Meaning, purpose and planning of a field trip
Before a school picnic, your teacher decides where to go, for how long and what to see. Without a plan the day is wasted. A geography field trip needs the same kind of plan.
A field trip (क्षेत्रभेट) is a visit to a place to learn geography by first-hand experience (प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव).
Rule 1: What a field trip gives — A field trip is an important method of geography. It gives first-hand experience of geographical factors and processes and helps us understand geographical ideas and the relationship between man and environment (मानव-पर्यावरण संबंध). An important aim is to visit an office and learn what work is done there.
In the figure : In the figure a field trip is planned according to the topic, the place and the duration of the visit (sample plan).
- Easy : Easy: A visit to a dairy shows how milk is processed.
- Medium : Medium: A class visits a tehsil office to learn about land records.
- Exam-type : Exam: A field trip links books with real life.
Rule 2: Planning — Plan the trip according to the topic, place and duration. During the trip different information is collected, so a questionnaire (प्रश्नावली) is prepared first. After compiling the information a report (अहवाल) is written.
In the figure : In the figure information is collected with a questionnaire; after compiling it, a report is prepared.
In the figure : In the figure a field trip gives first-hand experience, helps in understanding the relationship between man and environment, and shows the work done in an office.
- Easy : Easy: Prepare questions before the visit.
- Medium : Medium: A trip of 2 hours for 4 topics gives 30 minutes per topic.
- Exam-type : Exam: Arrange the steps: plan, questionnaire, visit, report.
Plan by topic, place, duration. Questionnaire → visit → report.
Thinking a field trip is only a picnic. It is for learning, with questions and a report.
Memory clue: "योजना → प्रश्न → भेट → अहवाल".
Spot the difference
| Step | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Plan | Fix topic, place, time |
| Questionnaire | Collect information |
| Report | Present findings |
Practice questions
- 1What is a field trip?
- 2What does it help us understand?
- 3On what three things is a trip planned?
- 4What is a questionnaire?
- 5What is prepared after compiling information?
- 6An important aim of the trip in this lesson?
- 7A trip of 3 hours has 6 equal activities. How long is each?
- 8Why is a questionnaire prepared before, not after, the visit?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A visit to learn by first-hand experience.
- 2Geographical concepts and the man-environment relationship.
- 3Topic, place and duration.
- 4A list of questions to collect information.
- 5A report.
- 6To visit an office and understand its work.
- 7180 ÷ 6 = 30 minutes.
- 8So that no important question is forgotten during the visit.
Preparing for the field trip
Before going for an exam you pack your pen, admit card and ruler, and you reach the centre only after confirming the time. A field trip needs such preparation too.
Prior permission (पूर्वपरवानगी) and the right kit make a field trip smooth.
Rule 1: Kit and permission — Essential kit: a copy of the questionnaire, a notebook, camera, pen and pencil. Take prior permission from the concerned office before fixing the date and time. Take care not to damage anything on the trip.
In the figure : In the figure the essential kit is a copy of the questionnaire, a notebook, a camera, a pen and a pencil.
In the figure : In the figure obtain prior permission from the concerned office before fixing the date and time, and take care not to damage anything.
- Easy : Easy: Carry a pen and a notebook.
- Medium : Medium: Phone the office a week before to ask for a date.
- Exam-type : Exam: Why is prior permission needed?
Rule 2: Other offices and the project — The lesson gives a sample questionnaire for the election office. Similar questionnaires can be made for a Talathi's office (तलाठी कार्यालय) or a small-scale industry (लघुउद्योग). Project: prepare a plan for a class field trip to a place of special interest or an office, and prepare a questionnaire.
- Easy : Easy: A Talathi keeps village land records.
- Medium : Medium: For a small industry ask about raw material and workers.
- Exam-type : Exam: Write three questions for a Talathi's office.
Kit: questionnaire, notebook, camera, pen, pencil. Permission first. Do no damage.
Thinking one questionnaire fits every office. Each office needs its own.
Memory clue: "परवानगी आधी, नुकसान नको".
Spot the difference
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire copy | Ask all questions |
| Notebook, pen | Write answers |
| Camera | Record scenes |
| Permission | Office is ready for visit |
Practice questions
- 1Name two things in the kit.
