Class XII – Transport and Communication – PYQs

Ans. Major problems of road transport in the world are

(i) During rainy days, the roads which are Unmetalled are damaged seriously. Even Unmetalled roads are washed away by floods, which results in breaking up the road network.

(ii) The road transport system records heavy traffic. When roads cannot cope up with the demands of traffic on the road, roads are heavily congested.

(iii) Huge amounts of money is required for construction and maintenance of roads which affects the quality of roads, mainly in developing countries. Road networks of the world are not fully developed.

Ans. The Trans-Siberian railways is a major rail route of Russia. It runs from St. Petersburg in the West to Vladivostok in the East on the Pacific coast. The economic significance of these railways is

(i) It has made it possible to link Asian markets with the European markets. Now goods can be easily transported between the two continents, which provides a boost to the economies of both continents.

(ii) It connects various commercial centres in Europe and Asia and provides push to trade and commerce. For example, it runs through Ural Mountains and connects Chita (agro centre) to Irkutsk (fur centre).

(iii) This railway network has improved connectivity towards its South by the connecting links such as towards Odessa (Ukraine), Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing (China) etc. Thus, the economies of these regions have also integrated by the network.

Ans. The reasons for the Rhine to be the world’s most heavily used waterway are

(i) The river Rhine is navigable for 700 km from Rotterdam in Netherlands to Basel in Switzerland. It flows through a rich coalfield which has made the whole region a prosperous manufacturing area.

(ii) The waterway links the industrial areas of Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands with North Atlantic sea routes.

(iii) The Ruhr river joins the Rhine from its East. There is movement of huge volumes of freight to the South of Ruhr river. More than 20,000 ships and 20,00,000 inland vessels exchange their cargoes annually in this region.

Ans. Big Inch is the famous pipeline in USA among a dense network of oil pipelines which run from the oil producing areas to consuming areas. It carries petroleum from the oil wells of the Gulf of Mexico to the North-Eastern states.

Pipelines are one of the most convenient modes of transport in the following ways.

● They are used extensively to transport liquids and gases such as water, petroleum, oil and natural gas.

● They can carry liquid and gaseous materials for long distances without any interruption or delays.

● The pipelines directly link the producing areas to the consuming areas.

Ans. Cyberspace or internet refers to the electronic digital world that is used for communicating or accessing data information over computer networks without any physical movement of the sender and the receiver. The cyberspace works within the World Wide Web (WWW). It can be accessed anywhere, e.g. in offices, at homes, in schools etc. In the last few years, it has expanded rapidly. The user base has shifted from the developed countries like USA to less developed countries such as China and India.

The advantages of internet are

(i) It expands the social and economic space of people with the help of e-mail, e-commerce, e-learning, e-governance etc. (ii) Internet communication has connected more and more people across the world. It has made the concept of global village a reality.

Ans. There is a significant development of land transport from the days of humans as carriers to the cable ways of today. In older days, human and animals were important carriers. For example, Palanquin (palki/doli) was used to carry brides by four persons (Kahars in North India). Later, animals were used as means of transport. For example, mules, horses, camels, oxen, etc were used in rural areas. With the invention of the wheel, the use of carts and wagons became important.

The 18th century marks the revolution in transport which came about only after the invention of the steam engine. In the 19th century, railways became the most popular and fastest form of transport with the opening of the first public railway line in 1825 between Stockton and Darlington in Northern England.

The invention of the internal combustion engine revolutionised road transport in terms of road quality and vehicles (motor cars and trucks) flying over them. The newer forms of land transportation have also emerged in recent times. It includes are pipelines, ropeways and cableways. These are faster and more efficient as compared other means of transport.

Ans. Merits of road transport are

● Economical: Road transport is cheap and most economical mode of transport for short distance travel and freight movement.

● Connectivity: Road transport offers the best connectivity among all the means of transport as it offers door to door services.

● Transporting Perishable Goods: Perishable goods such as milk, vegetables etc. are transported by road transport. It is best suited for transporting these items.

● Trade and Commerce: Road transport plays an important role in promoting trade and commerce in the country. It also promotes tourism and other economic activities.

● Flexible: Road transport is flexible in nature as multiple routes can be travelled to reach a particular place.

Demerits of road transport are

● Heavy Expenditures: The construction and maintenance of roads require heavy expenditures. This affects road quality.

