SUBJECT SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASS X (2024-25)

CH-1 DEVELOPMENT(ECONOMICS)

Q.1 What is development?

Ans.
1) Development means positive changes over a period of time leading to progress.
2) It includes aspirations, desires & goals of the people for working towards achieving a better
life.
3) It comprises social, economic, political and administrative elements.
4) Developed as well as developing economies always aim at development i.e. change
for better.

Q.2 Mention any three characteristics of development.

Ans.
1) Different people have different developmental goals.
2) What may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may be
destructive for the other eg. Construction of a dam may be good for city people but not
for rural people who are displaced.
3) For development people look at a mix of goals. Income is the most important
component of development but along with income, people also seek equal treatment,
freedom, security, respect for others etc.

Q.3 People have different developmental goals. Justify.

Ans.
1) People have different developmental goals because their life situations are different.
2) They seek things that are most important for them i.e. which can fulfill their
aspirations or desires.
3) For eg. A landless rural labourer would wish to have more days of work and better
wages whereas a prosperous farmer would wish to have higher family income through
higher support prices for his crops.

Q.4 What may be development for one may not be development for the other'. Explain by
giving examples.
OR

With the help of examples show how groups have conflicting notions of development.
Ans. It is true that development for one may not be development for the other.
1) More wages means development for a worker but it can go against the entrepreneur.
2) A rich farmer or trader wants to sell food grains at a higher price but a poor worker wants to
purchase it for low prices.
3) To get more electricity the industrialists may want more dams. But this may submerge the
agricultural land and disrupt the lives of the people.

Q.5 'For development, people look at a mix of goals'. Justify with an appropriate example.
Ans
1) Besides seeking more income, people also seek things like: equal treatment, freedom,
security, respect and dislike discrimination.
2) Material goods are not all that you need to live. Quality of life also depends on these
non- monetary aspects as well.
3) E.g. Before accepting a job many factors would be considered apart from income such
as working atmosphere, opportunity to learn, sense of security, time for family etc.

Q.6 Enlist the Economic Indicators of development.

OR

Define total income and per capita income.

 Ans.
1) Total Income and Per capita Income show the level of economic development. Higher
the income, higher the level of economic development.
2) Total Income - Income of all residents of the country
3) Per capita Income - Per capita income is the average income of the people of the
country during the year. It is calculated by using the formula: -
Average Income/Per capita Income = Total Income
Total Population
For the purpose of comparison, it is calculated in dollars for all countries. It is also done in a
way so that every dollar would buy the same amount of goods and services in any country.

Q.7 Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use?
Ans.
1) Since countries have different populations, comparing total income will not tell us what an
average person is likely to earn.
2) Hence averages are used in case of comparisons between two or more countries.
Limitations

S. No. Countries I II III IV V

5000 4800 5200 4600 5400
1 Country A
Country B 20000 1500 1000 1500 1000
2.
1) As shown in the above table, it is a useful method of drawing out conclusions on the
basis of income but it hides disparities.
Even when both countries have identical average income (5000), country A is preferred
as it has more equitable distribution of income.
2) The average income does not tell how the income is distributed among the people of A
country.

Q.8 Kerala, with lower per capita income has a better human development ranking than
that of Haryana. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be
used to compare states. Do you agree? Discuss.
Ans
No, I do not agree with the statement that per capita income is not a useful criterion at all.
1) Though per capita income is not the only criterion and it has limitations, we cannot say
that it is not useful at all
2) For comparing countries, their income is considered to be the most important attribute.
3) To counter the inadequacy of this average, the human development index is used.
4) The human development index uses a combination of development factors (such as
health, education, income) for comparison.
5) Thus, per capita income is one of the development factors, and cannot be done away with.

Q.9 'It focuses on the quantitative aspect of ascertaining the development status of
countries'. Give a brief account of the world development report brought out by the World
Bank to classify countries.
Ans
1) In the world Development Reports, brought out by the World Bank, the criterion of per
Capita Income or Average Income is used in classifying countries.
2) Countries with per capita income US$49,300 per annum and above in 2019 are called
high income or rich countries.
3) Countries with per capita income US$ 2500 per annum or less in 2019 are called
low-income countries.
4) Example - India comes in the category of low middle income countries because its per
capita income in 2019 was just US$ 6700 per annum.
5) The rich countries excluding Middle East Countries and certain other small countries are
generally called developed countries.
Q.10 What is BMI? How is it measured?
Ans. 1) BMI is Body Mass Index which is used to calculate the nutrition level of a person.
2) Divide the weight (in Kgs) of a person by the square of height. (in meters)
Weight (Kg)
[Height (m)]2
3) A students BMI could be within normal range or less than that (underweight) or more
(obesity)
4) For eg. If a girl student is 14 years and 8 months old and the BMI is 15.2, she is
undernourished.

Q.11 'It is a qualitative aspect of ascertaining human development. Give a brief account of
the human development report given by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).
Ans
1) This notion of development implies good quality of life along with income.
2) It compares countries on the basis of people's education level, health status and their per capita
income.
3) It includes literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate etc. to determine the status of
development of a particular area, region or country.

Q.12 Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live
well. Justify.
Ans. Money or material things that one can buy with it is one factor on which our life
depends. But the quality of our life also depends upon non material things like equal
treatment, freedom, security, respect to others etc.
1) Income by itself is not a complete adequate indicator of material goods and services
that citizens are able to use.
2) Normally, our money cannot buy us a pollution free environment or ensure that we get
unadulterated medicines.
3) Money may also not be able to protect us from infectious diseases, unless the whole of
our community takes preventive steps.
Hence the government or society has to provide us various facilities which the money in our
pocket cannot buy.

