GRADE- IX

SOCIAL SCIENCE
NOTES
2021- ‘22

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 HISTORY
1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Q.1. what was the subsistence crisis? Why did it occur in France during the Old Regime?

Ans. 1- The population of France was on the rise. It rose from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in
1789.This led to increase in the demand for food grains.
2-The production of food grains could not keep pace with the demand and the price of bread
which was the staple diet of the majority Rose rapidly.
3- The wages also did not keep pace with the rise in prices. The gap between the Rich and the
poor widened. This led to the subsistence crisis.

Q.2.What was the system of voting in the Estates General? What change did the Third Estate
want in this system?

Ans. Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted 1.
According to the principle that each estate had one vote.
2. Members of the Third Estate demanded that voting must now be conducted by the
assembly as a whole, where each member would have one vote.
3. This was according to the democratic principles put forward by philosophers like Rousseau
in his book, The Social Contract.

Q.3. Describe the incidents that led to the storming of the Bastille.
Ans. 1- National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution; the rest of France was
seething with turmoil.
2- A severe winter had meant a bad harvest, the price of bread rose. Often bakers exploited
the situation and hoarded supplies.
3- After spending hours in long queues at the bakery, crowds of angry women stormed into
the shops.
4- At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. On 14 July, the agitated
crowd stormed and destroyed Bastille.

Q.4. Describe how the new political system of constitutional monarchy worked in France. Ans.
The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was
indirectly elected. That is,

1. Citizens voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. Not all citizens,
however, had the right to vote.
2. Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer’s wage
were given the status of active citizens, that is, they were entitled to vote.
3. The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens.

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4. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a man had to belong to the
highest bracket of taxpayers.

Q.5.What was ‘natural and inalienable rights’?

Ans.1-.The constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens
2- Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law
were established as ‘natural and inalienable rights’, i.e., they belonged to each human being by
birth and could not be taken away
3-It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural right.

Q.6. Explain the importance of the following events on the course of the French Revolution:
(a) Storming of the Bastille (b) The passing of the Civil Constitution of the clergy Ans. (a) On
July 14, 1789, a mob of Paris stormed the fortress – the prison of Bastille – considered a
symbol of oppression and despotism. The Swiss guards were killed and prisoners set free. The
mob stole arms and ammunition. To this day, France celebrates ‘Bastille Day’ on 14thJuly
every year.
(b) In 1790, the Civil Constitution nationalized the church. The clergy or group of persons who
enjoyed special powers in the church were also forced to relinquish power. Tithes were
abolished and lands owned by the church were confiscated.

Q.7. Describe the Reign of Terror and role played by Robespierre in it.

Ans.The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.

1. Maximilian Robespierre, leader of the Jacobins, followed the policy of severe control and
punishment.
2. All those he saw as enemies of the Republic — ex-nobles, clergy, political opponents — were
arrested, tried and guillotined if found guilty.
3. He issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices.
4. Meat and bread were rationed.
5. The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden, all citizens had to eat plain d'egalite.
6.Instead of Monsieur(sir) and Madame(madam)all French men and women were henceforth
citoyen and citoyenne. Churches were shut down and their buildings were converted into
barracks or offices.
Robespierre followed his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand
moderation. Finally, he was convicted, arrested and guillotined in July 1794.

Q. 8.write short note on Jacobins?

Ans.1- They got their name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.
2-They belonged to the less prosperous sections of the society.

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3-They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers,
printers, as well as servants and daily wage earners.
4-Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
5-A large group among the Jacobin decided to wear long striped trousers similar to those worn
by dock workers.
6-This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society especially the
nobles who wore knee breeches.

Q.9. Discuss the participation of women in political clubs, their activities and demands.

Ans. From the very beginning, women were active participants in the events which brought
about so many important changes in French society.
1. They hoped that their involvement would pressurize the revolutionary government to
introduce measures to improve their lives.
2. Most women of the third estate had to work for a living. They worked as seamstresses or
laundresses, sold flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market, or were employed as domestic
servants in the houses of prosperous people.
3. Most women did not have access to education or job training. Their wages were lower than
those of men.
4. One of their main demands was that women should be given the same political rights as
men.
5. Women were disappointed that the constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.

Q.10) What was the immediate cause of French Revolution?

Ans) The population of France rose from about 23million in 1715 to 28million in 1789.This led
to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. Products of grains could not keep pace with
the demand, so the price of bread which was a staple diet of the majority rose rapidly. Most
workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owners fixed their wages. But wages
did not keep pace with the rise in prices .So the gap between rich and poor widened. Things
became poorer whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest. This led to subsistence crisis.

Q.11) Describe the legacy of French Revolution for the people of the world during 19th and
20th century?

Ans) The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of French
revolution.These spread from France to the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century,
where feudal systems were abolished. Colonised people reworked the idea of freedom from
bondage into their movements to create a sovereign nation state.

Q.12) Who were allowed to vote for the formation of the National Assembly?

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Ans) Only men above 25years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourers wage
were given the status of active citizens, that is they were entitled to vote. The remaining men
and women were classified as passive citizens. The active citizens voted for a group of electors,
who in turn choose the assembly. To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the
assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of tax payer.
Q.13) What were the main objectives of the constitution of 1791 of France?

Ans) The main objectives of the constitution of 1791 were: -

1.It vested the powers to make laws in the National Assembly which was indirectly elected.
That is, citizens voted for a group of electors who chose the assembly, only ACTIVE
CITIZENS:Men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourers
wage could vote. The others PASSIVE CITIZENS-Remaining men and all women couldn’t vote.
2. The constitution began with a Declaration of rights Man and Citizens. Rights such as right to
life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before the law, were established as
natural and inalienable right, that is , they belonged to each human being by birth and
couldn't be taken away. It was the duty of state to protect each citizen's natural rights.

Q.14.Explain the political causes for the French Revolution?

ANS. The Political causes for the French Revolution are:

a. Louis XI came to power in 1774 at the age of 20.
b. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. So the French treasury
was empty.
c. Louis XVI helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from the
common enemy, Britain.
d. France had taken 3 billion Livres loan from moneylenders who began to charge 10%
interest.
e. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court,
running government offices or universities, the ruler was forced to increase taxes. Q.15)
Discuss the social Division in the French Society.

Ans. Social causes (or) Division in the French Society

a. French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates- Clergy, Nobility
and Common People.(I, II and III Estates)
b. Clergy and Nobility were 10% of the population but possessed 60% of lands. III Estate
was 90% of the population but possessed 40% of the lands.
c. Clergy and Nobility enjoyed many privileges based on birth. The church collected taxes
from people.
d. They were exempted from paying taxes. Nobles collected feudal dues from III Estate
people.
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 e. Peasants were obliged to render services to the Clergy and Nobility to work in their
houses, fields, serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

Q. 16) Explain the influence of USA ‘s struggle for independence on the French society?
Ans. The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle
class, who earned their wealth through trade and professions.
a. They were influenced by declaration of independence of the USA.
b. They were also influenced by fundamental rights given to the citizens of the USA.
c. All of these were educated and believed that no group in society should be privileged by
birth.
d. They also believed that French society should be based on freedom, equality and equal
opportunities for all.

Q.17) Discuss the Role of Philosophers in the French Revolution.

Ans. John Locke, in his book the Two Treatises of Government, criticized the doctrine of the
divine and absolute right of the monarch.
a. Jean Jacques Rousseau, in his book Social Contract proposed a form of government
based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
b. Montesquieu in his book ‘The Spirit of the Laws’ proposed a division of power within the
government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
c. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses
and spread among people through books and newspapers. The news that Louis XVI
planned to impose further taxes generated anger and protest against the ruler and
system.

Q. 18) Narrate the outbreak of the French revolution.

Ans. Outbreak of the French revolution

I. Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General to pass his proposals to increase
taxes. The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their
representatives. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each and III
estate sent 600 representatives. III estate representatives demanded individual voting
right but king refused to grant so they walked out.
II. On 20 June they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of
Versailles and declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse till
they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
Mirabeau, a noble and Abbé Sieyès, a priest joined with III estate representatives
III. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of
France was in tension. After spending hours in long queues at the bakery, crowds of
angry women stormed into the shops and looted the stock.

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 IV. At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. People of Paris organized
a militia and broke many buildings in search of weapons. On 14 July, the agitated crowd
stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
V. In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the lords of the manor
had hired bands of brigands who were on their way to destroy the ripe crops. Common
people attacked nobles’ houses, looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents
containing records of manorial dues. A large number of nobles were killed and many
fled to other countries.

Q.19) Explain how France becomes a Constitutional Monarchy?

Ans. Louis XVI finally recognized the National Assembly and accepted the constitution. On the
night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree (law) abolishing the feudal taxes,
privileges of Nobles and Clergy, Tithes and confiscation of church properties.
1. The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791. Its main object
was to limit the powers of the monarch. These powers were separated and assigned to
different institutions-the legislature, executive and judiciary. This made France a
constitutional monarchy.
2. The Constitution of 1791 vested the power of making laws to theNational Assembly,
which was indirectly elected by active citizens. Active citizens, who were above 25 years
of age and paying taxes worth of 3 days wages of a worker were given voting right. They
voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the members of the National Assembly.
3. The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Rights such
as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law, were
established as natural and inalienable rights. These rights were granted to only men.

Q.20) Explain how monarchy was abolished in France.

Ans. France Abolishes Constitutional Monarchy and Becomes a Republic

1. Louis XVI had signed the Constitution but he entered into secret negotiations with the
King of Prussia and Austria to put down the revolution. The National Assembly voted to
declare war against Prussia and Austria. Thousands of volunteers joined the army and it
was a war of the people against kings and aristocracies.
2. The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the people. As the
Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections Common people
established Political clubs. The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins. .
Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
3. The members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of
society. They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry cooks,
watch-makers, printers, as well as servants and daily-wage workers. Jacobins start

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 wearing long striped trousers so they came to be known as the sans-culottes, literally
meaning those without knee breeches.
4. In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection. Parisians who were
angered by the short supplies and high prices of food stormed the Palace of the
Tuileries, massacred the king`s guards and held the king himself as hostage for several
hours. Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
5. Elections were held. The newly elected assembly called the Convention. On 21
September 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.

Q.21) Write about Napoleon Bonaparte.

Ans. The rise of Napoleon

1. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He conquered many

neighbouring countries and placed members of his family on the crown Napoleon was
seen as a moderniser of Europe.
2. He introduced many laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform
system of weights and measures provided by the decimal system.
3. Initially, many saw Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the people. But
soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an invading force.
4. He was finally defeated at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was taken to St Helena
where he died.

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 2 Socialism in Europe

1. What were the socialists’ visions of the society?

Ans. Socialists had a very different vision of the future society. They believed in the idea of a
cooperative society. The society would function as a cooperative community. Some socialists
believed that the cooperative society could not be built on a large scale but through individual
efforts only. Some believed that the government should encourage cooperatives and replace
capitalist enterprise with cooperative enterprise. People would produce goods together in
these cooperatives and divide the profits according to the work done by every individual
member. Industrial society according to socialists was a capitalist society where profits were
not equally shared between the workers and the owners of a factory.

