Extra 30 short-answer questions (2-3 marks each) from Chapter: Minerals and Energy Resources of Class 10 CBSE Geography:
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Minerals and Energy Resources – Short Answer Questions (2-3 Marks Each)
1. Minerals
1. What are minerals?
Answer: Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic substances with a definite chemical composition found in the earth’s crust. They can be metallic or non-metallic.
2. What are the different types of minerals?
Answer: Minerals are classified as:
Metallic minerals (e.g., iron, copper, bauxite)
Non-metallic minerals (e.g., mica, limestone, gypsum)
Energy minerals (e.g., coal, petroleum, uranium)
3. What is the importance of minerals in human life?
Answer: Minerals are essential for industrial development, making infrastructure, transportation, and manufacturing of goods. They are also used in the production of energy.
4. What is an ore? Give an example.
Answer: An ore is a naturally occurring rock or mineral from which a metal can be profitably extracted.
Example: Bauxite is the ore of aluminium.
5. Why is conservation of minerals important?
Answer: Minerals are exhaustible and take millions of years to form. Conservation is essential to ensure their availability for future generations through sustainable use, recycling, and substitution.
6. What are the major iron ore belts in India?
Answer: The major iron ore belts are:
Odisha-Jharkhand Belt
Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur Belt (Chhattisgarh & Maharashtra)
Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmagalur-Tumkur Belt (Karnataka)
Maharashtra-Goa Belt
7. Name two non-metallic minerals and their uses.
Answer:
Mica – Used in electrical and electronic industries.
Limestone – Used in cement and steel industries.
8. Which state is the largest producer of bauxite in India?
Answer: Odisha is the largest producer of bauxite in India.
9. Why is copper an important mineral?
Answer: Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, resistant to corrosion, and used in electrical wiring, construction, and machinery.
10. What are the different types of coal?
Answer: The types of coal are:
Anthracite (highest carbon content, best quality)
Bituminous (widely used for industrial purposes)
Lignite (low-quality, used for power generation)
Peat (least carbon, not useful as fuel)
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2. Energy Resources
11. What is the difference between conventional and non-conventional sources of energy?
Answer:
Conventional energy – Fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas) and hydropower; limited and polluting.
Non-conventional energy – Solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, and nuclear energy; renewable and eco-friendly.
12. Which state is the largest producer of coal in India?
Answer: Jharkhand is the largest producer of coal in India.
13. Why is petroleum called ‘liquid gold’?
Answer: Petroleum is valuable due to its multiple uses in fuel (petrol, diesel), lubricants, and as a raw material in industries like plastics, chemicals, and cosmetics.
14. What are the advantages of natural gas?
Answer:
Burns cleanly with less pollution.
Cheaper and more efficient than coal and petroleum.
Easily transported through pipelines.
15. Name two states that produce petroleum in India.
Answer: Assam and Gujarat are major petroleum-producing states.
16. What are the benefits of solar energy?
Answer:
It is renewable and non-polluting.
Reduces dependency on fossil fuels.
Works even in remote areas where grid electricity is unavailable.
17. Why is nuclear energy considered a better alternative to fossil fuels?
Answer: Nuclear energy produces large amounts of power with minimal fuel usage, does not emit greenhouse gases, and is more efficient than coal or petroleum.
18. What are the advantages of wind energy?
Answer:
It is renewable and eco-friendly.
No air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.
Low operating costs after initial installation.
19. Which state in India is the largest producer of wind energy?
Answer: Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of wind energy in India.
20. Why is hydropower considered a renewable source of energy?
Answer: Hydropower is generated from the movement of water, which is continuously replenished by rainfall and natural water cycles, making it sustainable.
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3. Mining and Conservation
21. What are the environmental impacts of mining?
Answer:
Deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
Soil erosion and land degradation.
Air and water pollution from mining waste.
22. What are the methods of mining?
Answer:
Open-cast mining (surface mining, large-scale extraction).
Underground mining (deep mining, used for minerals found at great depths).
23. What is quarrying?
Answer: Quarrying is an open-pit mining process used to extract building materials like limestone, sand, and granite.
24. How can we conserve minerals?
Answer:
Reduce wastage in mining and industries.
Use alternative and recyclable materials.
Develop new technology for efficient mineral use.
25. What is the role of the National Mineral Policy?
Answer: The National Mineral Policy promotes sustainable and eco-friendly mining practices, ensures scientific exploration, and regulates mineral conservation in India.
26. Why should we use renewable energy resources?
Answer:
They are sustainable and do not deplete over time.
Reduce environmental pollution and global warming.
Decrease dependence on fossil fuels.
27. What is biogas and how is it produced?
Answer: Biogas is a renewable fuel produced from the decomposition of organic waste (cow dung, plant material, sewage) in anaerobic conditions.
28. Why is tidal energy not widely used in India?
Answer:
High installation and maintenance costs.
Limited suitable coastal areas for tidal power plants.
Dependency on natural tidal cycles.
29. Which is the largest nuclear power plant in India?
Answer: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (Tamil Nadu).
30. What is the future potential of geothermal energy in India?
Answer: India has geothermal potential in regions like Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, but it is underdeveloped due to high costs and lack of technology.
