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CBSE · Class 11 · Social Science

Natural Hazards and Disasters

Standard difficulty · 20 questions · 40 marks · Time: 37 minutes

Name: Date: Score: ____ / 40

Write full answers in Sections B and C. Answers are on the last page — try every question first!

Section A — Choose the correct answer8 × 1 = 8 marks
1.
Blizzards are classed as a hazard of type:
  1. aquatic
  2. biological
  3. terrestrial
  4. atmospheric
2.
What is agricultural drought?
  1. low soil moisture causing crop failure
  2. a sudden shaking of the ground
  3. too much rain in a short time
  4. natural ecosystems lose productivity for want of water
3.
In a drought, what is short in “trinkal”?
  1. medicines
  2. fuel wood
  3. food grains
  4. fodder
4.
For landslides, which areas make up mining-related landslide areas?
  1. Himalayan and north-eastern states except the Assam plains
  2. young Himalayas, Andaman and Nicobar, steep rainy Western Ghats and Nilgiris
  3. Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
  4. Spiti, the Aravali and rain-shadow parts of the Ghats and Deccan
5.
Which of these is an atmospheric hazard?
  1. flood
  2. tsunami
  3. avalanche
  4. tropical cyclone
6.
A district has 70 per cent of its gross cropped area under irrigation. How is it treated when drought-prone areas are marked?
  1. counted as landslide-prone
  2. excluded: over 30% of its gross cropped area is irrigated
  3. counted as drought-prone if rainfall is poor
  4. counted as flood-prone
7.
The Indian plate moves about 1 cm a year towards the north and north-east. How many metres does it move in 4,200 years?
  1. 43 m
  2. 4,200 m
  3. 42 m
  4. 420 m
8.
Maharashtra had a severe earthquake in 1967; a severe earthquake struck Maharashtra again in 1993. How many years apart were these?
  1. 36 years
  2. 27 years
  3. 26 years
  4. 23 years
Section B — Short answer8 × 2 = 16 marks
9.
When does a hazard become a disaster?
10.
Is each hazard atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic or biological? (a) bird flu (b) insect infestation
11.
What is each? (a) ecological drought (b) meteorological drought
12.
Which areas make up each landslide zone: (a) mining-related landslide areas (b) the safe areas
13.
Give one effect of each and one way to reduce it: (a) floods (b) droughts
14.
Which came first, and by how many years? (a) Maharashtra had a severe earthquake (1967) (b) a severe earthquake struck Maharashtra again (1993)
15.
Suppose a state has 308,000 hectares of land, 35 per cent of it flood-prone. How many hectares is that? Name two human activities that make floods worse.
16.
Areas with more than 30 per cent of their gross cropped area irrigated are excluded from the drought-prone category. Is each district included or excluded? (a) 35% irrigated (b) 60% irrigated
Section C — Longer answers4 × 4 = 16 marks
17.
Identify the landslide-prone regions of India and suggest mitigation measures.
18.
Match each with its areas: (a) the very high vulnerability zone (b) the high vulnerability zone (c) the safe areas. Choose from: young Himalayas, Andaman and Nicobar, steep rainy Western Ghats and Nilgiris; Himalayan and north-eastern states except the Assam plains; the plains of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
19.
A district of 35,000 sq km has 14 per cent of its gross cropped area irrigated. (a) Is it excluded from the drought-prone category? (b) Suppose 19 per cent of its area suffers drought in a year, as for India as a whole: how many sq km is that? (c) Suggest two long-term measures against drought.
20.
Describe the effects of each and how to manage them: (a) floods (b) tsunamis
AmbifulWorksheets
Practice that never repeats
CBSE · Class 11 · Social Science

Answer key

Natural Hazards and Disasters · AW-11SS-GNH-2026-V1 · For parents — fold back or tear off before handing the sheet to your child.

QAnswerWorking
1(d) atmospheric—
2(a) low soil moisture causing crop failure—
3(d) fodder—
4(c) Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh—
5(d) tropical cyclone—
6(b) excluded: over 30% of its gross cropped area is irrigatedover 30% irrigated: excluded from the drought-prone category
7(c) 42 m4,200 cm ÷ 100
8(c) 26 years1993 − 1967 = 26
9When it strikes suddenly and causes large-scale death, loss of property and disruption beyond people’s capacity to cope.—
10(a) biological (b) biological—
11(a) natural ecosystems lose productivity for want of water (b) a long period of inadequate, badly spread rainfall—
12(a) Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh (b) the plains of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar—
13(a) crop loss and waterborne diseases; embankments and afforestation (b) crop failure and loss of cattle; rainwater harvesting—
14Maharashtra had a severe earthquake, by 26 years1993 − 1967
15107,800 hectares; e.g. deforestation and settling on floodplains (also blocking drainage channels).35% of 308,000
16(a) excluded (b) excludedover 30%: excluded
17Very high in the young Himalayas, Andaman and Nicobar, Western Ghats and Nilgiris and the north-east; restrict construction, farm only valleys and gentle slopes, plant trees, build bunds and use terrace farming.—
18(a) young Himalayas, Andaman and Nicobar, steep rainy Western Ghats and Nilgiris (b) Himalayan and north-eastern states except the Assam plains (c) the plains of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar—
19(a) no, 30% or less is irrigated (b) 6,650 sq km (c) rainwater harvesting and drought-resistant crops (also finding groundwater, linking rivers).19% of 35,000
20(a) crop loss and waterborne diseases; embankments and afforestation (b) flooding of coasts; international warning systems—