NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 MCQs – Locating Places on the Earth

A map represents an area as if it is being viewed from above. It may show a small place, such as a village, or a large area, such as a country. Maps help people locate features and plan routes.

An atlas is a book or collection of maps. Its maps can help us find places and compare different areas. The chapter explains that maps may show natural features, political divisions or information about a particular topic.

A physical map mainly shows natural features such as mountains, rivers and oceans. These features help us understand the landscape of an area. Political maps focus on boundaries and places, while thematic maps present information about a particular subject.

Political maps show features such as countries, states, boundaries and cities. They help us understand how an area is divided for administration. A map of Indian states and their capitals is one example given in the chapter.

A thematic map concentrates on a particular kind of information. Its purpose is to show a chosen topic rather than every feature of an area. This helps readers study one subject clearly, using the map’s colours, symbols or other details.

The chapter identifies distance, direction and symbols as three important map components. Distance helps us understand how far places are apart. Direction shows where they lie, while symbols represent features without drawing each one in full detail.

A scale connects a distance on the map with a distance on the ground. For example, one centimetre may stand for several metres or kilometres. This allows a large area to fit on a small sheet of paper.

North, east, south and west are the four cardinal directions. They provide basic reference points for locating places. Directions such as northeast and southwest lie between them and are called intermediate directions in the chapter.

An arrow marked N points towards north. Once north is known, the other directions can be worked out. This helps a reader understand where places lie in relation to one another and choose a suitable route.

A map cannot include a full drawing of every road, building or natural feature. Symbols represent these features in a small space. Using an understood set of symbols makes the map easier for different readers to interpret.

Earth is nearly spherical, and a globe has a similar shape. A curved surface cannot be flattened perfectly without distortion. The chapter’s orange-peel activity helps explain why a flat map cannot reproduce the globe’s surface exactly.

Coordinates work together to identify a position. The chapter uses a shop’s row and number and a chessboard square as examples. On Earth, latitude and longitude form a similar pair that helps us locate a place.

The Equator is assigned a latitude of zero degrees. Latitudes north and south of it are measured from this reference. The Equator lies halfway between the poles and is the largest circle among the parallels of latitude.

The Equator is the largest circle of latitude. The circles become smaller as we move towards either pole. This is why the statement that every parallel has the same length is incorrect in the chapter’s globe discussion.

The South Pole lies at ninety degrees south latitude, written as 90°S. The North Pole is 90°N, and the Equator is 0°. These reference points help us understand how latitude describes position north or south of the Equator.

Meridians of longitude are imaginary half-circles running from the North Pole to the South Pole. They help describe position east or west of a chosen reference meridian. Together with latitudes, they form the globe’s location grid.

The internationally used Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich in London. It is marked as zero degrees longitude. The chapter explains that it was agreed upon as a reference, while other reference meridians had been used in earlier times.

The madhya rekha, or middle line, passed through Ujjayini, now called Ujjain. The city was an important centre of astronomy. The chapter uses this example to show that Indian astronomers worked with reference meridians long before modern international arrangements.

Indian Standard Time is five hours and thirty minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. A common standard time helps people within India coordinate activities. It differs from local time, which changes according to a place’s longitude.

The International Date Line lies approximately along 180 degrees longitude, opposite the Prime Meridian. It bends in some places to avoid dividing countries between dates. Crossing it requires a change of one calendar day, depending on the direction of travel.

Each centimetre on this map represents five hundred metres on the ground. Multiplying three by five hundred gives one thousand five hundred metres. The calculation uses the stated scale, so no separate picture is needed to find the distance.

The scale says that ten metres on the ground is represented by one centimetre on paper. Dividing forty metres by ten gives four centimetres. This applies the chapter’s playground activity to choosing the correct size for a map drawing.

If the library is east of the school, returning from the library to the school means moving in the opposite direction. The opposite of east is west. Reading both the starting place and destination prevents confusion in direction questions.

The letter S in the latitude places it south of the Equator, in the Southern Hemisphere. The letter E in its longitude places it east of the Prime Meridian. Using both coordinates therefore identifies the two hemispheres correctly.

In the chapter’s explanation, local time depends on longitude. Towns on the same meridian have the same longitude, even if their latitudes differ. They therefore have the same longitude-based local time, as the Delhi and Bengaluru activity illustrates.

Earth turns fifteen degrees in one hour. Thirty degrees east therefore gives a local time two hours ahead of Greenwich. Adding two hours to noon gives two in the afternoon in the chapter’s simplified longitude-based model.

A difference of forty-five degrees equals three hours because fifteen degrees corresponds to one hour. Moving west means subtracting time from Greenwich. Noon minus three hours gives nine in the morning in the model used in this chapter.

Assam lies farther east than Gujarat, so its local time is ahead in the chapter’s explanation. Both places nevertheless follow Indian Standard Time. A common clock time does not mean that sunrise and sunset occur together across the country.

Time zones broadly follow longitude, but their boundaries also consider countries and practical arrangements. A straight line might divide areas that need a common time. The chapter therefore explains that actual time-zone lines are not identical to meridians everywhere.

When crossing the International Date Line westward, the traveller adds one day to the calendar. For example, Sunday becomes Monday. The chapter contrasts this with eastward crossing, which requires subtracting a day to keep the date correct.