Environment and its protection BOSEM class 8 English lesson 16
The lesson “Environment and its protection” for class 8 English manipuri board focuses on the importance of understanding our environment and taking steps to protect it.
On this page, we will discuss the summary, Questions and answers. Video lessons are also provided.
Chapter Name: Environment and its protection
Subject: Modern English
Lesson: 16
Class: 8
Board: Board Of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM/BSEM)
Contents: Chapter Summary, Video, Questions and Answers.
Table of Contents
Environment and its protection: Summary
Environment and its protection: Mani is going to participate in an essay competition at his school on June 5, World Environment Day. The topic is “Your environment and what you can do to protect it”. For this, he wants his father to help him prepare. His father explains about the environment, the different components which constitute our environment, the relationship between humans and their environment, the effects of deforestation, etc. They also discuss pollution and its harmful effects.
The environment includes our surroundings. Air, water, animals, trees—in fact, everything that surrounds us—are the different components that constitute our environment. There is a close relationship between humans and their environment. A person’s lifestyle, habits, and occupation depend on their environment. Until recently, humans had little understanding of the relationship between humans and their environment. To meet their needs, humans have cut down many trees. In most cases, trees are cut down and not replanted.
Deforestation disrupts ecosystems and leads to many problems. Soil loses fertility and becomes degraded. Mudslides and landslides are now frequent occurrences in many places worldwide. Trees provide oxygen. If we cut trees, the result will be a continued increase in population but a reduction in atmospheric oxygen.
Another significant threat to our environment is pollution. Pollution involves making land, water, air, or other parts of the environment dirty and unsuitable for use. Mani and his father further discuss air pollution, which is mainly caused by burning coal, petrol, etc. Mani is curious about acid rain. Acid rain is a type of rain that contains acid. The smoke emitted by motor vehicles and factories contains a gas called sulfur dioxide. This gas mixes with water vapour in the atmosphere, forming sulfuric acid. This acid, when it comes down with rainwater, causes a lot of harm.
Mani has heard about the ozone layer and the holes in it but does not know exactly what it is. His father explains that the ozone layer is important to life on Earth because it acts as a shield that blocks ultraviolet rays. Today, refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol sprays use a gas called chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) as a coolant. This gas escapes and eventually reaches the ozone layer, depleting it. Water pollution is caused by various human activities.
Factories and industrial plants discharge liquid wastes into rivers, lakes, and seas, which contain highly toxic chemicals like mercury and lead. Fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides used in agriculture are also dangerous pollutants. We must take important measures to protect the environment for future generations. In the modern era, the biggest issue for humanity is to save the environment and make Earth a cleaner and greener planet.
Watch The Video For Environment and its protection
BOSEM Solutions for class 8 English: Environment and its protection
1. Answer the following questions in a sentence each:
i) On what does a person’s lifestyle, habit, and occupation depend?
Ans: A person’s lifestyle, habits, and occupation depend on their environment.
ii) How have our hills and forests become bare?
Ans: To meet their needs, humans have cut down so many trees that the hills and forests have become bare.
iii) What happens to the rainwater when there are no trees on the hillside?
Ans: The rainwater falling on the hills will come down the hillside, causing severe floods and mudslides. It will also carry away the topsoil, leaving the area dry and infertile.
iv) What is the probable reason for the mudslide that occurred at Kangpokpi and Mao?
Ans: The cutting down of trees is the probable reason for the mudslide that occurred at Kangpokpi and Mao.
v) How can you replace the trees that have been cut down?
Ans: We should plant more trees to replace the ones that have been cut down.
vi) Why do we not run out of the stock of oxygen?
Ans: Trees and other green plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. Therefore, we do not run out of oxygen.
vii) What is the main cause of air pollution?
Ans: Air pollution is mainly caused by the burning of coal, petrol, etc.
viii) What causes global warming?
Ans: Global warming is primarily caused by too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which acts as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet.
ix) What protects men from the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight?
Ans: The ozone layer protects men from the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight.
x) What is the effect of the CFC gas on the ozone layer?
Ans: CFC gas depletes the Earth’s ozone layer.
xi) What mainly pollutes the rivers, lakes, and seas?
Ans: The liquid wastes that are thrown out by factories and industrial plants pollute the rivers, lakes, and seas.
xii) What has polluted the Nambul?
Ans: The garbage and plastic bags that are thrown into it have polluted the Nambul.
xiii) What happens to marine life when oil spills into the seawater?
Ans: Thousands of birds and aquatic animals will die when such a thing occurs.
Answer the following questions in about 20-25 words each:
i) What do you understand by environment?
Ans: The environment means our surroundings. Air, water, animals, trees, in fact, everything that surrounds us is the different components which constitute our environment.
ii) How is flood related to the cutting down of trees?
Ans: To meet their need, men have cut down so many trees and because of this, the hills and the forests have become bare. The hills without trees cannot retain water in the soil. So, the rainwater falling on the hills comes down the hillside causing severe floods.
iii) How can you solve the problem that arises out of the cutting down of trees?
Ans: In order to solve the problem, we must put a check on the cutting down of trees. We may cut down trees that are absolutely necessary. We shall have to plant more and more trees so that the trees that have been cut down are replaced by new ones.
iv) What is the threat caused by global warming?
