Geography: Resources, Rivers and the Geography of Bihar
Geography in BSEB Matric Social Science tests resource use, physical setting, and the geography of Bihar alongside India. Expect questions on rivers, soils, crops, minerals, industries and disasters. Answers score when they name the specific river, soil or district rather than giving a general description.
Bihar's physical setting
- Location: about 24°20' to 27°31'N and 83°19' to 88°17'E; bordered by Nepal to the north, West Bengal to the east, Jharkhand to the south and Uttar Pradesh to the west.
- The Ganga divides the state into a northern plain and a southern plain; it enters near Chausa in Buxar district and flows east.
- Himalayan rivers such as the Ghaghara, Gandak, Bagmati and Kosi join from the north; the Son joins from the south.
- Soils are mostly alluvial, with newer khadar and older bhangar; red and calcareous soils occur in the southern uplands.
- Crops include paddy, wheat, maize, pulses, oilseeds and sugarcane; Muzaffarpur litchi and Mithila makhana are recognised specialities.
Worked example
A statement says: 'The Kosi is called the sorrow of Bihar because it is a small river that dries up in summer.' Correct it. Reasoning: the Kosi is a large Himalayan river with a steep gradient and an enormous silt load. On reaching the plain, the gradient falls and silt is deposited, raising the river bed. The channel shifts, often westward, and embankments can breach; the 2008 Kusaha breach flooded large parts of Saharsa and Madhepura. The name comes from shifting and flooding, not from being small or seasonal. This answer shows the mechanism, a locational detail and an example.
Traps
- Naming the Damodar as Bihar's 'sorrow'; the Damodar is associated with Bengal.
- Giving an all-India answer when the question says 'in Bihar'.
- Forgetting to label a sketch map or to give units for rainfall, area or population.
- Saying all Bihar soil is black; black soil is characteristic of the Deccan, not the Bihar plain.