● Traffic: Road transport is severely affected by traffic and congestion. When roads are not able to cope up with the demands of the traffic, then congestion occurs.

● Not Sustainable for All Seasons: During the rainy season, the Unmetalled roads are severely damaged. Even the metalled roads are damaged during floods.

● Difficulty in Construction: Roads are difficult to construct in various areas such as mountains. Here, specialised agencies are required to construct roads.

Ans. North America has the highest road density. About 33% of world’s total motorable road length is present in North America. North America also accounts for the highest number of vehicles as compared to Europe.

There is a problem of chronic traffic congestion in most of the cities of the world because of the failure of the road networks in meeting the demands of traffic. In recent years, the traffic on roads has substantially increased. Peaks and troughs of traffic flow on roads can be seen at different times of the day.

The measures to solve the problem of traffic congestion are

(i) Increasing Parking Fee: The parking fee for private vehicles should be increased. It will discourage them in using their private vehicles. This will reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and reduce traffic congestion.

(ii) Public Transport: Public transport facilities such as public bus service, metro rails, trains etc. should be improved. It will encourage people to use public transport facilities which will substantially reduce the road traffic. Public transport connectivity should be enhanced.

(iii) Expressways: Highways and expressways should be constructed. These expressways and highways are wider and larger. They provide seamless connectivity to the people and also accommodate more number of vehicles. This also reduces congestion considerably.

Ans. Importance of railways as a mode of land transport are

● Railways provide the cheapest and most convenient mode of passenger transport both for long distance and sub-urban traffic.

● Railways have played a significant role in development and growth of industries. These help in supplying raw materials and other facilities to the factory sites and finished goods to the market.

● They also form the connecting link between the ocean vessels, barges, boats, motor trucks and pipelines.

● Railways are specially suited for transport of bulky materials like coal, petroleum and ores over long distances.

The characteristics of rail transport in Europe are

● The density of rail network is high in Europe. It is considered as one of the most dense rail networks in the world.

● The rail network is either double tracked or multiple-tracked. The total length of rail network is 4,40,000 km.

● Railways carries more passenger traffic as compared to freight in European countries.

● The rail network has underground railways in Europe. For example, underground railways in London, Pairs, Moscow.

● There are various cities that form important nodes in the rail network. These are London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Warsaw etc.

Ans. Trans-Canadian railway line is considered as the economic artery of Canada. It is the longest Trans-continental railway line in North America. It covers a distance of 7050 km, running from Halifax in the East to Vancouver on the Pacific Coast. It is economically significant in Canada because

● It connects the important industrial cities of Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Calgary. Goods and people can be easily transported to and from these economic centres with the railways.

● It connects Quebec-Montreal industrial region with the wheat but of Prairie region. Thus, raw materials and finished products are transported with these railways.

● The line also connects the Coniferous forest region in the North to the Quebec Montreal and the Prairies. All these regions have become complementary to each other and they support economic activities.

● A loop line from Winnipeg to Thunderbay (Lake Superior) connects this rail line with one of the most important waterways in the world. This is used for exporting various products.

Ans. Trans-Siberian railway is the longest Trans-continental railway of the world. The Trans-Siberian railways runs from St. Petersburg in the West to Vladivostok the Pacific coast in the East. It is Asia’ most important route.

Features and significance of the Trans-Siberian railways are

● It connects various important commercial and industrial centres such as Moscow, Ufa, Irkustsk, Chita etc. These centres are important for the economy of the region.

● In Asia, it is the longest as well as double tracked and electrified railways. Due to this, it is possible to link Asian and European markets.

● This railway line has connecting links further Southwards. It connects Odessa in Ukraine, Baku on the Caspian Coast, Tashkent in Uzbekistan etc.

● This railway line is important for trade and commerce between the continents of Asia and Europe. It provides integration of both continents in terms of their economy and society.

Ans. Three characteristics of water transport are

(i) Water transportation does not require route construction. The oceans are linked with each other and offer smooth routes travelable in all directions with less maintenance costs.

(ii) It is cheaper means of transportation because the friction of water is less than that of the land and energy cost is lower.

(iii) Very heavy cargo like coal, cement, timber and metallic ores can be transported through inland waterways.