Ans: Global warming is caused by an increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The world today is warmer than ever before. If this continues, then all the ice in the North and South Poles will melt, the water level in the oceans will rise, and much of the dry land of the earth will be submerged.
v) How is the ozone layer important to us?
Ans: The ozone layer is important to life on Earth because it is a kind of shield that blocks the ultraviolet rays present in the rays of the sun.
vi) How are the liquid wastes from the industrial plants harmful?
Ans: The liquid wastes from industrial plants that are thrown out into the rivers, lakes, and seas contain highly toxic chemicals like compounds of mercury and lead. When men use the water from these sources of water, they too get poisoned.
vii) What is the condition of the Nambul today?
Ans: The garbage and the plastic bags that are thrown into the Nambul River have made it one of the most polluted rivers in Manipur. The river is choked with these materials at certain places.
viii) How are insecticides and pesticides dangerous?
Ans: Insecticides and pesticides that we use for agriculture in the fields are dangerous pollutants. These chemicals get into the bodies of fish and vegetables, which are eaten by men, animals, and birds, and they become ill.
ix) What should be the general attitude of mankind towards the environment?
Ans: It is the duty of mankind as a whole to see to it that in his desire for comfort, he does not do anything which will seriously affect the environment. There are many little things that each one of us can do in our effort to improve our environment. Some of them are planting more trees at the appropriate places, not throwing garbage anywhere, not using motor vehicles all the time unnecessarily, not spitting anywhere carelessly, saying ‘No’ to polybags, and making everyone environment-conscious.
Answer the following questions in about 50-60 words each:
i) How are man and his environment related?
Ans: There is a close relationship between man and his environment. A man’s lifestyle, habit, and occupation depend on his environment. The lifestyle of a man who lives in the desert is influenced by his environment. So is the lifestyle of a man who lives in the coastal area. When there is a serious change in one of the components of their environment, the life of man is affected.
ii) What have men done to their environment before they realized the relation between the two?
Ans: Men had no idea about the relationship between man and his environment. So, they did things that severely harmed the environment. One such human activity is the cutting down of trees. To meet their need, men have cut down so many trees that the hills and the forest have become bare. The hills without trees cannot retain water in the soil. It causes severe floods and mudslides. The rainwater carries away the topsoil, also leaving the area dry and infertile.
iii) Explain why fewer trees mean less oxygen.
Ans: We need oxygen for our respiration. Oxygen is also essential for burning. It means we are constantly consuming oxygen. The trees and the green plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. As a result, we do not run out of stock of oxygen. So, fewer trees mean less oxygen which is a very dangerous thing to all living creatures.
iv) Explain the importance of the slogan ‘Plant more trees’.
Ans: Trees are of vital importance to our existence. The trees and the green plants absorb carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from the atmosphere and release oxygen. As a result, we do not run out of stock of oxygen. We need oxygen for our respiration. Oxygen is also essential for burning. It means we are constantly consuming oxygen. So, fewer trees mean less oxygen, which is a very dangerous thing to all living creatures. It is therefore important to plant more and more trees.
v) Describe various forms of air pollution. How do they affect life on the earth?
Ans: Air pollution is mainly caused by the burning of coal, petrol etc. Motorcars and other vehicles emit a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide through their exhaust pipes. This gas goes into the atmosphere and pollutes the air. The smoke that comes out of the factories and industrial plants also do the same thing. The smoke released by jet planes also pollutes the upper atmosphere. As a result of this air pollution man suffers from diseases like allergies, colds, coughs, heart disease and many types of cancer.
vi) How is acid rain caused? What are its effects?
Ans: Factories, motor vehicles and powerhouses produce polluting gases such as nitrogen oxides and Sulphur dioxides. These gases react with the tiny droplets of water in the atmosphere to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid which are then returned to the earth as acid rain.
Acid rain causes a lot of harm to men, to the fish in the water, to the trees in the hills and the forests and even to our houses.
vii) Explain ozone depletion and its effect on life on the earth.
Ans: Ozone is a gas that surrounds the earth at heights between 25-40 km. above the earth. The ozone layer is important to life on the earth because it is a kind of shield that blocks the ultraviolet rays present in the rays of the sun. Refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosol sprays are very common things today. They use a kind of gas called chloroform carbon(CFC in short). This gas escapes into the atmosphere and finally reaches the ozone layer and then depletes the ozone. When that happens frequently, holes develop in the ozone layer and through these holes, unfiltered sunlight reaches the earth.
viii) What are the causes of water pollution?
Ans: Water pollution is caused by several human activities. One such activity is the liquid wastes that are thrown out by factories and industrial plants into rivers, lakes and seas. These liquid wastes contain highly toxic chemicals like compounds of mercury and lead. When men use the water from these rivers or lakes or eat the fish from these sources of water, they too get poisoned. Water is also polluted by the garbage that is thrown into them by men. Fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides that we use for agriculture in the fields are also dangerous pollutants. Oil spills also pollute the sea water and affect marine life.
ix) Name some activities that you can do to improve your environment.
Ans: There are many little things that each one of us can do in our effort to improve our immediate environment. Some of them are planting more trees at the appropriate places, not throwing garbage anywhere carelessly, not using motor vehicles all the time unnecessarily, not spitting anywhere carelessly, saying ‘No’ to polybags and making everyone environment conscious.
