NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 2 Understanding the Weather
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Weather is the state of the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place. Almost all weather happens in the troposphere , the lowest layer of air, 6 to 18 km thick. The five elements of weather are temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind and humidity. Words like ‘hot’ or ‘chilly’ mean different things to different people, so weather must be measured on common standards — °C, mm, millibars, km/h and per cent. Each element has its own instrument: thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, wind vane and anemometer, hygrometer. A weather station — often an Automated Weather Station (AWS) — brings them all together. From long records of these readings, meteorologists forecast the weather. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) , set up in 1875, issues maps that colour each subdi
- Theme: India and the World: Land and the People
- Weather and its Elements
- The elements of weather
- Why we measure the weather
- Observing Nature's clues
- How meteorologists work
- a) Temperature
- The India Meteorological Department
- Reading a temperature chart
- b) Precipitation
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Instrument / unit | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | The state of the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place | — | Page 28 |
| Troposphere | The layer of air closest to the ground (6–18 km) where almost all weather happens | — | Page 28 |
| Temperature | How hot or cold the atmosphere is | Thermometer; °C or °F | Pages 31–32 |
| Precipitation | Water falling from the sky — rain, snow, sleet or hail | Rain gauge; millimetres (mm) | Page 33 |
| Atmospheric pressure | The weight of the air above and around us | Barometer; millibar (mb) | Pages 34–35 |
| Wind | Movement of air from high pressure to low pressure | Wind vane / anemometer; km/h | Pages 36–37 |
| Humidity | The amount of water vapour in the air | Hygrometer; % relative humidity | Pages 37–38 |
| Range of temperature | Maximum temperature minus minimum temperature (usually over 24 hours) | °C | Page 32 |
| Mean daily temperature | (Maximum + minimum temperature) ÷ 2 | °C | Page 32 |
| Depression | A dramatic fall in pressure (below 1000 mb) that can grow into a storm or cyclone | Barometer | Page 35 |
| Automated Weather Station | A self-operating set of sensors that records weather data without human help | — | Page 39 |
| Meteorology | The systematic study of weather and its evolution, the basis of forecasting | — | Page 30 |
Exercises
- Theme: India and the World: Land and the People — The Big Questions Page 27
- Weather and its Elements — LET'S EXPLORE Page 28
- The elements of weather — THINK ABOUT IT Page 29
- Why we measure the weather — LET'S EXPLORE Page 29
- Observing Nature's clues — LET'S EXPLORE Page 30
- How meteorologists work — In-text Questions Page 30
- a) Temperature — LET'S REMEMBER Page 31
- The India Meteorological Department — DON'T MISS OUT Page 32
- Reading a temperature chart — LET'S EXPLORE Page 32–33
- b) Precipitation — In-text Questions Page 33
- Making your own rain gauge — LET'S EXPLORE Page 34
- c) Atmospheric pressure — THINK ABOUT IT Page 35
- d) Wind — THINK ABOUT IT Page 36
- Measuring wind — In-text Questions Page 36
- e) Humidity — LET'S EXPLORE Page 37
- Evaporation and humidity — LET'S REMEMBER Page 38
- Relative humidity — THINK ABOUT IT Page 38
- Measuring humidity — In-text Questions Page 38
- An automated weather station — DON'T MISS OUT Page 39
- Predicting the Weather — LET'S EXPLORE Page 41
- India: weather warning for 19 May 2024 — LET'S EXPLORE (Fig. 2.13, the IMD warning map) Page 41
- The chapter in four points — Before we move on ... Page 41–42
- End-of-chapter exercises — Questions and activities Page 42–43