Resources and Development Class 10: Notes and Explanation

What Resources and Development is about

Weightage: Geography carries 20 of the 80 theory marks; this chapter shares them with Forest and Wildlife Resources, Water Resources, Agriculture, Minerals and Energy Resources, Manufacturing Industries and Lifelines of National Economy.Source: CBSE Social Science syllabus 2026-27, Geography

In real board papers: asked in 20 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3.2 marks per paper. See the questions

Key concepts

Resources, their careless use and sustainable development

NCERT section Development of Resources

Something around you becomes a resource only when it passes three tests. It must be technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable. Nature, technology and institutions work together to turn materials into resources, and human beings are themselves an essential part of this. So resources come from human activity. They are not free gifts of nature.

People long believed they were free gifts, so they used them without care. Three problems followed:

• depletion of resources to satisfy the greed of a few
• resources piling up in a few hands, which split society into haves and have-nots
• crises for the whole planet's ecology: global warming, a thinning ozone layer, pollution of the environment and degraded land

If a few people and countries keep using up resources this way, the planet's future is in danger. That is why fair (equitable) distribution and resource planning are needed.

Sustainable development means development that does not damage the environment and does not compromise the needs of future generations. In June 1992, leaders of over a hundred countries gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit. There they adopted Agenda 21, which asks every local government to draw up its own local Agenda 21.

Worked example

Assertion (A): Resource planning is essential for the sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Reason (R): If a few individuals and countries continue to deplete resources at the present rate, the future of our planet is in danger.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Check A: NCERT states that resource planning is essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life, so A is true.
2. Check R: NCERT warns that the present trend of depletion by a few puts the planet's future in danger, so R is true.
3. Link them: planning is needed precisely because unchecked depletion threatens the future, so R explains A (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Resource planning in India

NCERT section Resource Planning in India

Planning is the accepted way to use resources judiciously. It matters even more in India because resources are spread very unevenly:

• Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal.
• Arunachal Pradesh has plenty of water but lacks infrastructure.
• Rajasthan is well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks water.
• The cold desert of Ladakh has a rich cultural heritage but is short of water, infrastructure and some vital minerals.

So planning must be balanced at the national, state, regional and local levels.

Planning in India has three steps:

• identifying resources and making an inventory of them through surveys, maps and estimates
• building a planning structure with the right technology, skills and institutions
• matching resource plans with national development plans

India has worked on these goals since the First Five Year Plan.

Having resources is necessary but not enough. Without matching technology and institutions, a region rich in resources can stay backward. Colonisation proves this: colonisers used their higher technology to exploit the resources of colonies. Resource development therefore depends on technology, the quality of human resources and people's historical experience.

Worked example

"Mere availability of resources does not guarantee development." Explain the statement and describe the three steps involved in resource planning in India. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Availability is necessary but development also needs matching technology and institutions; some resource-rich regions are backward while some resource-poor regions are developed (1).
2. Colonisation example: colonising countries used higher technology to exploit the resources of colonies (1).
3. Step 1: identification and inventory of resources through surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation (1).
4. Step 2: evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set-up (1).
5. Step 3: matching resource development plans with overall national development plans (1).

Answer: Availability of resources is necessary, but it is not enough. Without matching technology and institutions, development is held back. That is why some resource-rich regions remain economically backward while some resource-poor regions are developed. History shows this too: colonising countries used their higher technology to exploit the rich resources of their colonies.

Resource planning in India follows three steps:
- identifying resources and making an inventory of them by surveying, mapping and estimating them in quality and quantity
- evolving a planning structure with suitable technology, skill and institutional set-up to carry out the plans
- matching resource development plans with overall national development plans

Conservation of resources

NCERT section Resource Planning

Resources are needed for every kind of development. But irrational consumption and over-use cause both socio-economic and environmental problems. The answer is to conserve resources at every level: individual, local, national and global.

Gandhiji put the idea simply: "There is enough for everybody's need and not for any body's greed." He blamed greedy, selfish individuals and the exploitative nature of modern technology for the depletion of resources across the world. He opposed mass production and wanted production by the masses instead.

The idea then grew step by step at the international level:

• 1968: the Club of Rome argued for resource conservation in a systematic way for the first time.
• 1974: Schumacher presented Gandhian philosophy again in his book *Small is Beautiful*.
• 1987: the Brundtland Commission Report introduced the concept of sustainable development as a means of conservation. It was later published as *Our Common Future*.
• 1992: the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro made another significant contribution.