2. Explain the major political traditions of Europe in the nineteenth century.

Ans.The political tradition in Europe was roughly divided into three major groups. They were
liberals, radicals and conservatives. Their ideologies were as follows:
a) Liberals: Liberals wanted a nation that was secular in nature and tolerated all forms of
religion. They wanted to safeguard individual rights of man against the government. They
strongly believed in elected parliamentary government.
b) Radicals: Radicals wanted a nation based on the majority of a country’s population. They
supported women suffrage movements. Radicals were against the privileges of landowners.
c) Conservatives: Conservatives were both opposed to liberals and radicals. They opposed the
idea of change in a society. They believed that past has to be respected and changes should be
brought about slowly.

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3. What change did industrialization bring to the European society in the nineteenth century?
Ans. Industrialization brought about a profound change in the nineteenth century European
society. The first major change was that it brought men, women and children to factories.
These factories had very long working hours and the wages of the people working in these
factories were very poor. Unemployment became very common in the nineteenth century
industrial society. When the demand for industrial goods was low, people were not given
jobs. Housing and sanitation were very big problems as the size and the population of the
industrial cities grew rapidly. Industrial cities drew population from the neighboring rural
areas too. In other words, industrialization managed to change the European society to a
great extent.

4. Why were the socialists against private property and capitalism?

Ans. Socialists considered private property as the main cause for class divisions which is why
they favoured abolition of private property. Therefore, capitalism with its profit motive became
the main target of the socialists.

5. What factors contributed to industrialization in Russia in the last quarter of the 19th
century? Ans. Factors enabling industrialization were:
(i) increased foreign investments.
(ii) extension of railway network.
(iii) doubling of coal production. (iv) quadrupling of iron and steel output

6. Who were the 'radicals'?

Ans. The radicals believed in drastic change of society. A society based on majority rule and was
in favour of women's suffragette.
i. They were opposed to privileges of landowners and wealthy factory owners.
ii. They disliked concentration of property in few hands.

7. List some similarities between 'liberals' and 'radicals.

Ans. Both liberals and radicals firmly believed in value of individual effort, labour and
enterprise. They were in favour of privileges based on merit not birth.

8. What were the two stages of the Russian Revolution?

Ans. The Russian Revolution of 1917 had two stages. They were:
(i) The February Revolution or political stage when Tsar abdicated his throne and the
Mensheviks under Kerenskii came to power.
(ii) The October Revolution or economic and social stage, when the Bolsheviks under the
leadership of Lenin overthrew Kerenskii's government and seized control

9. What was the condition of the non-Russian nationalities before the 1917 Russian
revolution? Ans. Prior to the 1917 Russian Revolution:

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The non-Russians were treated as inferiors. They neither enjoyed equal status or equal rights.
Russian language was imposed on them and they were not allowed to practise their own
culture or language.

10. Give any two reforms introduced by Tsar Nicholas-II immediately after the Revolution of
1905.
Ans. The Tsar Nicholas-II:
(i) Introduced the October manifesto which granted the people freedom of speech, press and
association.
(ii) Power to make laws was conferred upon on elected body called the Duma. 28. Who was
the leader of the Bolshevik Party? Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party.

11. What according to Lenin were the prerequisites necessary to make the Revolution a
success?
Ans. Prerequisites to make the Revolution a success was:
(i) People should fully understand that revolution is necessary and be ready to sacrifice their
lives for it.
(ii) The existing government should be in a state of crisis to enable it to be overthrown quickly.

12. State two objectives of Stalin's Five-Year Plans.

Ans. Stalin's Five Year Plans had the following objectives:
(i) Sought to overcome the economic and political problems which plagued the Soviet economy.
(ii) Aimed at revitalizing all sectors of the economy particularly industry, introducing a
totalitarian regime, and collectivization of agriculture.

13. List out Lenin’s early measures.

Ans. Lenin’s early measures were …
(i) He seized the properties of large landowners and the capitalists
(ii) Lands which belonged to the people, were distributed to the poor peasants (iii)
Factories were taken over by the government and handed over to the committee
members, elected by workers who were to run it.
(iv) The banks were nationalized and the depositors lost their money
(v) The New Economic Policy (NEP) was implemented in 1921
(vi) A stable currency was introduced (vii) A new constitution was drawn up in 1923.

14. Trace the down fall of the Czar Rule.

Ans. The entry of Russia into World War I was an act of crowning folly on the part of the Czar.
The country was hardly prepared for war of such magnitude against such a formidable enemy
like Germany. The war weary Russian soldiers could hardly make any progress on the war front.
Thousands of ill-equipped and untrained peasants were sent to the war front only to get killed

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by the highly trained German troops. The Czar was forced to abdicate (March 1917). His wife
and a number of nobles were killed.

15. Mention the Czars who ruled Russia from 1801 to 1917 and write a brief account on each on
them.
Ans. The Czars who ruled Russia from 1801 to 1917 were …
Alexander I (1801-25)
Nicholas I (1825-55)
Alexander II (1855-81),
Alexander III (1881-1894)
Nicholas II (1894 –1917)
1. Alexander I (1801-25)
Alexander began his regime as a liberal but was later influenced by the staunch reactionary.
2. Nicholas I (1825-55)
Nicholas I, had no sympathy for western liberalism and crushed revolts at home and also in
Poland.
3. Alexander II (1855-81)
One of the most important reforms that Alexander II carried out in his country was the
liberation of millions of Serfs. This is called the famous Edict Emancipation (1861). He drew up a
programme by which the serfs became free and owned plots of agricultural land. However they
were made to pay a sum of money every year to compensate the landlord for the loss of his
land. After some time the Czar lost much interest in the reforms and started his reactionary
rule. He was assassinated in 1881.
4. Alexander III (1881-1894)
Alexander III , to avenge his father’s murder, let loose the reign of oppression. He tightened
press censorship and ordered the arrest of all suspected persons who opposed the rule.
5. Nicholas II (1894 –1917)
Nicholas II also continued to remain as oppressive as the earlier Czars. The common people
began to hate him and his notorious ministers.

16. What made the Czarist government bow to the demands of the common man?
Ans. The disastrous defeat in the Far East culminated in the outbreak of riots in the cities and
district towns. The Russian peasants rose in revolt and burnt the homes of their rich landlords.
In the meanwhile, the people marched down the streets of the capital to the royal palace to
submit a petition containing their grievances but the Czar was in no mood to entertain them.
The royal guards opened fire and hundreds were killed and this horrible incident sent a wave of
shock throughout the country. The news of the death of hundred of Russians provoked the
workers in the cities to go on a general strike. The industrial workers’ strike spread throughout
the country and the Czarist government became seriously concerned with the worsening crisis.

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The Czar was frightened at the halting of the country’s wheels of progress and finally yielded.
He bowed to the demands of the common people and introduced many reforms.

17. During the 1905 Revolution what did the Russian Czar promise the common man?
Ans. During the 1905 Revolution, the Russian Czar promised the common man… •
Freedom of press, speech and assembly
• He recognized the trade unions.
• He also cancelled arrears of land payments by the peasants.
• He promised to hold elections for the Duma (Russian parliament).

18. Why did the Revolution of 1905 fail?

Ans.Soon after the royal troops returned from the Far East the Czar began his oppressive rule.
The Czar revised the election rules in such a way that only the loyal upper class representatives
were voted to power. The new Duma meekly submitted to the power of the Czar. Thus the
Revolution of 1905 failed.

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 3. Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

1Q. What were the provisions of treaty of Versailles?

Ans. The treaty of Versailles was harsh and humiliating one. Its provisions were:- 1.Germany
lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population,13 percent of its territories,75 percent of
its iron and 26 percent of its coal to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania.
2. The allied powers demilitarized Germany to weaken its power.
3. Germany was forced to pay compensation of the damages. Allied countries suffered
amounting to $6 billion.
4. The allied armies also occupied the resource rich Rhineland for much of 1920’s.

2Q. Who were the NOVEMBER CRIMINALS?

Ans. After Germany lost in world war I and its emperor were abdicated, a national
Assembly was formed at Weimar i.e the German parliament. It was known as
Weimar republic, mainly socialists, Catholics and democrats and became easy
targets of attack in the conservative nationalist circles. They were mockingly called
“NOVEMBER CRIMINALS”

3Q. Explain the following:-

1.ALLIES- the Allies powers were initially led by the UK and France. In 1941 they were joined by
the USSR and USA. They fought against powers namely GERMANY, ITALY and JAPAN.
2.REISHSTAG- After Germany lost in world war 1,a National Assembly met at Weimar
and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure in Germany. The
newly elected German parliament was called REISHSTAG.
3.CONCENTRATION CAMPS- A camp where people were isolated and detained without
due process of law. Typically it was surrounded by electrified fences.
4.JUNGVOLK- Nazi youth groups for children below 14 years of age.
5.HOLOCAUST-The Nazi killing operation during which the Jews endured Atrocities
and suffering were called as Holocaust.
6.LEBENSRAUM OR LIVING SPACE- It was the geopolitical concept of Hitler’s ideology. He
believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement whichwould enhance the area
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of mother country and enable the settlers on new lands to retain an intimate link with the
place of origin.
7.GESTAPO OR THE SECRET STATE POLICE-It was a special surveillance and security
force created to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted.
It was thus given extra constitutional powers.
8.NUREMBERG TRIBUNAL- At the end of world war-II, an international military
tribunal at Nuremberg was set up to prosecute Nazi war criminals for crimes against
peace, against humanity, for war crimes.
9.NAZI PARTY- German worker’s party was a small group and was joined by Adolph Hitler in
1919 who subsequently took over the organization and renamed it as the NATIONAL SOCIALIST
GERMAN WORKER’S PARTY or NAZI PARTY.
10.GREAT ECONOMIC DEPRESSION-During this factory were shut down, exports fell,
farmers were badly hit and speculators withdrew their money from the market. The
effects of this recession in US economy were felt worldwide.

4Q What were the defects of Weimar Republic?

Ans. The two defects of Weimar republic were:-
1. Its proportional representation which made achieving a majority by any one party,
a nearly impossible task, leading to a rule by coalitions.
1. The article 48 which gave the President the powers to impose emergency Suspend
civil rights and rule by decree.

5Q. Why was the treaty of Versailles a humiliating experience for Germany?
Ans. The treaty of Versailles was a humiliating experience for Germany because:
-
1. Germany lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population,13 percent of
its territories,75 percent of its iron and 26 percent of its coal to France,
Poland, Denmark and Lithuania.
2. The allied powers demilitarized Germany to weaken its power.
3. The war guilt cause held Germany responsible for war and forced to pay Compensation
amounting to $6 billion.
4. The allied armies also occupied the resource rich Rhineland for much of the 1920’s. Many
Germans held the new Weimar republic responsible for not only the defeat but the
disgrace at Versailles.

