Minerals and Energy Resources – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 Social Science

1. VSA · 0.5 marks

   Name the two minerals used to generate nuclear power and one Indian region where they are found.

   Answer

   Uranium and Thorium are used for generating atomic or nuclear power; they are available in Jharkhand and the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan.

2. MCQ · 1 mark

   Approximately what share of the total value of metallic mineral production is accounted for by ferrous minerals? (A) One-fourth (B) One-half (C) Three-fourths (D) Almost all

   Answer

   (C) Three-fourths — Ferrous minerals account for about threefourths of the total value of the production of metallic minerals.

3. SA · 2 marks

   Why are minerals essential for life processes even though they form only about 0.3 per cent of our total nutrient intake?

   Answer

   Life processes cannot occur without minerals. Although our mineral intake represents only about 0.3 per cent of our total intake of nutrients, they are so potent and so important that without them we would not be able to utilise the other 99.7 per cent of foodstuffs.

4. MA · 3 marks

   Distinguish between the interests of geographers and geologists in studying minerals, and state when a mineral accumulation can be considered an ore suitable for commercial extraction.

   Answer

   1. Focus — Geographers study minerals in the earth’s crust to understand landforms; geologists study mineral formation. 2. Interests and ore — Geographers examine mineral-resource distribution and economic activities; geologists examine minerals’ age and physical and chemical composition. An ore is an accumulation of any mineral mixed with other elements, with sufficient concentration for commercially viable extraction.

5. LA · 5 marks

   Define a mineral and explain how rocks are composed of minerals. How do the properties of minerals help geologists classify them?

   Answer

   Minerals are essential to life because life processes cannot occur without them. 1. A mineral is a “homogenous, naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure.” Minerals range from the hardest diamond to the softest talc. 2. Rocks are combinations of homogenous substances called minerals. Limestone consists of a single mineral, while most rocks consist of several minerals in varying proportions. 3. The particular mineral formed from a combination of elements depends on the physical and chemical conditions under which the material forms. 4. The resulting variation in colour, hardness, crystal forms, lustre and density provides properties that geologists use to classify minerals. Mineral properties therefore provide a basis for their systematic geological classification.

6. VSA · 1 mark

   Which iron ore has the highest iron content: magnetite or hematite?

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7. SA · 2 marks

   Compare how minerals occur in igneous and metamorphic rocks with how they occur in sedimentary rocks.

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8. MA · 3 marks

   Name the four states that together produced almost all of India’s iron ore in 2018–19.

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9. LA · 5 marks

   Distinguish between conventional and non-conventional energy sources, giving examples of each. Name the two sources that supply over 70 per cent of rural household energy needs in one estimate.

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10. MCQ · 1 mark

    Which option correctly identifies iron ore mines in the Odisha–Jharkhand belt? (A) Badampahar in Odisha; Gua and Noamundi in Jharkhand (B) Bailadila in Odisha; Kudremukh in Jharkhand (C) Ratnagiri in Odisha; Marmagao in Jharkhand (D) Khetri in Odisha; Balaghat in Jharkhand

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