Notice the link. Gandhiji's 'need, not greed' and sustainable development make the same demand: use resources so that they last for everyone, now and in the future.

Worked example

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Worry about using up resources is not new. Gandhiji felt the earth could meet every person's needs but could never satisfy anyone's greed. He blamed selfish, greedy people and the exploitative nature of modern technology for resource depletion across the world, and he preferred production by the masses to mass production. Years later, such ideas reached the world stage. The Club of Rome argued for resource conservation in a systematic way in 1968. In 1974, Schumacher's book Small is Beautiful presented Gandhian thinking once again. In 1987, the Brundtland Commission Report introduced sustainable development as a way to conserve resources, and in 1992 world leaders met at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

(i) Which report introduced the concept of sustainable development? (1)
(ii) Name the book in which Gandhian philosophy was presented again in 1974, and its author. (1)
(iii) Explain how Gandhiji's view and the idea of sustainable development both tackle the problem of resource depletion. (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (i) The Brundtland Commission Report, 1987 (1).
2. (ii) Small is Beautiful by Schumacher (1).
3. (iii) Gandhiji: depletion is caused by greed, so use resources only for genuine needs (1).
4. (iii) Sustainable development: develop without damaging the environment or compromising future generations' needs; both limit over-use so resources last for all (1).

Answer: (i) The Brundtland Commission Report of 1987.

(ii) Small is Beautiful, written by Schumacher.

(iii) Gandhiji held that resources run out because of greed, so people should use them only for genuine needs. Sustainable development asks that development should not damage the environment or compromise the needs of future generations. Both ideas limit over-use so that resources last for everyone.

Land resources and land utilisation

NCERT section Land Utilisation

Land is a natural resource of the greatest importance. We live on it and carry out our economic activities on it. It supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, transport and communication. Land is also finite: its amount cannot be increased, so it must be used with careful planning.

India's land lies under different relief features:

• about 43 per cent is plains, good for agriculture and industry
• about 30 per cent is mountains, which keep some rivers flowing all year and support tourism and ecology
• about 27 per cent is plateau, rich in minerals, fossil fuels and forests

NCERT divides land use into five groups: forests; land not available for cultivation (barren and waste land, and land under non-agricultural uses such as buildings and roads); other uncultivated land; fallow land; and net sown area.

The key to the uncultivated groups is time:

• Current fallow: left uncultivated for one year or less.
• Other than current fallow: left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 years.
• Culturable waste land: left uncultivated for more than 5 years.

Net sown area is the land actually sown and harvested. Add the area sown more than once in a year and you get gross cropped area.

Worked example

A village records the following for one agricultural year: net sown area 600 hectares; 150 hectares of this sown a second time; a plot of 40 hectares left uncultivated for the past 3 agricultural years; a plot of 25 hectares left uncultivated for 7 agricultural years.
(i) Calculate the gross cropped area of the village.
(ii) Classify the 40-hectare and 25-hectare plots. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (i) Gross cropped area = net sown area + area sown more than once = 600 + 150 = 750 hectares (1).
2. (ii) 40 hectares (1 to 5 years) is other than current fallow; 25 hectares (more than 5 years) is culturable waste land, part of other uncultivated land (½ + ½).

Answer: (i) Gross cropped area = 600 + 150 = 750 hectares.

(ii) The 40-hectare plot has been uncultivated for 3 years, which falls in the 1 to 5 year range, so it is other than current fallow. The 25-hectare plot has been uncultivated for more than 5 years, so it is culturable waste land.

Land use pattern in India

NCERT section Land Use Pattern in India

How land is used depends on two sets of factors:

• Physical factors: topography, climate and soil types.
• Human factors: population density, technological capability, and culture and traditions.

India's total geographical area is 3.28 million sq km. Land use data exists for only 93 per cent of it, for two reasons. Reporting for most north-eastern states except Assam is incomplete, and some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China have not been surveyed.

Net sown area varies a lot between states. It is over 80 per cent in Punjab and Haryana. It is less than 10 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Most other than current fallow land is poor in quality or costly to farm, so it is sown only once or twice in two to three years. If it is counted, net sown area rises to about 54 per cent of the reporting area.