6Q.In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people?
Ans. Once in power the Nazis quickly began to implement their dream of creating an
exclusive racial community of pure Germans by physically eliminating all those who
were seen as undesirable:
• Nazis only wanted a society of pure-blooded Nordic Aryans. They were
alone considered desirable.
• Only they were seen as a worthy of prospering and multiplying.
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 • Gypsies and blacks were considered as racially inferior, which threatened
the biological purity of the superior Aryans had.
• Even Russians and poles were considered sub-humans and hence
undeserving of any humanity.
• When Germany occupied Poland and parts of Russia, captured civilians
and were forced to work as slave labour. Many of them died of starvation and
hard work.
• Jews remained the worst suffered in Nazi Germany .The hatred of Jews
had a precursor in the traditional Christian hostility towards Jews. They have
been stereotyped as killers of Christ.

7Q. Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews?
Ans. The Nazis used language and media with care and often to great effects.
• They used deceptive practices. Nazis never used the ‘work or Murder’.
Mass killings were termed “special treatment”, “euthanasia”, “Selection” and
“disinfection”.
• Media was carefully used to gain support and popularize it worldwide.
• The ideas were spread through images, films, radio, posters, groups
identified as enemies were stereotyped, mocked, abused.
• Socialists and liberals were represented as weak and degenerate.
• Propaganda films were made to create hatred. They were shown with
flowing beards, wearing kaftans whereas in reality it was difficult to distinguish
German Jews by their appearance.
• They were referred as vermin, rats as pests. Their movements were
compared to those of rodents. Nazism worked on the minds of the people trapped
their emotions and turned hatred and anger at those marked as ‘Undesirable’.

8Q. Explain the role of women in Nazi society?

Ans. In Nazi society women were created different than men.
• The principal role assigned to women was to become good mothers and
give birth to pure blooded Aryan children. They were motivated for this.
• Their main obligation was to maintain the purity of race. They were
expected to look after their homes and teach children Nazi values.

9Q. Discuss why Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930? Ans.

It was during the great depression that Nazism became a mass
movement.
• Banks collapsed, businesses shut down, workers lost their jobs. In such a
Situation Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of a better future.

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 • Hitler was a powerful speaker. His passion and hid words move people he
p promised to build a strong nation undo the justice if Versailles treaty and restore
dignity.
• He provisioned employment for those looking for work and a secure
future for the youth. He promised to use all foreign influences.
• He advised a new style of politics. He understood the significance of
rituals mass mobilization.
• He held massive rallies and public meetings.

10Q. What is peculiar feature of Nazi thinking?

Ans. Nazis thought that there was no equality between people but only a racial hierarchy.
• In this world blood, blue eyed Nordics were at the top while Jews were at
the lowest. They were as regarded as anti racial.
• All other coloured people were placed in between depending on their
features.
• Hitler’s other ideology was that new territories had to be acquired. This
would enhance the area of mother country while enabling settlers to newer lands. It
would also enhance the material resources.

11Q. Describe the problems faced by Weimar republic?

Ans. The Weimar Republic faced economic and political problems.
• Because of the treaty and Versailles Germany had to pay large amounts of
money for the damages caused to the allied powers. It also had to pay huge sums of
loans taken to fight the war which was taking away all of German’s gold reserves.
• Because of the govt. was very unstable, emergency was imposed a
number of times so people had lost their confidence in the democratic parliamentary
systems.

12Q. What were the economic effects of great depression on Germany?

Ans. The economic effects of depression on Germany were: -
• By 1932 industrial production was reduced to 40% of the 1929 level.
Workers lost their job or were paid reduced wages. The no. of unemployed touched
and unprecedented 6 million on the streets of Germany. You could see men with
placards around their necks saying “willing do any work”.
• Unemployed played cards or sat at streets or desperately queued up at
the unemployment exchange.
• As jobs disappeared, youth took to criminal activities and total despair
become commonplace.
• The economic crisis created deep anxieties and faces in people.
• The middle class salaried employees and pensioners saw their savings
diminish when the currency lost its value.
17
 • Small businessmen, self employed retailers suffered as their business got
ruined.
• They were with the fear of proletarianization , an anxiety of being reduced
to the ranks of the unemployed.
• Only organized workers could manage to keep their heads above water
but unemployment weakened their bargaining powers. Big businessmen were in
crisis.
• The large mass of peasantry was affected by a sharp fall in agricultural
prices and women unable to fill their children’s stomachs were filled with a sense of
deep despair.

13Q. What were the political effects of Great depression on Germany?

Ans. In addition to the crisis the Weimar republic had some inherent
defects, which made it unstable and vulnerable to dictatorship.
• One was the proportional representation which was an impossible task to
achieve majority.
• The other-Article 48 gave the President too much powers to impose
emergency, suspend civil rights and rule by decree.
• Within its short life, the Weimar Republic saw 20 different cabinets lasting
on an average 239 days and a liberal use of Article 48.
• But the crises could not be managed people, and they lost confidence in
the democratic parliamentary system, which seemed to offer no solution.

18
 4. FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONIALISM

Question and Answers

1. What were the causes of deforestation during the colonial period?
Ans.: The causes of deforestation during the colonial period were
1. Cultivation: As population increased the demand for food went up, peasants extended the
boundaries of cultivation, clearing forests and breaking new land. British directly encouraged
the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton.
2. Uneconomical: The colonial state thought that forests were unproductive. They were
considered to be wilderness that had to be brought under cultivation so that the land could
yield agricultural products and revenue, and enhance the income of the state.
3. Ship building: By the early nineteenth century, oak forests in England were disappearing.
This created a problem of timber supply for the Royal Navy. By the 1820s, search parties were
sent to explore the forest resources of India. Within a decade, trees were being felled on a
massive scale and vast quantities of timber were being exported from India.
4. Railways: The spread of railways from the 1850s created a new demand. Railways were
essential for colonial trade and for the movement of imperial troops. To run locomotives,
wood was needed as fuel, and to lay railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the tracks
together.

2. Who introduced Scientific Forestry in India and what were the main features? Ans.:
German expert, Dietrich Brandis, introduced scientific forestry in India. He was the first
Inspector General of forests in India. He helped to formulate the India Forest Act of 1865.
Under Scientific Forestry
i. Natural forests which had lots of different types of trees were cut down. In their place, one
type of tree was planted in straight rows. This is called a plantation.
ii. Forest officials surveyed the forests, estimated the area under different types of trees, and
made working plans for forest management. They planned how much of the plantation area to

19
cut every year. The area cut was then to be replanted so that it was ready to be cut again in
some years.

3. How did the Forest Act of 1878 divide the forest?

Ans.: The 1878 Act divided forests into three categories:
• Reserved, protected and village forests.
• The best forests were called reserved forests. Villagers could not take anything from these
forests, even for their own use.
• For house building or fuel, they could take wood from protected or village forests.

4. Describe shifting cultivation. Why did the Europeans regard shifting cultivation as harmful
to the forest?
Ans. This is a traditional agricultural practice in many parts of Asia, Africa and South America.
i. In shifting cultivation, parts of the forest are cut and burnt in rotation.
ii. Seeds are sown in the ashes after the first monsoon rains, and the crop is harvested by
October-November.
iii. Such plots are cultivated for a couple of years and then left fallow for 12 to 18 years for the
forest to grow back
European regarded this practice as harmful for the forests because
i. They felt that land which was used for cultivation every few years could not grow trees for
railway timber ii. When a forest was burnt, there was the added danger of the flames
spreading and burning valuable timber. iii. Shifting cultivation also made it harder for the
government to calculate taxes.

5. Why were forests important for the villagers?

Ans.: Forests were important for villagers as in forest areas, people use forest products like
roots, leaves, fruits, and tubers for many things.
i. Fruits and tubers are nutritious to eat, especially during the monsoons before the harvest
has come in.
ii. Herbs are used for medicine, wood for agricultural implements like yokes and ploughs,
bamboo makes excellent fences and is also used to make baskets and umbrellas.
iii. A dried scooped-out gourd can be used as a portable water bottle iv. The siadi creeper
can be used to make ropes, and the thorny bark of the semur tree is used to grate vegetables.
v. Oil for cooking and to light lamps can be pressed from the fruit of the mahua tree.

6. Describe some of the common customs and beliefs of Bastar people.

Ans.: Some of the common customs and beliefs of Bastar people were

20
i. The people of Bastar believe that each village was given its land by the Earth, and in return,
they look after the earth by making some offerings at each agricultural festival.
ii. In addition to the Earth, they show respect to the spirits of the river, the forest and the
mountain.
iii. Since each village knows where its boundaries lie, the local people look after all the natural
resources within that boundary.
iv. If people from a village want to take some wood from the forests of another village, they
pay a small fee called devsari, dand or man in exchange. Some villages also protect their
forests by engaging watchmen and each household contributes some grain to pay them.

7. Why did the people of Bastar revolt against the Britishers? Ans.
The people of Bastar revolted against the Britishers because
i. The colonial government proposed to reserve two-thirds of the forest in 1905, ii.
It proposed to stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce.
iii. For long, villagers had been suffering from increased land rents and frequent
demands for free labour and goods by colonial officials.

8. What were the provisions of the Forest Act passed by the

Dutch? Ans.: The provisions of Forest Act passed by the Dutch
were i. It restricted villagers’ access to forests.
ii. Now wood could only be cut for specified purposes like making river boats or constructing
houses, and only from specific forests under close supervision.
iii. Villagers were punished for grazing cattle in young stands, transporting wood without a
permit, or travelling on forest roads with horse carts or cattle.

9. What were the impact of the First and Second World War on the forests? Ans.:
The First World War and the Second World War had a major impact on forests.
i. In India, forest plans were abandoned at this time, and the forest department cut trees
freely to meet British war needs.
ii. In Java, just before the Japanese occupied the region, the Dutch followed a scorched earth
policy, destroying sawmills, and burning huge piles of giant teak logs so that they would not
fall into Japanese hands.
iii. The Japanese then exploited the forests recklessly for their own war industries, forcing
forest villagers to cut down forests. Many villagers used this opportunity to expand cultivation
in the forest. iv. After the war, it was difficult for the Indonesian forest service to get this land
back.

10. What is the meaning of the term ‘Blandongdiensten’?

21
Ans.:The Dutch first imposed rents on land being cultivated in the forest and then exempted
some villages from these rents if they worked collectively to provide free labour and buffaloes
for cutting and transporting timber. This was known as the blandongdiensten system.
11. Who were Kalangs?
Ans. The Kalangs were a community of skilled forest cutters and shifting cultivators in Java.
They were so valuable that in 1755 when the Mataram kingdom of Java split, the 6,000 Kalang
families were equally divided between the two kingdoms. Without their expertise, it would
have been difficult to harvest teak and for the kings to build their palaces. When the Dutch
began to gain control over the forests in the eighteenth century, they tried to make the
Kalangs work under them.

12. Give the location of Bastar.

Ans. Bastar is located in the southernmost part of Chhattisgarh and borders Andhra Pradesh,
Orissa and Maharashtra. The central part of Bastar is on a plateau. To the north of this plateau
is the Chhattisgarh plain and to its south is the Godavari plain. The river Indrawati winds
across Bastar east to west.

22
 1.INDIA – SIZE AND LOCATION

Question and Answer.