- 2Why take prior permission?
- 3What must we take care of on the trip?
- 4Which sample questionnaire is given?
- 5Name another office for a similar visit.
- 6What other place can be visited?
- 735 students go in 5 equal groups. How many per group?
- 8Write one question for a small industry questionnaire.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Notebook and camera.
- 2The office can arrange time and staff.
- 3Not to damage anything.
- 4For the election office.
- 5Talathi's office.
- 6A small-scale industry.
- 735 ÷ 5 = 7.
- 8What raw material is used and where from?
Questionnaire: the office and its staff
To apply for a ration card you need to know which office, which officer and what notice. Asking the right questions first saves many visits. Voting offices work the same way.
The sample questionnaire for the election office (taluka and district level) has 27 questions; its first group is about the office and its staff.
Rule 1: About the office — Ask: name of the office; designation of its chief; duties performed; who directs the work; which elections are conducted through it. The sample questionnaire starts with the office itself.
In the figure : In the figure the sample questionnaire (27 questions) starts with the office itself: its name, the designation of its chief and the duties it performs.
- Easy : Easy: Ask the name of the office.
- Medium : Medium: Ask who directs the work.
- Exam-type : Exam: Write the first four questions.
Rule 2: Staff, voters and licences — Ask: from where additional manpower comes during elections; how many days before the election the notice is given; who enlists new voters and updates the lists; who conducts training; which licences are issued; how many people are appointed at a polling centre (मतदान केंद्र). Also ask for records of earlier elections, certificates given to elected candidates and who signs them, and which departments help.
In the figure : In the figure later questions cover additional manpower, the notice, new voters, training, licences and the staff at a polling centre (sample office chart).
- Easy : Easy: Ask about new voters.
- Medium : Medium: A polling centre with 5 staff and 4 centres needs 20 staff.
- Exam-type : Exam: Who signs the winner's certificate? Ask this.
Election-office questions: office, staff, voters, training, licences, polling staff, certificates.
Thinking an election office works only on polling day. It works all the time.
Memory clue: "कार्यालय, माणसे, मतदार, केंद्र".
Spot the difference
| Group | Example question |
|---|---|
| Office | Name, chief, duties |
| Staff | Extra manpower, training |
| Voters | New voters, lists |
| Polling centre | People appointed |
Practice questions
- 1How many questions are in the sample?
- 2At what level is the office?
- 3Give two office questions.
- 4Who updates voter lists?
- 5What is asked about the notice?
- 6What is asked about a polling centre?
- 712 centres with 6 staff each: total staff?
- 8Why ask about training?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 127.
- 2Taluka and district.
- 3Name of the office and its chief's designation.
- 4The office staff, who also enlist new voters.
- 5How many days before the election it is given.
- 6How many people are appointed.
- 712 × 6 = 72.
- 8Staff must know the procedure to run fair elections.
Questionnaire: voting, EVM and Code of Conduct
When you vote for your class monitor, you want the count to be fair and quick. Real elections use a machine to do this.
The second group of questions is about voting, the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine, मतदान यंत्र) and the Code of Conduct (आचारसंहिता).
Rule 1: Voting and EVM — Ask about voting of officials on election duty, the timings of voting and whether they are extended in special circumstances, and efforts to make voting transparent. About the EVM ask: advantages and disadvantages, how machines are obtained, since when they are used, what is done if one becomes faulty, and how voting was done earlier.
In the figure : In the figure the questionnaire asks about the EVM: its advantages and disadvantages, how machines are obtained and what is done if one becomes faulty.
In the figure : In the figure the questionnaire also asks about the timings of voting and whether they are extended in special circumstances (sample timings).
- Easy : Easy: EVM stands for Electronic Voting Machine.
- Medium : Medium: Voting from 7 am to 6 pm is 11 hours.
- Exam-type : Exam: Ask two advantages of the EVM.
Rule 2: Code of Conduct, by-elections and results — Ask for how many days before and after the elections the Code of Conduct applies. Ask in which circumstances by-elections (पोटनिवडणूक) are held, what is done if candidates get equal votes (tie) and who declares the final result to the public.
In the figure : In the figure the Code of Conduct applies from the day the elections are declared till the day of the results (sample timeline).