Forest area is far below the 33 per cent that the National Forest Policy (1952) set as necessary for ecological balance. This also matters for the millions of people living on forest fringes. Permanent pasture has also shrunk. Using land continuously without conserving it leads to land degradation. This is what 'non-optimal' land use means.

Worked example

[2 marks] Explain why land use data is available for only 93 per cent of India's geographical area.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Land use reporting for most north-eastern states except Assam has not been done fully (1).
2. Some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China have not been surveyed (1).

Answer: - Land use reporting for most north-eastern states except Assam is incomplete.
- Some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China are unsurveyed.

Land degradation and conservation measures

NCERT section Land Degradation and Conservation Measures

We share land with past and future generations, and about 95 per cent of our basic needs for food, shelter and clothing come from it. Human activities have degraded land directly. They have also sped up the damage done by natural forces.

NCERT links each cause to particular regions:

• Mining: in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, deforestation due to mining has caused severe degradation. Abandoned mines leave deep scars and overburden.
• Overgrazing: a main cause in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Over-irrigation: in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, it causes waterlogging, which increases salinity and alkalinity in the soil.
• Mineral processing: grinding limestone for cement, and calcite and soapstone for ceramics, makes dust. When it settles on land, water seeps into the soil more slowly.
• Industrial effluents: these are now a major source of land and water pollution.

The cure should match the cause:

• Arid areas: afforestation, proper management of grazing, shelter belts and stabilising sand dunes with thorny bushes.
• Industrial and suburban areas: managing waste lands, controlling mining, and treating effluents and wastes before disposal.

Worked example

For each region, identify the main human cause of land degradation named in NCERT and suggest one suitable conservation measure:
(i) a mining belt in Jharkhand
(ii) grazing lands in Gujarat (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (i) Deforestation due to mining; measure: control of mining activities and afforestation (1).
2. (ii) Overgrazing; measure: control on overgrazing or proper management of grazing (1).

Answer: (i) Deforestation due to mining. Measure: control mining activities and plant trees.

(ii) Overgrazing. Measure: control grazing and manage it properly.

Soil formation, alluvial soil and black soil

NCERT section Alluvial Soils; Black Soil

Soil is the most important natural resource. It is the medium in which plants grow, and it is a living system. Forming just a few cm of soil takes millions of years, which is why losing soil is so serious.

Five factors form soil: relief, parent rock, climate, vegetation and other life, and time. Changes in temperature, running water, wind, glaciers and decomposers all help. Soil contains organic matter (humus) and inorganic matter.

Alluvial soil is the most widespread and important soil:

• Where: the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra deposited it over the entire northern plains. A narrow corridor extends into Rajasthan and Gujarat, and it also covers the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri deltas.
• Texture: it mixes sand, silt and clay, and is coarse near the break of slope (Duars, Chos, Terai).
• Old and new: Bangar (old) has more kanker nodules. Khadar (new) is finer and more fertile.
• Use: it has potash, phosphoric acid and lime, so it suits sugarcane, paddy, wheat and pulses. Its areas are densely populated.

Black (regur) soil formed from Deccan trap lava. It is clayey, holds moisture and is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime, but poor in phosphoric content. It suits cotton.

Worked example

Compare alluvial soil and black soil on any five points: formation, areas where found, texture, nutrients and crops. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Formation: alluvial deposited by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra; black formed from lava of the Deccan trap (basalt) with climate (1).
2. Areas: alluvial in northern plains and eastern deltas; black on plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (1).
3. Texture: alluvial is a mix of sand, silt and clay; black is extremely fine, clayey and holds moisture (1).
4. Nutrients: alluvial has potash, phosphoric acid and lime; black is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime but poor in phosphoric content (1).
5. Crops: alluvial suits sugarcane, paddy, wheat, cereals and pulses; black is ideal for cotton (1).

Answer: - Formation: Alluvial soil was deposited by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. Black soil formed from Deccan trap lava (basalt), helped by climate.
- Areas: Alluvial covers the northern plains and the eastern deltas. Black covers the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
- Texture: Alluvial mixes sand, silt and clay. Black is extremely fine, clayey and holds moisture well.
- Nutrients: Alluvial has adequate potash, phosphoric acid and lime. Black is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime but poor in phosphoric content.
- Crops: Alluvial suits sugarcane, paddy, wheat, cereals and pulses. Black is ideal for cotton.