1Q. Name the countries that share their land boundaries with India.
Ans. The countries that share their land boundaries with India are
• Pakistan and Afghanistan on the West
• China, Nepal and Bhutan on the North
• Bangladesh and Myanmar on the East

2Q. why is India called a Sub-continent?

Ans. India and the adjoining countries are considered to be a sub-continent as it comprises of
all the characteristics of a continent.
• Indian sub-continent encompasses vast areas of diverse landmasses. Indian subcontinent
comprises of lofty mountains, fertile plains, desert and plateau.
• There is also great vastness and diversities in terms of climate, natural vegetation, wild life
and other resources.
• Also, the vivid characteristics of culture and tradition among the people make it a Sub
continent.

3Q. “India lies to the North-eastern Hemisphere.” Justify the given statement.
Ans.1. India lies to the east of Prime Meridian between the longitudes 68°7´E to 97025’E.
2. Also, India lies to the North of equator between the latitudes 8°4´N to 37°6´N. 3.
Important lines like Tropic of Cancer, 2330´N and Indian Standard Meridian,
82030’E pass through India.
Hence, all this proves that India lies in the North-eastern hemisphere.

4Q. How do we calculate the time difference from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat?
Ans. Sun rays take 4 minutes to cover one longitude.
From Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat there are 30 longitudes (68°7´E to 97°25´E) Calculation
Time taken by light to cross a longitude = 4 min
Time taken by light to cross 30 longitudes = 4X30= 120 min or 2 hours.
Hence, we can say that the time difference of 2 hours exists from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat.

23
4Q. In spite of the time differences, how does India adopt a uniform time?
Ans. India has a uniform time because we have adopted 82 30’ longitude passing through
Mirzapur near Allahabad as the standard meridian. Therefore, time along this Meridian is
accepted as the standard time for whole country. This is done to avoid any confusion that may
arise due to difference in time as a result of vast longitudinal extent of India.

5Q.The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great
significance. Why?
Ans. 1. The Indian landmass has the central location between the East and the West Asia. The
Trans Indian Ocean routes connect the countries of Europe in the west and the countries of
East Asia.
2. The Deccan Peninsula in the Indian Ocean helps to establish close contacts from the
western coastal plains and the eastern coastal plains.
3. The long coastline of the country in the Indian Ocean gives it an eminent position which
justifies the name of the ocean.
4. Deccan peninsula protrudes into the Indian Ocean and help India to have contact with West
Asia, Africa and Europe from West Coast and with South-east and East Asia from Eastern Coast.

6Q. How can you say that the land routes of India with other countries are older than her
maritime routes?
Ans. 1. The various passes across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the
travelers when the oceans restricted such an interaction for a long time.
2. These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities in the ancient
times like the ideas of the Upanishads, Ramayana, The Indian numerals and the decimal
system. 3. Also, the influence of Greek sculpture, and the architectural styles of domes and
Minarets can be seen in the different parts of our country.
Therefore, we can say that the land routes of India with other countries are older than
her maritime routes.

7Q. Why the difference between the duration of day and night hardly felt at Kanyakumari but
not so in Kashmir?
Ans. 1. Due to the vast latitudinal extent of India, the difference between the duration of day
and night is hardly felt at Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir.
2. The tropic of Cancer divides the country almost into tropical and sub-tropical zone.
3. Since, Kanyakumari lies in the tropical zone, therefore, the duration of day and night
is not so felt and Kashmir lying in the sub-tropical zone, we do experience the difference
of day and night.

24
8Q. Explain any three differences between the two island groups of India.
Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar

1. These are a group of islands lying
close to the Malabar Coast.
2. This group is composed of small coral
islands.
3. It covers small area of 32sq.km.
4.Kavarati is the Headquarter of
Lakshadweep
1. These islands are bigger in size and
more in number.
2. It is believed that these islands are
elevated portion of submarine
mountains.
3. There is a great diversity of flora and
fauna.
4. These islands are close to equator and
have thick forest cover.

Q9. The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west
but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?

Answer: The longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30°. Due to
this, there is time lag of about two hours between these states. Since Arunachal Pradesh is in
the east hence the sun rises earlier here; compared to in Gujarat. The Indian Standard Time
is taken from the time of Standard Meridian of India and hence the watches show the same
time in both the states.

25
 2. PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Questions/Answers: -

Q.1 What is the theory of plate tectonics?

The crust (upper part) of the earth has been formed out of seven major and some minor plates.
These are called tectonic plates.

Q.2. How are tectonic plates movement classified?

i) Convergent boundary: While some plates come towards each other and form convergent
boundary. In the event of two plates coming together they may either collide and crumble, or
one may slide under the other. ii) Divergent boundary: Some plates move away from each
other and form divergent boundary. iii) Transform boundary: When tectonic plates move
horizontally past each other, it is called transform boundary.

Q. 3. What are the causes for the formation of the relief to its present form?
Besides geological formations, a number of processes such as weathering, erosion and
deposition have created and modified the relief to its present form.

Q. 4. How are the Himalayas formed?

i) The oldest landmass, (the Peninsula part), was a part of the Gondwana land. The
Gondwanaland included India, Australia, South Africa and South America as one single land
mass.
ii) The convectional currents split the crust into a number of pieces, thus leading to the
drifting of the Indo-Australian plate after being separated from the Gondwana land, towards
north. iii) The northward drift resulted in the collision of the plate with the much larger
Eurasian Plate. Due to this collision, the sedimentary rocks which were accumulated in the
geosyncline known as the Tethys were folded to form the mountain system of western Asia and
Himalaya.

Q.5. How are the Northern Plains formed? Or How did the upliftment of the Himalayas
influence the formation of Indian Northern Plains?
i) The Himalayan uplift out of the Tethys sea and subsidence of the northern flank of the
peninsular plateau resulted in the formation of a large basin. ii) In due course of time this
depression, gradually got filled with deposition of sediments by the rivers flowing from the

26
mountains in the north and the peninsular plateau in the south. iii) A flat land of extensive
alluvial deposits led to the formation of the northern plains of India.

Q. 6. What are the major physiographic divisions of India?

Ans. The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions:
i. The Himalayan Mountains ii. The Northern Plains iii. The Peninsular Plateau iv. The Indian
Desert
v. The Coastal Plains vi
The Island Groups

Q.7. Describe the features of the Himalayan Mountains.

Ans. The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch over the
northern borders of India. Their features are:
i. They form an arc, which covers a distance of about 2,400 k.m.
ii. Their width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh. iii. The
altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than those in the western half. iv. The
Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent; namely Himadri,
Himachal and Shiwalik.

Q.8. Describe the features of the Himadri or Greater Himalayas.

Ans. The northern most range of the Himalayas is known as the Greater or Inner Himalayas or
the ‘Himadri’. Its features are:
i. It is the most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000
metres. ii. It contains all the prominent Himalayan peaks like Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga.
iii. The folds of Great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature. The core of this part of Himalayas
is composed of granite. iv. It is perennially snow bound, and a number of glaciers descend from
this range.

Q.9. Describe the features of the Himachal or Lesser Himalayas.

Ans. The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system and is
known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya. Its features are:
i. The ranges are mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.
ii. The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500 metres and the average width is 50 k.m.
iii. The Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar and
the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ones. iv. This range consists of the famous valley
of Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. This region is well known for its
hill stations.

Q.10. Describe the features of the Shiwaliks.

Ans. The outer most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. Their main features are:

27
i. They extend over a width of 10-50 k.m and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100
metres. ii. These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers
from the main Himalayan ranges located farther north. Hence they are prone to landslides.
iii. These valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.
iv. The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns.
Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns.

Q.11. Describe the division of Himalayas from west to east.

Ans. The division of the Himalayas has been demarcated by river valleys:
i. The part of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj has been traditionally known as Punjab
Himalayas but it is also known regionally as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from west to east
respectively. ii. The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj and Kali rivers is known as
Kumaon Himalayas. iii. The Kali and Tista rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas. iv. The part
lying between Tista and Dihang rivers is known as Assam Himalayas.
v. The Brahmaputra marks the eastern most boundaries of the Himalayas. Beyond the Dihang
gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south and spread along the eastern boundary of
India. They are known as the Purvanchal or the Eastern hills and mountains. These hills running
through the north-eastern states are mostly composed of strong sandstones which are
sedimentary rocks. Covered with dense forests, they mostly run as parallel ranges and valleys.
The Purvanchal comprises the Patkai hills, Naga hills, Manipur hills and Mizo hills.

Q.12. Describe the features of the northern plains.

Ans. The features of the northern plains are:
i. The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems,
namely– the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.
ii. This plain is formed of alluvial soil. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the
foothills of the Himalaya over millions of years formed this fertile plain. iii. It spreads over an
area of 7 lakh sq. km. The plain being about 2400 Km long and 240 to 320 Km broad, is a
densely populated physiographic division.
iv. The Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections. Continue the next answer.

Q.13. How are the northern plains divided according to the rivers present?
Ans. The northern plains are divided as follows:
i. Punjab Plains: The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains.
Formed by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger part of this plain lies in Pakistan. The Indus
and its tributaries–the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj originate in the
Himalayas. This section of the plain is dominated by the doabs ii. Ganga plain: It extends
between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It is spread over the states of North India, Haryana, Delhi,
U.P., Bihar, partly Jharkhand and West Bengal. iii. Brahmaputra plain: To the East of the Ganga
plain particularly in Assam lies the Brahmaputra plain.

28
Q.14. Divide Northern plains on the basis of variation and explain their characteristics. Ans.
According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four
regions.
They are: i. Bhabar: The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit pebbles in a
narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. It is known
as bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.
ii. Terai: South of the bhabar belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy
and marshy region known as terai. This was a thickly forested region full of wildlife.
iii. Bhangar: The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. They lie above
the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like feature. This part is known as bhangar.
The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits locally known as kankar.
iv. Khadar: The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They are
renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.

Q.15. Distinguish between bhangar and khadar.

Ans. Those parts of the northern plains formed of older alluvium lying above the flood plains of
the rivers and presenting a terrace like feature are known as bhangar. The newer, younger
deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They are renewed almost every year and so are
fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture. Bhangar is away from rivers and Khadar is close to
rivers.

Q.16. What are the features of the central highland?

Ans. The features of the central highland are:
i. The part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada River covering a major
area of the Malwa plateau is known as the Central Highlands. ii. The Vindhyan range is
bounded by the Central Highlands on the south and the Aravali range on the northwest. iii. The
flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and Ken is
from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope. The Central Highlands are wider in the
west but narrower in the east. iv. The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as
the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
v. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the Damodar
River.

Q.17 What are the features of the Deccan plateau?

Ans. The features of the Deccan plateau are:
i. The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
ii. The Satpura range is in the north while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range
form its eastern extensions.

iii. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the
Plateau is also visible in the northeast– locally known as the Meghalaya and Karbi- Anglong

29
 Plateau. iv. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern
edges of the Deccan Plateau respectively.

Q.18. What are the features of the peninsular plateau?

