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Class 7 Social Science: Geographical Diversity of India, 8 practice questions with answers

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These are 8 practice questions on the first chapter of the new NCERT Class 7 Social Science textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Part 1, called Geographical Diversity of India. Each has a short answer and the textbook page it comes from. They cover the Indian Subcontinent, how ocean-floor rock ended up in the Himalayas, the three Himalayan ranges, the cold desert, the Aravallis, the Western and Eastern Ghats, what the plateau's rivers and waterfalls provide, and the island groups. For India's natural resources, see our Class 6 Nature's Treasures guide. Try each question before you read the answer.

These questions are our own, drafted with AI help. Every fact was checked against the page it cites, and no question retells one of the chapter's activities, boxes or exercises; no practising teacher has reviewed them yet. If you find a mistake, please tell us.

What the chapter says you need

Facts from the NCERT textbook (Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Part 1 for Grade 7, Chapter 1, printed pages 1 to 26):

The north

Question 1. (a) Which countries, together with India, make up the Indian Subcontinent? (b) Why is it called a "subcontinent"?

Answer: (a) Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; (b) because it is a part of the continent of Asia. (a) The Indian Subcontinent is India together with six neighbours: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (b) The region is only a part of the larger continent of Asia, which is why it is called a subcontinent. (Page 2.)

Question 2. Rocks high up in the mountains of Ladakh are made largely of sand and clay, the kind of material that settles at the bottom of an ocean. (a) Using the chapter's picture of a carpet being pushed, explain how ocean-floor material could end up in the mountains. (b) Has this mountain-building stopped, according to the chapter?

Answer: (a) when India pushed into Eurasia, the land between them, including part of an ocean, crumpled and was lifted up into folds; (b) no, India is still pushing and the Himalayas are still rising very slowly. (a) After breaking away from Gondwana, India moved north and collided with Eurasia. As it kept pushing, the land between the two crumpled and rose up, just as a carpet wrinkles into folds when you push one end of it. Part of that squeezed land had been an ocean, so its sand and clay were folded upwards with it, and that is why the rocks of the area are made largely of sand and clay. (b) No. The chapter says the Indian landmass still presses against Asia, by about five centimetres a year, so the Himalayas are still growing a tiny bit taller every year. (How the Himalayas were formed, page 5; the cold desert of Ladakh, pages 8 and 9.)

Question 3. Name the part of the Himalayas described in each case. (a) The outermost, lowest range of rolling, forested hills, between the high mountains and the plains. (b) The highest, most rugged part, snow-covered all year, with few settlements. (c) The middle range with a milder climate, rich plant and animal life, and many towns.

Answer: (a) the Shivalik Hills (Outer Himalayas); (b) the Himadri (Greater Himalayas); (c) the Himachal (Lower Himalayas). The Himadri are the highest range, home to peaks such as Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga, and stay snow-covered all year. The Himachal lie to their south and have a more moderate climate, so people live there and biodiversity is rich. The Shivaliks are the outermost and lowest range of rolling hills and dense forests, a transition zone to the plains. (Three Himalayan ranges, page 6.)

Question 4. Ladakh can be colder than −30 °C in winter. Why is it still called a desert?

Answer: because it gets very little rainfall. A desert is not defined by heat: Ladakh gets very little rain, and its landscape is rugged and rocky, so it is a cold desert. Its winter temperatures drop below −30 °C. (The cold desert, page 8.)

The west and the peninsula

Question 5. Give two ways in which the Aravalli Hills matter to north-western India.

Answer: they act as a barrier that stops the Thar Desert from spreading east, and they are rich in minerals. The Aravallis, among the oldest mountains in the world, act as a natural barrier that prevents the Thar Desert from expanding eastward. They are also rich in minerals such as marble, granite, zinc and copper, which have supported mining and construction for centuries. (The Aravalli Hills, pages 14 and 15.)

Question 6. Two mountain ranges border the peninsular plateau. (a) Name them and give one way in which they differ. (b) What is the wide, flat highland between them called?

Answer: (a) the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats; the Western Ghats are taller, the Eastern Ghats lower and split into separate hills; (b) the Deccan Plateau. (a) The Western Ghats rise high along the west coast like a long wall, and in the monsoon many waterfalls pour down their steep slopes. The Eastern Ghats, near the east coast, are not as high and are cut up into smaller hills. (b) Between the two ranges lies the Deccan Plateau, a huge stretch of flat high land. (The peninsular plateau, page 16.)

Rivers, coasts and islands

Question 7. (a) Using the chapter, describe the rivers of India's west coast: where most of them begin, and how they flow. (b) Name three things the east-flowing rivers of the peninsular plateau provide. (c) Why are the plateau's waterfalls useful, and not only beautiful?

Answer: (a) most begin in the Western Ghats, are short and flow swiftly, and form estuaries; (b) water for farming, for industries, and for hydroelectric power; (c) they help generate hydroelectric power and provide water for irrigation. (a) Most rivers of the west coast originate in the Western Ghats, which stand like a tall wall beside the western coast. They are short rivers that flow swiftly and form estuaries; the largest are those of the Narmada and the Tapti. (b) Rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna and Mahanadi begin on the plateau and flow east. They provide water for farming, for industries, and for hydroelectric power. (c) Rivers flowing over the plateau's uneven, rocky surface form waterfalls. Besides attracting tourists, these falls help in generating hydroelectric power and provide water for irrigation. (The peninsular plateau, pages 16 and 17; the west coast, page 19.)

Question 8. (a) How do the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands differ in where they are and what they are made of? (b) India's coastline is over 7,500 km long. If someone walked 30 km along it every day, at least how many days would the walk take?

Answer: (a) Lakshadweep is in the Arabian Sea and made of coral; the Andaman and Nicobar group lies in the Bay of Bengal and is volcanic; (b) at least 250 days. (a) Lakshadweep, near the Malabar coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea, is a group of 36 coral islands. The Andaman and Nicobar group, out in the Bay of Bengal, has over 500 islands, big and small, formed by volcanoes. (b) 7,500 ÷ 30 = 250, and since the coastline is over 7,500 km, the walk would take at least 250 days. (Coastline, page 19; the islands, pages 20 and 21.)

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Sources

All opened and read on 2 November 2026. Page numbers are the printed page numbers of the textbook, which are also the PDF's page numbers for this chapter.

The facts are from the textbook pages above. The questions, answers and checks are our own. This guide is general information; follow your teacher and the textbook.