Red and yellow, laterite, arid and forest soils

NCERT section Red and Yellow Soils; Laterite Soil; Arid Soils; Forest Soils

Red and yellow soils:

• Where: on crystalline igneous rocks in low-rainfall areas of the eastern and southern Deccan plateau. Also in parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the southern middle Ganga plain and the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
• Colour: red comes from iron diffused in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. The soil looks yellow when it is hydrated.

Laterite soil (from Latin 'later', brick):

• Formation: in tropical and subtropical climates with alternate wet and dry seasons. Heavy rain causes intense leaching, which washes nutrients out.
• Nature: deep, acidic (pH below 6.0) and poor in nutrients. It is humus-rich under forests and humus-poor under sparse vegetation.
• Use: it erodes easily, but with soil conservation it grows tea and coffee in the hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Red laterite in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala suits cashew nut.

Arid soil:

• Nature: red to brown, sandy and saline. The dry heat leaves it short of humus and moisture.
• Kankar: calcium content rises downwards, so kankar forms in the lower layers and blocks water from seeping in.
• Use: with irrigation it becomes cultivable, as in western Rajasthan.

Forest soils form in hilly, rain-forested areas:

• Texture: loamy and silty on valley sides, coarse on upper slopes.
• Snowy Himalayas: acidic and low in humus.
• Valleys: fertile on river terraces and alluvial fans.

Worked example

A soil sample from a hilly area with heavy rain and alternate wet and dry seasons is deep, acidic (pH below 6.0) and poor in plant nutrients. Identify the soil and explain why it is poor in nutrients. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Identification: laterite soil (1).
2. Reason: heavy rain causes intense leaching, which washes nutrients out (1).

Answer: It is laterite soil. Heavy rainfall causes intense leaching, which washes plant nutrients out of the soil and leaves it acidic. (With soil conservation, it can then grow tea and coffee in the hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.)

Soil erosion and soil conservation

NCERT section Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

Soil erosion is the removal of the soil cover and its washing down. Soil formation and erosion go on together, and usually they balance each other. Human activities upset this balance: deforestation, overgrazing, construction, mining and wrong farming methods. Natural forces such as wind, glaciers and water also cause erosion.

There are three main types:

• Gully erosion: running water cuts deep channels (gullies) in clayey soil. The land becomes unfit for farming and is called bad land. In the Chambal basin such land is called ravines.
• Sheet erosion: water flows as a sheet down a slope and removes the top soil.
• Wind erosion: wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land.

Ploughing up and down a slope makes channels for water to rush down, so the farming method itself can cause erosion.

Each conservation method blocks either water or wind:

• Contour ploughing: ploughing along the contour lines slows water flowing down the slope.
• Terrace cultivation: steps cut into slopes restrict erosion. It is well developed in the western and central Himalayas.
• Strip cropping: strips of grass between crops break the force of the wind.
• Shelter belts: rows of trees that shelter the land. They have helped stabilise sand dunes and the desert in western India.

Worked example

Suggest the most suitable soil conservation method for each farmer and explain how it works:
(i) a farmer on a hill slope whose top soil washes away because the field is ploughed up and down the slope
(ii) a farmer with a large, open, flat field where strong winds blow the soil away (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (i) Contour ploughing or terrace cultivation: slows water flowing down the slope (1).
2. (ii) Strip cropping: grass strips between crops break the force of the wind (1).

Answer: (i) Contour ploughing or terracing. Ploughing along contours, or cutting steps, slows water rushing down the slope.

(ii) Strip cropping. Strips of grass grown between crops break the force of the wind.

Resources and Development in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Development of Resources and Resource Planning
• Land Resources and Land Use Pattern in IndiaComing soon
• Land Degradation and Conservation MeasuresComing soon
• Classification of Soils in India
• Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

Resources and Development: key facts

Resource

Anything in the environment that is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable

Use as the opening line of any answer on what makes a resource.

Problems of indiscriminate use

Depletion for a few; accumulation in few hands (haves and have-nots); global ecological crises

Ecological crises named: global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution, land degradation.

Sustainable development

Development without damaging the environment and without compromising the needs of future generations

Quote the meaning in your own words in any sustainability answer.

