NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS (Looking Around) Chapter 20 Whose Forests?

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 5th

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Class : 5th
Subject : Environmental Studies
Chapter : 20
Chapter Name : Whose Forests?

Q1 What do you think is a forest?

Answer. Forest is a large area thickly covered with different varieties of trees and plants. It also includes
different animals, insects and birds living there.

Page : 183 , Block Name : Discuss

Q2 If someone grew lots of trees close to each other, would this become a forest?

Answer. No, if someone grows lots of trees to each other, this would not necessarily become a forest
because this can be in a park or garden.

Page : 183 , Block Name : Discuss

Q1 Other than trees what all is there in a forest?

Answer. Apart from trees, a forest consists of animals, birds, insects etc.

Page : 183 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q2 Do all forests have similar types of trees? How many trees can you identify?

Answer. No, all forests do not have similar types of trees. I can identify about 4-5 trees such as those of
mango, neem, coconut, guava, peepal etc.

Page : 183 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q3 Suryamani says, “If the forests are not there, we too will not remain.” Why so?

Answer. The forests are an essential part of our life. They keep our environment neat and clean by
absorbing most of the harmful gases and releasing oxygen. We also get many fruits, vegetables,
medicines from these forests. Besides, many people living in the forest obtain their livelihood from it.
Therefore, Suayamani says if the forest would disappear, we will be destroyed.

Page : 183 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q1 Do you know anyone who loves the forest?

Answer. Yes, I and my friends are very fond of forests.

Page : 184 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q2 The contractor did not allow Suryamani’s people to go into the forest. Why?

Answer. The contractor would have been cutting the trees and selling the wood for his own profit. He

thought if the forest people will use the forest for their needs, it would be a loss to him.
Therefore, he did not allow Suryamani’s people to go into the forest.

Page : 184 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q3 Is there any place around your area which you feel should be open to everyone, but where people are
not allowed to go?

Answer. Yes, there is a lake in our town. But, people are not allowed to go there and enjoy its natural
beauty, until they pay for the entry ticket. I think this is wrong.

Page : 184 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q1 Who do you think the forest belongs to?

Answer. I think that the forest belongs to everyone and not a single person.

Page : 184 , Block Name : Discuss

Q2 Bhudhiyamai said –“Forest is our ‘collective bank’ – not yours or mine alone.” Are there other
things which are our collective wealth? So if someone uses more, everyone would suffer?

Answer. Yes, there are few other things which I believe are our collective wealth, if someone uses them
more, everyone would be at loss, such as
(i) The groundwater
(ii) The fishes in the seas, rivers etc.
(iii) The minerals found under the earth
(iv) The fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum etc.

Page : 184 , Block Name : Discuss

Q1 Do you have a friend with whom you can share everything?

Answer. Yes, I have a close friend of mine with whom I can share everything.

Page : 185 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q2 Some people have moved so far away from the forest, that they can't understand the lives of forest
people. Some even call them ‘jungli’. Why is it not correct to say this?

Answer. The word ‘jungli’ is a Hindi word which is commonly used in an abusive sense to refer to
someone who is uncivilized. But the forest dwellers are not uncivilized. Though they are living
in a forest in a balanced and civilized manner. Thus, if we call them ‘jungli’ it would hurt them.

Page : 185 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q3 What do you know about how adivasis live? Write and draw a picture.

Answer.

Adivasis live a very simple life. They wear the most ordinary clothes, sometimes made up of leaves and

flowers, they survive on fruits, vegetables, prepare medicines from various forest products. They take
woods from the forests and prepare their food, prepare ornaments and decorative articles from leaves
and flowers, baskets of bamboo, plates from leaves etc. and sell these in the market to earn their living.

Page : 185 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q4 Do you have an adivasi friend? What have you learnt about the forest from her.

Answer. Yes, I do have an Adivasi friend. I have learned many things from her about forests such as:
(i) To prepare ornaments and decorative articles from flowers and leaves.
(ii) To prepare medicines out of the herbs found there
(iii) To prepare plates out of the dead and fallen leaves
(iv) To prepare baskets out of bamboo
(v) Climbing trees

Page : 185 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q1 Do you know of any one who works to save forests?

Answer. Yes, I know about a person in my neighborhood who runs her own NGO and works for
protecting the forest.

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think

Q2 What is your dream? What will you do to make your dream come true?

Answer. I wish to become an engineer. I will work hard and study to make my dream come true.

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think

Q3 Collect reports about forests from newspapers. Did you find any news about how the cutting down of
forests affects the weather? How?

Answer. Yes, these days, there is a lot of news on the effects of forest cutting on the weather. Cutting
trees reduces the occurrence of rainfall which affects our crops. It also contributes to increasing the
global warming (that is increasing the temperature on Earth).

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think

Q4 In ‘Torang’ Suryamani does a lot to keep the Kuduk music, dance and traditions alive. Would you
like to do something like this for your community? What would you like to keep alive?

Answer. Yes, I would also like to do something for my community. I would like to preserve the language
and costumes of my community.

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think

Q1 Sikhya, a Class X girl in Odisha, wrote a letter to the Chief Minister. Read a part of the letter.Think
And Write
A forest is everything for us adivasis. We can’t live away from the forests even for a day. Government
has started many projects in the name of development – dams and factories are being built. Forests,
which are ours are being taken away from us. Because of these projects, we need to think where the
forest people will go and what will happen to their livelihood? Where will the lakhs of animals living in
the forests go? If there are no forests, and we dig out our lands for minerals like aluminium, what will be
left? Only polluted air, water, and miles and miles of barren land…Think And Write

Answer. DIY

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q2 Is there any factory or some construction work going on in and around your area? What type of
work?

