Chapter 5: Minerals and Energy Resources Application Questions | geography Class 10 CBSE

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Chapter 5: Minerals and Energy Resources Application Questions | geography Class 10 CBSE | ByteNotes.in

Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 1

Applied Concept

A steel plant is being set up in central India. With reference to ferrous minerals, explain which factors and raw materials would influence the choice of location for this plant.

A steel plant requires iron ore and metallurgical coal as primary raw materials; the plant should ideally be located close to iron ore belts (Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur in Chhattisgarh or Odisha-Jharkhand belt) and Gondwana coalfields (Damodar Valley) to reduce bulk transport costs since both are heavy, weight-losing materials.
Manganese is also required — nearly 10 kg per tonne of steel — so proximity to manganese producing areas (Odisha accounts for 33% of production) would be an additional advantage.
Limestone is the third critical mineral for smelting iron in blast furnaces; its local availability further justifies the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand-Odisha region as the most resource-optimal location for the steel plant.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 2

Applied Concept

A remote village in Rajasthan has no electricity supply from the grid. With reference to non-conventional energy sources, suggest the most suitable energy solutions for this village and justify your choices.

Rajasthan receives abundant sunlight due to its location in a hot arid zone; photovoltaic solar energy technology can convert sunlight directly into electricity for domestic and community use, making solar energy the most suitable primary source for the village.
Biogas plants (Gobar gas plants) can be set up at individual or cooperative levels using cattle dung — very common in rural Rajasthan — providing both cooking fuel with higher thermal efficiency than dung cakes and improved quality manure for agriculture.
Wind energy could also be explored since Rajasthan (including Jaisalmer) is identified as a suitable area for wind farms in India; combining solar, biogas, and wind would create a resilient multi-source energy solution reducing dependence on fossil fuels and minimising environmental impact.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 3

Applied Concept

With reference to the chapter, explain why the alluvial plains of north India have little industrial development based on minerals, while the Deccan plateau region is a major industrial zone.

The vast alluvial plains of north India are almost devoid of economic minerals because alluvial deposits formed by river sedimentation do not contain concentrated metallic or fuel mineral ores; these variations exist due to differences in geological structure, processes, and time involved in formation.
The Deccan plateau (peninsular rocks) contains most of India's coal, metallic minerals, and mica, as the ancient crystalline and sedimentary rock formations of the peninsula are the geological environment in which these minerals form.
Consequently, the Deccan plateau states — Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka — have developed major metallurgical and heavy industries close to mineral sources, while north Indian states rely on agriculture and have their industrial development driven by other factors like labour and markets rather than mineral raw materials.

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Application Question

Hard difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Hard

Question 4

Applied Concept

A government committee is reviewing coal mining practices in Meghalaya. With reference to Rat-Hole mining, what issues would the committee need to address and what recommendations would be appropriate?

The committee would need to address the fact that Rat-Hole mining — where family members dig long narrow tunnels to mine coal in Jowai and Cherapunjee — has been declared illegal by the National Green Tribunal due to severe environmental and safety hazards.
Key issues include unregulated mining by individuals and communities (who own minerals in tribal areas unlike nationalised minerals elsewhere in India), causing environmental degradation, lack of safety standards, worker health risks, and ecological damage to the biodiversity-rich northeast.
Recommended actions would include strict enforcement of the NGT ban, transition to regulated and safer mining with proper environmental safeguards, rehabilitation support for mining-dependent communities, and development of alternative livelihoods to reduce dependence on illegal extraction.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 5

Applied Concept

With reference to the Kudremukh mines in Karnataka, explain what makes this iron ore deposit exceptional and how it is an example of India's export mineral potential.

The Kudremukh mines are located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka in the Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt, and the deposits are known to be one of the largest in the world, making them exceptionally significant.
Kudremukh is a 100 per cent export unit, meaning all the iron ore extracted here is destined for export rather than domestic use, demonstrating India's capacity to supply global steel industries.
The ore from Kudremukh is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangaluru for export — an innovative transportation method that reduces handling costs and environmental impact compared to road or rail transport of solid ore.

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Application Question

Hard difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Hard

Question 6

Applied Concept

A company is planning to set up an aluminium manufacturing plant. With reference to bauxite distribution and the properties of aluminium, assess the suitability of Odisha as a location.

Odisha was the largest bauxite-producing state in India in 2018–19, with the most important deposits at Panchpatmali in Koraput district; proximity to the raw material (bauxite) makes Odisha an ideal location for an aluminium plant, reducing input costs significantly.
Aluminium production from bauxite requires large amounts of electricity (aluminium smelting is energy-intensive); Odisha has access to thermal power from its coal reserves and hydroelectric potential, making it energy-self-sufficient for industrial purposes.
Aluminium combines the strength of iron with extreme lightness, good conductivity, and great malleability, making it essential for aerospace, construction, electrical cables, and packaging industries — industries that would benefit from a plant located in Odisha with good port connectivity for export.

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Chapter sections

Chapter 5: Minerals and Energy Resources | Application Questions

A steel plant is being set up in central India. With reference to ferrous minerals, explain which factors and raw materials would influence the choice of location for this plant.

A remote village in Rajasthan has no electricity supply from the grid. With reference to non-conventional energy sources, suggest the most suitable energy solutions for this village and justify your choices.

With reference to the chapter, explain why the alluvial plains of north India have little industrial development based on minerals, while the Deccan plateau region is a major industrial zone.

A government committee is reviewing coal mining practices in Meghalaya. With reference to Rat-Hole mining, what issues would the committee need to address and what recommendations would be appropriate?

With reference to the Kudremukh mines in Karnataka, explain what makes this iron ore deposit exceptional and how it is an example of India's export mineral potential.

A company is planning to set up an aluminium manufacturing plant. With reference to bauxite distribution and the properties of aluminium, assess the suitability of Odisha as a location.

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