ICSE Geography Class 10 Question Bank Chapter 15 Transport

Questions Based on Transport

I. Short Answer Questions :

Question 1.
What was the first road from Peshawar to Kolkata known as?
Answer:
The first road from Peshawar to Kolkata was known as Grand Trunk Road (GT. Road).

Question 2.
What are the chief means of transportation in India?
Answer:
The chief means of transportation in India:

  • Land – Roads and Railways
  • Air – National and International
  • Water – Inland (Rivers, Canals, Backwaters, creeks etc.; Seas and Oceanic Routes.

Question 3.
What is a National Highway?
Answer:
The main roads which are constructed and maintained by the Central Government are known as National Highways.

Question 4.
Name the organisation responsible for the development and maintenance of highways in India.
Answer:
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is responsible for the development and maintenance of highways in India.

Question 5.
Name the two major projects undertaken by NHAI.
Answer:
The two major projects undertaken by NHAI:

  1. Golden quadrilateral.
  2. North-South and East-West Corridors.

Question 6.
What is an Expressway?
Answer:
Expressways are cemented she lane roads, designed to provide smooth high-speed movement without any on-road obstacles like traffic or speed breakers.

Question 7.
Why is road transport favoured in the northern plains of India?
Answer:
Road transport is economical and well connected in this region. That’s why the people of this region prefer road transport.

Question 8.
Name four cities which have Metro rail network.
Answer:
Cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai have their own metro networks.

Question 9.
What is an EMU?
Answer:
Suburban trains that handle commuter traffic are mostly Electric Multiple units (EMUs). They usually have nine coaches or sometimes twelve to handle rush hour traffic.

Question 10.
How many zones do the Indian Railways have?
Answer:
The Indian Railways have 17 zones.

Question 11.
Give two advantages and two disadvantages of railways.
Answer:
Advantages of Railways :

  1. Railways help in the easy movement of bulky goods and perishable commodities to distant places.
  2. Railways transport raw material to the production units and finished goods to the markets.

Disadvantages of Railways :

  1. Rail transport lacks flexibility of routes. Train tracks cannot be laid in every region of the country like in the hilly areas or remote forested areas.
  2. Train travel can be very long and tedious, especially when compared to air travel.

Question 12.
Mention any three problems being faced by the Indian Railways.
Answer:
Problems being faced by the Indian Railways are:

  • Trains cannot provide door-to door service and therefore the goods and passengers have to rely on road transport to reach their destination.
  • Obsolete trains, tracks and equipment make railway unsafe.
  • Electrification of railways has resulted in huge consumption of power and higher tariff rates.

Question 13.
What Is the name of the National Airlines of India?
Answer:
The air transport in India was managed by two corporations- Air India and Indian Airlines. However, the two entities i. e. Air India and Indian Airlines were merged into one in 2007 and is called Air India.

Question 14.
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of air transport
Answer:
Advantages :

  1. It is the fastest means of transport.
  2. Helpful during natural calamities.

Disadvantage:

  1. Airtransport is costly.
  2. It depend on weather conditions. Flights are often delayed due to bad weather.

Question 15.
What are the two prerequisites of waterways to be navigable?
Answer:

  1. Inland waterways i.e., rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks should be deep enough to allow the slips and boats to navigate safely.
  2. These waterways must also be free of barriers such as waterfalls and rapids.

Question 16.
Mention one advantage and one disadvantage of inland waterways.
Answer:

  1. Inland waterways are the cheapest means of transport in carrying heavy goods and passengers.
  2. During dry period, silting of the river bed reduces the depth and create problems.

Question 17.
Name a port on the east coast which is often hit by cyclones during the months of October and November.
Answer:
Chennai.

Question 18.
Name two situations where helicopter services may be tied?
Answer:
Helicopter services may be used for inaccessible areas like interior of Jammu and Kashmir and mountainous areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal and the north-eastern states. Can be used in provide services to ONGC for off shore installation.
It can be used for defence purposes or in case of natural hazards.

