Natural Resources Test - 1

The correct answer is CNG is a clean and non-polluting fuel.

Key Points

• It is a fuel that can be used in place of diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and gasoline.
• Compressed Natural Gas combustion generates less undesirable gases than the other fuels.
• As compared to other fuels, compressed natural gas poses less threat, because it is lighter in weight than air and disperses quickly when released.
• CNG is made up of compressing natural gas, which is mainly composed of methane (CH₄).
• It has lower maintenance costs than other Hydrocarbon Fuels.
• CNG vehicles are considered to be safer than gasoline vehicles.

Important Points

Image of Component of CNG:

Concept:

Types of Natural Resources:

Inexhaustible

• Energy resources that are inexhaustible are ones that cannot be depleted in the future.
• Renewable resources are those that are available in an endless quantity and may be used repeatedly.
• For example - Sunlight, Air, Water

Exhaustible 

• Exhaustible energy sources are those that will get depleted after a few hundred years.
• They have a finite supply due to their non-renewable nature.
• Repeated use by human activities will cause their extinction. 

• For example - Coal, petroleum, minerals, forest 

Conclusion:

• wildlife, minerals: Both are exhaustible as both can be exhausted and are limited in stock. 
• sunlight, air: Both are inexhaustible. 
• natural gas, air: Natural gas is exhaustible, air is inexhaustible. 
• sunlight, wildlife: Sunlight is inexhaustible, wildlife is inexhaustible. 

So, the correct option is wildlife, minerals.

The correct answer is Biogas power plants.

Key Points

• Biogas is the gas resulting from an anaerobic digestion process. A biogas plant can convert animal manure, green plants, waste from agro-industry and slaughterhouses into combustible gas.
• Biogas is a fuel gas it is a mixture of 65% methane (CH4) and of 35% CO2. It is a renewable energy source from agriculture crops or animal manure.

​Additional Information 

• Hydroelectric power plants: 
  • Hydroelectric power plants are usually located in dams that impound rivers, thereby raising the level of the water behind the dam and creating as high ahead as is feasible. Then, during periods of peak demand, the water is allowed to flow down again through the turbine to generate electrical energy.
• Thermal power plants: 
  • A thermal power station is a power station in which heat energy is converted to electricity. Typically, water is heated into steam, which is used to drive an electrical generator.
• Nuclear power plants: 
  • A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor.

A resource is defined as a service or other asset used to produce goods and services that meet human needs and wants. Resources are generally classified into natural, human-made, and human.

Resource conservation:

• Using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed is called resource conservation.
• Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.
• There are many ways of conserving resources.
• Each person can contribute by reducing consumption, recycling, and reusing thing.
• Ultimately it makes a difference because all our lives are linked.
• Conservation means saving resources.
• To save natural resources, follow the three "R"s: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Hence, option 1 is the correct answer.

Sustainable development: Carefully utilising resources so that besides meeting the requirements of the present, also takes care of future generations.

Resource management:

• Resource management is acquiring, allocating, and managing the resources, such as individuals and their skills, finances, technology, materials, machinery, and natural resources required for a project. 
• Resource management ensures that internal and external resources are used effectively on time and on budget.

Development management:

• Development management is the strategic planning, administration, and controlling of a project during its development life cycle, from project planning through to construction completion and project exit.
• It is performed to minimize project and financial risk while maximizing profit for the developer.

The correct answer is A - (iv), B - (ii), C - (i), D - (iii)

Key Points

• Natural resources can be broadly categorised into renewable and non-renewable resources.
  1. Renewable resources: 
     • Renewable resources are those which get renewed or replenished quickly.
     • Example - solar and wind energy.
  2. Non-renewable resources: 
     • Non-renewable resources are those which have a limited stock.
     • Example - Coal, petroleum and natural gas.
• Resources are also categorised into actual resources and potential resources on the basis of their known quantity.
  1. ​Actual Resources: 
     • Actual Resources are those which have been surveyed, their quantity and quality are known and are being used in present times.
     • Example - The petroleum and the natural gas which is obtained from the Mumbai High Fields and West Asia.
  2. Potential Resources:
     • Potential resources are resources which exist in a region and which can be used in the future and whose entity quantity may not be known.

     • Example - The uranium found in Ladakh is potential resource that could be used in the future.