Q.13 What is the significance of the Human Development Index?

Ans. i) HDI is used to measure the level of development of a country.
ii) It has been published by UNDP and according to it countries have been ranked.
iii) It is a comprehensive approach which covers all the major aspects of life.
iv) Apart from income, education, health status, life expectancy etc. are considered for
measuring economic development of a nation.

Q.14 Distinguish between Human Development and Economic Development:

Human Development Economic Development
(1) Human Development is a human (1) Economic development is
centered approach towards development. indicated and measured by
It is measured as a cumulative index of longevity, quantity of goods and
knowledge, decent standard of living. services produced in a country.
(2)Human development is a broad concept (2)Economic development is a
which includes both monetary and narrow concept which includes
non-monetary aspects. only the monetary aspects.
(3)It is a process of quantitative and qualitative (3)It is a process which includes only
growth. quantitative growth.
(4)Human development is the final goal of (4)It is the means to achieve
the all development human development.

Q.15 What is sustainable development? Why is it important?

Ans. Sustainable economic development means:
i) development should take place without damaging the environment
ii) development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generations: A
number of scientists have been warning that the present type and levels of development are not
sustainable
Importance of Sustainable development
1. Overuse of Resources:
e.g. Groundwater is a renewable resource but it is being used more than what is being
replenished. Overutilization of resources damages the environment.
2.Exhaustion of Natural Resources
The stock of natural resources is limited and can get exhausted.
e.g. Crude oil is a non-renewable resource and growth of all counties in future is likely to be
endangered if it gets exhausted.
3.Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries.
Hence, sustainable development is the need of the hour as it aims to use natural resources in a
way that is environment friendly.

Q.16 Why is groundwater overused? Can there be development without its overuse?
Ans . Groundwater is overused due to:-
1) Large and growing population of cities
2) Commercialised crops need more water.
3) Urbanisation has also led to decline in groundwater.
Although ground water is a renewable resource, its overuse will lower the water table.
This will result in scarcity of ground water for the present as well as future generation. There
can be development without its overuse by adopting the following methods:-
(a) Rain water Harvesting
(b) Watershed development, which also helps in development as well as conservation of water
resources.

Q.17 The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the
greed of even one person". How is this statement relevant to the discussion of development?
Discuss.
Ans.
1) Resources are important for any developmental activity.
2) But irrational consumption and over utilization of resources may lead to socio-economic
and environmental problems.
3) The exploitative nature of modern technology and the greedy and selfish individuals are
the root.cause for resource depletion at the global level. Thus it is a hindrance in the path
of development.
4) Gandhiji has also rightly said: There is enough for everybody's need but not for anybody's
greed.
Hence resources should be used in a judicious manner.

Q.18 Define the following terms:

Ans
1. Infant Mortality Rate - It indicates the number of children that die before the age of
one year, as a proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year.
2. Literacy Rate - It measures the proportion of literate population in the 7 and above
age groups.
3. Net Attendance Ratio - It is the total number of children in the same age group 14
and 15 years attending school as a percentage of total number of children in the same
age group.
4. HDI-It stands for Human Development Index.
5. Life Expectancy -Life Expectancy at birth is the average expected length of life a
person at the time of birth.
 Q19. Find out present sources of energy used by people in India. What could be
possible fifty years from now?
Ans. The following sources of energy are used by people in India: -
(i) Animal (ii) Electricity – Hydroelectricity
(iii) Coal (iv) Diesel
(v)Petrol (vi) Kerosene Oil
(vii)Natural Gas (viii) Nuclear Power Energy

Q20. List a few examples of environmental degradation that you may have observed
around you.
Ans.
1) Ground water is under serious threat of overuse in many parts of India.
2) Forests are being cut down in different regions and states.
3) Wild animals and livestock are being hunted and killed by people without caring about
their importance.
4) Oil and petroleum products are being consumed by people for different purposes.
5) Dumping the waste and rubbish by industries in rivers has led to environmental degradation.
6) Experimenting with atom bombs in one part of the world, causing pollution, will have
repercussions on the other countries as well.

Q21. Is crude oil essential for development in a country? Discuss.

ans. Crude oil is essential for development in a country in the following ways. It is both a source
of raw material and energy and is called a multipurpose fuel.
i. It is a raw material for a variety of products e.g. plastics, detergents, petro chemicals.
ii. It is a source of generating electricity, provides fuel for heat and lighting and also
provides lubricants for machinery.
iii. Petroleum refineries act as a nodal industry for synthetic textiles, fertilizers and
numerous chemical industries.
For the above reasons, crude oil is also called liquid gold because it plays a significant role in
any country’s development.

Q22. What should India do to achieve or become a developed country?

Ans. India should adopt the following measures in order to achieve development:
(i) Control the growth rate of the population.
(ii) Increase the pace of industrialization.
(iii) Promote exports.
(iv) Take measures to eradicate the problems of poverty.
(v) Reduce the inequalities of income and wealth.
(vi) Reduce the losses in public enterprises and bring about efficiency and effectiveness in public
sector enterprises.
(vii) Provide basic facilities i.e., health education, water, transport, electricity, communication etc.
to all the sections of the society.