INDIAN SCHOOL AL WADI AL KABIR

Class: X Department: Social Science Sub: ECONOMICS

Chapter-1 Topic: DEVELOPMENT Year: 2024-25

Question Bank:1

1 What are the different aspects or characteristics of development? Give suitable examples.
OR
“For development, people look at a mix of goals‟. Support the statement with suitable
examples. (Ans. Point. iii)
Ans:
The different characteristics of development are as follows:
i. Different persons can have different developmental goals: -
Example: Development for a landless rural labourer might be more days of work and
better wages but for a girl from a rich urban family it may mean to get as much freedom as
her brother and wants to pursue her studies abroad. etc.
ii. What may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may even
be destructive for the other: -
Example: Industrialists may want more dams to get more electricity. But this may
submerge the land and disrupt the lives of people who are displaced – such as tribals. They
might resent this and may prefer small check dams or tanks to irrigate their land.
iii. People look at a mix of goals for development: -
• For development, people look for a mix of goals. Income or money (material things) is one
of the main goals of almost everyone.
• But the quality of life also depends on non-material things like, pollution free
environment, good health, equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect of others in
society, love, care, affection and friendship, peaceful environment etc.
• Example: Before accepting a job, try to consider many factors, apart from income, such as
facilities for your family, working atmosphere, opportunity to learn, sense of security etc.
2 Why is Average Income taken as the criteria for measuring development?
OR
‘Total income is not a useful measure for comparison between countries.’ Justify.
Ans:
Total income is not a useful measure for comparison between countries, because:
• Since, countries have different populations, comparing total income will not tell what an
average person is likely to earn.
• It is difficult to compare between different countries of different size and population.
• Hence, we compare the average income, which is the total income of the country divided
by its total population. The average income is also called per capita income.

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 3 Are there any limitations to the use of Per capita income (Average Income)? Illustrate with
suitable examples.
Ans:
The limitations of average income are as follows;
• It does not show the distribution of income between the rich and the poor.
For example, let us consider two countries, A and B and both the countries have identical
average income. In country A, people are neither very rich nor extremely poor. On the
other hand, citizens in country B are poor and one person is extremely rich. Hence, it does
not tell how this income is distributed among people.
• It hides disparities.
• It does not measure various facilities and services that influence quality of life like
education, health etc.
4 Comparison of Two countries:
Country Monthly income of citizens in 2010 (in Rs)
Country A 9500 10500 9800 10000 10200
Country B 500 500 500 500 48000

1. Calculate the average income of country A and B.

2. Are both countries equally developed? If not, why?
3. Which country is better and why?
Ans.
1. Country A - Average income- 10000
Country B - Average income-10000
2. No, both countries are not equally developed because in country A, income distribution is
equitably done while in country B, most citizens are poor except one who is extremely rich.
3. The condition of country A is better because in Country A, income distribution is equal.
5 Explain the following terms: -
a) Infant Mortality Rate
b) Literacy Rate
c) Net Attendance Ratio
Ans:
a) Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): IMR 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.
b) Literacy Rate: It measures the proportion of literate population in the 7-and-above age
group.
c) Net Attendance Ratio: It is the total number of children of age group 14- and 15-years
attending school as a percentage of total number of children in the same age group.

6 Study the data given in the table and answer the following questions.
Comparative Data on Haryana, Kerala and Bihar
State Infant Mortality rate Literacy rate Net Attendance ratio
per 1000 (2003) (%) 2001 for class I-V (1995-96)

Haryana 49 70 81
Kerala 11 91 91
Bihar 60 41 41

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 1. Which state has the lowest infant mortality rate? Why does this state have the lowest
infant mortality rate in comparison to other states?
2. Compare the literacy rate of Bihar with that of Kerala?
3. Compare Net Attendance ratio with Haryana.
Ans.
1. Kerala has the lowest infant mortality rate because it has adequate provision of basic
health and education facilities.
2. Bihar has only 41% literacy rate that is very less in comparison to Kerala. Kerala has 91%
literacy rate.
3. Bihar has a very low net attendance ratio in comparison to Haryana. Bihar has 41 and
Haryana has 81 net attendance ratios. Kerala has a high net attendance ratio, that is 91%.
7 In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development different from
the one used by the World Bank?
Ans:
The criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development is different from the one used by the
World Bank in following ways:
UNDP WORLD BANK
(United Nations Development Programme)
• It measures development on the • It measures development on the basis of
parameters of education, health and per capita income.
per capita income
• It ranks the countries on the basis of • It classifies the countries into three
development like first, second, third categories: rich countries, middle income
etc. countries and low-income countries.
• It is a broader framework to • It is a narrow framework to measure
measure development development.
• It publishes the Human • It publishes the World Development
Development Report Report.

8 “Money cannot buy all the goods and services that one needs to live well” Do you agree with
this statement? Justify your answer with any three suitable arguments.
OR
Explain the important aspects of our lives that are more important than income.
Ans:
Yes, I agree with the statement because income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of
material goods and services that citizens are able to use. Money cannot buy all the goods and
services one needs to live well.
• Money cannot buy a pollution free and clean environment with fresh air.
• It cannot protect us from infectious diseases.
• Money cannot assure that medicines available in the market are not adulterated.
• Besides seeking more income, people also seek things like equal treatment, freedom,
security, and respect of others. All these are important goals.
• In fact, in some cases, these may be more important than more income or more
consumption because material goods are not all that you need to live.

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 9 Why are public facilities needed for the development of the country? Explain any four facilities.
Ans:
Public facilities are those facilities (goods and services) which are provided collectively in the best
and cheapest way by the government for the social and economic development of individuals.
Four major facilities given by government are as follows: -
• Basic Education: - Government provides school and allied educational facilities like
playground, furniture of the school etc. which are enjoyed by all.
• Basic Health Facilities: - Government provides hospitals, vaccine programmes to maintain
basic quality of life.
• Law and Order: - Government provides police outposts, police stations for maintaining
security of the public and it also protects the interest of its citizens by the state laws.
• Public Distribution System (PDS): - Government opens PDS shops or ration shops through
which basic food items like rice, wheat, pulses etc. are distributed at subsidized rate to the
lower income group or poor people.
10 Explain the importance of Sustainable development with reference to groundwater by giving an
example. OR
‘The issue of sustainability is important for development.’ Examine the statement.
Ans:
• Sustainable development aims at economic development without damaging the
environment and at the same time conserving for the future.
• Sustainability is the capability to use the resources judiciously and maintain the ecological
balance.
• For example, groundwater is a renewable resource which is replenished by nature. Recent
evidence suggests that the groundwater is under serious threat of overuse in many parts
of the country. About 300 districts have reported a water level decline of over 4 metres
during the past 20 years. Nearly one-third of the country is overusing groundwater
reserves.
• Efforts should be made not to overuse or degrade the quality of water.
• In other words, it is the process of economic growth that is sustained over a long period of
time without causing any fall in the quality of life of future generations.
11 “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries.”
Justify the statement.
OR
Is it correct to say that environmental degradation is not just a national issue? Illustrate.
Ans:
• Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries.
This issue is no longer a regional or national issue. Our future is linked together.
• Sustainability of development is essential for all mankind and it is our common
responsibility to save the environment.
• Sustainability of development is comparatively a new area of knowledge in which
scientists, economists, philosophers and other social scientists are working together.
• Global warming, acid rain, etc., are not to be controlled by one nation. It is a global matter
of thinking and finding the solutions.

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