Club of Rome, 1968; Small is Beautiful, 1974

1968: first systematic call for conservation; 1974: Schumacher presents Gandhian philosophy again

Use for chronology MCQs and conservation case passages.

Brundtland Commission Report, 1987

Introduced 'Sustainable Development'; published as Our Common Future

Do not confuse with Rio 1992.

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, June 1992

First International Earth Summit; Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity; Forest Principles; Agenda 21

Agenda 21 asks every local government to draw its own local Agenda 21.

Three steps of resource planning

Identify and inventory resources; build a planning structure; match plans with national plans

Write all three in order for a 2- or 5-mark answer.

India's relief

Plains about 43%, mountains 30%, plateau about 27%

Add the use of each: agriculture and industry; perennial rivers and tourism; minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

Fallow and waste land by time

Current fallow: one year or less; other than current fallow: 1 to 5 years; culturable waste: more than 5 years

The number of years decides the category in classification questions.

Net sown area and gross cropped area

Gross cropped area = net sown area + area sown more than once in a year

Use for numerical or definition questions.

National Forest Policy, 1952

Forest cover should be 33% of geographical area

India's forest area is far below this level.

Land degradation by region

Mining: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, Odisha; overgrazing: Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra; over-irrigation: Punjab, Haryana, western UP

Over-irrigation causes waterlogging, which increases salinity and alkalinity.

Bangar and Khadar

Bangar: old alluvium, more kanker nodules; Khadar: new alluvium, finer, more fertile

Easy to swap in MCQs and assertion-reason items: Khadar is the newer, more fertile one.

Black soil

Regur or black cotton soil from Deccan trap basalt lava; clayey, moisture-holding, poor in phosphoric content

Ideal for cotton; develops deep cracks in hot weather, which aerate the soil.

Laterite soil

From Latin 'later' (brick); intense leaching by heavy rain; acidic (pH below 6.0)

Tea and coffee after conservation; cashew nut on red laterite.

Gully erosion

Running water cuts gullies, creating bad land; called ravines in the Chambal basin

Contrast with sheet erosion, where top soil washes off as a sheet.

Resources and Development: map work

The places on the official CBSE map list for this chapter. Find each one on an outline map of India and practise marking it.

How the board asks Resources and Development

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Resources and Development

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• The three-test resource check

  Think 'Can we? Is it worth it? Will people accept it?' These match technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.

  Use it when: Defining a resource, or judging whether something counts as one.

• Conservation date ladder: 68, 74, 87, 92

  'Rome Starts, Brundtland Builds, Rio Reaches': Club of Rome 1968, Small is Beautiful 1974, Brundtland 1987, Rio 1992.

  Use it when: Chronology MCQs and conservation case passages.

• Fallow by the clock: 1, 5, beyond

  Up to 1 year is current fallow, 1 to 5 years is other than current fallow, more than 5 years is culturable waste.

  Use it when: Classifying land in data questions.

• Khadar is the kid

  Khadar is new, young and finer, so it is more fertile. Bangar is old, with more kanker nodules.

  Use it when: Assertion-reason and MCQs on alluvial soil.

• Degradation compass

  Mines in the mineral belt (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, Odisha), grazing in the west (Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra), irrigation in the north (Punjab, Haryana, western UP).

  Use it when: Matching a state to its main cause of land degradation.

• Laterite is 'later', the brick

  Brick-red, leached by heavy rain, acidic. Rescued by conservation for tea, coffee and cashew.

  Use it when: Recalling laterite's name, formation and crops together.

Resources and Development: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section E style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 4-mark question split into 1 + 1 + 2 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Resources and Development

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Swapping Bangar and Khadar

  Both names sound unfamiliar, and students assume old soil must be richer.

  Wrong working

  Bangar is new alluvium and more fertile than Khadar.

  Right working

  Bangar is old alluvium with more kanker nodules; Khadar is new alluvium with finer particles and is more fertile than Bangar.

  ✓Do this: Tie Khadar to 'kid' (new) and learn one feature of each.

  Usually costs: The full mark on an MCQ or assertion-reason, or a value point in a long answer.

• ✗Mistake: Giving the wrong cause of land degradation in Punjab

  Students guess 'deforestation' or 'overgrazing' because these are common causes elsewhere.

  Wrong working

  Land in Punjab is degraded mainly by overgrazing.