Question 19.
Name the following:
(i) An important inland waterway of north east India.
(ii) One expressway with its terminal cities.
(iii) A major port which is not located on the sea coast and is at a distance of 128 km, from the coast along the banks of a river.
Answer:
(i) National waterway No. 2.
Brahmaputra River – between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km)
(ii) The North South corridor linking Srinagar and Kanyakumari.
(iii) Haldia

Question 20.
On which river and between which two places does the National Waterway No. 2 lie?
Answer:
The National Highway No. 2 lie on the river Brahmaputra. It connects the North-East region with Kolkata and Haldia ports through Bangladesh and Sunderbans waterways.

II. Structured Questions

Question 1.
With reference to National Highways, answer the following questions:
(a) What are National Highways? Give the names of two such highways.
(b) What is the Golden Quadrilateral Project?
(c) Give three economic benefits of the Golden Quadrilateral Project
(d) Explain the role of roads in the economic development of the country.
Answer:
(a) The main roads which are constructed and maintained by the Central Government are known as the National Highways. These are main highways running though the length and breadth of the country connecting major ports, state capitals, large industrial and tourist centres. They facilitate inter-state transport and movement of defence personnel and materials in strategic areas. National Highways in India are designated as NH followed by the highway number.

(b) Golden Quadrilateral:
The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is the largest express highway project in India. It is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NDHP). It consists of building 5,846 kilometres of four/six lane express highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, thus forming a quadrilateral of sorts at a cost of ₹ 60,000 crores. In January, 2008 it was announced that the project will now be expanded to cover 6,500 kilometres.

(c) The main economic benefits of the Golden Quadrilateral Project are the following:

  • This highway will interconnect many major cities and ports.
  • It will give an impetus to truck transport throughout India.
  • It will help in the industrial growth of all small towns through which it passes.
  • It will provide vast opportunities for transport of agricultural produce from the hinterland to major cities and ports for export.
  • It will provide job opportunities in its construction as well as increase the demand for cement, steel and other construction material.

(d) Roads are the vital lifelines of the economy making possible trade and commerce. Roads are most preferred modes of transportation and considered as one of the cost effective modes of transportation. Roads are easily accessible to each individual. Roads facilitate movement of both men and materials anywhere within a country.

It helps in socio-economic development as well as brings national integration. It provides linkages to other modes of transportation like railways, airways, and shipping, etc. An efficient and well-established network of roads is desired for promoting trade and commerce in any country and also fulfills the needs of a sound transportation system for sustained economic development. Road transport is contributing 3.69% to GDP where as all transportation modes are contributing a total of 5.5% to GDP.

Question 2.
With reference to Railways, answer the following questions:
(a) Explain how the Indian rail network is one of the largest and busiest networks in the world.
(b) What is the significance of an efficient transport system?
(c) Describe the three categories of track system followed in India.
(d) Railways binds the economic and cultural life of the country. Justify this statement giving examples.
Answer:
(a) By 1947, the year of India’s independence, there were forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. Indian Railways operate both long distance and suburban rail system.

(b)

  • Transportation helps in the better utilisation of the resources of the backward areas by linking them with the more advanced areas.
  • It aids in the process of industrialisation and urbanisation.
  • It removes scarcity of goods during any crisis.
  • It helps in minimising the effects of natural disasters.
  • It brings in homogeneity in thought and culture through easy movement of people and bringing them in contact with one another.

(c) Based on the width of the track, the Indian Railways are divided into three categories :
Broad Gauge :
The distance between rails is 1.676 metre. The total route length of broad gauge lines is 49,820 km which accounts for 74.14 per cent of the total length of rail route in the country. Almost all the main routes are broad gauge. Broad gauge system links major ports of India with the interior towns and Industrial centres and handles 85 per cent of the total goods traffic in terms of tonnes-km.

Broad gauge railway line on the west coastal lowland known as the Konkan Railway Line, is an engineering marvel of the Indian Railways. It is 760 km long rail route connecting Roha in Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka. It crosses 146 rivers, streams, nearly 2000 bridges and 91 tunnels. It also passes through 6.5 km long tunnel which is Asia’s largest tunnel. The States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa are partners in this project.

Metre Gauge:
The distance between rails is one metre. It covers 10,621 km and accounts for 21.02 per cent of the total route length.

