Oceans and Continents Class 6 Question Answer Social Science Chapter 2
NCERT Class 6 Social Science SST Chapter 2 Oceans and Continents Questions and Answers Solutions
Oceans and Continents Class 6 Questions and Answers (In-Text)
The Big Questions (Page-27)
Question 1.
What are oceans and continents? What are their names and their distribution?
Answer:
The largest water bodies on the globe are called ‘oceans’.
The Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean are the five main oceans.
Pacific Ocean: The world’s largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean. It covers one-third of the planet. The Mariana Trench, located beneath the Pacific Ocean, is the lowest point on Earth. The shape of the Pacific Ocean is round. This ocean is surrounded by North America, South America, Australia and Asia.
Atlantic Ocean: The world’s second-largest ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, is bordered by North and South America to the west, and Europe and Africa to the east, forming an ‘S’ shape.
Indian Ocean: Only one other ocean bears the name of a nation, India. The ocean is nearly trapezoidal in shape. Its borders are as follows: Australia to the east, Africa to the west, and Asia to the north.
Southern Ocean: Also referred to as the Antarctic Ocean, the southernmost waters of the world ocean surround Antarctica from the south.
The Arctic Ocean: Encircling the North Pole, the Arctic Ocean is situated inside the Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait, a slender, shallow waterway, separates it from the Pacific Ocean. The northern shores of Eurasia and North America encircle it.
Continents: The large continuous masses of land above the earth’s surface are called continents.
Asia is the largest continent. The combined landmass of Europe and Asia is called the Eurasia.
Europe is much smaller than Asia. Africa is the second largest continent. It is the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass. The world’s largest hot desert is the Sahara Desert. The world’s longest river is the Nile.
North America is the third largest continent of the world. South America and North America are linked by a very narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama.
The world’s longest mountain range is the Andes. The Amazon is the world’s largest river.
Australia is the smallest continent. It is also called an island continent.
Antarctica is permanently covered with thick ice sheets. India has research station named as Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica.
Question 2.
In what ways do oceans and continents impact life on Earth, including human life?
Answer:
Both oceans and continents play a vital role in shaping the climate of the Earth. They affect all aspects of life, including all plants and animals, and therefore, human life too. We see their impact throughout our history and culture, and in our daily lives. These are the storehouse of many chemicals. It allows trade and promote tourism activity.
Page 29.
Let’s Explore
Question 3.
What are the circular lines in each map called? And do you know what the lines radiating out of the two poles are called?
Answer:
The circular lines in each map are called Latitudes. The lines radiating out of the two poles are called meridians of longitudes.
Question 4.
Which hemisphere holds more water?
Answer:
The Southern Hemisphere has more water than the Northern Hemisphere.
Question 5.
What do you think could be the approximate proportion of water to land in the Northern Hemisphere? And in the Southern Hemisphere? Discuss in groups.
Answer:
The Northern Hemisphere surface is about 40% landmass and is covered by 60% of water. The Southern Hemisphere surface is about 20% landmass and is covered by 80% of water.
Question 6.
Are all the oceans connected with one another, or are there separations between them?
Answer:
Yes, the Earth’s oceans are connected to each other.
Page-31
Think About It
Question 7.
If there is such abundance of water on the planet, why is there so much talk of ‘water scarcity’ or a ‘water crisis’?
Answer:
The oceans together hold most of the water available on the planet. But this seawater is salty and unfit for consumption by most land animals, including humans. On the other hand, freshwater makes up a very small proportion of the planet’s water resources; it is found in glaciers, rivers, lakes, in the atmosphere and also underground.
Question 8.
What ways of saving water are you aware of? Which have you seen practised at home, at your school and in your village, town or city?
Answer:
Ways of saving water:
- Turn off water tap while brushing your teeth, shaving, etc.
- Check faucets and pipes for leaks.
- Use bucket instead of shower.
- Rain water harvesting can be done.
- Not to leave a tap open after use.
Page 32.
Let’s Explore
Question 9.
Locate the five oceans, and in the table below, mark the hemisphere or hemispheres they belong to.
| Northern Hemisphere |
Southern Hemisphere |
|
| Pacific Ocean | Yes | Yes |
| Atlantic Ocean | Yes | Yes |
| Indian Ocean | No | Yes |
| Southern Ocean | No | Yes |
| Arctic Ocean | Yes | No |
Page 36.
Let’s Explore
Question 10.
Counting the numbers of squares, name the largest continent and the smallest.
Answer:
Asia is the largest continent.
Australia is the smallest continent.
Question 11.
Which one is larger – North America or South America? Africa or North America? Antarctica or Australia?
Answer:
North America is larger than South America.
Africa is larger than North America.
Antarctica is larger than Australia.
Question 12.
Re-colour the diagram by having a single colour for Europe and Asia and rename the result as ‘Eurasia’. Compare its size with South America’s
Answer:
Eurasia ( 54 squares) is three times the size of South America (18 squares).
Question 13.
Write down the list of continents from the smallest to the largest.
Answer:
Australia, Europe, Antarctica, South America, North America, Africa, Asia.
Class 6 SST Oceans and Continents Question Answer (Exercise)
Question 1.
Explain the following terms:
Answer:
(a) Continent: The large continuous masses of land above the earth’s surface are called continents. The major continents of the Earth are-Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica
(b) Ocean: Oceans are the major part of hydrosphere. The ocean water is always moving. The three movements of ocean water are waves, tides and ocean currents. The four major oceans are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Arctic Ocean
(c) Island: Some smaller pieces of land are left out surrounded by water on all sides, they are called islands. India has more than 1,300 small islands. Those include two major groups – Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.
Question 2.
Let us draw-without looking at the maps in this chapter, draw the continents free hand on a sheet of paper and colour them. Then compare your drawing with the map of oceans and continents in the chapter.
Answer:
(As Exploration Activity for Student)
Question 3.
Let us do-on the outline map of the world given below, label all the continents and oceans.
Answer:
Question 4.
CROSSWORD
Across
1. Abundantly produced by the oceans.
3. A large expanse of landmass.
6. A large continent of which India is a part.
8. A major source of pollution of the oceans.
10. The coldest continent. Down
2. The largest island on Earth.
4. A huge destructive wave from the ocean.
5. The smallest continent.
7. The largest body of water on the Earth.
9. A landmass (but not a continent) surrounded by the sea or ocean.
Answer:
ACROSS:
1. Oxygen
3. Continent
6. Eurasia
8. Plastic
10. Antarctica
DOWN:
2. Greenland
4. Tsunami
5. Australia
7. Pacific
9. Island