  Right working

  In Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, over-irrigation causes waterlogging, which increases salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

  ✓Do this: Learn the three state groups with their causes as a set.

  Usually costs: A 1-mark MCQ, or a point in a 2- or 5-mark answer.

• ✗Mistake: Confusing net sown area with gross cropped area

  Both measure cropped land, and students forget about double cropping.

  Wrong working

  Gross cropped area is the land actually sown, and net sown area includes land sown twice.

  Right working

  Net sown area is the land actually sown and harvested; gross cropped area = net sown area + area sown more than once in the year.

  ✓Do this: Remember: sow twice, count twice, and that sum is the gross figure.

  Usually costs: The definition mark, or the whole calculation in a data question.

• ✗Mistake: Saying black soil is rich in phosphorus

  Students list every nutrient as 'rich' because black soil is described as fertile.

  Wrong working

  Black soil is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash, lime and phosphorus.

  Right working

  Black soil is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime but generally poor in phosphoric content.

  ✓Do this: Learn the exception along with the rich list. Alluvial has phosphoric acid; black lacks it.

  Usually costs: A value point in a 5-mark soil answer, or an MCQ.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing up the dates and roles of Brundtland and Rio

  Both are linked with sustainable development.

  Wrong working

  Agenda 21 was adopted in the Brundtland Report of 1987.

  Right working

  The Brundtland Commission Report (1987) introduced sustainable development; Agenda 21 was adopted at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in June 1992.

  ✓Do this: Use the date ladder: Brundtland gives the idea, Rio gives the action plan.

  Usually costs: A 1-mark MCQ or a case-based sub-part.

• ✗Mistake: Writing long answers without places or reasons

  Students list bare features and run out of value points or go over the word limit.

  Wrong working

  Alluvial soil is fertile. It is found in plains. It grows crops.

  Right working

  Alluvial soil covers the northern plains, deposited by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. It contains potash, phosphoric acid and lime, so it suits sugarcane, paddy and wheat.

  ✓Do this: Make each point carry a fact plus a place, reason or example, and count your points against the marks.

  Usually costs: Two to three marks in a 5-mark answer.

NCERT exercise guide: Resources and Development

What each exercise in the NCERT chapter tests, how to approach it, and a question of the same kind solved step by step. Questions here are written in our own words.

Resources and Development: previous year questions

• Asked in 20 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3.2 marks per paper; 37 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 4 of 4 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Solved board questions from Resources and Development

Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.

Every Resources and Development question, by year

Practice questions on Resources and Development

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Which soil has a kankar layer in its lower horizons that restricts the infiltration of water?
   (a) Alluvial soil
   (b) Arid soil
   (c) Laterite soil
   (d) Black soil

   Hint

   Think of the soil where calcium content increases downwards in a dry climate.

   Answer

   (b) Arid soil. Calcium content rises downwards, forming kankar in the bottom horizons, which restricts infiltration.

2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   State any two problems caused by the belief that resources are free gifts of nature. (2 marks)

   Hint

   The belief led to indiscriminate use. Think of who gained and what happened to the earth.

   Answer

   • Resources were depleted to satisfy the greed of a few individuals.
   • Resources were concentrated in a few hands, dividing society into haves and have-nots. (Global ecological crises such as global warming and land degradation are also acceptable.)

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonBoard level

   Assertion (A): Red soil develops a reddish colour.
   Reason (R): Iron diffuses in crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

   Hint

   Ask yourself what gives the soil its colour.

   Answer

   (a) Both are true, and the diffusion of iron is exactly what gives the soil its red colour. It looks yellow when it is in a hydrated form.

4. Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   Explain how any two major relief features of India support different uses of land. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Use the shares: plains 43 per cent, mountains 30 per cent, plateaus 27 per cent.

   Answer

   Any two:

   • Plains (about 43 per cent of land area) provide facilities for agriculture and industry.
   • Mountains (30 per cent) keep some rivers flowing all year and support tourism and ecology.
   • Plateaus (about 27 per cent) hold rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

   'It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few centimetres deep.' Explain the factors and natural forces responsible for soil formation, and state why this makes soil conservation important. (5 marks)

   Hint

   List the factors, then the forces, then link slow formation to the need for conservation.