Narrow Gauge:
The distance between fails is 0.762 metre and 0.610 metre. It covers 2,886 km and accounts for 4.94 per cent of the total route length. It is mainly confined to the hilly areas.

(d) Role of railways cannot be neglected in the economic and social development of the nation and the Government was focussing to improve the standard of railway system. Railways have brought the villages closer to the cities and have helped to transfer new ideas and innovations to the rural areas. It acts as an integrating force, knitting the whole country into one whole with its huge network running throughout the country.

Question 3.
In the context of air transport, answer the following questions :
(a) When and where did the air transport begin in India?
(b) Discuss the contribution of Air India in the air transport of India.
(c) List the advantages of air transport in a vast country like India.
(d) Give two advantages and one disadvantage of helicopter services over aeroplane services.
Answer:
(a) Air transport in India started with a 10 km air mail operation between Allahabad and Naini in 1911. However, air transport made its progress only after Indian attained Independence. At present, India has both domestic and international airlines. They carry passengers, freight and mail.

(b) The air transport in India was managed by two corporations- Air India and Indian Airlines. However, the two entitles, i.e., Air India and Indian Airlines were t merged into one in 2007 and is called Air India. With this merger, Air India has become the 16th largest airline in Asia, serving 50 domestic destinations and 39 international routes, serving over 100 cities.

Apart from ” ‘ it other private scheduled operators, are Jet Airways (India) Ltd; Go Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd., Go Airlines (India) Pvt. Ltd., and Inter Globe Aviation Ltd. (Indigo), providing a wide choice of flights and connectivity to various parts of India and abroad. One Cargo Airlines – Blue Dart Aviation Pvt. Ltd. is operating scheduled cargo services in the country.

(c) Advantages of Air transport:

  • It is die fastest and easiest mode of transport. It connects the far filing and remote areas of the country.
  • The speed and ease with which aeroplanes can cross mountain barriers, sandy deserts, large expanses of water, or forests make the air transport indispensable.

(d) Advantages of helicopter :

  • It is the fastest and comfortable mode of transport. It connects the far flung and remote areas of the country.
  • Helicopter is of particular importance during natural calamities. It is used to air-lifted people from the affected areas and to air-drop food, medicines and other necessary things to calamity affected people.

Disadvantages of helicopter :
Air transport is run on petroleum which is a non-renewable source of energy.

Question 4.
With reference to the waterways, answer the following questions :
(a) Explain why India has an extensive network of waterways.
(b) Explain the role of oceanic waterways in the transport sector of India’s economy.
(c) Give two advantages and two disadvantages of water transport.
(d) Give geographical reasons:
(i) The Ganga is navigable from its mouth right upto Allahabad.
(ii) The Peninsular rivers are not navigable.
(iii) Mumbai is a harbour and a port.
Answer:
(a) India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. The total navigable length is 14,500 kilometres, out of which about 5,200 km of river and 485 km of canals can be used by mechanised craft. Freight transport by waterways is highly under utilised in India compared to other large countries. The total cargo moved by inland waterways is just 0.15% of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the corresponding figures of 20% for Germany and 32% for Bangladesh.

Cargo transport in an orgnaised manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration and regulation.

(b) Oceanic waterways constitute an important role in the transport sector of India’s economy. Ocean routs handle 95 per cent of India’s foreign trade by volume and 70 per cent by value. Besides international trade, these routs are also used for transportation between the island and the rest of the country.

(c) Advantages of waterways :

  • It is the cheapest means of transport.
  • It is most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky material. Disadvantages of waterways :
  • It depends on weather conditions.
  • It needs long travelling hours which causes seasickness.

(d) (i)The Ganga rises from the Gangotri glacier of the
Great Himalayas. The tributaries of the river Ganga join it in its course through northern plains. The main right bank tributary Yamuna joins it at Allahabad. Hence, it is navigable from its mouth right up to Allahabad.

(ii) The Peninsular rivers are marked by a number of waterfalls which are being harnessed for the production of hydroelectricity. These rivers have also been impounded for irrigation and hydroelectric power. Hence, they are not navigable.

(iii) When natural harbours have all the facilities pi ports they serve as ports. For example, Mumbai is a natural harbour and also the biggest port in India.

ICSE Geography Class 10 Question Bank

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