❄️ Class 5 – Chapter 8: The Frigid Zone 🐧🐻❄️
Student-friendly notes with emojis, pointers, blocks & tables — mobile + laptop ready
📖 Detailed Summary
📝 Key Points & Notes
- 📍 Location: 66½°N–90°N (Arctic) and 66½°S–90°S (Antarctica).
- ☀️ Climate: Slanting rays → very cold. Midnight sun in summer; long, dark winters.
- 🏔️ Land & Vegetation: Ice, glaciers, permafrost; short summer growth of mosses, lichens, small shrubs.
- 🐾 Animals: Arctic—polar bear, Arctic fox, reindeer, seals, walrus, snowy owl, whales. Antarctica—penguins, seals, whales along the coast.
- 👨👩👦 People: Inuit (Eskimos) in the Arctic; winter igloos, summer skin tents; diet of fish & meat; thick fur clothing.
- 🎓 Antarctica: Huge ice sheet, research stations (e.g., India’s Maitri).
📒 Quick Facts for Revision
| Topic | Fast Fact |
|---|---|
| Coldest Places | Frigid Zones around the poles |
| Summer Feature | Continuous daylight (Midnight Sun) |
| Soil | Permafrost — stays frozen for long periods |
| Common Plants | Mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs |
| Arctic People | Inuit (Eskimo); boats like kayak and umiak |
| Frozen Continent | Antarctica |
❓ Q&A Practice (Short)
Q1. What are the Frigid Zones?
They are the areas around the North and South Poles with extremely cold climate throughout the year.
Q2. Why are the Frigid Zones so cold?
Because the Sun’s rays fall slantingly and give very little heat.
Q3. What is “midnight sun”?
In summer, the Sun does not set for many days and is visible even at midnight.
Q4. Name some Arctic animals.
Polar bear, seal, walrus, reindeer, Arctic fox, snowy owl, whales.
Q5. Why is Antarctica not inhabited by people?
It is covered with thick ice, has an extremely harsh climate, and has almost no vegetation.
Q6. How do Inuits adapt to the cold?
They wear fur clothes, eat meat & fish, and live in igloos (winter) or animal-skin tents (summer).
📘 Textbook Exercises — Questions with Answers
A1. The frigid zones lie in the ____________.
Answer: both northern and southern hemispheres.
A2. ____________ is known as the frozen continent.
Answer: Antarctica.
A3. In the polar regions during summer there is continuous ____________.
Answer: daylight (Midnight Sun).
A4. In the Arctic regions we find the ____________.
Answer: Inuits.
A5. The main occupation of the Inuits in the frigid zone is ____________.
Answer: all of these — hunting, trapping of animals and reindeer herding.
B. Match the columns
| Column A | Column B (Answer) |
|---|---|
| 1. Aurora australis | Southern hemisphere |
| 2. Aurora borealis | Northern hemisphere |
| 3. Igloos | Houses made of ice blocks |
| 4. Lapps | Scandinavia |
| 5. Yakuts | Siberia |
C. State whether true or false. Rewrite the false statements correctly.
1) The areas around the poles are scarcely populated.
True.
2) The frigid zone receives the direct rays of the sun.
False. It receives slanting rays of the sun.
3) The soil is never frozen in the frigid zone.
False. The ground remains frozen as permafrost for most of the year.
4) Inuits used to live in igloos.
True (traditionally in winter/for hunting trips).
5) Kayaks are small cars used by Inuits.
False. Kayaks are small, light boats used by Inuits.
D. Unscramble the letters to form the correct words.
1) UARROA ATRSULAIS
Answer: AURORA AUSTRALIS (Southern Lights).
2) ICHLNE
Answer: LICHEN (a plant found in the frigid zone).
3) AIBCORU
Answer: CARIBOU (reindeer).
4) ARHOOPNS
Answer: HARPOONS (previously used for catching fish).
5) HUCCKHIS
Answer: CHUKCHIS (a Siberian tribe).
E1. What is the latitudinal extent of the frigid zone?
From 66½° to 90° in both hemispheres — Arctic Circle to North Pole and Antarctic Circle to South Pole.
E2. Describe the climate of the frigid zone.
Very cold due to slanting sunrays; long, dark winters and short, cool summers. Snowfall is common; strong icy winds blow.
E3. Why is it impossible to grow crops in the frigid zone?
The ground is permanently frozen (permafrost), temperatures are very low, and the growing season is very short with little soil development.
E4. Name some of the animals that are found here.
Arctic: polar bear, Arctic fox, reindeer/caribou, seal, walrus, snowy owl, whales. Antarctica: penguins, seals, whales.
E5. How do Arctic animals survive the extreme cold of the Arctic regions?
They have thick fur or blubber for insulation, compact bodies to reduce heat loss, seasonal behaviors like migration or hibernation, and they hunt or store food efficiently.