The Desert : ncert solution class 7

Comprehension Check (page-16)

1. From the first paragraph:

(i) Pick out two phrases that describe the desert as most people believe it is;

Ans:- The two phrases which describe the desert as most people believe it are

(i)"Endless stretch of sand”,

(ii) “Waterless and without shelter”.

(ii) Pick out two phrases that describe the desert as specialists see it.

Ans:-“A beautiful place”, “Variety of people, animals, and plants”.

Which do you think is an apt description, and why?

Ans:- This is an apt description because the desert is a place of a variety of people, animals, and plants. They adapt to living in harsh conditions and climates.

2. The phrases on the left in the following box occur in the text.

Match each of them with a phrase on the right. (page-17)

Ans:- (i) an endless stretch of sand – nothing but sand as far as one can see.

(ii) Waterless and without shelter – not water and not shed.

(iii) an oasis – a fertile place with water and plants in a desert.

(iv) hidden by a cover of grass – not visible because the grass is thick.

Comprehension Check (page-19)

1. A camel can do without water for days together. What is the reason given in the text?

Ans:- A camel can do without water for days together because of its very little sweating. So once it drinks water, bears for a long duration.

2. How do the smaller desert animals fulfill their need for water?

Ans:- The smaller desert animals stay in their burrows during the hot sun. So they are protected from the heat in the daytime. Some of them eat plants and get moisture available in the plants whereas some eat other animals and get moisture available in their flesh. In this way, they fulfill their needs for water.

3. In a desert the temperature rises during the day and falls rapidly at night. Why?

Ans:- Normally the atmosphere of a desert does not contain moisture so the temperature rises during the day and falls at night.

Do the following activities in groups.

1. Describe a desert in your own way. Write a paragraph and read it aloud to your classmates.

Ans:- The desert as we know seems a very beautiful place. It has a variety of animals and plants that need a little water for their survival. The animals who adapt to stay in the desert can stay anywhere because they are habituated to stay in harsh conditions. Camels are known as ‘the ship of the desert because they carry loads very easily in the desert regions. They are the main means of transport in the region. Some plants are also very peculiar because they adapt to take moisture from the atmosphere. They don’t need to be watered at all.

2. Go to the library and collect information about the lifestyle of people in desert areas-- their food, clothes, work, social customs, etc. Share this information with the group.

Ans:- In India Thar is known as the biggest desert. Nomads are found in this region. They move from one place to another in search of food and fodder for their animals. They don’t make their permanent shelter because it is essential for them to move. They don’t have sufficient food for them and fodder for their animals. Their customs have been developed in a way that they don’t spend much more money. Camels are used for transportation almost all the time.