Ans. The features of the peninsular plateau are:
i. The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and
thus, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and
rounded hills. ii. One of the distinct features of the peninsular plateau is the black soil area
known as Deccan Trap. This is of volcanic origin hence the rocks are igneous. Actually these
rocks have denuded over time and are responsible for the formation of black soil. iii. This
plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely, the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
iv. The part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada River covering a major
area of the Malwa plateau is known as the Central Highlands. The Deccan Plateau is a triangular
landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada. The Deccan plateau is higher in the west
and slopes gently eastwards.

Q.19. What are the features of the Indian desert?

Ans. The features of the Indian desert are:
i. The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. ii. It is an undulating
sandy plain covered with sand dunes called barchans iii. This region receives very low rainfall
below 150 mm per year (15 cm) . It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. iv. Streams
appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not have
enough water to reach the sea. Luni is the only large river in this region.

Q.20. Write a short note on the coastal plains.

Ans. These are narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of
Bengal on the east.
i) The Western Coastal Plain: It is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea,
is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the
Konkan (Mumbai – Goa), the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain while the southern
stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast. ii) The Eastern Coastal Plain: The plain along the Bay
of Bengal are wide and level. In the northern part, it is referred to as the Northern Circar, while
the southern part is known as the Coromandal Coast. Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the
Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri have farmed extensive delta on this coast. Lake Chilika is
an important feature along the eastern coast.

Q.21. Write a short note on the island groups of India.

Ans. India has 2 main island groups, namely Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Their main features are:
Lakshadweep islands:-
i. This group of islands is composed of small coral islands.
30
ii. Earlier they were known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973 these were named
as Lakshadweep. iii. It covers a small area of 32 sq km. Kavaratti island is the administrative
headquarters of Lakshadweep.
iv. This island group has great diversity of flora and fauna. The Pitli island, which is
uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.
Andaman and Nicobar islands:-
i. They are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands is
divided into two broad categories – The Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south.
ii. It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains. iii. These
island groups are of great strategic importance for the country. iv. There is great diversity of
flora and fauna in this group of islands too. These islands lie close to the equator and
experience equatorial climate and have thick forest cover.

Q.22. How are the physiographic divisions of India complimentary to each other?
Ans. The physiographic divisions of India contemporary to each other in the following ways:
i. The northern mountains are the major sources of water and forest wealth. ii. The
northern plains are the granaries of the country. They provide the base for early
civilizations.
iii. The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the
industrialisation of the country. iv. The coastal region and island groups provide
sites for fishing and port activities Q.23.Mention the difference between Western
Ghats and Eastern Ghats.
Western Ghats Eastern Ghats
1 Runs parallel to western coast & forms the Runs parallel to the eastern coast , stretch
western of Deccan plateau from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in
2. Are higher , average height 900-1600 the south
metres 2. Lower that western ghats, average height
3. Are like a continuous wall can be 600 metres
crossed through passes only (Thal ghat, Borg 3. Are discontinuous & irregular, have
hat and been dissected by rivers draining into the Bay
Pal ghat ) of Bengal.
4. Is the source of many large rivers for 4. No big river originates from here.
e.g. 5. Receivers rainfall only in winter
Godavri, Krishna and Kaveri season thought the North-eastern monsoon.
5. Causes orographic rain by facing the 6. Mahendragiri (1501 mt.) is the highest
rain bearing moist winds to rise along the peak in the Eastern Ghats. Shevaroy Hills and
western slopes of the Ghats the Javadi Hills are located to the southeast of
6. The height of the Western Ghats the Eastern Ghats
progressively increases from north to south.
Highest peaks include the Anai Mudi
(2695mt.) and the Doda Betta (2637 mt.)

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 Ch.3 DRAINAGE

Question and Answer.

1. Why are rivers important for a country's economy?
Ans. Rivers are the lifelines of nation. Rivers have been of fundamental importance in the
settlement and progress of man throughout the human history.
The rivers form broad, fertile alluvial plains that have been the cradle of human civilization.
Water from the river is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities. They
provide water for domestic use. Rivers provide water for irrigation that helps to develop
agriculture in the surrounding area. The fertile soil of the riverine plain, abundant supply of
water and the flat land provides opportunities for the development of agriculture. In an
agricultural country like India, rivers play a major role in shaping the country’s economy.

2. Write a note on the east-flowing and the west-flowing rivers of Peninsular India. Ans. The
Peninsular Plateau of India is marked by a large number of east-flowing rivers and a few
west flowing rivers. Most of the major rivers of Peninsular India such as the Mahanadi, the
Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri and their tributaries flow eastwards. They rise from the
Western Ghats, the highlands of the Deccan Plateau, flow towards east and drain into the
Bay of Bengal.

32
Only two big rivers, the Narmada and the Tapi, with long courses flow westwards in Peninsular
Plateau region. They rise from the Satpura range and Amarkantak hills, flow westwards
through faults and drain into the Arabian Sea. The coastal plains between Western Ghats and
the Arabian Sea are very narrow. Hence, the west-flowing coastal rivers are short and swift
flowing. The Sabarmati, Mahi and Periyar are the west-flowing rivers. The Sabarmati and the
Mahi originate in the Central highlands and flow into the Arabian Sea.
The Western Ghats form the main water divide in Peninsular India.
The east-flowing rivers have wide basins. They have dendritic drainage pattern with many
tributaries joining them. They form large deltas at their mouths.
The west-flowing rivers flow between highlands and have elongated courses. They have trellis
and rectangular drainage pattern. They flow through rift valleys and are fault guided rivers.
They form estuaries at their mouths. The west-flowing rivers do not form deltas.

3 . Write a note on the Ganga Drainage System.

Ans. The Ganga is the longest and the most important river system of India. It has a total
length of over 2500 km. Nearly the entire river basin of the Ganga lies in India with a part of
its lower course and delta in Bangladesh.
The headwaters of the Ganga are called the ‘Bhagirathi’. It is fed by the Gangotri Glacier. It is
joined by the Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand. At Haridwar, the Ganga emerges from
the mountains and enters the plains. The Ganga is joined by a large number of tributaries. The
Yamuna, a right-bank tributary of the Ganga, rises from the Yamunotri Glacier, flows parallel
to the Ganga and joins it at Allahabad. The Ghaghra, the Gandak, the Kosi and the Sarda are
the left-bank tributaries of the Ganga.
The other right bank tributaries of the Ganga – the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son – come
from the peninsular uplands. The Ganga and its tributaries form a major portion of the
northern plains. On account of water availability and fertile soil, it is the most important
agricultural region of India. The Ganga develops large meanders in the plains.
The Ganga flows eastwards with the increased volume up to Farakka in West Bengal. The river
bifurcates here. Its distributary, the Bhagirathi-Hooghly, flows through the deltaic plains to the
Bay of Bengal.
The mainstream flows southwards into Bangladesh. Here it is known as Padma. It is joined by
the Brahmaputra. Further downstream it is known as Meghna. Together they form the
GangaBrahmaputra Delta, also known as Sunder bans delta. It is the world’s largest and fastest
growing delta.

4. Write a note on the Brahmaputra Drainage System.

Ans. The Brahmaputra is one of the longest rivers of the world, but most of its course lies
outside India. The river Brahmaputra rises in Tibet east of the Mansarovar Lake. The river
flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas in its upper course. It is known as Tsangpo in Tibet.
Here it carries smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and dry area.
The river takes a ‘U’-turn bend at Namcha Barwa (7757 m) and enters India in Arunachal

33
Pradesh through a gorge. In Arunachal Pradesh, it is known as Dihang. Here it is joined by the
Dibang, the Lohit, the Kenula and many other tributaries. The volume of the river increases
and it is known as the Brahmaputra in Assam. The region receives heavy rainfall during the
monsoon which increases the volume of water and silt content of the river. Devastating floods
are caused by the river in Assam and Bangladesh every year during the rainy season. The
deposition of the silt in the riverbed due to the heavy load, leads to the formation of braided
channels intervened by riverine islands.
The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in its entire length in Assam. Many riverine islands like
the Majuli, the world’s largest riverine island, are formed in between the channels. The
Brahmaputra is known as Jamuna in Bangladesh. Here it is joined by the Ganga, known here as
Padma. Together they form the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta known as Sunder bans, and
discharge into the Bay of Bengal.

5. Write a note on the Indus Drainage System.

Ans. The Indus is one of the longest rivers of the world.
The river Indus rises in Tibet, near lake Mansarovar. Flowing west, it enters India in the Ladakh
district of Jammu and Kashmir. A spectacular gorge formed by the Indus marks this part.
Several tributaries – the Zaskar, the Nabra, the Shyok and the Hunza – join the Indus in the
Kashmir region. The Indus flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges from the mountains
at Attock. The tributaries of the Indus – the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the
Satluj – flow partly through Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and mainly through Punjab. They
join together to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.
The Indus then flows southwards and eventually reaches the Arabian Sea, east of Karachi. The
Indus has a total length of 2900 km. The Indus plain has a very gentle slope. A little over
onethird of the Indus basin lies in India in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and Punjab. Major part of its basin lies in Pakistan.
6. What are the differences between the Himalayan rivers and the peninsular rivers?
Ans. The differences between the Himalayan rivers and the Peninsular rivers are as follows.

34
 The Himalayan Rivers
1. The Himalayan Rivers are perennial in
nature. They are fed by the melting snow
and glaciers of the lofty ranges
supplemented by monsoon rains. Hence, the
rivers flow throughout the year.
2. The Himalayan rivers have long
course from their sources in the mountains
to the sea.
3. The Himalayan rivers rise in the
Himadri,
Himachal or Shivalik section of the
Himalayas and form the Northern Plains
with their deposition of alluvium.
4. The Himalayan rivers flow through
geologically unstable areas and are of
uncertain nature.
5. They perform intensive erosional
activity in upper course. In middle and lower
course, they form meanders, oxbow lakes,
extensive flood-plains and well-developed
deltas.
7Q. What is the difference between tributary and the distributary? Write any three points. Ans.
A smaller stream joining with the main stream is known as tributary. A tributary is generally
carried water and silt to the main river. River Jamuna is an example of tributary of the river. A
Distributary is formed at the lower course of the river when the main channel of the river
distributes
Tributary
1. Tributaries can be found in three
stages of the river – upper, middle and
lower.
2. It is useful for irrigation and
transportation all through.
3. It brings water and silt from its
catchment area.
4. Tributaries are fast-flowing.
35
The Peninsular Rivers
1. The Peninsular rivers are non-
perennial in nature. They are fed by
monsoon rains and have heavy flow during
rainy season followed by reduced flow during
dry season.
So they are seasonal rivers.
2. The Peninsular rivers have shorter
and shallower courses as compared to their
Himalayan counterparts.
3. Most of the rivers of Peninsular India
originate in the Western Ghats and flow
towards the Bay of Bengal. However, some
of them originate in the Central Highlands
and flow towards west.
4. Peninsular rivers originate at much
lower altitudes and flow through geologically
stable areas.
5. The Narmada and Tapi are fault-
guided rivers. The east-flowing rivers from
large deltas. Meanders are not notable in
these rivers.
Distributary
1. It is only found in lower courses of the
river.
2. It only provides a network of transport
in the lower course.
3. It deposits silt in its course.
4. Distributaries are slow-flowing. get
blocked with silt which forced river to open
branches. The Bhagirathi-Hooghly is
distributary of the river Ganga. The main
function of the distributary is to distribute
water through newly opened channels.
 8Q. Write about the east –flowing and west-flowing rivers in the peninsular India. Ans. The
major rivers of the peninsular the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna etc. are flowing
eastward and merges into the Bay of Bengal. Only the river Narmada and Tapti are flowing
towards west and merge into the Arabian Sea. The essential differences between the two
rivers are as follows.
East-flowing Rivers West-flowing Rivers
1. The east-flowing rivers have deltas 1. The west-flowing rivers do not have
at their mouth. deltas at their mouth. They form estuaries.
2. All rivers east-flowing drain into 2. All west-flowing rivers merge into the
the Bay of Bengal. Arabian Sea.
3. All these rivers passed through a 3. These rivers flow through the rift
varied topography, i.e. hills, plains, valley. 4. A few small tributaries joining at
plateaus etc. 4. Most rivers are fed by right
many east-westflowing long tributaries. angles are only found

9 Q. Write a note on the river Krishna and its tributaries.

Ans. The river Krishna rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar. It flows eastwards to the Bay of
Bengal. It has a length of about 1400 km, which makes it the second longest river of Peninsular
India after Godavari which has a length of 1500 km.
The Tungabhadra, the Koyna, the Bhima, the Ghatprabha and the Musi tributaries of the
river Krishna. The drainage basin of the river Krishna lies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh.

