TEXT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Comprehension check:
1 From the first paragraph
i) Pick out two phrases which describe the desert as most people believe it is.
ii) Pick out two phrases which describe the desert as specialists see it.
Which do you think is an apt description and why?
Ans. i) The two phrases which describe the desert in the first paragraph are “endless stretch of sand, water less and without shelter.
ii) The two phrases which describe the desert in the second paragraph are a beautiful place, the homes of a variety of people, animals and plants.
Description in the second paragraph is apt as human experience tells us so.
2 The phrases on the left in the following box occur in the text. Match each of them with a phrase on the right.
i) An endless stretch of sand a) Fertile place with water and plants in a desert.
ii) Waterless and without shelter b) Not visible because the grass is thick.
iii) An oasis c) Nothing but sand as far as one can see.
iv) Hidden by a cover of grass d) No water and no shade.
Ans.
i) An endless stretch of land ⇒ nothing but sand as far as one can see.
ii) Waterless and without shelter ⇒ no water and no shade.
iii) An oasis ⇒ fertile place with water and plants in a desert.
iv) Hidden by a cover of grass ⇒ not visible because the grass is thick.
Comprehension check
- The camel can do without water for days together. What is the reason given in the text?
Ans. The reason why the camel can do without water for days together is that the camel sweats very little. Therefore the water it drinks stays in his body for a long time.
- How do the smaller desert animals fulfill their need for water?
Ans. The smaller desert animals spend a lot of time in the day in underground burrows to escape the heat. Some of them eat the meat of other animals and get the water they need from the moisture in the meat. Others eat plants and get the water they need from plant juices.
- In a desert the temperature rises during the day and falls rapidly at night. Why?
Ans. In humid climates, the air has moisture that protects the earth’s surface from the heat of the sun. Since deserts do not have moisture layer, they heat up rapidly during the day and cool off rapidly at night.
- Describe a desert in your own way. Write a paragraph and read it aloud to your classmates.
Ans. A desert is usually a dry, hot and dull place. Only nomads and camels live here. There are oasis here with some green patches near the water spring. The deserts are covered with sand all over and they occupy a large area. We have a desert region in Rajasthan.