The reasons for less traffic on South Atlantic Sea route are (i) The population is very less in South America and Africa. There is less development in the countries of South America as well as Africa. Due to this, the demand in these regions is very less and trade is very low. (ii) Both South America and Africa have similar products and resources. Due to this, the trade declines as trade of similar products is not economically feasible. (iii) There are very few industrial regions in both the continents. Only parts of South Africa and South-Eastern Brazil and Plata Estuary have industrial regions. This leads to lesser trade between these regions and lesser traffic on the South Atlantic Sea route.

Ans. The significance of inland waterways is

● Inland waterways are suitable for transportation with the help of rivers, canals, creeks etc.

● These are used for carrying both passengers and cargo.

● These are the only means of transport in the dense forests.

● They are suitable for carrying heavy cargo like coal, cement, timber, metallic ores etc.

The three factors responsible for the development of inland waterways in the world are

(i) Navigability: This means proper width and depth of the inland waterway that makes navigation possible.

(ii) Water Flow: If there is continuous flow of water throughout the year then ships, boats can easily move in the waterways so water flow is an essential factor.

(iii) Transport Technology: Development of proper technology so that heavy cargo like coal, timber, metallic ores can also be easily transported factor for development of inland waterways.

The significance of Rhine waterway is

● It flows through a rich coal field which has made the whole region a prosperous manufacturing area of Germany.

● The waterway links the industrial areas of Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands with North Atlantic sea routes, which boosts the industries.

● Ocean going vessels can reach up to cologne through this waterway as it is navigable for 700 km.

● It is the busiest waterways as 20,000 ships and 2,00,000 inland vessels exchange cargos marking it a centre of international trade and commerce.

Ans. The Suez and Panama Canals are very important navigational canals that are significant for the Eastern as well as Western Worlds. The Suez canal connects Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. It was constructed in 1869 in Egypt between Port Said in North and Port Suez in South. The significance of this canal is

● After the opening of this canal, the sea distance between Europe and Asia has reduced. This has lead to rise in trade between both the continents.

● It is important for the economies of Europe as well as African nations as ships carrying essential goods part through this canal.

● It has boosted the economy of the region by generating employment opportunities.

● Railway lines have also been constructed from the Suez canal to supply goods and improve trade even in the interior parts of the region.

The Panama Canal joins the Atlantic Ocean in the East to the Pacific Ocean in the West. The significance of this canal is

● It is important for the economies of North America as well as Latin America as it is used for carrying out trade between these regions.

● Many European countries use the Panama canal to supply their products to the Latin American countries.

● The distance between Eastern and Western coasts of USA is significantly reduced due to the opening up of this canal. It has resulted in boosting the US economy and easing World Trade.

● There has been a significant reduction in the distance between Western Europe and America. This results in improvements in their trade and commercial relations.

Ans. The means of transport used extensively for carrying water, petroleum, natural gas and other liquids is pipeline transport.

The characteristics and importance of pipelines are

(i) It is most convenient and efficient means of transporting liquids and gases over long distances.

(ii) Pipelines can also transport solids after converting them into slurry (wet mixture).

(iii) Its initial set up cost is high, but after that, pipelines transport liquids and gases very cheaply.

(iv) It does not require much space.

(v) Pipelines are energy efficient and environment friendly.

The regions in which pipeline network can be found are

● In New Zealand, pipelines are used to supply milk from farms to factories.

● In USA, about 17 per cent of all freight per tonne-km is carried through pipelines.

● In many parts of the world like Europe, Russia, West Asia and India pipelines are used to connect oil wells to refineries, and to ports or domestic markets. Pipelines are expanding very fast. For example, Turkmenistan in Central Asia has extended pipelines to Iran and also to parts of China.

● The proposed Iran-India via Pakistan international oil and natural gas pipeline will be the longest in the world.

Ans. The importance of communication services is

● Communication connects the people in different parts of the world. They can exchange, information, ideas and make it easy to send or receive message.

● Communication through optic fibre networks allows large amount of data’s to be transmitted rapidly, securely and error free.

● Development of communication networks has become a crucial factor in developing urbanisation in various countries. e.g. in America.

● In developing countries, use of cell phones has made it possible to connect the rural areas of the country.

● New technologies such as satellite communication has made it possible to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world. Thus, communication has become faster.

● The use of internet for communication has made the concept of global village a reality.