- Easy : Easy: By-election fills a vacant seat.
- Medium : Medium: If the Code starts 30 days before and ends on result day, it covers a month.
- Exam-type : Exam: Name who announces final results.
EVM, timings, Code of Conduct, by-election, tie, final result.
Thinking the Code of Conduct starts on polling day. It starts when the election is declared.
Memory clue: "घोषणा ते निकाल = आचारसंहिता".
Spot the difference
| Topic | Ask |
|---|---|
| EVM | Advantages, faults |
| Timings | Extension in special cases |
| Code of Conduct | Days of application |
| By-election | When held |
Practice questions
- 1What is an EVM?
- 2What is asked about its faults?
- 3What is the Code of Conduct?
- 4From when does it apply?
- 5What is a by-election?
- 6What happens if candidates get equal votes?
- 7Voting runs 7 am to 6 pm. How many minutes?
- 8Why must voting be transparent?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Electronic Voting Machine.
- 2What is done if a machine becomes faulty.
- 3Rules to be followed during the election period.
- 4From the day elections are declared.
- 5An election held to fill a vacant seat.
- 6A method such as a draw is used.
- 711 × 60 = 660 minutes.
- 8So people trust the result.
Report writing and the school's field visit
After a science experiment you write what you did, saw and learnt. This record is a report. A field trip also ends with a report.
A report (अहवाल) is a written record of the collected information; it has six points.
Rule 1: Writing a report — After collecting the information, write a report. Use maps, tables, layouts, graphs, pictures and photographs. The points are: (1) Introduction, (2) Personnel working in the office, (3) Nature of work, (4) Problems encountered and solutions, (5) Acknowledgement, (6) List of references. Present the report in class, individually or in a group.
In the figure : In the figure the six points of a report: introduction, personnel working in the office, nature of work, problems encountered/solutions, acknowledgement and list of references.
In the figure : In the figure a report can use maps, tables, layouts, graphs, pictures and photographs; it is presented in class individually or in a group.
- Easy : Easy: A report has six points.
- Medium : Medium: A graph shows numbers clearly in a report.
- Exam-type : Exam: List the six points in order.
Rule 2: The school's own visit — A school and its teachers visited the tehsildar's office, prepared a questionnaire to understand the election process and met the Chief Electoral Officer. After compiling and reporting, they used it for the school elections. The lesson's pictures show the visit, a map of the constituency, a sample electoral roll and an EVM.
In the figure : In the figure the school visited the tehsildar's office, met the Chief Electoral Officer and then used the report for the school elections.
- Easy : Easy: The school met the Chief Electoral Officer.
- Medium : Medium: They used the learning in school elections.
- Exam-type : Exam: Why present the report in class?
Report: introduction, personnel, work, problems/solutions, acknowledgement, references.
Thinking the trip ends when we return. The report finishes the learning.
Memory clue: "प्र-क-का-अ-कृ-सं" = प्रस्तावना, कर्मचारी, कामाचे स्वरूप, अडचणी, कृतज्ञता, संदर्भ.
Spot the difference
| Report point | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Why and where we went |
| Personnel | People working there |
| Nature of work | What the office does |
| Problems, solutions | Challenges met |
| Acknowledgement | Thanks to helpers |
| References | Books and sources used |
Practice questions
- 1What is a report?
- 2How many points does it have?
- 3Which point comes first?
- 4Which point thanks the helpers?
- 5Name two things used to illustrate a report.
- 6Which office did the school visit?
- 7A report of 6 points has 2 pages per point. How many pages?
- 8How can you use the report in your own school?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A written record of collected information.
- 2Six.
- 3Introduction.
- 4Acknowledgement.
- 5Graphs and photographs.
- 6The tehsildar's office.
- 76 × 2 = 12.
- 8Hold fair class elections using what was learnt.
Quick revision
- Field trip = first-hand learning; plan by topic, place and duration; prior permission; don't damage anything.
- Kit: questionnaire, notebook, camera, pen, pencil.
- Sample: election office questionnaire (27 questions) – staff, notice, voter lists, training, licences, polling staff, voting timing, EVM, Code of Conduct, by-elections, tie, results, certificates.
- Report: introduction, personnel, nature of work, problems/solutions, acknowledgement, references; present in class.