10.Q. Where is India’s most of the freshwater lakes located and why?
Ans. Most of the freshwater lakes of India are located in the Himalayan region.
The lofty ranges of the Himalayas are snow covered and have many glaciers. Glacial activity
results in the formation of circular hollows lip in the mountains. They are known as Cirques.
The melting of the glacial snow in later period forms cirque lakes. As the lakes have water
from snow melt, they are freshwater lakes, e.g., Pangong lake in Ladakh.
Tectonic activity in the Himalayan region also results in the formation of depressions. They are
filled with melting snow forming lakes of tectonic origin, e.g., the Wular lake in Jammu and
Kashmir, which is the largest freshwater lake in India. The Dal Lake of Srinagar, Bhimtal and
Nainital of Uttarakhand, Loktak Lake of Manipur and Barapani Lake of Meghalaya are some
other important freshwater lakes. All are located in the Himalayan region and the Purvanchals.

11.Q Explain the four drainage patterns.

Ans. DENDRITIC PATTERN
The dendritic pattern develops where the river channel follows the slope of the

36
terrain. The stream along with its tributaries resembles the branches of a tree, thus the name
dendritic. Ex. River Ganga along with its tributaries.
TRELLIS PATTERN
A river joined by its tributaries at approximately right angles, develop a trellis pattern.
It is developed where hard and soft rocks are parallel to each-other. Ex. River
Narmada along with its tributaries.
RECTANGULAR PATTERN
A rectangular pattern is developed on a strongly jointed rocky terrain.
RADIAL PATTERN
The radial pattern develops when streams flow in different directions from a central peak or
dome like structure. Ex. Rivers like Narmada and Tapi rising from the highlands of the
peninsular plateau.

12Q. Why lakes are important for human beings?

Ans. a. Regulate the flow of river
Lakes help to regulate the flow of a river. During heavy rainfall, it prevents flooding and
during the dry season, it helps to maintain an even flow of water. b. Generation of Hydel
Power
Damming of rivers is done in order to store the water for the generation of
Hydro electricity. Ex. Hirakud dam on Mahanadi river. c. Promote Tourism
Lakes are always an attraction for tourists for recreation. Lakes enhance the natural beauty of
the adjoining area and hence, promote tourism. Ex. Wular lake, Dal Lake in Jammu & Kashmir.
d. Moderate Climate
Lakes also help in moderating the climate of the adjoining area that supports ecosystem within
the lake and also outside the lake. e. Source of rivers
Many lakes are also the major source for many rivers. Ex. Indus, Satluj, Brahamaputra have
their source in the Mansarovar lake.

13Q. Describe the Upper course of a river?

Ans. On the basis of the slope of the land over which a river flows, its course can be divided
into three sections: The Upper, The Middle and the Lower course.

I. THE UPPER COURSE: river usually flows through mountainous regions. Volume of water is
not much, but gradient being steep, the water flows swiftly. Its eroding and transporting
powers are at the maximum. The river in this course develops typical landforms:
a. Gorge or I-Shaped Valley: when a river flows through a mountainous region made up of
herd rocks with little rainfall, most of the energy of the river is spent in down-cutting action,
resulting in narrow valleys with almost vertical walls.
b. V-Shaped Valley: when a river flows through a mountainous region made up of relatively
soft rock and plenty of rainfall, the sides or the banks of the river erode easily and widen by
the increase in volume of the river, resulting in V-shaped Valleys.

37
 c. Waterfalls: is steep descent of a river over a rocky edge, when the river falls down almost
vertically from a sufficient height, it forms a waterfall.

14Q. Describe the different landforms formed in the Middle course of a river.
Ans. THE MIDDLE COURSE: here the river enters the plain. As the gradient decreases, the
flow of energy slows down and so does its energy. The volume of water increases
considerably. As the slope of the course flattens, the river cuts less into its river bed. Instead, it
widens its banks and its river bed, giving rise to U-shaped valleys. The main work of the rivers
here is to transport sediments. Deposition also takes place. The river develops typical
landforms:
a. Alluvial plains: as the river enters the plains its velocity declines and the river drop its load
of sand and gravel. The course material like boulders, pebbles, and gravel is dropped near the
base of the slope while the finer material is carried further. Such depositional features are
called alluvial plains.
b. Flood Plain: due to low gradient the downward erosion is reduced. More of the river’s
energy is directed from side to side. As the river cuts away at one bank and then at the other,
the valley widens. In this manner, flat valley covered with alluvium brought by the river, is
created. This is a flood plain or an alluvial plain.
c. Meanders: in the plain stretch of its course the downward erosion by the river is replaced
by sideways or lateral erosion. Due to lateral erosion the bed of the stream becomes wider.
Even a minor obstruction in its path makes the river changes its course and river flow making
large curves called meanders.
d. Ox-Bow Lakes: is produced when a meander forms almost a complete circle and the
meandering river cuts across the narrow neck of land. When silt is deposited at the entrance
to this backwater, an ox-bow lake is created.
e. Braided River: when a river carries an enormous amount of load it is unable to carry it all
the way to the mouth and the channel becomes clogged, causes the river to divide into many
intertwining channels forming islands in the river channel.

15Q. Define Delta, Distributary, Estuary, and Levee?

Ans. The lower course of the river is considerably slow, gradient is almost flat. River flows
sluggishly due to the heavy load it carries. The main work of the river here is that of deposition,
here the river develops typical landforms:
a. Delta: a triangular piece of land that develops at the mouth of rivers by the deposition of
sediments. The river has less energy to cut into land and it can no longer carry heavy load
sediments. When the sediments are deposited in the river channel where the river meets the
sea, a new land is formed-delta.
b. Distributary: sediments build up along the river channel, it gets blocked and the river is
forced to divide into branches called distributaries.

38
 c. Estuary: many rivers do not form deltas especially along rocky coasts. Instead they have a
narrow, gradually widening bay at the mouth, cutting deep inland. Such a funnel-shaped
opening at the mouth of a river is called an estuary.
d. Levee: active deposition along the banks of an old river when it is flood. Each time this
happens, the banks get higher and they are called natural levees.

16Q. THE PENINSULAR RIVERS:

• All rivers of the peninsula are in the mature stage.
• Flow through wide valleys
• Except Narmada and Tapi which drain in the Arabian Sea, the other major streams drain
into Bay of Bengal.
• Two major directions of flow: the east flowing rivers and west flowing rivers.

1: The East Flowing Rivers:

a. The Mahanadi: it rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh, flows through Orissa to reach Bay
of Bengal, its length is 860km.
· Mahanadi delta covers an area of about 9500sq.m. and 150km broad.
· The drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.
b. The Godavari: The largest peninsular river rises from the slopes of Western Ghats in the
Nasik District. It originates from the Trimbak plateau of the North Sahayadri near Nasik. · It is
referred as Vriddha Ganga or Dakshin Ganga, its length is1500 kms. It drains into Bay of
Bengal.
· Its Drainage basin is the largest of the peninsular rivers (115832sq.km) About 50% of the
basin lies in Maharashtra, it covers MP, Orissa, and AP.
· Its principal tributaries include the Pravara, Purna, Manjira, Penganga, Wainganga, Wardha,
Pranhita, Indravati, Maner, Saberi. Among them the manjira, Penganga and wainganga are the
largest.
c. The Krishna: The Second largest east flowing river with a length of 1400 km. It rises near
Mahabaleshwar in the WesternGhats.
· The river has been dammed near Sri Sailem to form the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir. · The
Bhima & the Tunghabadra are the important Tributaries including Koyana, ghatprabha,
Musi.
· The Krishna forms a large delta which spreads across 4600sq.mt. with a shoreline.
· Its drainage is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. d.
The Kaveri:
· The most sacred river of South India, its source lies at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range in
Western Ghats.
· Flows eastward, length is 800km, empty itself into Bay of Bengal.
· River is unique as the upper part receives rainfall during summer from the southwest
monsoons and the lower part receives rainfall in winter from the north east monsoon.
· Makes the 2nd biggest waterfall called Jog falls.
39
· It is a Perennial river. Main tributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati, and Kabini.
· Its basin drains parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

e. Other East Flowing Rivers: the Damoder, Brahmani, Baitarni, And Subarnrekha, Panniyar,
Penneru, Vagai are some rivers which flow eastward.

2: The West Flowing Rivers: West flowing rivers of the peninsula India are fewer and smaller as
compared to east flowing rivers, Narmada and Tapi are two major rivers. a. The Narmada
Basin:
• Originates from Amarkantak in MP, flows through a rift valley between the Vidhyan
range on the north and Satpura on its south.
• Length is 1078km, form Dhuan dhar falls at Jabalpur.
• Flows through narrow valleys confined by precipitous hills, does not permit large
tributaries.
• Forms an estuary on entering Gulf of Khambat. It flows into Arabian Sea.

b.The Tapti:
• This river originates from the sacred tank of Multai on the Satpura plateau.
• The Second largest West flowing river of the peninsular region.
• It meets the Purna River near the western extremity of the Gawilgarh hills.
• Flows in a rift valley parallel to Narmada but is shorter in length.
• Tapti forms an estuary before falling into the gulf of Khambat.
Other West Flowing River:
c. The Sabarmati: Originates in hills of Mewar in the Aravalli range, drains into Gulf of
Khambat.
d.The Mahi: rises in Vindhya and empties into Gulf of Khambat.
e. The Luni: originates in Aravalli and flows in the south-west direction. only stream that drains
through the arid Thar Desert. Sukri is an important tributary. It flows for 482km, before it is
finally lost in the marshy ground of the Rann of Kutch.

