?

Answer: Sahara once used to be a lush green plain. Cave paintings in Sahara desert show that there used to be rivers with crocodiles. Elephants, lions, giraffes, ostriches, sheep, cattle and goats were common animals. But the change in climate has changed it to a very hot and dry region.

4. Write a short note on flora and fauna of Sahara desert.

Answer: Vegetation in the Sahara desert includes cactus, date palms and acacia. In some places there are oasis – green islands with date palms surrounding them. Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, many varieties of snakes and lizards are the prominent animal species living there.

5. What mainly attracts tourists to Ladakh?

Answer:  Tourism is a major activity with several tourists streaming in from within India and abroad. Visits to the gompas, treks to see the meadows and glaciers, witnessing ceremonies and festivities are important activities. Some famous monasteries such as Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru also attract the tourists.

6. What are the summer and winter activities of the people of Ladakh?

Answer: In the summer season the people are busy cultivating barley, potatoes, peas, beans and turnip. The climate in winter months is so harsh that people keep themselves engaged in festivities and ceremonies. The women are very hard working. They work not only in the house and fields, but also manage small business and shops.

7. Write a short note on flora and fauna of Ladakh desert.

Answer: (i) Due to high aridity, the vegetation is sparse. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. Groves of willows and poplars are seen in the valleys.

(ii) During the summers, fruit trees such as apples, apricots and walnuts bloom. Several species of birds are sighted in Ladakh. Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common.

(iii) The animals of Ladakh are wild goats, wild sheep, yak and special kinds of dogs.

8. What are the climatic conditions of the Ladakh desert?

Answer: (i) The altitude in Ladakh varies from about 3000m in Kargil to more than 8,000m in the Karakoram. 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.

(ii) The day temperatures in summer are just above zero degree 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.

(iii) As it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, there is little rainfall, as low as 10 cm every year. The area experiences freezing winds and burning hot sunlight.

9. Write about the people of Sahara desert?

Answer: (i) The Sahara desert despite its harsh climate has been inhabited by various groups of people, who pursue different activities.

(ii) Among them are the Bedouins and Tuaregs. These groups are nomadic tribes rearing livestock such as goats, sheep, camels and horses. They wear heavy robes as protection against dust storms and hot winds.

(iii) The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt supports settled population. Since water is available, the people grow date palms. Crops such as rice, wheat, barley and beans are also grown. Egyptian cotton, famous worldwide is grown in Egypt.

(iv) The cultural landscape of the Sahara is undergoing change. Tuaregs are seen acting as guides to foreign tourists. More and more nomadic herdsmen are taking to city life finding jobs in oil and gas operations.