Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Human Geography: Nature and Scope
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Text Book Questions
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
Who was the Father of modern human geography?
(a) Humboldt
(b) Ritter
(c) Ratzel
(d) Huntington
Answer:
(c) Ratzel
Question 2.
“Human geography is the study of mutually changeable relations of active human and unstable earth.” Who gave this definition?
(a) Ratzel
(b) Ellen Semple
(c) Blache
(d) Carl Sauer
Answer:
(b) Ellen Semple
Question 3.
Who was the founder of neo-determinism?
(a) Griffith Taylor
(b) Blache
(c) Mackinder
(d) Herbertson
Answer:
(a) Griffith Taylor
Question 4.
Who is not a French geographer out of the following?
(a) Blache
(b) Bruches
(c) Demanzia
(d) Ritter
Answer:
(d) Ritter
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 5.
Name the Tri – Equilibrium factors of human geography.
Answer:
Biotic, Abiotic and cultural factors.
Question 6.
Name the book written by Ratzel.
Answer:
“Anthropogeography” is the name of the book written by Ratzel.
Question 7.
Who gave the concept of Possibilism?
Answer:
French scholar Paul Vidal de La Blache gave the concept of Possibilism.
Question 8.
Name the famous centre of ancient civilization.
Answer:
Indus – Valley civilization, Mohenjodaro, Babylon, Egypt, China and Mesopotamia civilization were the major centres of ancient civilizations.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 9.
Name the five sub – divisions of human geography.
Answer:
Five sub – divisions of human geography are: resource geography, agriculture geography, political geography, cultural geography and historical geography.
Question 10.
Describe the nature of human geography.
Answer:
Nature of human geography is very complex and extensive. According to Jean Brunsh, in the way economics related to prices, geology related to rocks, botany to plants, in the same way geography is related to place, under which answers to questions such as where an$ why are analysed. Fluman geography studies the central role of the human.
Friedrich Ratzel who is called the founder of modern human geography, laid emphasis on synthetic study of human societies and mutual relationship with surface environment of the earth. All the man – made landscapes visible on the earth are studied under human geography. Thus, human activities are at the center point in the nature of human geography.
Representation of development of human activities (when, why and how) with geographical point of view shows the nature of human geography. Human geography concentrates on study of ecological adjustment and regional organisation of different regions. The study of usage of environment for the biotic, economic, social and cultural development of mankind living on the earth and the study of changes made by mankind in the environment is the basis of human geography.
In a nutshell, it can be said that human geography studies mutual interrelationships of the complex facts of the humans and the environment while keeping the humans in the centre. .
Question 11.
Describe the development of human geography in medieval period.
Answer:
In this period mystery about countries and people began to be revealed due to sufficiency in navigation, discoveries about countries and proficiency in technology. Colonisation and trade interest resulted into the spread of broad knowledge about the world due to the discoveries of new regions and research.
In this period, more emphasis was laid on discoveries, exposition and regional analysis. All the aspects of region were broadly described in regional analysis. It was believed that all the regions are perfect units and parts of the earth. It will help the people to understand the earth by understanding the regions. On this basis, geographical studies were done.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Essay Type Questions
Question 12.
Describe the scope of human geography.
Answer:
Human geography is the study of the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth.
Its scope shows its broad and interrelated form. Human geography performs a comprehensive study of population residing in various regions (such as state, nation, region) and economic, social, environmental and historical associated with it. In study of human geography, population resources, natural resources, natural environment, adjustment and regional structure and temporal analysis is included.
Scope of human geography has been described by the following diagram :
Scope of human geography is described by the following points :
1. Population resources (People and their capacity):
Population related many elements such as : population distribution, density, groups of people, population – migration, settlement, races and social structure are included in human geography.
2. Natural resources:
Many elements of natural environment and their impact on human activities are studied in human geography, in which water, soil, vegetation, mineral, fisheries etc. natural resources are included.
Question 13.
Describe the development of human geography In modern period.
Answer:
Modern Period:
German geographer Humboldt, Ritter, Phrobell, Pashell, Richthofen and Ratzel started this period. Human geography developed more in France. Raxel, Vidal de La Blache, Brunsh, De – Marton, Demanzia and Frabe wrote many books on human geography. Human geography developed rapidly in America and Britain, also. In America, Ellen Semple, Huntington, Bomen, Carl Souer, Griffith Taylor, and in Britain, Herbertson, Mackinder, Roxbi and Fluer contributed more in the development of human geography.
