Chapter One

Our Environment and Society

Variations in the natural environment:

A. Discuss with your teacher the natural environment in your region of Bangladesh.
What is the land like ?
Ans. Lands are extremely flat and low-lying in my region of Bangladesh. The alluvial soil of
my region is highly fertile, but vulnerable to flood and drought.
What is the climate like ?
Ans. Climate is characterized by heavy seasonal rainfall, high temperature and high
humidity.

B. In pairs write examples of differences between the north and the south of Bangladesh.
Ans.
North of Bangladesh South of Bangladesh
1. The land is a bit higher 1. The land is lower
2. North part has few rivers 2. South part has a plenty of rivers
3. There is less rainfall 3. There is huge rainfall
4. It is hot in summer and cold in winter. 4. It is not very hot in summer and cold in
winter.
5. These regions are not prone to flood. 5. It is more likely to flood.

C. Find pictures of different kinds of land: ice, desert, mountains, sea.

Ans. See the book.

D. Which two aspects of natural environment vary by region?

Ans. Due to different aspects of natural environment, differences are seen from region to region
in the world. Two aspects of such differences are given below:

i. Some of the regions are quite cold and are covered with ice. But some regions are quite
hot and full of deserts.

ii. Some regions are dry but in some regions the amount of rainfall is huge.

Impact on the social environment:

A. What are the four kinds of transport in the pictures on pages 2 and 4 ? Discuss how each
is suitable for its particular natural environment.

Ans. The pictures of four kinds of vehicles given on page 2 and page 4 are bicycle, rickshaw,
bullock cart and boat. These vehicles are suitable in different environment. It has been discussed
below:
Bicycle: It is suitable in the dry environment because people will get wet if they ride it during
rainy environment.

Rickshaw: In the rainy environment rickshaw is suitable because people do not get wet when it
rains.

Bullock cart: It is suitable in the wet environment because cultivation of crops are done more in
this environment.

Boat: It is suitable in that natural environment where rivers and canals are more because boat
moves on water.

B. Write with examples of how our natural environment influences our social activities.
Ans. Natural environment affects our social works in many ways. Some examples are given
below:

Wet/Rainy environment Dry environment

I. As it rains much, we can have good I. Dry environment does not support the
production of crops. good or necessary production of crops.

II. Rainy environment helps us to get our II. Sometimes its difficult to have
required food. As it rains a lot, rivers required food for us such as fishes. As
and canals are filled with rain water. the environment is dry, its difficult to
We can cultivate plenty of fishes there. have sufficient water to cultivate fishes.

III. We get sufficient water to irrigate the III. Due to dry environment its difficult to
farmlands. irrigate.

IV. Excessive rainfall creates flood and
makes the roads and lands muddy and
wet. Then its difficult to move here
and there. It creates problem to run the
routine of our daily life.
IV. As it has less rainfall, roads and lands
remains dry. Then its easy to move
here and there.

V. Due to wet environment we need to V. Due to dry and warm environment we

wear clothes that dry out easily. need to wear clothes that keep our body
cool.

C. How does our climate affect our environment ?

Ans. Natural environment is composed of various elements of nature, such as, soil, water, air,
heat, light, plants and trees, oceans, rivers, canals, animals, birds etc. This natural environment is
greatly affected by the climate. If the climate is too cold, natural environment of that place
covered with ice. Again if the climate is hot, natural environment of that place becomes desert.
D. What can we do to lessen societys impact on the natural environment?
Ans. Our social life is depended on nature in many ways. So our society has the impact on the
natural environment also. To lessen the societys impact on the natural environment we have to
be careful. We should not do anything that may harm the nature. We should not cut down trees
unnecessarily. Once we cut trees for a reason, we should plant more trees. We should not kill the
animals and birds unnecessarily otherwise there will be imbalance in the nature. We should not
fill up canals, fens, rivers with soil. In this way, we reduce the impact of society on natural
environment and can protect the natural environment.

Short Answers to Questions

a. Name of three elements of natural environmen.

Ans. The names of three elements of natural environment are soil, air and water.

b. Where do we have more floods in Bangladesh?

Ans. Southern regions of Bangladesh likely to have more floods.

c. Name of three elements of social environment.

Ans. The names of three elements of social environment are house, hospital and school.

d. Why do we need to plant more trees ?

Ans. It is necessary to plant more trees because plenty of trees in an area cause heavy rainfall
which yield good production of crops. We get our required food. Trees keep the air cool and
supply oxygen in the air. Beside these we get wood, fruits and flowers from trees.

Descriptive Answers to questions:

a. How does the land differ between north and south Bangladesh ?
Ans. There are differences between northern and southern regions of Bangladesh. The land of
northern region is a bit higher. Not too many rivers are there in the northern region. The weather
is quite hot during summer while in winter it is too cold. On the other hand, the land of the
southern region is pretty low where there are plenty of rivers and canals. These regions are prone
to flood because of many rivers.

b. What effect does a wet climate have on our social environment ?

Ans. Wet or rainy climate has a great effect on our social environment. Such as:

i. Rainfall helps to yield good production of crops.

ii. We get our required food. Rainy environment helps us to get our required food. As it
rains a lot, rivers and canals are filled with rain water. We can cultivate plenty of fishes
there.
iii. We also get sufficient water to irrigate the farmlands.
iv. Rain water is very useful for the soil which is needed to grow more trees.
iv. But excessive rainfall creates flood and makes the roads and lands muddy and wet.
Then its difficult to move here and there and that makes our social life difficult.
Therefore, we climate has both good and bad effects on our social environment.