40
 Ch.4 CLIMATE

1. What are jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?
Ans. Jet streams are high velocity westerly winds blowing through a narrow zone in the upper
troposphere. The westerly flows are responsible for the western disturbances experienced in
the north and north-western parts of the country. The easterly jet streams cause tropical
depressions during the monsoon as well as October-November months.

2. Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in monsoon?

Ans. Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction.
Monsoon ‘break’ refers to the happening of wet and dry spells during the rainy season.
The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are inter-spread with rainless
intervals.

3. Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?

Ans. Monsoons are uncertain but all the same they act as a unifying force on the climatic unity
of India. July and August are wet almost all over the country. In spite of their vagaries, the
monsoons have a very important place in the cultural life of the people. There is so much
poetry and music that centres round the rains. All over northern parts of India, there are
festivals like Varsha Mangal and special songs for the seasons. For the farmers, the rains bring
prosperity. The Indian landscape, its fauna and flora, its agriculture all revolve round the
monsoon phenomenon. The arrival of rains is eagerly awaited.

Q.4. Why does rainfall decrease from east to the west in Northern India?
Ans. June onwards, there is continued low pressure over the north-west region. This attracts
trade winds from the Indian Ocean. The winds are trapped by air circulation over India. These
winds are loaded with abundant water vapours. The winds blow at a very fast speed. The hilly
ranges of the northeast account for heavy rainfall in the region. As these winds travel

41
westwards the amount of moisture contained goes on depleting. There is as such a decrease in
rainfall from east to west in northern India.

Q.5. Give reasons as to why Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian
subcontinent.
Ans. With the reversal in the direction of the surface winds, the monsoons withdraw from
the Northern Plains. This reversal occurs as the monsoon trough becomes weaker with the
approach of winter months.
(ii). The bulk of rainfall is concentrated over the months of June-September. As winter
approaches, there is a reversal in the direction of surface winds and monsoons withdraw from
the Northern Plain.
(iii) Winter rains in Tamil Nadu are caused by north-east trade winds (also known as northeast
monsoons). That is the only part of India that gets rains during the winter months.

Q6. Why the delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones. Ans. With the
onset of winter season, there is a shift in low pressure conditions from the northwestern
plains to the Bay of Bengal. During the middle of November, this shift results in the
occurrence of cyclones. The deltas of Krishna and Kaveri rivers (and also Bangladesh) have to
bear the fury of these cyclones year after year.

Q7. Why some parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are
drought-prone?
Ans. Rainfall in India is influenced by location as well as relief features. Areas situated in the
direction of the monsoon winds receive more rainfall. The rainfall goes on decreasing from
east to west. The moisture content of the monsoons goes on decreasing as they move
westward. Areas situated in extreme west and devoid of hilly ranges that intercept the
monsoon remain dry.

Q8. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India .

Ans. There are wide variations in climatic conditions over different parts of the country. Most
parts of the country have dry winters. The Coromandel coastal areas are an exception.
Winters are severe in the north. The temperature increases from north to south. As the
Northern Plains shiver with 10-15 degrees Celsius temperature, Chennai has temperature
degree Celsius. Higher slopes of the Himalayas experience snowfall. The peninsular region
does not have a well defined cold season. Nearness to the sea ensures that there are no
wide variations due to seasonal changes.
Rainfall may go up to 1080 mm in the Khasi hills. Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat remain prone
to droughts. During the summer seasons temperatures go up to 48oC in the western parts of
India. May is the season of loo. These hot and dry winds cause intense heat.

42
Temperature variations (June-December) are minimal at places like Leh. Places in the Northern
Plains experience severe heat in the summers and extreme cold weather during the winter
months.

Q.9. Discuss the mechanism of monsoons.

Ans. The north-east trade winds that blow during the winter months get replaced as the
summer season sets in. There is continued low pressure over the north-west region. This
attracts trade winds from the Southern Hemisphere. Coming from the Indian Ocean, these
winds cross over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. They are then trapped by air
circulation taking place over India. These winds are loaded with moisture and blow at a very
fast speed. The rain caused by south-west monsoon is not uniform. The areas of Western
Ghats situated in the direction of the winds get more rainfall than the other side.
The cyclonic depressions formed at the head of the Bay of Bengal cause uneven and uncertain
distribution of rainfall. These depressions move towards the low pressure monsoon trough
which is not steadily placed. For a variety of reasons, they move northwards or southwards.
When the axis of the trough moves close to the Himalayas, there are heavy rains in the
Himalayan regions. The plains get dry spells. With the approach of winter, the monsoon trough
becomes weaker. There is reversal in the direction of surface winds with the approach of
winter. The monsoons now withdraw from the Northern Plains. The shift in the low pressure
conditions from north-western plains to the Bay of Bengal causes cyclones and rains in the
Coromandel Coast.

Q.10. Give an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold season. Ans. The
winter season lasts from the month of December to February. The season is mostly dry. Cold is
severe in the northern parts of the country. The southern parts have only mild cold. In the
Northern Plains the days may be generally warm but the nights are cold. Places situated at
high altitudes have snowfall.
Light rainfall may occur during the winter months caused by western disturbances. These
disturbances are caused by shallow cyclonic depressions originating over the east
Mediterranean Sea. Travelling eastward, these depressions reach the north-western parts of
India. On their way these get loaded with moisture from the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
The western disturbances are responsible for snowfall in the western Himalayan regions apart
from light rains over north-western parts of the country.
Winter rains are often followed by cold waves. Tamil Nadu gets rains in winter by the
northeastern monsoons.

Q.11. Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon rainfall in India.
Ans. The monsoon rainfall in India is not evenly distributed. Rainy season has a longer spell in
the eastern parts of the country. The northwest gets rains for barely two months. The duration
of the rainy season is longer in the south than in the north.

43
The southwest monsoon pours more water over areas of Western Ghats that are situated in the
direction of the winds. The quantity of rainfall is heavy in the hilly regions of the northeast. It
keeps declining as the winds move westwards. Patna gets more rain than Allahabad.
Similarly, Delhi gets much less rain than Kolkata.
Monsoons are not steady. Rainy days are interspersed with rainless days. When the rains are
heavy, the rivers get flooded causing heavy damage in the plains year after year. A dry spell
would cause as much misery as the river floods. The arrival and departure of monsoons is
uncertain. So is the extent of rainfall in any given rainy season. These characteristics of
monsoon has a very de-stabilising effect on Indian economy that continues to be
predominantly agricultural and severely dependent on rain fed irrigation.

Q.12. what is the loo? How does it affect the weather of a place?
Ans. The strong, gusty, hot, dry winds blowing during the day over the north and northwestern
India during summer are known as ‘loo’. The ‘loo’ is a striking feature of the hot weather
season from April to June. Loo usually occurs during the afternoon but sometimes it even
continues until late in the evening. Direct exposure to these winds may even prove to be fatal.
They cause acute dehydration and sunstroke. During May and June they sometimes bring dust
storms which bring temporary relief as they lower the temperatures and may bring light rain
and cool breeze.

Q.13. Write a short note on the retreating monsoons.

Ans. The months of October-November mark a period of transition from hot rainy season to
cold dry winter conditions. This period is known as Retreating Monsoon or Transition
season because the southwest monsoons weaken and withdraw or retreat from India. The
retreat of monsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. While days are warm,
nights are cool and pleasant. Owing to high temperature and high humidity, weather
becomes oppressive. This phenomenon is known as ‘October heat’. With the shift of low
pressure centre to the Bay of Bengal in early November, cyclonic depressions originating
over the Andaman Sea move over the Eastern Coast. The Coromandel Coast receives bulk
of its rainfall from the retreating monsoons.
These tropical cyclones cause heavy destruction and torrential rains in thickly populated deltaic
regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Q.14. Describe with examples how altitude affects the climate of a place.
Ans. Altitude plays an important role in influencing the climate of a place. As one goes up to
higher altitudes away from the surface of the earth, the atmosphere becomes less dense and
temperature decreases. As a result hill stations like Mussoorie, Darjeeling and Udagamandalam
(Ooty) in the south are cooler even during summer.
The decrease in temperature with altitude also has its effects upon the pressure system which
in turn determines the wind pattern and hence precipitation. Drass, Srinagar and Shimla,

44
located on the higher slopes of the Himalayas, receive heavy snowfall during winter due to
inflow of western disturbances to areas with sub-zero temperatures.
The lofty Himalayas, on account of their high altitude, stand as a barrier and protect India
from bitterly cold winds of Central Asia during winter. They also confine the rainfall from the
monsoons to the mainland of India. Places at lower altitudes, mainly those along the coast
like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, have moderate climates.

Q.15. Describe with examples how distance from the sea influences the climate of a place?
Ans. The sea exerts a moderating influence on the climate of a place. Places like Mumbai,
Chennai, Thiruvunanthapuram, Kolkata located near the sea have equable climate or maritime
climate with less difference between summer and winter temperatures. As the distance from
the sea increases, it’s moderating influence decreases. Places away from the sea are said to
have continental location. Continentality is marked by extreme weather conditions, i.e., very
hot summer and very cold winter. For example, Delhi located in the interior of the country at a
distance from the sea experiences an extreme type of climate.

Q.16. What form of precipitation does the upper part of the Himalayas receive and why? Ans.
The upper parts of the Himalayas have quite high altitude of around 6000 metres.
Temperature is very low in these parts as temperature decreases with a rise in altitude.
Precipitation takes place in the form of snowfall in all stations in the upper parts of the
Himalayas due to freezing temperatures. For example, Drass located in Jammu and Kashmir
records minus 45°C (–45°C) temperature on a winter night. Hence, precipitation in this region is
in the form of snowfall.
Srinagar in the valley of Kashmir, Shimla and Manali in Himachal Pradesh and other hill stations
in the upper parts of Himalayas receive snowfall in winter due to inflow of western cyclonic
disturbances from the west.

Q.17. Write a short note on the trade winds. What are the effects of trade winds on the climate
of India?
Ans. The planetary winds blowing from the Sub-Tropical High Pressure Belts to the Equatorial
Low Pressure Belt or Doldrums are termed as ‘Trade Winds’.
On account of the Laws of Deflection due to the Coriolis force, they blow as North-East
Trade Winds in the Northern Hemisphere and as South-East Trade Winds in the
Southern Hemisphere. The trade winds are the most permanent and regular of all planetary
winds. They blow with great force in a constant direction.
India lies in the region of Northeasterly Trade Winds. As they originate and blow over land, the
Northeasterly Trade Winds generally carry very little moisture. Therefore, they bring little or no
rainfall. Hence, had trade winds been the only factor influencing India’s climate, India would
have been an arid land.
In late summer low pressure condition over Northern Plains intensifies. This attracts the trade
winds of the Southern Hemisphere. The Southeast Trade Winds originating over warm
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subtropical areas of southern oceans cross the equator and blow in a southwesterly direction
to India. They are moisture laden and bring rainfall to India as southwest monsoon.