In 20th century, human geography developed in almost every country. Fredrick Ratzel who is regarded to be the founder of modern human geography, laid emphasis on synthetic study of human societies and mutual relationship with surface of the earth. In the beginning of this period, human studied the line of thinking of environment relationship according to determinism, possibilism and neo – determinism.
In determinism, nature was supposed to be more effective, while in possibilism, human was supposed to be more effective. In the beginning of the 21st century, according to
neo – determinism, emphasis was laid on the interrelationship between both the nature and the human. This line of thinking is known as stop-and-go. The founder of neo-dectrminism was Griffith Taylor.
In the decade of 1930, human geography was divided into cultural geography and economic geography. Due to increasing trend of specialisation, many sub – branches of human geography originated, in which, political geography, social geography, medicinal geography are included.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Additional Questions with Answers
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
Which is the fundamental branch of geography?
(a) Resource geography
(b) Pedology
(c) Human geography
(d) Urban geography
Answer:
(c) Human geography
Question 2.
The emergence and development of Human Geography is related to which century?
(a) 12th
(b) 14th
(c) 16th
(d) 18th
Answer:
(d) 18th
Question 3.
“Human geography is a synthetical study of the relationships between the human societies and earth’s surface.” Whose statement is this?
(a) Friedrich Ratzel
(b) Ellen Semple
(c) Blache
(d) Ritter
Answer:
(a) Friedrich Ratzel
Question 4.
Who laid the foundation of Possibilism?
(a) De La Blache
(b) Huntington
(c) Ratzel
(d) Brunsh
Answer:
(a) De La Blache
Question 5.
Who is considered the Father of Geography?
(a) Hecataeus
(b) Anaximander
(c) Herodotus
(d) Ratzel
Answer:
(a) Hecataeus
Question 6.
Which geographers begin the Modern Period?
(a) American
(b) French
(c) German
(d) Greek
Answer:
(c) German
Question 7.
Which line of thoughts has given priority to nature?
(a) Definitism
(b) Possibilism
(c) Neo – determinism
(d) Probabilism
Answer:
(a) Definitism
Question 8.
Who presented the concept of “Stop and Go”?
(a) Ratzel
(b) Blache
(c) Griffith Taylor
(d) Herodotus
Answer:
(c) Griffith Taylor
Question 9.
In which decade did the division of geography take place?
(a) In the decade of 1910s
(b) In the decade of 1930s
(c) In the decade of 1950s
(d) In the decade of 1970s
Answer:
(b) In the decade of 1930s
Question 10.
Which of the following is not a component of geography?
(a) Population geograpy
(b) Agriculture geography
(c) Climate geography
(d) Urban geography
Answer:
(c) Climate geography
(I) Match the Following
| Column A (Geographer) | Column B (Country) |
| 1. Humboldt | (a) Britain |
| 2. Demanzia | (b) America |
| 3. Carl Sauer | (c) France |
| 4. Mackinder | (d) Germany |
Answer:
1. (d), 2. (c), 3. (b), 4. (a)
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What type of science is human geography?
Answer:
Human geography is the study of human classes and their environmental influences, effect and reactions of mutually functional relations based on regional basis.
Question 2.
Mention the characteristics of geography in the form of a subject of study.
Answer:
In the form of a subject of study, geography is a contemporary, critically empirical and practical subject.
Question 3.
What is studied in geography?
Answer:
Geography assumes the earth as the home of humans and studies all those factors which are concerned to the growth of human beings. In this, emphasis is laid on the study of nature and humans.
Question 4.
Which are the two main branches of geography?
Answer:
The two main branches of geography are physical geography and human geography.
Question 5.
What is physical geography?
Answer:
Physical geography is a branch of geography in which physical environment is studied.
Question 6.
What is human geography?
Answer:
Human geography studies the relations between physical environment and cultural environment, the local distribution of human happenings and social and economic diversity in different parts of the world.
Question 7.
Give the definition of human geography according to Ellen C. Semple.
Answer:
According to Ellen C. Semple, “human geography is a study of the changing relationships between the unresting man and the unstable earth.”
Question 8.
According to Dicken and Pitts, what is the definition of human geography?
Answer:
According to Dicken and Pitts, “Human geography is looked upon as the study of man and his works.”
Question 9.
What describes the nature of human geography?
Answer:
Presenting the questions such as where, when and how did the development of human activities took place, with geographical point of view, describes the nature of human geography.
Question 10.
What does human geography focus upon?
Answer:
Human geography focuses upon mainly the study of ecological coordination and regional organisation of various regions. Human being is considered to be the point of focus.
Question 11.
Into many divisions, has Huntington divided the study of human geography?
