Extra Questions for Class 8 Science Chapter 15 Some Natural Phenomena

Question 1.
If air and cloud were good conductors of electricity, do you think lightning could occur? Explain.
Answer:
No, lightning will not occur because the separation of charges cannot take place in conductors.
Hence charges will not accumulate on clouds and lightning cannot take place.

Question 2.
Name other natural calamities except lightning and earthquake.
Answer:
Winds, storms and cyclones.

Question 3.
Name the two types of charges.
Answer:

• Positive; and
• Negative.

Question 4.
Mention the interactions of two types of charges.
Answer:
Like charges repel each other while unlike charges attract each other.

Question 5.
Name the device used to protect buildings from lightning.
Answer:
Lightning conductor.

Question 6.
In which direction does the shock waves produced by an earthquake travel?
Answer:
Both on the surface and inside the earth.

Question 7.
What happens when two clouds with unlike charges approach each other?
Answer:
Lightning strikes

Question 8.
Who discovered the static electricity or lightning in clouds and when?
Answer:
Benjamin Franklin in 1752.

Question 9.
What actually causes lightning?
Answer:
Lightning is caused by the accumulation of charges in the clouds.

Question 10.
What happens when amber is rubbed with fur?
Answer:
It develops the capacity to attract light objects.

Question 11.
What is static electricity?
Answer:
The electrical charge reproduced by rubbing two objects is called static electricity.

Question 12.
What happens when a glass rod and silk cloth are rubbed with each other?
Answer:
The glass rod gets positively charged and silk cloth negatively charged.

Question 13.
What is lightning?
Answer:
Lightning is an electric spark on huge scale.

Question 14.
What are weak zones called?
Answer:
Seismic or fault zones.

Question 15.
How are most earthquakes caused?
Answer:
Most earthquakes are caused by the movement of earth’s plates.

Question 16.
What is a plate?
Answer:
Each fragment of the outermost layer of the earth is called plate.

Question 17.
What is the uppermost layer of the earth called?
Answer:
Crust

Question 18.
How is an earthquake caused?
Answer:
It is caused by a disturbance deep inside the earth’s crust.

Question 19.
What are seismic waves?
Answer:
Waves produced on the Earth’s surface because of tremors.

Question 20.
When and where a major tsunami took place in India?
Answer:
It occurred in the Indian ocean on 26th December 2004.

Question 21.
What are the natural calamities caused by earthquakes?
Answer:
Earthquakes can cause floods, landslides and tsunamis.

Question 22.
Which kind of material is used to transfer charges from one body to another?
Answer:
Metal conductor

Some Natural Phenomena Class 8 Extra Questions Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What is lightning? What causes lightning?
Answer:
Lightning is also an electric spark, but on a huge scale. It is caused by the accumulation of
charges in the clouds.

Question 2.
What is an electric charge? What are charged objects?
Answer:
When a plastic refill is rubbed with polythene it acquires a small electric charge. Similarly when a
plastic comb is rubbed with dry hair, it acquires a small charge. These objects are called charged
objects.

Question 3.
What is static charge? How does it differ from electric current?
Answer:
The electric charges generated by rubbing are called static charges. The static charges do not
move while charges move in electric current.

Question 4.
What do you mean by electric discharge? How does it occurs?
Answer:
When the negative and positive charges meet, streaks of bright light and sound are produced.
This process is called electrical discharge. For example, electric discharge occurring between two
or more clouds or between clouds and earth.

Question 5.
What is earthing? What is the application of earthing?
Answer:
The process of transfer of charges from a charged object to the earth is called earthing. It is
provided in buildings to protect from electrical shocks due to any leakage of electrical current.

Question 6.
How does electric discharge occur in clouds?
Answer:
At the time of thunder negative charges are accumulated near the clouds and positive charges
near the ground. When these charges meet, electric discharge takes place between the ground
and clouds. In this process, a large amount of energy is released.

Question 7.
What is lightning conductor? Where is it fixed?
Answer:
Lightning conductor is a device which is used to protect buildings from the danger of lightning. It is
fixed at the top of the building.

