Question

Environment consists of: i)Atmosphere ii)Hydrosphere iii)Biosphere
(A) i & ii
(B) ii & iii
(C) i & iii
(D) i, ii & iii

Answer 1

Hint: Environment consists of all our surroundings which can be living or nonliving. Both the living and non-living bodies interact with each other and make it possible for life to sustain on earth. They interact with each other and thus make up the environment. So, the environment consists of several things which come closer and create it.

Complete step by step solution:
-The word ‘environment’ was coined by Carlyle in 1828. It is derived from a French word environ. The basic meaning of the word is nothing but our surroundings. Actually, the word means the interaction of different living and non-living species with themselves and also with each other to sustain life.
-There are basically two components of the environment, biotic and abiotic. Biotic components are the living beings that exist in our environment which include plants, animals, humans, insects, micro-organisms, etc. Abiotic components are the nonliving part of our environment without which the biotic components cannot survive like water, air, minerals, land, etc.
-Thus we see that both the living and nonliving components together make the environment. There are various components which occur in the environment and are classified based on their characteristics and their role in the ecosystem.
-Ecosystem is the study of the environment and the people who study it are called ecologists. This is important as it tells us about the effects of several actions on the environment which leads to its destruction. Without a healthy environment, no living being can survive. So the study is important for us to preserve ourselves and all other beings on this planet.
-Several components of the environment are atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. All of them are combined to form the environment where we live in. All are important for us to live as the atmosphere gives us the air to breathe in, the hydrosphere gives us water and biosphere gives us a place to interact with the other species which are important in our day to day life.
-Atmosphere refers to the part of the environment which is present above the earth’s surface. It has different layers called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere and exosphere which are different from each other in terms of the height from the ground.
-Lithosphere refers to the land. It gives us soil and rocks which are essential for the growth of the plants. We live in the lithosphere. So it is very important for us. All the minerals essential for the plants are also obtained from here only.
-Hydrosphere refers to all the water bodies present on the earth like sea, ocean, river, lake, pond, etc. They provide us with water along with the sea animals and insects. Many minerals are found inside the water bodies. Many of the precious elements are also obtained underwater bodies like rubies, emeralds, gold, etc. We cannot survive without water.

Therefore, the correct option is (D). i, ii & iii.

Note: Environment is not constant. It changes not only with the distance but also with time. There can be different environments in different places and in the same place at different time intervals. Also, the change in the environment occurs with the change in hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. Many species have their environment in the hydrosphere and atmosphere also.