Nature's Treasures — NCERT Solutions, AI Tutor & Practice

Understand: A natural resource is any material or energy that we obtain from nature and use to meet our needs.

Analyze: These resources are not manufactured by humans; they exist in the environment around us. We use them for food, shelter, clothing, energy and many other purposes.

Conclude: Three common examples are:

1. Air — for breathing.
2. Water — for drinking, cooking and washing.
3. Soil — for growing crops.

(Other correct examples: sunlight, minerals, forests, coal.)

Understand: Renewable resources can be replenished naturally in a short time; non-renewable resources take extremely long to form and can get used up.

Analyze & Classify:

| Resource | Type | |---|---| | Sunlight | Renewable | | Coal | Non-renewable | | Wind | Renewable | | Petroleum | Non-renewable | | Forests | Renewable (if used wisely) |

Conclude: Sunlight, wind and forests renew naturally, while coal and petroleum take millions of years to form and are limited.

Understand: Air is a mixture of gases surrounding the Earth. Although invisible, it is essential for life.

Analyze:

• Living beings need the oxygen in air to breathe and stay alive.
• Plants use carbon dioxide from air to make food.
• Moving air (wind) can be used to run windmills and produce energy.
• Air helps in the water cycle and spreading seeds.

Conclude: Even though air is invisible, no living thing can survive without it, which makes it one of nature's most valuable treasures.

Understand: Water is a resource that all living things — humans, animals and plants — need to survive.

Analyze:

• The amount of fresh water fit for use is limited; most of Earth's water is salty ocean water.
• The same rivers, lakes and groundwater are shared by many people, animals and crops.
• Wasting water in one place means less water available for others.

Conclude: Because clean water is limited and shared by all living beings, we must use it carefully — for example, by closing taps, reusing water and avoiding pollution.

Understand: Soil is the top layer of the Earth's surface where plants grow.

Analyze — Four uses of soil:

1. Plants and crops grow in soil, providing us food.
2. It provides a home to many organisms like earthworms, ants and insects.
3. Soil (clay) is used to make pots, bricks and utensils.
4. It holds water and nutrients that plants need.

Conclude: Since soil supports food production, houses many living things and provides useful materials, it is truly a treasure of nature that must be protected from erosion and pollution.

Understand: Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances found in the Earth's crust, usually inside rocks.

Analyze:

• Minerals that contain useful metals are called ores.
• We obtain them by mining — digging deep into the Earth or rocks.
• The metal is then extracted from the ore by processing it, often using heat.

Conclude: Metals such as iron and aluminium come from minerals (ores) found underground. Since these minerals are non-renewable, they should be used carefully and recycled where possible.

Understand: The Sun provides light and heat to the Earth continuously.

Analyze:

• Plants use sunlight to make their food (photosynthesis); animals and humans get energy by eating plants.
• Sunlight heats the Earth unevenly, which causes winds to blow.
• The Sun drives the water cycle, which fills our rivers.
• Coal and petroleum formed from ancient plants and animals that once used the Sun's energy.

Conclude: Since almost all forms of energy on Earth can be traced back to the Sun, it is rightly called the ultimate source of energy.

Understand: Conservation means using resources wisely so they last longer and are available for the future.

Analyze — Three ways:

1. Save water — close taps tightly, reuse water for gardening.
2. Save electricity/fuel — switch off lights and fans when not needed; walk or cycle for short distances.
3. Reduce, reuse and recycle — reuse paper and containers, plant trees, avoid wasting food.

Conclude: Small daily habits like these reduce the pressure on natural resources and help protect them for future generations.

Understand: Natural resources can be grouped by whether they can get used up.

Analyze:

| Feature | Inexhaustible | Exhaustible | |---|---|---| | Meaning | Available in unlimited amount; will not finish | Present in limited amount; can get used up | | Example | Sunlight, air | Coal, petroleum |

Conclude: Inexhaustible resources like sunlight and air are always available, while exhaustible resources like coal and petroleum can be finished if used carelessly, so they must be conserved.

Understand: Forests are large areas covered with trees and other plants.

Analyze — Why 'green lungs':

• Trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, just as our lungs help us breathe.
• They keep the air clean and balance the gases in the atmosphere.

Two things forests provide:

1. Wood, fruits and medicines.
2. Home (habitat) for many animals and birds.

Conclude: Because forests supply oxygen, purify air and give us many products and shelter to wildlife, they are rightly called the green lungs of the Earth.

Understand: The question asks us to judge whether being 'free' means resources are unlimited.

Analyze:

• Many resources such as coal, petroleum and minerals are exhaustible and can finish.
• Even renewable resources like water and forests can become scarce if overused or polluted.
• Resources are shared by all living beings, so wasting them harms others too.

Conclude: I do not agree with Riya. Although resources are freely available from nature, they are limited and shared. Using them carelessly can lead to shortages and harm the environment, so we must use them wisely.