   Answer

   • Factors: relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other life forms, and time.
   • Forces: temperature change, running water, wind, glaciers and the activity of decomposers. Chemical and organic changes also matter.
   • Soil contains organic (humus) and inorganic material.
   • Because formation is so slow, soil lost to erosion cannot be replaced in a human lifetime.
   • So the balance between formation and erosion must be protected through methods such as contour ploughing, terracing, strip cropping and shelter belts.

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Explain how mineral processing degrades land, and suggest one measure to reduce degradation in industrial and suburban areas. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Think about where the dust goes once it settles.

   Answer

   • Grinding limestone for cement, and calcite and soapstone for ceramics, releases huge amounts of dust. Once it settles on land, water soaks into the soil more slowly. (1)
   • Measure: treat effluents and wastes before proper discharge and disposal, and control mining activities. (1)

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Imagine a farmer owns 4 hectares. In one agricultural year she sows a crop on all 4 hectares, and then sows a second crop on 3 of those hectares. Find her net sown area and gross cropped area, and explain the difference. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Net sown area counts land once. Gross cropped area adds the land sown again.

   Answer

   Net sown area = 4 hectares, the physical land on which crops are sown. Gross cropped area = 4 + 3 = 7 hectares, which is net sown area plus area sown more than once in the year.

8. Q8 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   How were colonising countries able to exploit the resources of their colonies? What lesson does this give about resource development? (2 marks)

   Hint

   Resources alone are not enough. What else did the colonisers have?

   Answer

   • Rich resources attracted the colonisers, and their higher level of technology let them exploit those resources and dominate the colonies. (1)
   • Lesson: resources lead to development only with suitable technology and institutional change; in India it also depends on the quality of human resources and people's historical experience. (1)

9. Q9 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency

   Suppose a classmate argues: 'Rajasthan lacks water, so it can never develop.' Evaluate this view using ideas from the chapter. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Look at what Rajasthan has plenty of, and what happens to its soils after irrigation.

   Answer

   • The view is wrong: Rajasthan is well endowed with solar and wind energy, and arid soils of western Rajasthan became cultivable after irrigation. (1)
   • Development depends on planning, technology and institutions, not on having every resource; balanced planning can make up for shortages. (1)

10. Q10 · 1 mark · MCQHOTS / competency

    On a hill slope, water runs as a sheet over the field and washes away the top soil. The farmer ploughs up and down the slope. Which option correctly names the erosion and the best remedy?
    (a) Gully erosion; strip cropping
    (b) Sheet erosion; contour ploughing or terracing
    (c) Wind erosion; shelter belts
    (d) Sheet erosion; ploughing up and down the slope

    Hint

    Ploughing up and down the slope is a cause, not a cure.

    Answer

    (b) Water flowing as a sheet removes top soil, which is sheet erosion. Ploughing along the contours or cutting terraces slows the water down.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.What three conditions make something a resource?Show answer

   It must be technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.

2. 2.Which report introduced the concept of sustainable development?Show answer

   The Brundtland Commission Report, 1987, later published as Our Common Future.

3. 3.What is a main objective of Agenda 21?Show answer

   Every local government should draw up its own local Agenda 21.

4. 4.Culturable waste land has been uncultivated for how long?Show answer

   More than 5 agricultural years.

5. 5.What forest cover did the National Forest Policy (1952) want?Show answer

   33 per cent of the geographical area.

6. 6.Why is black soil also called black cotton soil?Show answer

   Because it is ideal for growing cotton.

7. 7.Why are the lower layers of arid soil blocked by kankar?Show answer

   Calcium content increases downwards, forming kankar, which restricts water infiltration.

8. 8.What are ravines?Show answer

   Bad land cut into deep gullies by running water, as in the Chambal basin.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Can you state the three conditions for something to be a resource and the three problems of indiscriminate use?
• ☐Can you define sustainable development and list what was signed and adopted at Rio in 1992?
• ☐Can you name the three steps of resource planning in India in order?
• ☐Can you give the four conservation milestones with their years?
• ☐Can you classify land as current fallow, other than current fallow or culturable waste from its years?
• ☐Can you find gross cropped area when given net sown area and area sown twice?
• ☐Can you match mining, overgrazing and over-irrigation to their states?
• ☐Can you compare alluvial and black soil on five points without looking?
• ☐Can you explain why laterite is acidic and how it is made useful?
• ☐Can you name the four soil conservation methods and how each one works?

Resources and Development: frequently asked questions