Question 8.
What is an earthquake? How is it caused?
Answer:
Sudden shaking and trembling of earth is called an earthquake. It is caused mostly due to the
movement of earth’s plates inside the crust.

Question 9.
What are fault zones? Name the fault zones in India.
Answer:
Since earthquakes are caused by the movement of plates, the boundaries of the plates are weak
zones where earthquakes are more likely to occur. The weak zones are also known as seismic or
fault zones.

Question 10.
In India the most threatened areas or fault zones are Kashmir, Western and Central Himalayas,
the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Rann of Kutch, etc.
Answer:
Tremors on the earth can also be caused when a volcano erupts, or a meteor hits the earth, or an
underground nuclear explosion is carried out.

Question 11.
What are seismic waves? How are these waves recorded?
Answer:
The tremors produce waves on the surface of the earth. These are called seismic waves. These
waves are recorded by an instrument called the seismograph

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words:

1. The electrical charge generated by rubbing two objects is ………….

Answer
static electricity

2. …………. is the sudden shaking of the Earth.

Answer
Earthquake

3. Seismograph is the instrument that records ………….

Answer
seismic waves

4. Richter scale is used to express the …………. of an earthquake.

Answer
magnitude

5. Earthquakes are caused due to the movement of ………….

Answer
Earth’s plates

6. Lightning always follows ………….

Answer
thunder

7. …………. types of charges are gained by rubbing objects.

Answer
Two

8. Nitrogen fixation occurs during ………….

Answer
Lightning

Question 1.
The process of transfer of charges from a charged object to the earth is called
(a) earthing
(b) lightning
(c) oscillation motion
(d) electron movement

Answer
Answer: (a) earthing

Question 2.
The power of an earthquake is expressed on a scale called
(a) seismic scale
(b) iron scale
(c) richter scale
(d) large scale

Answer
Answer: (c) richter scale
Question 3.
Which instrument is used to measure earthquake?
(a) Richter scale
(b) Seismograph
(c) Polygraph
(d) None of these

Answer
Answer: (b) Seismograph

Question 4.
Which is not a natural phenomena?
(a) Earthquakes
(b) Cyclones
(c) Lightning
(d) Earthing

Answer
Answer: (d) Earthing

Question 5.
How many types of charges are gained by rubbing objects?
(a) 2
(b) 1
(c) 3
(d) 4

Answer
Answer: (a) 2

Question 6.
Where is the lightning rod attached to protect the building from lightning?
(a) On the top of the building
(b) On the bottom of the building
(c) In the middle of the building
(d) All of these

Answer
Answer: (a) On the top of the building

Question 7.
Lightning always follows
(a) a thunder
(b) rain pour
(c) the easiest path
(d) a straight path

Answer
Answer: (a) a thunder
Question 8.
Tsunami means
(a) earthquake
(b) floods
(c) earthquake under the sea
(d) eruption of volcano in a sea

Answer
Answer: (c) earthquake under the sea

Question 9.
The waves produced on the earth’s surface is called
(a) seismic wave
(b) longitudinal wave
(c) Micro wave
(d) Radio wave

Answer
Answer: (a) seismic wave

Question 10.
Amber is a
(a) metal
(b) rubber
(c) resin
(d) sugar

Answer
Answer: (c) resin

Question 11.
Which is the surest test of charge on a body?
(a) Repulsion
(b) Lightning
(c) Combustion
(d) Insulation

Answer
Answer: (a) Repulsion

Question 12.
Which of the following can be charged with static electricity ?
(a) Metal
(b) Alloy
(c) Insulator
(d) Semiconductor

Answer
Answer: (c) Insulator
Question 13.
Which of the following occurs during lightning?
(a) Acid rain
(b) Nitrogen fixation
(c) Green house effect
(d) Earthing

Answer
Answer: (b) Nitrogen fixation

Question 14.
Which of the following can be charged by rubbing?
(a) Ebonite
(b) Plastic
(c) Amber
(d) All of these

Answer
Answer: (d) All of these

Question 15.
When two bodies are rubbed against each other, they acquire
(a) equal and like charges
(b) equal and unlike charges
(c) unequal and like charges
(d) unequal and unlike charges

Answer
Answer: (b) equal and unlike charges