Natural Resources and Their Use — Class 8 MCQs with Answers
Class 8 CBSE Social Science · Chapter 1
72 practice questions · 24 Easy · 24 Medium · 24 Hard · Updated
Practise the most important Class 8 CBSE Social Science questions from Chapter 1, "Natural Resources and Their Use". You get 9 timed quizzes made from 72 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 24 Easy, 24 Medium and 24 Hard. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that set top scorers in CBSE Board exams apart.
To score well in "Natural Resources and Their Use", focus on dates, cause and effect, and reading maps and sources. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This trains you to stay accurate under time pressure, as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on Natural Resources and Their Use, then move to Medium and Hard to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 8 Social Science mastery score. 14 sample questions are solved in full below, with the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
Key concepts: Natural Resources and Their Use (Class 8 Social Science)
Nature becomes a 'resource' only when humans can and choose to use it. This chapter classifies natural resources, shows how unevenly they are spread, and argues for using them as stewards so renewables keep regenerating and non-renewables last longer.
- Natural resource
- Materials and substances that occur in Nature and are valuable to humans.
- Three conditions for a resource
- To count as a resource something must be technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.
- Renewable resource
- A resource that restores itself over time — sunlight, wind, flowing water, timber — but only if we do not use it faster than it regenerates.
- Non-renewable resource
- Formed over millions of years and impossible to replenish at the rate we consume it, such as coal, petroleum, iron and gold.
Natural Resources and Their Use — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 8 Social Science)
14 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation. The other 58 are timed and scored when you sign in.
- Q1Easy
According to the chapter, elements of Nature become 'resources' when:
A.they are found undergroundB.humans use them for sustenance or make things from them✓ CorrectC.they are rare and expensiveD.scientists give them a nameAnswer: B. humans use them for sustenance or make things from them
Explanation: Trees exist independently of humans; they become a resource when we use them, for example converting wood into furniture.
- Q2Easy
When natural resources are grouped by the use we put them to, the three categories are resources essential for life, resources for materials and resources for:
A.tradeB.energy✓ CorrectC.medicineD.decorationAnswer: B. energy
Explanation: The three use-based categories given are life-essentials, materials and energy.
- Q3Easy
Natural resources across the planet are:
A.distributed equally within each countryB.evenly distributedC.found only near the equatorD.unevenly distributed✓ CorrectAnswer: D. unevenly distributed
Explanation: This uneven distribution shapes settlements, trade patterns, international relations and even conflicts.
- Q4Easy
Almost what share of Punjab's area has been classified as 'over-exploited' for groundwater?
A.80%✓ CorrectB.45%C.10%D.20%Answer: A. 80%
Explanation: Water has been drawn far faster than groundwater can be restored and rejuvenated there.
- Q5Easy
For something in Nature to be called a resource, it must be technologically accessible, economically feasible and:
A.culturally acceptable✓ CorrectB.renewableC.owned by the governmentD.found only in IndiaAnswer: A. culturally acceptable
Explanation: The text lists all three conditions, giving cutting trees in sacred groves as an example of what is culturally unacceptable.
- Q6Easy
Which set names resources that are essential for life?
A.Petrol, diesel and gasB.Marble, timber and graniteC.Coal, iron and goldD.Air, water and food✓ CorrectAnswer: D. Air, water and food
Explanation: Life could not exist without the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.
- Q7Medium
Petroleum lying deep under the ocean beyond our technology is NOT yet a resource because it fails the test of being:
A.culturally acceptableB.technologically accessible✓ CorrectC.naturally occurringD.valuable to humansAnswer: B. technologically accessible
Explanation: It exists in Nature and is valuable, but until we can reach it, it does not meet the accessibility condition.
