Resources

This first chapter of the Class 8 Geography book explains what makes something a resource. Anything that can be used to satisfy a need is a resource, provided it has utility or usability, and many resources also have economic value. You will learn that time and technology turn substances into resources: water became a resource for generating electricity only after people learnt to build dams and turbines. You will classify resources into natural, human-made and human resources. Natural resources are further grouped as renewable or non-renewable, ubiquitous or localised, and actual or potential, such as the uranium found in Ladakh, which is a potential resource until it is used. You will see that people themselves are the most important resource, because their knowledge and skills create other resources, and that improving these skills is called human resource development. The chapter introduces resource conservation and sustainable development, which means using resources carefully so that future generations can also meet their needs, and the principles every person can follow to live sustainably.

Detailed Worksheet: Resources Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is a resource? What are utility and value? (2 marks) 2. Distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources with one example each. (2 marks) 3. What are ubiquitous and localised resources? Give one example of each. (2 marks) 4. What are actual and potential resources? Give one example of each. (2 marks) 5. What is sustainable development? What is human resource development? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Classify each as natural, human-made or human resource: a river, a bridge, a skilled doctor, coal, a machine, a teacher, sunlight, a road, a forest. (3 marks) 7. Classify each as renewable or non-renewable, and ubiquitous or localised: air, coal, sunlight, copper ore, petroleum, water. (3 marks) 8. A country has proved petroleum reserves of 600 million tonnes and uses 30 million tonnes a year. How many years will its reserves last? If it reduces use by one-third through conservation, how long will they last? (3 marks) 9. A school uses 12,000 litres of water a day. After fixing leaks and installing rainwater harvesting, it saves 25%. How much water does it now use per day? How much does it save in a 25-day month? (3 marks) 10. A town has 50,000 people. In 2015, 60% of adults had a skill training certificate; after a programme, the figure rose to 80%. If 30,000 of the people are adults, how many more adults became skilled? What is this process called? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a flowchart showing the classification of resources into natural, human-made and human resources, with the sub-types of natural resources and one example each. (4 marks) 12. Draw a chart showing how time and technology change a substance into a resource, using the examples of water and petroleum. (3 marks) 13. Draw a poster or diagram showing three principles of sustainable development with a sketch for each. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Explain why people are considered the most important resource. How do education and health help people become a better resource? (5 marks) 15. Why is it necessary to conserve resources? Suggest five ways in which you can help conserve resources at home and at school. (5 marks) 16. A forest near a village is being cut down for timber and farming. Explain how this is not sustainable and suggest a plan that balances the needs of the villagers and the forest. (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Give examples from your surroundings wherever possible.