Geological and Ecological History Flashcards
1
Q
What was the earliest landmass known as?
A
Pangea
2
Q
What did Pangea split into?
A
- Laurisia
- Gondwanaland
3
Q
What modern geographical areas comprised Gondwanaland?
A
- Peninsular India
- Antarctica
- Africa
- Arabia
- South America
4
Q
What modern geographical areas comprised Laurisia
A
- North America
- Greenland
- Europe
- Asia north of the Himalayas
5
Q
When did peninsular India separate from Gondwanaland
A
Between 225 million years to 40 million years ago
6
Q
How were the Himalayas formed?
A
Through the collision / combination of Indian peninsular region with the Eurasian continent
7
Q
What significant geological event began around 225 million years ago?
A
Tectonic movements causing parts to break away from Gondwanaland
8
Q
What epoch does the last uplift of the Himalayas date back to?
A
Pleistocene
9
Q
True or False: The Himalayas played an important role in forming the Indo-Gangetic plains
A
True
10
Q
What was the role of the Himalayas in formation of the Indo-Gangetic plains?
A
The Himalayan rivers brought down alluvial deposits to form the plain
11
Q
When did formation of the Indo-Gangetic plain begin?
A
Pleistocene epoch
12
Q
Area of Indian subcontinent
A
4,202,500 sq km
13
Q
How many countries make up the Indian subcontinent? Name them.
A
- India
- Bangladesh
- Nepal
- Bhutan
- Pakistan
14
Q
How many states in India
A
28
15
Q
How many Union Territories in India
A
8
16
Q
Where are the richest copper mines located in India?
A
Chhotanagpur plateau, particularly in Singhbhum district
17
Q
How long is the copper belt in India?
A
About 130 km long
18
Q
True or False: The monsoon has shaped India’s geography, but not its history
A
False
19
Q
True or False: Irrigation played an important role in ancient agriculture
A
False
20
Q
Traders sailed into India and SE Asia with the help of which monsoon?
A
South West Monsoon
21
Q
Traders returned home with the help of which monsoon?
A
North East Monsoon
22
Q
True or False: India has 2 types of monsoon
A
True
23
Q
What are the 2 monsoons in India
A
- South West (blows towards India)
- North East (blows away from India)
24
Q
True or False: India lies in the tropical zone but boasts a temperate climate in many places
A
True
25
Functions the Himalayas carry out to India's benefit:
1. Protect Northern india from cold arctic winds from Siberia that blow through C. Asia
2. Shield against invasions from the North
3. Give rise to rivers that formed the Indo-Gangetic plain
4. Create monsoon
26
Which mountains allowed for invasions and 2-way traffic between India and the rest of Asia
Suleiman mountain ranges
27
Which passes in the Suleiman ranges allow for travel
1. khyber
2. Bolan
3. Gomal
28
What are the southern extension of the Himalayas called?
Suleiman ranges
29
What are the westward extension of the Himalayas called?
Hindu Kush
30
True or False: The Hindu Kush ranges were an impenetrable barrier between Indus and Oxus systems
False
31
Which plateau served as a centre of transmission for Buddhism
Paamir plateau
32
Which Northern Valleys are repositories of the largest number of Sanskrit manuscripts
1. Kashmir
2. Nepal
33
Where were the earliest agricultural settlements founded
In the terai foothills and uplands of the Himalayas
34
Why were the earliest agricultural settlements located in the foothills and uplands of Himalayas
These areas were easier to clear than the jungles that grew on the alluvial plains
35
What is the Terai?
A lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and Siwaliks
36
What is the annual rainfall in the Gangetic basin?
Increases from 25 cm to over 250 cm from west to east
37
How much rainfall did the Indus vegetation get
25-37 cm
38
How much rainfall did the western Gangetic vegetation get
37-60 cm
39
How much rainfall did mid-Gangetic vegetation get
60-125 cm
40
How much rainfall did lower Gangetic and Brahmaputra vegetation get
125-250 cm
41
When were thickly forested areas getting 60+ cm annual rainfall settled ?