Answer:
Huntington has divided the study region into two groups :
- Physical Conditions
- Regional activities.
Question 12.
List the factors included in the subject matter of human geography.
Answer:
Factors included in the subject matter of human geography are mainly the population and its capacity, natural resources of the region, cultural environment, time period, adjustment and regional structure and relations with other regions.
Question 13.
What is meant by population and its capacity?
Answer:
Population and its capacity means the distribution pattern of population, density, agglomeration, migration, settlement, racial and social structure of population and population composition.
Question 14.
What is meant by natural resources?
Answer:
All those biotic and abiotic elements formed by nature which are used to fulfil the requirements of human beings are known as natural resources.
Question 15.
Which are the natural resources?
Answer:
Land, water, forests and minerals are mainly included in, natural resources.
Question 16.
Which are the cultural elements?
Or
Write the names of the major elements of the cultural environment.
Answer:
Major elements of the cultural environment include adaptation of living beings and humans with the environment, modes of livelihood, transportation, building construction material, settlement, roads, industries and landscapes formed by human activities.
Question 17.
What is temporal succession?
Or
What is meant by temporal analysis?
Answer:
Human society and its geographical relations are not stable but all of these are dynamic. Study of these relations according to time is called temporal succession.
Question 18.
How has environmental planning become an integral part of geography?
Answer:
Today, due to the rapid environmental degradation and increase in the problems of population, environmental planning has become an integral part of geography.
Question 19.
Which all activities had begun along with the rise of mankind?
Answer:
The process of adaptation and adjustment with the environment and its transformation had begun along with the rise of mankind.
Question 20.
Why is long – term continuity found in the subjects of human geography?
Answer:
IF we suppose the beginning of human geography to be along with the mutual activities of the humans and the environment, then its roots exhibit a very deep nature due to which a long-term continuity/continuum is found in the subjects of human geography.
Question 21.
With the point of view of study, the development of human geography has been divided into which periods?
Answer:
With the point of view of study, the development of human geography has been divided into three periods – Ancient period, Medieval period and Modem period.
Question 22.
In context to human geography, describe the conditions of the ancient period.
Or
What was the form of human geography as visible during the ancient period?
Answer:
During the ancient period, interaction between various societies was minimum. People knew very little about one another, level of technical development was low and influence of natural environment was visible all-around.
Question 23.
The influence of natural powers is visible on which civilizations?
Answer:
Influence of natural powers is visible on the ancient civilizations of India, China, Egypt and Rome.
Question 24.
How had Aristotle describe the effect of the environment?
Answer:
According to Aristotle, environment controls human contemplation and behaviour. He had told that the humans living in cold regions were brave but weak at contemplation while the people from Asia were lazy but ruminant.
Question 25.
Why is Hecataeus considered as the Father of Geography?
Ans. As Hecataeus had presented all the geographical information available about the world in an organised form, he is considered as the Father of Geography.
Question 26.
Why did the myths and mysteries start to be solved during the medieval period?
Or
How did the medieval period prove to be a new period for human geography?
Answer:
During the medieval period, due to efficiency in navigation, researches and due to increase in technical know how and knowledge, vivid information was obtained about the countries and people, by which myths and mysteries started to be solved. Due to this reason only, this period proved to be a new period for human geography.
Question 27.
What is the concept of Neo – determinism?
Answer:
Neo – determinism is that concept which emphasizes upon establishing coordination between the mutual relationships of both mankind and nature. It was presented by Griffith Taylor. It is also known by the name of ‘Stop and Go’.
Question 28.
Which philosophical thoughts emerged in human geography?
Answer:
Welfare school, radical school and behavioural school of thoughts emerged in human geography.
Question 29.
What is meant by behavioural school of thoughts?
Answer:
According to behavioural school of thoughts, a human, while performing economic activities, does not always concentrate only upon its financial profit aspect, rather, most of his decisions are based on mental sketch (behavioural environment) in comparison to virtual environment. This itself is the behavioural school of thoughts.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Short Answer Type Questions (SA – I)
Question 1.
What is the difference between physical and human geography?
Answer:
Physical and human geography are the two main branches of geography. Physical geography studies the physical environment, in which, the earth, vegetation, minerals, water, reliefs (mountain, plateau, plain) are included. While human geography studies the relations of physical environment and cultural environment, and also it studies the social and economic diversities of various parts of the world.
Question 2.
Give the definition of human geography according to Fredrich Retzel.
Answer:
According to Fredrich Retzel, the German Geographer who is regarded as the Father of Modern Human Geography, human geography is a study of synthetical study of human societies and mutual relationship with surface of the earth.