Hence, we can conclude that the correct matching of different resources and their characteristics is:

Key Points

• Neo-Malthusianism is the advocacy of population control programs, to ensure resources for current and future populations.
• This theory believes earth's resources can only support a finite population and that limited resources keep the population in check and reduce economic growth, therefore, growth should be controlled.

Additional Information

Definition of Inflation: 

Inflation refers to the general rise in the price level in an economy.

• An increase in inflation leads to a fall in the purchasing power of a currency as the commodities and prices get higher.
• In simple words, we would be able to purchase only fewer items for the same amount of money.

The correct answer is Potential Resources.

• The 'resources which are available in a 'region' but 'have not been utilized' are known as “potential resources”.

Key Points

• These resources can be used in the future. For example, mineral oils exist in many parts of India but still, they are not put into use because of the need for the future.
• Developed resources- These are the resources that are surveyed and developed for utilization and are being used currently.
• It is also known as actual resources.
• For example liquid gas and petroleum in Bombay High of Maharashtra.
• Stock-These are resources that we know are present but we don't have any technology to extract them. For example, water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen which is inflammable but we do not know how to extract energy from these two elements. 
• International resources- These are resources that belong to all the countries of the world. For example, oceanic resources after 200 km of the international border are controlled by international institutions.

Concept:

• The term abiotic refers to the non-living entities in the ecosystem. Sunlight, Land, water, etc. are examples of abiotic components.
• The biotic components refer to the living component of an ecosystem. 
• Some of the examples of the biotic components of the ecosystem are - Organic matter, living things, Blue Crabs, Jelly Fish, Zooplankton, Phytoplanton.
• The biotic and abiotic resources affect the survival and reproduction process in an ecosystem.
• The ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment, interacting as a system.
• Some examples of the ecosystem are - Aquatic, Terrestrial, Forest, Grasslands, etc.

Explanation:

In the set earthworm, soil, air, we have biotic component earthworm. We also have abiotic component like soil, air.

So it is the correct combination. 

A resource is a source or supply from which a benefit is produced and that has some utility. Resources can broadly be classified upon their availability. They are classified into renewable and non-renewable resources.

Key Points

Non-renewable natural resources:

• A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a quick enough pace to keep up with consumption.
• This means that non-renewable resources are limited in supply and cannot be used sustainably.
• These are not environmentally friendly because the amount of carbon emission is high.
• The cost of these resources is high.
• They are not pollution-free.
• They require low maintenance cost.
• Coal, oil, nuclear energy, petroleum, natural gas, fossil fuels, batteries, shale gas, phosphate are some examples.

Additional Information

Renewable natural resources:

• Resources that are used by humans since human life exists.
• These resources are used by our ancestors for their daily purposes like lighting, shelter, transportation, cooking, heating, protection from harm.
• These are also known as non-conventional sources of energy.
• For example soil, water bodies, sun, wind, air, tidal energy, geothermal, forest, mountains, wildlife.
• These can be used unlimited.
• They are environment friendly.
• The cost is low.
• They are pollution-free.
• They require high maintenance costs.
• They are sustainable resources.
• They cause no harm to life to exist on earth.

Thus, the correct combination which represents non-renewable natural resources are natural gas, fossil fuels, coal and oil.

Renewable resource: 

• Renewable resources are replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time.
• The five major renewable energy resources are solar, wind, water (hydro), biomass, and geothermal.

Non-renewable resources:

• Non-renewable resources are those which have limited stock.
• Once the stocks are exhausted it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished.
• Since this period is much more than human life spans, such resources are considered non-renewable.
• Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are some examples.

Key Points

 Hydrological Cycle:

• The process of circulation of water within the hydrosphere of Earth in different forms such as liquid, solid and gaseous states are called the Hydrological Cycle of water.
• It starts with the Evaporation of water from the surface of the water bodies and further, it includes Transpiration, Sublimation, Condensation and Precipitation.
• The water cycle is essentially a closed system.
• Although the volume of water that is in the hydrosphere today is the same amount of water that has always been present in the Earth system.​
• The water in the biosphere is continuously recycled and renewed.

​Thus, water is a renewable natural resource because it is renewed and recharged through the hydrological cycle.

Confusion PointsIt can be reused again:

• Water can only be reused again after proper water treatment.
• Sometimes water can be reused, but water from industrial effluents cannot be reused most of the time.

It is being recycled by human being:

• Not all water is recycled by us humans.
• Most of the water is left untreated especially in rural areas.