Basic concept of Environment
Class 11 | Environmental Science | Questions and Answers | AHSEC
1. What is environment?
Anything with which we remain surrounded is called as environment. This include biotic as well as abiotic objects. Animals and plants are the biotic objects whereas soil, wind, water, temperature etc. are abiotic objects.
2. What are the different components of the environment?
The different components of the environment are –
a) Abiotic – Abiotic means non-living components of the environment. These include – soil, air, water, climate, temperature etc.
b) Biotic – These are the living components of the environment like plants and animals.
c) Energy – Solar energy, thermal energy, hydro-electric energy, nuclear energy etc.
3. What are the different segments of the environment?
The environment has four major segments –
Atmosphere– The blanket of air that surrounds the earth is the atmosphere. It extends up to a height of 1600 km from the earth’s surface.
Hydrosphere– All the water bodies like oceans, seas, rivers including lakes, streams and ponds comprise of the hydrosphere. It covers 75% of the earth’s surface.
Lithosphere– It consists of the various solid components of the earth like soil, rocks, hills and mountains, etc. It has 3 layers namely – inner and outer core, mantle and crust.
Biosphere– This is the zone of the earth occupied by living organisms. It extends up to 8 km from earth’s surface and 10 km into the oceans.
4. Mention the major components of the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is mainly composed of Nitrogen(78%) and Oxygen (21%).
5. What is the role of ozone present in the stratosphere?
Ozone gas which lie scattered on the stratosphere has a very important role. It acts as a protective shield for all forms of life on earth against the harmful UV rays of the Sun.
6. What do you mean by environmental education?
Environmental Education is the process of exploring environmental issues, engage and analyze them and come up with reasonable solutions to protect or improve the environment. It studies the relationships between man and nature and the various environments created by man and their impact upon him. In short, environment education is necessary in the sense that people can have a better understanding about the world around them and they take every necessary steps to take care of it.
7. What are the broad guidelines of environmental education?
Following are the broad guidelines of environment education –
a) To emphasize on the interrelation among various subjects.
b) To consider environment in its entirety (natural, artificial, cultural etc.).
c) To critically analyze the environmental issues from a local, regional, national and international viewpoint.
d) To conduct studies on the future status of the environment.
e) To focus on current and potential solutions of the environment.
8. Mention the basic principles of environmental education.
The basic principles of environmental education are –
a) To develop sensitivity and awareness about the various challenges of the environment.
b) To realize and acquire knowledge about the various challenges of the environment.
c) To develop ability to detect problems related to the environment and solve them.
d) To participate in programs related to environmental conservation.
9. Discuss the multidisciplinary nature of environmental education?
The environmental education is multidisciplinary in nature as it comprises of various other branches like botany, zoology, biochemistry, biotechnology, agriculture, public health etc. These subjects help to know the interrelation among the various biotic components of the environment. Other disciplines like physics, chemistry, mathematics and statistics help to understand the various environmental phenomena. Modern computer science and environmental engineering are vital for reducing pollution. Moreover, green chemistry aids in the process of attaining sustainability. As the environment is complex with artificial, natural and cultural environments, therefore, environmental study is multidisciplinary in nature that encompasses branches like economics and law as well.
10. How do environmental awareness help to protect our environment?
Environmental awareness is to acknowledge the vulnerability of our environment and understand the importance of conservation. The consequences of our day-to-day actions upon the environment can be checked through environmental awareness. Awareness programs can lead people to think of solutions to keep the environment clean. These also increase the frequency of reduce, reuse, recycle and recover and the environment is less harmed.