Question 3.
How has Paul Vidal de La Blache defined human geography?
Or
Write the definition of human geography according to Blache.
Answer:
Paul vidal de La Blache was a prominent French human geographer. He had laid the foundation of Possibilism. According to him, “Human geography provides a new direction to the mutual interrelationships between the earth and the humans. In this, a more synthesized knowledge of the mutual relationships between the physical elements that control the earth and the living beings present on the earth is included.”
Question 4.
Describe the nature of human geography in brief.
Answer:
The nature of human geography is mainly based upon the mutual interrelationships between the physical environment and the man – made socio – economic, cultural environment. Through his activities, man creates various forms of cultural environment by making large-scale change in the physical environment.
Houses, villages, cities, roads and railways network, industries, fields, ports (harbours), goods of daily needs and all other elements of physical culture are a part of the cultural landscape. In fact, human activities are influenced by the man-made cultural landscape or cultural environment also, along with the physical environment.
Question 5.
How has Jean Brunch described the nature of human geography?
Answer:
According to famous geographer Jean Brunch, “in the way economics is related to prices, petrology is related to rocks, botany is related to plants, anthropology is related to human races and history is related to time, in the same way, place is the point of focus of geography. In this, effort is made to provide the answers to important questions, such as – ‘where’ and ‘why’.”
Question 6.
What is meant by cultural environment? Describe its elements.
Answer:
Meaning of Cultural Environment:
Landscapes which are formed on the earth by the transformation of naturally provided conditions done by humans are included in the sphere of cultural environment.
Elements of Cultural Environment:
All such elements which are included in the study of human geography, are the elements of cultural environment. Cultural elements depict the interrelationship between the man and the environment. Therefore, adaptation of living beings and humans with the environment, sources of livelihood, transportation, building construction material, settlement, etc. are included in cultural elements.
Question 7.
How did sub-branches emerge in human geography?
Answer:
Human geography is a fundamental branch of geography. In the decade of 1930s, human geography was divided into cultural and economic geography. The objective of this division was to perform a more detailed study of human geography.
This tendency of specialisation in human activities increased continuously due to which development of sub – branches in human geography also continued to take place. Political geography, social geography, medicine geography, resources geography, population geography and settlement geography are a result of this process.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Short Answer Type Questions (SA – II)
Question 1.
How human geography developed as a fundamental branch of geograpy? Explain.
Answer:
Geography is a descriptive science, in which facts are studied in regional context. In the form of a subject of study geography is a contemporary, critically empirical and practicial subject. Human geography assumes the earth to be the home of humans and studies all those facts which have nourished the humans. In this, emphasis is laid upon humane study along with the environment.
It also studies diversities of social and economic activities and spatical distribution of human accidents. Thus, human geography becomes a subject in which human class and their environmental forces, effects, relations and interrelationships are studied on the basis of regional approach. By all these conditions, it becomes a complete subject. Human geography developed in 18th century. Since then, human geography become a branch of geography.
Question 2.
Why is human geography considered a subject (Science) which focuses on humans?
Answer:
Human geography mainly focuses on the study of ecological adjustment and regional organisation of various regions. In what way does a group of humans living in a region on earth utilises the environment for its biotic, economic, social and cultural development, and what changes does it make in the environment? Study of all these facts is the basis of human geography. It is due to the humans that population, population regions and resources have emerged.
Mankind has changed, transformed and adjusted its activities and lifestyle according to its environment. In this way, we can see that whatever is included in the subject matter of human geography is directly or indirectly associated with human itself. In this subject, study of the mutual relationships of all the complex facts of the human and the environment along with time is done while assuming the human to be the basis. Due to these conditions only, human geography as a subject focuses mainly on humans.
Question 3.
Which are the major aspects of the subject matter of human geography?
Or
The subject matter of human geography is decided on which points?
Answer:
Human geography studies interrelationship between natural environment and humans. In this, various facts of human population, natural resources, cultural aims, traditions and customs are studied. Main aspects of the human geography are divided into the following categories :
- Human resources.
- Natural resources.
- Man – made cultural landscape.
- Adjustment between human and environment.
- Economic, social and cultural relationship between different regions.
- Temporal succession.
Question 4.
Clarify the concept of Regional Adjustment.
Or
What is meant by the process of regional construction?
Answer:
How are human conditions distributed on the earth’s surface? It is not enough to know only about this, instead, it is also important to know that why are they distributed in this manner? Without knowing about this, the study of geography cannot be useful. All these variations are either due to the natural environment or due to human activities. How has mankind put its mark on the earth through its activities is also included in the subject matter of human geography.
