Class 7 Social Science Chapter 3: Climates of India NCERT Solutions

Concept used. Five factors decide the climate of a place: latitude (distance from the Equator), altitude (height above sea level), proximity to the ocean (how close a place is to the sea), monsoon winds (seasonal winds that carry rain), and topography. Each factor changes temperature or rainfall in its own distinct way.

1. Latitude. Places near the Equator get almost direct sunlight all year, so they stay hot. Places farther north or south get slanting sunlight, so they turn cooler. As we move from south to north across India, this steady change in the sun's angle creates different climates in the north and south. This matches option (b).
2. Altitude. Air gets thinner and cooler as we go higher up a mountain, which is why hill stations like Shimla or Ooty stay cool even in summer. Altitude keeps higher places cooler: option (c).
3. Proximity to the ocean. The sea heats up and cools down slowly, while land heats up and cools down fast. Coastal areas borrow this slow, steady behaviour from the sea, so their summers are not too hot and winters are not too cold. This moderates the temperature: option (d).
4. Monsoon winds. In summer, winds blow from the ocean towards the hot Indian landmass, carrying moisture that falls as rain. This is why monsoon winds bring wet air to India during summer: option (a).

(1)\(\to\)(b), (2)\(\to\)(c), (3)\(\to\)(d), (4)\(\to\)(a)

Concept used. Weather is the day-to-day condition of the atmosphere: sunny, rainy or windy. Climate is the average weather pattern of a region over many decades. Temperature near the coast is controlled by how fast land and water heat up or cool down, and India's rainfall is controlled by the summer and winter monsoon winds.

1. a) Weather vs climate. Weather changes from hour to hour or day to day, for example, today it might rain, tomorrow it might be sunny. Climate is the long-term pattern of this weather in a region, built up over thirty years or more. So "it is raining today" describes weather, while "this region has a tropical climate" describes climate.
2. b) Ocean and milder temperature. Land absorbs and loses heat quickly, but the sea absorbs and loses heat slowly. In summer, the sea stays cooler than the land nearby and sends cool air onto the coast. In winter, the sea stays warmer than the land and sends warm air onto the coast. This is why coastal cities like Mumbai have smaller temperature swings than inland cities like Nagpur.

1. [resume]
2. c) Role of monsoon winds. In summer, the Indian landmass heats up faster than the ocean, creating a low-pressure area over land. Moist winds are pulled in from the high-pressure ocean towards this low-pressure land, and this moisture falls as the summer or southwest monsoon rain. In winter, the pattern reverses: the land cools faster and becomes high-pressure, so dry winds blow from land to ocean as the northeast monsoon. Without these winds, most of India would not get its main share of yearly rainfall.
3. d) Chennai vs Leh. Chennai lies at a low latitude, close to the Equator, and right on the coast, so the sun's rays fall almost straight down on it all year and the nearby sea keeps it warm even at night. Leh lies in the high Himalayas at a much higher latitude and a much greater altitude, where thin, cold mountain air cannot hold heat well. Low latitude and sea proximity keep Chennai warm; high latitude and high altitude keep Leh cold.

a) Weather is day-to-day and short-term; climate is the long-term pattern over decades. b) The sea heats and cools slowly, so it moderates coastal temperatures. c) Monsoon winds bring summer rain from the ocean and dry winter winds from the land. d) Chennai is warm because of its low latitude and coastal location; Leh is cold because of its high altitude and high latitude.

Concept used. India has several climate types side by side: alpine in the high Himalayas, subtropical in the northern plains, arid in the western desert, tropical wet along the western coast, and tropical with a mild winter in the eastern and southern peninsula. A city's climate depends chiefly on its latitude, altitude and closeness to the sea or a desert.

1. Leh (Ladakh). Leh sits high up in the Himalayas, at over 3,500 m altitude, far from the sea and in the rain shadow of the Great Himalayan range. Its thin, high-altitude air cannot trap much heat, and mountains block moist winds from reaching it, so Leh has a cold, dry, mountain climate with very little rainfall.
2. Chennai (Tamil Nadu). Chennai is a low-latitude coastal city on the Bay of Bengal in the southern peninsula. Its nearness to the Equator keeps it hot, and the nearby sea adds moisture, giving it a tropical climate with high humidity, a mild winter and a wet season driven by both monsoons.
3. Delhi (northern plains). Delhi lies inland in the northern plains, far from any sea. With no ocean nearby to moderate it, Delhi swings between very hot summers and cold winters, giving it a subtropical climate with a wide temperature range across the year.
4. Panaji (Goa). Panaji sits on the western coastal strip, facing the Arabian Sea, directly in the path of the southwest monsoon. The sea keeps its temperature moderate, and the monsoon brings heavy rain, giving Panaji a tropical wet climate favourable to rice and spices.
5. Jaipur (Rajasthan). Jaipur lies close to the Thar Desert in the west, far from the sea and over flat, exposed land. With no moisture-bearing sea breeze and the desert's dry winds nearby, Jaipur has an arid to semi-arid climate: hot days, cool nights and very little rain.

Leh: cold, dry mountain climate (high altitude, far from the sea). Chennai: tropical, hot and humid (low latitude, coastal). Delhi: subtropical, extreme range (inland, northern plains). Panaji: tropical wet (coastal, monsoon-facing). Jaipur: arid/semi-arid (near the Thar Desert, inland).

Concept used. The monsoon is a seasonal reversal of wind direction caused by land heating and cooling faster than the ocean. In summer, winds blow from the ocean towards the hot land (the southwest monsoon); in winter, winds blow from the cool land towards the warmer ocean (the northeast monsoon).

1. Draw two outline maps of India and the surrounding Indian Ocean side by side, one labelled "Summer" and one labelled "Winter".
2. On the Summer map, draw arrows starting over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, pointing inward towards India. Label this "southwest monsoon" and mark that these winds carry moisture and cause heavy rain.
3. On the Winter map, draw arrows starting from the Indian landmass, pointing outward towards the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Label this "northeast monsoon" and mark that these winds are mostly dry, except where they cross the Bay of Bengal and pick up some moisture for the east coast.
4. Add a short note on each map: "Summer: land hotter than ocean, low pressure over land, wind flows ocean to land." and "Winter: land cooler than ocean, high pressure over land, wind flows land to ocean."

Summer map: arrows from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal towards India, labelled "southwest monsoon", bringing rain. Winter map: arrows from India towards the two seas, labelled "northeast monsoon", mostly dry except over the Bay of Bengal.

Concept used. Many Indian festivals are timed around the farming calendar and the seasons: a harvest, the arrival of the monsoon, or the start of a new agricultural year. Showing this link is the whole point of the poster.

1. Choose one festival from at least four different regions of India so the poster shows real diversity, for example: Baisakhi (Punjab, wheat harvest), Pongal (Tamil Nadu, harvest thanksgiving), Onam (Kerala, harvest festival tied to the monsoon-fed rice crop), Bihu (Assam, farming new year), and Makar Sankranti (widely celebrated, marking the sun's shift and the start of the harvest season).
2. For each festival, draw or paste a picture, then write two short lines: the season it falls in, and the crop or farming activity it celebrates.
3. Use one bright colour per region so the poster is easy to scan, and add a small India outline in the centre with lines connecting each festival to its state.
4. Add a one-line title at the top, such as "Festivals that Follow the Seasons", and a short caption explaining that farmers across India built festivals around the rhythm of rain and harvest.

A poster with at least four regional festivals (for example Baisakhi, Pongal, Onam, Bihu), each paired with its season, its farming link, and a picture, arranged around an outline map of India.

Concept used. A believable diary entry uses real details from the chapter: the timing of the southwest monsoon, why it matters for crops, and the practical steps farmers take before it arrives.

1. Open with a date in late May or early June, since the monsoon first reaches the southern tip of India in early June and covers the whole country by mid-July.
2. Describe checking the fields and irrigation channels, repairing bunds (small earthen walls that hold water in a field), and clearing drains so extra rain does not flood the crop.
3. Mention buying or storing seeds for the kharif (monsoon-sown) crop, and watching for local, traditional signs of the monsoon described in the chapter, such as fish rising to the surface or where crows are building their nests.
4. Close with a hopeful or worried line about the monsoon's timing, since a delayed or weak monsoon can mean a poor harvest for the whole year.

A first-person diary entry dated just before the monsoon, covering field and bund repair, seed storage, drainage checks, and a closing thought on how much the year's harvest depends on the rains arriving on time.

Concept used. Climate-related disasters have both natural causes (heavy rain, unstable slopes, low pressure over the sea) and human causes (deforestation, unplanned construction, blocked drains), and reducing their impact needs action at the individual, community and government level.

1. Choose and describe the disaster. Take the 2013 Uttarakhand glacial burst as the example: continuous heavy rain over several days caused a glacial lake to overflow and burst through its natural barrier of rock and ice.
2. Natural causes. Unusually heavy, continuous rainfall and a glacial lake already full of meltwater built up pressure until the barrier gave way.
3. Human-linked causes. Construction close to the river (including buildings near the Kedarnath temple area) and poor drainage planning in the hills increased the damage once the water and debris were released.
4. Impacts. The Kedarnath temple area and several villages were washed away, roads and bridges were destroyed, and about 6,000 people, many of them pilgrims, lost their lives.
5. Reducing the impact. Individuals can learn evacuation routes and avoid building close to riverbanks. Communities can set up early-warning networks and avoid cutting forests on steep slopes. Governments can enforce building codes in glacial-lake catchments, monitor lake levels, and keep disaster response forces like the NDRF ready to act quickly.

A short essay on the 2013 Uttarakhand glacial burst, covering its natural cause (heavy rain, an overfull glacial lake), its human-linked cause (construction near the river), its impact (about 6,000 deaths, destroyed villages, roads and bridges), and prevention steps at the individual, community and government level.