Q.18. Discuss why Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in the world?
Ans. Mawsynram in Meghalaya is located on the southern ranges of the Khasi Hills. When the
rain bearing winds from the Bay of Bengal branch of monsoons strike the Garo, Khasi and
Jaintia hills, they cause very heavy rainfall in the northeastern states located here. As
Mawsynram is located at a position perpendicular to the path of the rainbearing winds which
enters the deep valley of the Khasi hills, it receives rainfall of about 1141 cm per year. Hence,
Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in the world. Rainfall occurs here for almost nine
months of the year.

Q.19. What is the Coriolis force? Describe briefly its effect on the climate of the world. Ans.
An apparent force caused by the earth’s rotation is called the Coriolis force. The Coriolis force
is responsible for deflecting the direction of the winds towards the right in the Northern
Hemisphere and towards the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is also known as
‘Ferrell’s law. Under the effect of Coriolis force the trade winds moving from Sub-Tropical High
Pressure belts to Equatorial Low Pressure belts become Northeast Trade Winds in the Northern
Hemisphere and Southeast Trade Winds in Southern Hemisphere. As a result, they bring heavy
rainfall to the east coast of continents within tropics after passing over oceans. As they are
offshore on the west coast, these regions turn into hot deserts.
Westerly winds blowing from Sub-Tropical High to Temperate Low Pressure belts become the
South-Westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere and the North-Westerlies in the
Southern Hemisphere due to Coriolis force. They bring much precipitation to western coast of
continents, mainly in Southern Hemisphere.

Q.20. What is the impact of variation in the climatic conditions in India?

Ans. The variations have given rise to a variety in the lives of people- their food, clothing,
housing, etc. Its impact is seen the main economic activity i.e. the agriculture, sowing and
harvesting a variety of crops in India. Even the uncertainties of rain and uneven distribution are
very much typical of the monsoons. The Indian landscape, its animal and plant life, its entire
agricultural calendar and the life of the people, including their festivities, revolve around this
phenomenon.

Q.21. Why do peninsular plateau get moderate temperature but the northern plain not? Ans.
Due to the triangular shape of the peninsular plateau, the moderating influence of the
surrounding ocean and the sea extent over a large area. The presence of wind in this area
moderates both the low and high temperature. The northern plain being away from the sea do
not have any moderating influence.

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 5. NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

Question and Answer.

Q.1 Define an ecosystem.
Ans. An ecosystem comprises plants and animals existing interdependently and inter-related to
each other in their physical environment.

2) What factors are responsible for the distribution of plants and animals in India?
Ans. The distribution of plant and animal life in India is determined by the following:
(a) Temperature along with humidity in the air, precipitation and the nature of the soil. (b)
Variation in sunlight due to variations in latitude, height above sea level, season and
duration of the day in any specific region. (c) Amount of rainfall.

Q.3. Distinguish between:

(i) Flora and Fauna (ii) Tropical Evergreen and Deciduous Forests
Ans. (i) Fauna refers to species of animals found in an region. Flora denotes plants of a
particular region (ii) Tropical evergreen forests abound in areas with rainfall exceeding 200 cm
in a year. Trees reach heights up to 60 m in these forests. The vegetation is luxuriant. There is
no definite time for the trees to shed leaves. A large number of species exist together in such
forests. Important trees are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona. Deciduous
forests are spread over the region where the rainfall ranges between 70-200 cm annually. In
dry summer, the trees shed their leaves for six to eight weeks. Commercially important wood
is found in these forests. Important trees are teak, sal, shisham. etc.

Q.4. Name different types of vegetation found in India and describe the vegetation of high Ans.
The different types of vegetation found in India are:
Tropical rainforests, Tropical Deciduous forests, Thorn forests, Temperate forests, Alpine and
Alpine vegetation is found at places over 3,600 m in height. The trees common to these are
silver fir, junipers, pines and birches. The trees get stunted as they reach the snow line.
There are shrubs and scrubs that ultimately merge into Alpine grasslands. Tundra vegetation
is limited to lichens and mosses.
Q.5 Why does mountain vegetation change with altitude? Explain with example. Ans. In
mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increase in altitude leads to
corresponding changes in natural vegetation. As such, there is a succession of vegetation and
a distinct arrangement ranging from the tropical to the tundra region in the montane forests
of hilly and mountainous regions of the Himalayas. Tropical evergreen forests with rosewood,
ebony and rubber are found in rainier parts of the foothills and in higher altitudes upto60
meters or above. Tropical deciduous forests of sal, teak and bamboo are found in the
foothills up to a height of 1000 metres. Wet temperate forests with evergreen broadleafed
trees like oaks and chestnut predominate between a height of 1000 and 2000 metres.
Temperate coniferous forests with softwood trees like pine, silver fir, spruce and cedar grow
at altitude between 1500 and 3000 metres. They are followed by temperate grasslands at

47
higher elevation. At high altitude of more than 3600 metres temperate forests and grasslands
give way to alpine vegetation. Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches are common trees. As they
approach the snowline, they get progressively stunted. Shrubs, scrubs and then alpine
grasslands are found at higher elevations. At still higher altitudes in shaded slopes, moss and
lichens, typical of Tundra vegetation, grow.

Q6. Describe how rainfall and relief influence the vegetation of an area.
Ans. Factors like rainfall and relief influence the natural vegetation of an area
Rainfall: Climate plays an important role in determining the natural vegetation of a region.
Rainfall determines the type, character and extent of vegetation in an area. Areas of heavy
rainfall have dense vegetation with rich forests while arid areas and semi-arid areas with
less rainfall have thorny and scrub vegetation. Areas with more than 200 cm of annual
rainfall have tropical evergreen rainforests. Tropical moist deciduous forests are found in
areas with 100 to 200 cm of rainfall. Tropical dry deciduous forests are found in areas
receiving rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall the
natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes.
Relief : The type of vegetation found in an area depends upon the relief or landform of the
area. The fertile level lands of plains are generally devoted to agriculture. Much of the
natural vegetation is cleared or altered in such areas. Grasslands and woodlands develop in
areas with undulating and rough terrains. Mountainous areas have succession of vegetation
types according to the altitude of the area.
Relief and Rainfall. Windward slopes of Western Ghats are covered with thick forests because
they receive heavy rainfall. The eastern slopes do not have thick forests because they are on
the leeward side and receive less rainfall.

Q.7. Give a brief account about the wildlife of India.

Ans. Our country, India, has a rich natural heritage of fauna – 89,000 animal species, 1200
species of birds, 2500 species of marine and freshwater fish and 5 to 8 per cent of the world’s
amphibians, reptiles and mammals are found in India.
The wildlife in the different natural habitats are varied and rich. They include:
(i) The majestic Indian lions found in the Gir forest of Gujarat, the last remaining habitat
of Asiatic Lion. India is the only country in the world that has both lions and tigers. (ii)
Tigers found in the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the forests of Madhya
Pradesh, the Sunderbans of West Bengal and Himalayan region.
(iii) The large Asian elephants of the hot wet forests of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. (iv)
The endangered one-horned rhinoceroses found in the swampy and marshy lands of
Assam and West Bengal.
(v) Indian wild ass of the Rann of Kachchh. (vi) Camels found in Thar desert.
(vii) Ladakh’s freezing high altitudes are home to yak, the shaggy horned wild ox, the
Tibetan antelope, the bharal (blue sheep), wild sheep and the kiang (Tibetan wild ass), ibex,
bear, snow leopard and rare red panda are found in some areas of the Himalayas. (viii)

48
Indian bison, nilgai, chousingha (four-horned antelope), gazel, different species of deer and
several species of monkeys are found in India.
(ix) Many colourful birds, including peacock which is our national bird, are found in India.
(x) Turtles, crocodiles and gharials are found in rivers, lakes and coastal areas. Snakes like
cobras and others are found in different areas.

Q.8.What steps have been taken by the government to protect flora and fauna of the country.
Ans. Endangered species are those species of flora and fauna which are in the danger of
extinction. In India, about 1,300 plant species are endangered. Quite a few animal species, like
the one-horned rhino, Indian tiger, Indian wild ass, black buck, red panda, Asiatic elephants,
Indian bustard, are endangered. The main causes that have lead to threat upon India’s flora and
fauna are
(i) Hunting and poaching for illegal trade of animal tusks, horns, bones, skin, etc. (ii)
Reckless cutting of forests to bring land under cultivation and settlement have
destructed the natural habitats of wild creatures and wiped off valuable species of trees.
(iii) Pollution due to chemical and industrial waste, acid deposits, have brought down
numbers of plants and animals.
(iv) Introduction of alien species that may be hostile to existing species.

Understanding the grave threat, conservation of forests and wildlife have been taken up.
Government, NGOs, wildlife organisations and volunteers have taken up activities to protect
wildlife and plants. They include:
(i) Fourteen biosphere reserves to protect biodiversity.
(ii) Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and other eco-development
projects to protect endangered species.
(iii) Setting up of 89 National Parks, 492 Wildlife Sanctuaries, Zoological Gardens,
Protected and Reserved Forests, Botanical Gardens to protect the endangered species along
with other types of flora and fauna. (iv) Wildlife Protection Acts to safeguard wildlife. (v)
Affortestation, social programmes and awareness campaigns can also help to protect
endangered species.

Q.9 Mention two regions in India where you will find mangrove forests. What are the features
of the mangrove forests?
Ans. The mangrove or tidal forests are found in coastal areas under the influence of tides.
The deltaic areas with clayey soil and saline water during tides have mangrove forests. The
plants of these areas have adapted themselves to the alteration of freshwater and saline
water as well as to the sticky mud and silt. The roots of these plants are submerged under
water. They have breathing roots protruding on the surface. The trees have stilt like roots
to support the trunk of the tree in the wet soil.
The forest is dense with hardwood trees like sundari, keora, agar, palm and coconut in some
parts. The mangrove forests are found in:
49
(i) The Ganga-Brahmaputra delta which are known as Sunderbans on account of the sundari
trees that predominate here. It provides durable hard timber.
(ii) Deltas of the rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri on the east coast of India.

Q.10. Write a note on the importance of biosphere reserve. What are its objectives? Ans.
Biosphere reserves are a series of multipurpose protected areas linked through a global
network, intended to demonstrate the relationship between conservation and
development. Their sole purpose is conservation of flora and fauna.
The biosphere reserves play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance in the
ecosystem. In the biosphere, all living beings are interrelated and interdependant on each
other for survival. This life supporting system is called ecosystem.
Vegetation and wildlife are two valuable resources of the biosphere. The biosphere reserves
are set up to protect them and the main objectives of the biosphere reserves are :
(i) to protect and conserve the biological diversity, i.e., preserving plant and animal species
of the area in natural forms. (ii) to protect flora and fauna from over-exploitation.
maintain diversity. (iii) to undertake research and experimentation in forestry. (iv) to save
endangered species and prevent extinction of valuable species. There are fourteen such
biosphere reserves in India.

Q.11. Give the main causes for depletion of biodiversity in India.

Ans. The varied climate and landform of India support of rich variety of natural vegetation. But
only about 23 per cent of the land area of India is at present under forests. It is far lower than
the desired 33 per cent outlined in the National Forest Policy.
The main reasons behind the reduction of the natural vegetation of India are as follows:
(i) Deforestation. