CH 2 OCEANS AND CONTINENTS

📚 Chapter 2

OCEANS AND CONTINENTS

Exploring Society: India and Beyond

Name: ___________________________   Class: ________   Date: ___________

📝  CHAPTER NOTES

📘 1. Earth’s Surface — Water vs Land

When we look at Earth from space, it appears mostly BLUE. That’s because almost 3/4 (three-fourths) of Earth’s surface is covered with water!

📘 2. Key Terms You Must Know

📘 3. Distribution of Water and Land

Water and land are NOT equally distributed between the two hemispheres:

📘 4. The Five Oceans (Largest to Smallest)

📘 5. The Seven Continents

Continents can be counted in 4 ways (4, 5, 6, or 7). The most widely used count is SEVEN:

📘 6. Islands

• An island is a piece of land SMALLER than a continent, surrounded by water on all sides.
• There are lakhs of islands on Earth.
• Greenland = Largest island in the world.
• India has more than 1,300 islands!

📘 7. Oceans and Disasters

📘 8. Oceans and Life — Why Oceans Matter

📘 9. India and Antarctica

• Since 1981 — India’s Antarctic Programme has been exploring Antarctica.
• 1983 — India’s FIRST scientific base station: ‘Dakshin Gangotri’
• Total 3 bases have been set up.
• About 40 teams of scientists have done research on climate and environment.
• The station even has a library and post office!

📝  WORKSHEET

Chapter 2 — Oceans and Continents

Name: ________________________   Class: ________   Score: _____ / 30

PART A — Define the Following Terms  (3 × 2 = 6 marks)

Q1. What is a Continent?

Q2. What is an Ocean?

Q3. What is an Island?

PART B — Fill in the Blanks  (6 marks)

Complete the sentences with the correct word:

1. Earth is called the ‘Blue Planet’ because almost ___________ of its surface is covered with water.

2. The largest ocean in the world is the ___________ Ocean.

3. The smallest ocean is the ___________ Ocean.

4. The largest continent is ___________ and the smallest continent is ___________.

5. The two island groups of India are ___________ Islands and ___________ Islands.

6. Oceans produce more than half of the world’s ___________, which is why they are called ‘the planet’s lungs’.

PART C — Short Answer Questions  (4 × 3 = 12 marks)

Q7. Which hemisphere has more land — Northern or Southern? Give one reason.

Q8. What is a tsunami? How was India affected by the 2004 tsunami?

Q9. Why are oceans called ‘the planet’s lungs’? Give TWO reasons why oceans are important.

Q10. Why can the number of continents be counted in different ways (4, 5, 6, or 7)? Explain briefly.

PART D — Match the Columns  (6 marks)

PART E — Crossword Clues  (Textbook Q4 — 10 marks)

Solve the clues and write the answers:

ACROSS

1. Abundantly produced by the oceans → _______________
2. A large expanse of landmass → _______________
3. A large continent of which India is a part → _______________
4. A major source of pollution of the oceans → _______________
5. The coldest continent → _______________

DOWN

2. The largest island on Earth → _______________
3. A huge destructive wave from the ocean → _______________
4. The smallest continent → _______________
5. The largest body of water on the Earth → _______________
6. A landmass (but not a continent) surrounded by the sea → _______________

✅  ANSWER KEY

(For Teacher’s Reference)

Part A — Definitions

Q1. Continent: A large continuous expanse of land on Earth’s surface.

Q2. Ocean: The largest water bodies on Earth, filled with salty water.

Q3. Island: A landmass smaller than a continent, surrounded by water on all sides.

Part B — Fill in the Blanks

1. Three-fourths (3/4)
2. Pacific
3. Arctic
4. Asia / Australia
5. Andaman & Nicobar / Lakshadweep
6. Oxygen

Part C — Short Answers

Q7. Northern Hemisphere has more land. Most of the world’s continents (Europe, Asia, N. America) are in the Northern Hemisphere.

Q8. A tsunami is a huge powerful wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. In 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Indonesia hit India — Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala coasts were severely affected; over 2 lakh people died.

Q9. Oceans are called ‘planet’s lungs’ because they produce more than 50% of Earth’s oxygen. They also bring rainfall, provide food (fish), regulate climate, and support marine life.

Q10. Continents can be grouped differently. North & South America can be counted as one ‘America’. Europe & Asia form one landmass (Eurasia). Africa & Eurasia are sometimes combined. So we can count 4, 5, 6, or 7 continents. Seven is the most widely used count.

Part D — Match the Columns

1-B (Pacific Ocean), 2-C (Australia), 3-D (Earthquake in Indonesia), 4-A (Greenland), 5-E (Dakshin Gangotri), 6-F (Arabian Sea)

Part E — Crossword Answers

ACROSS: 1-Oxygen, 3-Continent, 6-Asia, 8-Plastic, 10-Antarctica

DOWN: 2-Greenland, 4-Tsunami, 5-Australia, 7-Pacific (Ocean), 9-Island