Whose Forests Class 5 EVS Question Answers

“Whose Forests” is Chapter 15 from the Let’s Look Around and Learn Environmental Studies Textbook for students of Class 5th of JKBOSE. This post is about Whose Forests Class 5 EVS Question Answers. In the last post, you read about A Seed Tells A Farmer’s Story Class 5 Chapter Notes. Let’s not waste time and get started:

Whose Forests Class 5 EVS Question Answers

Introduction

The chapter “Whose Forests” describes the story of a girl named Suryamani who fought for saving the forests of Jharkhand in Jharkhand Jungle Bachao Andolan. Also, the chapter briefs us about the forests and farming of Mizoram. Here you will find Question Answers to the Chapter Whose Forests while the Summary Notes of the Chapter are discussed in a separate post.

Discuss Page No. 134

1. What do you think is a forest?

Ans. A large area thickly covered with different varieties of trees and plants s termed a forest. It also has different animals, birds and insects in it.

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

Ans. No, it will not become a forest because the forest is a more thick and green cover.

Find out and Write Page No. 135

1. Other than trees what all is there in a forest?

Ans. A forest also has different types of animals, birds and insects in it apart from trees.

2. Do all forests have a similar type of trees? How many trees can you identify?

Ans. No, all forests don’t have a similar types of trees. Different forests have different types of trees. I can identify deodar, pine, chinar, safeda, etc.

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

Ans. Forests are very important and beneficial for us. They keep our environment clean and maintain balance in nature. They absorb carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from the air and release oxygen into the year. They are the source of so many raw materials for our daily use. Tribals living in the forest are dependent on the forests for their livelihood.  So, Suayamani says if the forest would disappear, we would be destroyed.

Think and Write Page No. 136

1. Do you know anyone who loves the forest?

Ans. Yes, I and my friends love the forests.

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

Ans. The contractor had been cutting trees in the forest and selling them for its profit. He may not want the local people to use the resources from the forest which may be a loss to him. Hence, he did not allow Suryamani’s people to go into the forest.

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

Ans. Yes, there is a park in our town. But people are not allowed to go there and enjoy its natural beauty until they pay for the entry ticket. I feel it is not right, the park should be open for all.

Discuss Page No. 136 – 137

1. Who do you think the forest belongs to?

Ans. I think forests are public property and belong to everyone and not a single person.

2. 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?

Ans. Yes, apart from forests there are a few other things which are our collective wealth. These include groundwater, minerals, fish in rivers and seas and fossil fuels like coal and petroleum.

3. Do you have a friend with whom you can share everything?

Ans. Yes, I have a friend with whom I can share everything.

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

Ans. The word “jungle” is often used in an insulting sense for uncivilized people. The people living near the forests are different from the people living in the cities but they are not uncivilized. They have their own culture and way of living and they are using forest resources in a balanced manner. So, it is not right to refer to the people living in the forests as “jungli”.

5. What do you know about how Adivasis live? Write and draw a picture.

Ans. Adivasis have a very simple lifestyle. They wear ordinary clothes and depend on forests for their needs. They collect wild fruits, vegetables and firewood from forests. They also prepare certain medicines from wild herbs in the forest. They graze their cattle in the forest and make many useful items like plates and baskets from leaves and sticks of bamboo and sell them for their livelihood.

6. Do you have an Adivasi friend? What have you learnt about the forest from her?

Ans. Yes, I have an Adivasi friend. She reads in my class and I have learnt many things about the forest from her. She taught me the following things:

(i) To prepare ornamental and decorative items from flowers and leaves.

(ii) To prepare medicines from wild herbs.

(iii) To prepare baskets from bamboo.

(iv) To prepare plates from dried leaves.

Think Page No. 138

1. Do you know of anyone who works to save forests?

Ans. Yes, I know a person who runs an NGO which works for saving forests and planting more trees.

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

Ans. I want to become a doctor. I will study hard to make my dream come true.

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

Ans. Yes, I find news about cutting down forests affecting the weather quite often in newspapers. It is true because forests are responsible for rainfall when we cut down the trees there will be less rainfall and the weather in the area will be affected. It also leads to global warming.

4. 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?

