Environment

Environment means everything around us: places, people, things and nature. It is our basic life support system. The environment has natural components, which are land and water bodies, air, and living things, and human-made components such as buildings, parks, roads, bridges, industries and monuments. The human environment includes individuals, families, communities and their religious, educational and economic activities. The natural environment is made of four domains: the lithosphere (the solid crust of rocks and soil), the hydrosphere (water bodies), the atmosphere (the blanket of air) and the biosphere, the narrow zone where land, water and air meet to support life. All plants, animals and their surroundings are linked to one another in an ecosystem, such as a pond, a forest or a grassland. Early humans adapted to nature, but with new skills they began to modify their surroundings by building houses, farms, roads and cities. Changes made to fulfil growing wants have disturbed the balance of nature, causing pollution and loss of forests. World Environment Day, 5 June, reminds us to live in harmony with nature.

Detailed Worksheet: Environment Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is environment? Why is it called a life support system? (2 marks) 2. Name the four domains of the natural environment. (2 marks) 3. What is the biosphere? (2 marks) 4. What is an ecosystem? Give two examples. (2 marks) 5. Define human-made environment with two examples. (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Classify into natural, human-made and human environment: river, school, family, mountain, flyover, community, forest, park, religion. (3 marks) 7. About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water and 29 percent is land. If the total surface area is about 510 million square km, find the area of water and land. (3 marks) 8. Give one example each of how humans depend on the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. (3 marks) 9. India's forest cover was about 21.7 percent of its area in 2021. If India's area is about 32.9 lakh square km, find the approximate forest area. Why is forest cover important? (3 marks) 10. Arrange in the order of human interaction with the environment: building cities, hunting and gathering, farming and settling, industrial development. Explain one change at each stage. (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a flowchart showing the components of the environment: natural, human-made and human, with sub-components of each. (4 marks) 12. Draw a labelled diagram showing the interaction between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. (3 marks) 13. Draw a labelled sketch of a pond ecosystem showing at least four living and two non-living components. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. A town grew rapidly; trees were cut, lakes were filled to build houses, and traffic increased. (i) Which components of the environment were affected? (ii) What problems may follow? (iii) How did human-made environment replace natural environment? (iv) Suggest two ways to balance development and nature. (v) What is sustainable development? (5 marks) 15. Early humans lived in caves and used stone tools. (i) How did they adapt to nature? (ii) How did farming change their relationship with the environment? (iii) What changes did the Industrial Revolution bring? (iv) Why must we now protect the environment? (5 marks) 16. Plastic waste is found from mountain tops to the deepest oceans. (i) Which domains does plastic pollute? (ii) How does it harm the biosphere? (iii) Suggest three actions students can take. (iv) Why is World Environment Day celebrated? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Give examples from your own surroundings wherever possible.