- Q8Medium
Timber is called renewable only under one condition, namely that:
A.we do not harvest faster than the forest can regrow✓ CorrectB.it is replaced by plasticC.it is sold within IndiaD.it is cut only in summerAnswer: A. we do not harvest faster than the forest can regrow
Explanation: If harvesting outpaces regrowth the forest is eventually depleted, and the resource stops being renewable.
- Q9Medium
Industries set up near natural resources bring employment and townships, but the chapter warns these benefits often come with:
A.an automatic fall in populationB.the end of all tradeC.a ban on new facilitiesD.displacement of local people from their homes✓ CorrectAnswer: D. displacement of local people from their homes
Explanation: People in resource-rich areas have been displaced, and in some cases their sacred places are threatened, causing conflict.
- Q10Medium
In Punjab, the shift in the 1960s to high-yielding varieties of wheat and paddy increased groundwater use because those varieties:
A.could not be irrigatedB.grew only in winterC.needed no fertiliserD.required more water than traditional seeds✓ CorrectAnswer: D. required more water than traditional seeds
Explanation: Higher water demand, combined with free power for pumps, drove heavy groundwater extraction.
- Q11Medium
Refusing to cut trees in sacred groves shows that being a resource also depends on being:
A.renewableB.technologically accessibleC.economically feasibleD.culturally acceptable✓ CorrectAnswer: D. culturally acceptable
Explanation: The trees are reachable and useful, but the community's values place them outside use.
- Q12Hard
A village refuses to mine a hill it considers sacred, although the ore is shallow and would be profitable. Using the chapter's three conditions, the ore is not a resource here because it fails only the test of being:
A.culturally acceptable✓ CorrectB.technologically accessibleC.economically feasibleD.naturally occurringAnswer: A. culturally acceptable
Explanation: Shallow ore is reachable and profit shows feasibility, so the community's values are the deciding condition.
- Q13Hard
Assertion: Timber can be treated as a renewable resource. Reason: Forests regenerate naturally over time. Choose the correct option.
A.The assertion is true but the reason is falseB.The assertion is false but the reason is trueC.Both are true, and the reason explains the assertion✓ CorrectD.Both are true, but the reason does not explain the assertionAnswer: C. Both are true, and the reason explains the assertion
Explanation: Timber counts as renewable precisely because forests regenerate, provided harvesting stays within that rate.
- Q14Hard
A country exports crude oil cheaply, imports finished plastic goods at high prices, and stays poor. This best illustrates:
A.universal franchiseB.ecosystem servicesC.regenerationD.the paradox of plenty✓ CorrectAnswer: D. the paradox of plenty
Explanation: It has the resource but not the industries to convert it into higher-value products.
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Start this chapter free →Natural Resources and Their Use — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 8 Social Science Natural Resources and Their Use?+
Nature becomes a 'resource' only when humans can and choose to use it. This chapter classifies natural resources, shows how unevenly they are spread, and argues for using them as stewards so renewables keep regenerating and non-renewables last longer. Key ideas include Natural resource, Three conditions for a resource, Renewable resource, Non-renewable resource.
What does Class 8 Social Science Chapter 1 (Natural Resources and Their Use) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 72 NCERT-based MCQs on "Natural Resources and Their Use": 24 Easy, 24 Medium and 24 Hard. Together they make 9 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare for CBSE Board exams.
Are these "Natural Resources and Their Use" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "Natural Resources and Their Use" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year on a launch offer until 1 December 2026. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "Natural Resources and Their Use" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium and Hard to practise applying them. There are 9 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "Natural Resources and Their Use" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 14 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Natural Resources and Their Use" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from Natural Resources and Their Use (Class 8 Social Science)?+
The questions that matter most test Natural resource, Three conditions for a resource, Renewable resource, Non-renewable resource. This page shows 14 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations; all 72 questions on the chapter are available as timed quizzes once you sign in.
Is there an online quiz for Natural Resources and Their Use?+
Yes — Class 8 Social Science Natural Resources and Their Use has timed online quizzes at Easy, Medium and Hard levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.