CBSE Class 10 Science 2018 · Paper 31(B)/C · Question 15

(i) The villagers depended on the forest for their daily needs, such as firewood, fodder for their cattle, fruits, nuts, medicinal herbs and small timber. The trees also held the soil on the steep hill slopes and kept their springs and streams flowing. Felling the trees for the contractor's profit would have destroyed their livelihood and led to soil erosion, landslides and floods. (ii) Forests maintain ecological balance because they are home to a great variety of plants, animals and micro-organisms and, as producers, support the food chains and food webs of the ecosystem; they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in photosynthesis, keeping the balance of these gases in the air; they return water to the air by transpiration, which brings rain and keeps up the water cycle and the groundwater; their roots bind the soil and prevent soil erosion, floods and landslides; and the decomposition of their fallen leaves returns nutrients to the soil. (iii) Two values: concern for the environment and for the conservation of forests; and the courage, leadership and unity of the women of the village, who acted together peacefully (non-violently) to protect a shared resource.