Landforms, rivers and resources of South Asia

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card E (cross-section, western India in summer). Winds from the Arabian Sea blow toward the Western Ghats, a long mountain range near the west coast. Moist air rises up the western slope, cools, and drops heavy rain, so the narrow coast below is very wet. East of the mountains, on the Deccan Plateau, the air sinks and warms, and the plateau is much drier. Farmers on the plateau often grow millet and cotton, which need less water than rice.

2. 1.

   Why is the Deccan Plateau drier than the narrow coast, Kira asks?

   • The Ghats make the moist air rise and drop its rain on the western slope first
   • The plateau is dry, so the air that reaches it cannot rise and drop rain on the coast
   • Farmers on the plateau grow millet and cotton, which need less water than rice
   • The winds blow from the plateau toward the sea, so they bring the rain to the coast
3. 2.

   A farmer on the plateau chooses between rice and millet. Which suits the land better, and why, Zee asks?

   • Rice, because the card says the plateau is very wet, like the narrow coast
   • Millet, because it needs less water than rice and the plateau is drier
   • Rice, because the Arabian Sea winds bring heavy rain across the whole plateau
   • Rice, because it needs less water than millet and the plateau is dry

4. Use this

   Card F (fact card, two places a few hundred kilometers apart). Delhi lies on the plain at about 200 m above sea level. Shimla, in the Himalayan foothills, lies at about 2,200 m. Air cools by about 6.5 °C for every 1,000 m of height. On one June afternoon, Delhi reaches 40 °C.

5. 3.

   Delhi reaches 40 °C. About what temperature would you expect in Shimla that afternoon, Luz asks?

   • About 53 °C
   • About 13 °C
   • About 33 °C
   • About 27 °C
6. 4.

   Why do people from the plains visit hill towns such as Shimla in June, Ari asks?

   • The air at that height is about 13 °C cooler, so June is milder than on the plains
   • Shimla lies in the Himalayan foothills, a few hundred kilometers from Delhi
   • Hill towns are cooler because so many visitors come and cool the air in June
   • Hill towns lie farther north than Delhi, so they are cooler by about 13 °C

7. Use this

   Card G (fact card, the Indus plain in Pakistan). The Indus plain gets little rain. The Indus and its tributaries come down from the Himalayas and other high mountains, and canals carry their water to farm fields across the plain. It is one of the largest canal systems in the world. Wheat, rice and cotton are major crops. Some canal water soaks into the ground; in places the water table rises and salt is left in the soil.

8. 5.

   How does salt end up in the soil of some irrigated fields, Jun asks?

   • Canal water is salty when it leaves the mountains, so each field gets the same salt
   • Salt arrives on the winter winds from the Arabian Sea and settles on the fields
   • Canal water soaks in, the water table rises, and evaporation leaves salt behind
   • Salt in the soil raises the water table, and then people dig canals to wash it out
9. 6.

   How do canals change farming on the Indus plain compared with relying on rain, Pia asks?

   • The Indus plain grows wheat, rice and cotton, which are major crops in the country
   • Canals make rain unnecessary everywhere, so farms anywhere in the country can be irrigated
   • Canals make farmers wait for rain, while rain-fed fields can be watered at any time
   • Canals bring water from the mountains to fields on a schedule, even where rain is scarce
10. 7.

    A student claims: "A plain with little rain cannot have large farms." How does Card G bear on that, Ren asks?

    • It weakens the claim, because canals carry mountain water to farms across the dry plain
    • It supports the claim, because Card G begins by saying the plain gets little rain
    • It weakens the claim, because the plain's farms are what bring rain to the dry land
    • It supports the claim, because the plain gets little rain and rain is the water farms use

11. Use this

    Card H (fact card, the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh and India). The Ganges and Brahmaputra slow down near the Bay of Bengal and drop their silt, building a low, flat delta. The silt makes the soil fertile. Cyclones from the Bay of Bengal sometimes push sea water over the land (a storm surge). The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, grows along the coast; its tangled roots slow waves and hold the mud.

12. 8.

    Why is the soil of the delta fertile, Tala asks?

    • Cyclones from the Bay of Bengal sometimes push sea water over the low delta land
    • The soil is fertile, so rivers drop silt there and the delta is built from it
    • The rivers slow near the sea and drop silt, which makes the soil fertile
    • The Sundarbans trees make the soil fertile by holding the mud in place
13. 9.

    How does a mangrove forest change the effect of a storm surge compared with a bare coast, Noah asks?

    • A mangrove forest stops storm surges completely, so no flooding happens behind it
    • A mangrove forest speeds up the waves, so more force reaches the land behind
    • The roots bring more silt, so the delta is higher and safe from any surge
    • The roots slow the waves and hold the mud, so less force reaches the land behind
14. 10.

    A student claims: "The delta is a poor place to live because it floods." How well does Card H support that, Esme asks?

    • Well: Card H describes cyclones that push sea water over the low delta land
    • Well: any place that floods is a poor place to live, so people leave the delta
    • Only partly: the card shows storm surges, but it also shows fertile silt for farming
    • Poorly: floods make the land fertile, so more floods always make a better place