Iron Age
| The vegetation in this area needed iron implements to clear it
42
Primary crops of the Indus and western Gangetic plains
Wheat and barley
43
Primary crops of the middle and lower gangetic plains
Rice
44
Where did Harappan culture originate and flourish
Indus Valley
45
Where did Vedic culture originate and flourish?
North-West Frontier Province (Khyber-Pakhtunkwa, Pak), Punjab and western Gangetic basin
46
Where was post-Vedic culture located
mid-Gangetic basin
47
Where was the Gupta culture focused
Lower Gangetic basin and North Bengal
48
Which of the Indian river plains were most contested
Indo-Gangetic doab
49
Which culture flourished in the Indus Valley?
Harappan Culture
50
Which culture flourished in the lower Gangetic basin and north Bengal for the first time?
Gupta
51
Which culture was located in the mid-Gangetic basin?
Post-Vedic
52
Which culture flourished in the western Gangetic plains
Vedic culture
53
True or False: Human settlements in the Indian subcontinent spread from East to West
False
| West to East
54
True or False: The Post-Vedic culture was a Chalcolithic culture
False
| Iron Age
55
How were men and material moved in ancient times?
Through the river routes
56
How were the Ashokan stone pillars transported to different parts of the country?
By boat
57
Between which rivers was Kalinga situated?
1. Mahanadi to the North
2. Godavari to the South
58
Between which rivers was Andhra Pradesh situated?
1. Godavari to the North
2. Krishna to the south
59
Between which rivers was Tamil Nadu situated?
1. Krishna to the North
2. Kaveri to the South
60
What rivers bound the Kaveri valley?
1. Pennar river to the North
2. Vaigai river to the South
61
Kaveri Valley was the seat of power for which dynasty?
Cholas
62
What was the geographical feature that distinguished North Tamil Nadu from the Kaveri Valley
Uplands
63
Under whom did North Tamil Nadu become a seat of power?
The Pallavas
64
True or False: The Coromandel coast is on the western side of the Indian peninsula
False
| Eastern
65
Name 3 ancient ports on the Coromandel coast
1. Arikamedu
2. Mahabalipuram
3. Kaveripattanam (Puhar)
66
Between what rivers is Maharashtra situated?
1. Tapti (Damanganga) to the north
2. Bhima to the south
67
Between what rivers is Karnataka situated?
1. Bhima and upper Krishna to the north
2. Tungabhadra to the south
68
Which river prevented the Chalukyas of Badami and the Rashtrakutas from expanding southwards
Tungabhadra
69
Which river prevented the Pallavas and Cholas from expanding northwards
Tungabhadra
70
What is the western coast of South India called?
Malabar
71
What is the eastern coast of South india called?
Coromandel
72
What natural feature limited communication between the Malabar Coast and adjoining areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala
Western Ghats
73
What physical feature is found west of the Aravallis
Thar Desert
74
Which area of Rajasthan was fertile enough to be settled in the Chalcolithic period
South eastern
75
What were the factors allowing settlement of SE Rajasthan in the Chalcolithic age?
1. Fertile land
2. Khetri copper mines
76
Which are the rivers irrigating Gujarat?
1. Narmada
2. Tapti
3. Mahi
4. Sabarmati
77
True or False: Rajasthan has been famous for coastal and foreign trade since ancient times
False
| It was Gujarat
78
Which geographical features bind Madhya Pradesh
1. Chambal river to the west
2. Son river to the east
3. Vindhyas and Narmada to the south
79
Which area are the Vindhyas in
Eastern Madhya Pradesh
80
Which area was an important hinterland for Gujarat ports?
| hinterland - remote areas away from the coast or major river banks
Malwa
81
What were the Shakas and Satavahanas fighting for possession of in 1st and 2nd c. AD?