Ans. Yes, I would like to help my community progress in every field. I want to preserve the local culture and brotherhood of my community.

Read and Tell Page No. 139

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

Ans. Yes, construction work is going on in our area. A new shopping mall building is under construction in my area.

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

Ans. Yes, pollution from the factories and construction sites is affecting the trees in the surrounding very badly. The majority of the trees in the surrounding have become lifeless. Now people have started raising their voices against this pollution.

Look at the map and Write Page No. 139

1. What all is shown on the map?

Ans. It is a map of India. The map shows the areas having very thick forests and areas having very less forests.

2. You have read Sikhya’s letter. Look for Orissa on the map.

Ans. Orissa lies in the eastern coastal part of India. It is located in the east of Chhattisgarh, south of West Bengal, and northeast of Andhra Pradesh. The Bay of Bengal is in the southeast of Orrisa.

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

Ans. Yes, the Bay of Bengal is close to Orissa. I found it out with the help of a map. Its name is written on the map.

4. Which are the states which have the sea on one side?

Ans. The states having the sea on one side include:

Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

5. Where is Suryamani’s state Jharkhand on the map?

Ans. Suryanami’s state Jharkhand is situated towards the south of Bihar, northeast of Orissa and the east of Madhya Pradesh.

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

Ans. The following places shown on the map have forests 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, Kerela, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu etc. I found the forest areas quite easily because thick forest areas on the map are marked with dark green colour while the areas having fewer forests are marked with light green colour.

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

Ans. The places having thick forests are marked with dark green colour while the places having less forest cover are marked with light green colour. So, due to the difference in colour shades, it becomes easy to identify which states have thick forests and which ones have fewer forests.

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

Ans. If someone is in Madhya Pradesh, for him the thickest forest of the country would be on the North-Eastern side. The states with the thickest forests are; Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh.

Find Out Page No. 141

1. Which are the states around Mizoram?

Ans. The states around Mizoram are Assam, Tripura and Manipur

2. Chamur said they measure land using tin. Which are the other ways of measuring land?

Ans. Some of the other ways of measuring land are metre, yard, marla, Kanal, bigha, acre, mile and gaj.

3. 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?

Ans. The cup would have been made by Adivasis living in the forest areas. This cup would have been made and kept in the forest to help the travellers passing from the forest area.

4. Have you ever seen anything which people are free to use, with no one there looking after it?

Ans. Yes, I have seen some piau, baolis, etc. (places where people can drink water) which people are free to use, with no one there looking after them.

What We Have Learnt Page No. 143

1. What is similar and what is different between Jhoom farming and Bhaskarbhai’s way of farming?

Ans. Similarity

In both, types of farming organic manures which are produced naturally are used.

Difference

Both the methods of farming are different from each other in way of making the manure for their farms. Bhaskarbhai makes manure from plant waste like dead and rotten leaves, stems, roots etc. by dumping them in the compost pit and allowing them to decompose. This process is called composting. On the other hand, in Jhoom farming, the weeds are burnt in the field and the ashes are mixed with the soil which acts as manure.

Bhaskarbhai ploughs land before sowing seeds in it. In Jhoom farming, the land is not ploughed but shallow trenches are made in the soil in which the seeds are sown.

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

Ans. Forests are very important for people living in them. They are dependent on the forest for their needs. It is an important resource for them. Forest provides firewood, fruits and edible roots to them. Forest are the source of medicinal plants. The Adivasis collect leaves and herbs from the forests, weave baskets from bamboo, make leaf plates from fallen leaves, prepare medicines from the herbs etc. and sell them in the market. The people living in the forests are dependent on them for their livelihood.

3. Did you find something interesting in Jhoom fanning? What is it?

Ans. Here are a few interesting things about Jhoom farming:

(а) A new piece of land is cleared by slashing and burning the plants and is used for farming every time.

(b) Weeds and waste of the plants are burnt and ashes are mixed with soil.

(c) The land is not ploughed instead the shallow trenches are made in the soil in which seeds are sown.

(d) Mixed cropping is practised in Jhoom cultivation.

That’s all about Whose Forests Class 5 EVS Question Answers. Hope you got your answers. Do share your views about this post in the comment section below.