Answer. Yes, recently a factory for making rubber is being constructed recently in an area a little away
from our locality.

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q3 Due to the factory is there any effect on the trees and land? Have the people in that area raised this
issue?

Answer. Yes, due to this factory a very big park has been destroyed. About 100 trees have been cut. As a
result, the people living in the nearby areas got annoyed and they raised this issue in front of the
president of that area. They complained about the increasing pollution due to the cutting of trees.

Page : 187 , Block Name : Think And Write

Q1

What all is shown in the map?

Answer. This is the map of our country, India. The places having very thick forest and those which with
less thick forest being shown on the map.

Page : 188 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q2 You have read Sikhya’s letter. Look for Orissa in the map.

Answer. Orissa is located towards the east of Chattisgarh, south of West Bengal an north-east Andhra
Pradesh.

Page : 188 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q3 Is there a sea close to Orissa? How did you find out?

Answer. Yes, there is an ocean Bay of Bengal close to Orissa. An ocean is identified in a map by blue
color. Its name is also given in the map.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q4 Which are the states which have the sea on one side?

Answer. The following states have sea on one side: West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry,
Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q5 Where is Suryamani’s state Jharkhand on the map?

Answer. Suryanami’s state of Jharkhand is situated towards the south of Bihar, north-east of Orissa and
towards the east of Madhya Pradesh.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q6 Where are forests on the map? How will you find these?

Answer. The places having forest are marked with green color shades on the map. By this color we can
easily identify them. The places having forest are – Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand,
Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu etc.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q7 How can you find out which states have very thick forests and which have less thick forests?

Answer. The places with very thick forest and a less thick cover of forest are marked with separate color
shades. The areas with very thick forest are marked with dark green and those with less thick forest are
marked with light green color. Thus, these can be identified easily.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q8 For someone in Madhya Pradesh, in which direction would the country’s thickest forests be? Name
those states.

Answer. If someone is in Madhya Pradesh then the thickest forest of the country would be on his

Northeastern side. These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and
Chhattisgarh.

Page : 189 , Block Name : Look At The Map And Write

Q1 Which are the states around Mizoram?

Answer. The states around Mizoram are – Tripura, Assam, and Manipur.

Page : 190 , Block Name : Find Out

Q2 Chamui said they measure land using tin. Which are the other ways of measuring land?

Answer. The other ways of measuring land are – by meter, acres, gaj, miles etc.

Page : 190 , Block Name : Find Out

Q3 Returning from school, children drank water in a bamboo cup. Who do you think would have made
this cup and kept it in the forest? Why?

Answer. The bamboo cup would have been made by the Adivasis living in the forest in order to help the
other people passing from the forest.

Page : 190 , Block Name : Find Out

Q4 What could be done to save forests?

Answer. 1. Plant your own woodThink And Write
2. Sponsor a tree or many treesThink And Write
3. Check your supply chainThink And Write
4. Recycle PaperThink And Write
5. Sing a song about them to let the world know how we feel about them.

Page : 190 , Block Name : Find Out

Q1 Find out more about the ‘cheraw’ dance. Do it in your class. But be careful and don’t hurt yourself.

Answer. Cheraw is one of the traditional and oldest dances of Mizoram since the time when Mizos used
to live on the hills of China. This dance is performed by an individual or family in most of their festivals
and big occasions such as when there is a bumper harvest of a crop. It is also performed in marriage
occasions. In this dance, men sit face to face on the ground and tap and beat long pairs of horizontal and
cross bamboo sticks in a rhythmic beat. Girls in colorful Mizo costumes dance in and out between the
bamboo sticks. Gongs and drums are used to accompany the dance. This is the most popular and colorful
dance of the Mizos.

Page : 191 , Block Name : Jhoom Farming

Q1 What is similar and what is different between jhoom farming and Bhasker bhai’s way of farming?

Answer. Similarities between Bhaskar Bhai’s farming and Jhoom farming:
In both these methods of farming the manures prepared in the factories are not used. Rather, the natural
manures formed automatically in the farms itself are used. The differences between the two farming is
Bhaskar Bhai used plant waste like dead and rotten leaves, stem, roots etc. to make manure. He dumped
them in a pit and allowed to decompose. This automatically got converted into manure. Further the
earthworms also formed small pits in the soil and make it soft and ready for farming. Whereas in Jhoom

farming, the weeds are burnt in the field and the ashes are mixed with the soil which acts like a manure.
Moreover, the land is not ploughed but shallow trenches are made in the soil in which the seeds are
sown. Mixed seeds of various crops like maize, paddy, chillies,
vegetables, etc are sown.

Page : 191 , Block Name : What We Have Learnt

Q2 Explain in your own words why forests are important for the people living in forests?

Answer. Forests are very important for the people living in the forest. They are living there since their
childhood and thus have many sentiments attached with the forest. They play, sing, dance and study in
the forest. They obtain their livelihood from the forest. They collect leaves and herbs from the forests
and sell these in the bazaar, weave baskets from bamboo and leaf plates from fallen leaves, prepare
medicines from the herbs etc. Thus, their life is entirely dependent on they can’t imagine living without
the forest.

Page : 191 , Block Name : What We Have Learnt

Q3 Did you find something interesting in jhoom farming? What is it?

Answer. Yes, there are few things are very interesting in Jhoom farming, such as
(i) The weeds are not removed but these are burnt and the ashes are mixed with the soil to make it ready
for sowing.
(ii) The land is not ploughed, but shallow trenches are made in the soil, in which the seeds are
sown.
(iii) Mixed seeds of various crops are sown-paddy, maize, chillies, vegetables, sesame etc.

Page : 191 , Block Name : What We Have Learnt