Malwa
82
What was the key bone of contention between Marathas and Rajputs in the 18th c. AD
Malwa
83
What language eventually came to be cultivated and understood throughout India
Sanskrit
84
The ___ mountains form a boundary between North and South India
Vindhyas
85
True or False: The Vindhyas cut across India from East to West
False
| West to East
86
True or False: The remains of timber houses and palisades were found in Pataliputra
True
87
The earliest human settlements are found in ?
Hilly areas and river valleys situated between hills
88
In historical times, more temples and sculptures were made of ____?____ in the Deccan and S. India than N. Indian plains
Stone
89
What essential metal does India not have at all?
| which contributed to lack of bronze age
Tin
90
Where were the ancient deposits of tin found?
Rajasthan, S. MP and Bihar
91
Why didn't India have much of a Bronze age?
Bronze is an alloy of tin, which India virtually did not have deposits of.
92
The only ancient Indian culture to have used bronze
Harappan/ Indus Valley
93
Where did Indus Valley get their supplies of tin from?
Some in Rajasthan, but mainly Afghanistan
94
The natural resources of which area in Northern India were utilized first in the development of human settlements?
The natural resources of the less rainy western area
95
From where did Indian cultures import tin in the early centuries AD?
Myanmar and the Malay peninsula
96
Which dynasty was first prominent in the deltaic plains formed by the Krishna and Kaveri rivers?
Satavahanas
97
Which power became prominent in the Kaveri valley before the beginning of the Christian era?
Chola power
98
What geographical feature divides the vast stretch of land between the Indus and Gangetic systems?
Aravalli mountains
99
Tin was obtained in the Pala times from?
1. Gaya
2. Hazaribhagh
3. Ranchi
100
Where are iron ores found in India
1. S. Bihar
2. Eastern MP
3. Karnataka
101
The formation and strength of the Magadhan empire was due to rich mines of which metal south of the region?
Iron ore
102
Which metal was responsible for the growth of Avanti in the 6th and 5th c. BC
Iron
103
Capital of Avanti
Ujjain
104
Where did Satavahanas and other southern dynasties get iron ore from?
Andhra and karnataka
105
Large number of which coins have been found from the Satavahana era?
Lead
106
Satavahana coinage was influenced by large quantities of which resource in Andhra
Lead
107
Which state is known for large lead resources
Andhra
108
Lead is found in
1. Andhra
2. Rajasthan
109
What were the earliest coins called?
Punch-marked coins
110
Of what metal were the punchmarked coins made?
Silver
111
Where could silver mines be found in ancient India
Kharagpur hills, Monghyr district
112
What are deposits of gold dust carried by river streams called?
Placers
113
What is Kolar, Karnataka known for
Gold
114
Who had their capital at Kolar
The Gangas of S. Karnataka
115
Where did most gold come from in ancient times?
1. Central Asia
2. Roman empire
116
Where were precious stones and pearls produced in ancient India
1. Central India
2. Orissa
3. South India
117
Which Indian item was prized by Romans ?
Precious stones
118
which 3 rivers Came together to influence The growth & decline of Harappan civilization?
1. Saraswati (Ghagar - Hakra)
2. Yamuna
3. Satluj
119
What is the modern remnant of the ancient Saraswati River?
Ghagar-Hakra
120
which river(s) changed course causing Harappan decline & how?
Satluj & possibly Yamuna - moved eastwards
121
TRUE OR FALSE: Pataliputra was a water port?
True
122
Which rivers surrounded Pataliputra?
1. Ganges
2. Son
3. Gandak
4. Ghagara
5. Punpun
123
What kingdom was situated at the junction of the Ganges and the Ghagara
Chirand
124
True or False: Paleolithic tools have been found in Chirand
False. Neolithic
125
Who stressed the need to protect cows in Suttanipata
Buddha
126
Canonical text Suttanipata is written in which language
Pali
127
Buddhist Canonical text in Pali language that stresses on protection of cows
Suttanipata