The major subjects of study in human geography include the distribution of resources in various sections of the society, their consumption and conservation. All these facts can be studied only in context of a region. Today, environmental degradation and problems of pollution are on a rise. Therefore, environmental planning also has become a major part of human geography. All these conditions are a consequence of the mixed nature of regional adjustment.
Question 5.
Describe the contribution of Fredrich Ratzel in human geography.
Answer:
Fredrich Ratzel is the founder of modern human geography. He has extended significant contribution in the development of human geography. Ratzel wrote an epic named “Anthropogeography”. In this book, he gave preference to human geography and physical features instead of regional description. According to him, National Environment is responsible for human distribution.
He is a determinism based geographer. According to him, environmental conditions are responsible for physical and mental growth, distribution and momentum of humans. He described the distribution pattern of humans in the world. Ratzel described origin and development of human civilizations centered on the basis of climatic effect.
Question 6.
Give a brief description of the ideologies which developed in human geography after the decade of 1970s.
Or
Which concepts had developed in geography after the quantitative revolution? Explain.
Answer:
Due to the dissatisfaction and inhumane form arising out of quantitative revolution, the following three new concepts emerged in geography during the decade of 1970s:
1. Welfare or Humanistic Concept:
This concept of human geography was mainly
related to various aspects of social welfare. In this, aspects such as residence, healthcare and education were included.
2. Radical Concept:
In this concept of human geography, the theory of Karl Marx was used to interpret the reasons of poverty, bonds and social inequality. The contemporary social problems were related to the development of capitalism.
3. Behavioural Concept:
Along with direct experience, this concept of human geography emphasised more on the direct cognition of social sub-classes based on human races, species and religion, etc.
RBSE Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Essay Type Questions
Question 1.
While defining human geography, describe its nature and subject matter.
Answer:
Definitions of Human Geography : Human geography has been defined by various scholars. Following are the major definitions given by prominent scholars :
1. According to Ratzel, “Human geography is the synthetical study of the relationships between the human societies and the earth’s surface.”
2. According to Ellen C Semple, “Human geography is the study of the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth. ” Interpretation of the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth has been done in the definition of human geography provided by Sempel. In this definition, the changing relationships is the major group of words.
3. According to Paul Vidal de La Blache, “Human geography presents the conception resulting from a more synthesised knowledge of the physical laws governing our earth and of the relations between the living beings which inhabit it.” This definition of human geography presented by Blache provides a unique theory of the interrelationships between the earth and the humans.
4. According to Albert Demanzia, “Human geography is the study of relationships between the human groups and societies and the natural environment.”
5. According to Living stone and Rogers, “Human geography studies the relations between physical/natural and humane world, regional distribution of human incidents and the reasons of their occurrence and social and economic diversities found in various part of the world.”
Nature of Human Geography:
The major basis of the nature of human geography is centered upon the natural interrelationships of the physical environment and the man – made. Socio-economic, cultural environment. Through his activities, man made large’-scale changes in the physical environment and created various types of cultural environment.
Houses, villages, towns, roads and railways network, industries, fields, ports, items of daily needs and all the other elements of physical culture are a part of the cultural landscape itself. In fact, along with physical environment, human activities are also effected by the cultural landscape or the cultural environment created by mankind.
Subject Matter of Human Geography:
The study of all the efforts made by man, right from the human’s cooperation with his natural environment in order to perform activities related to earning livelihood to the efforts made for the fulfillment of his greatest requirements are included in the subject matter of human geography.
Therefore, all such landscapes which have been created by human activities, are included in the subject matter of human geography. In order to understand and interpret the human elements present on the earth, the assistory subjects of social sciences of geography are also studied.
Question 2.
Describe the development of human geography in ancient time.
Answer:
In ancient time, the interactions among different societies were few, knowledge about others were limited. The standard of technology development was too less and there were influences of natural environment all around. The people of ancient civilization of India, China, Egypt, Greek and Rome worshipped the effect of natural powers.
In Vedas, the sun, air, fire, water, rain, etc., were worshipped by supposing them as GOD. Greek philosophers Thales and Enaximender described climate, vegetation and human societies. Aristotle described the people of cold region as brave but weak in thinking while the people of Asia were meek but contemplative.
Historian Herodotus described the effect of environment on roaming races and permanent farming races. Hecataeus organised the available geographical knowledge about the world. That’s, why he is known as the Father of Geography. Strabo and his contemporary Roman geographers made clear the effect of geo – ecological states on humans and their progress.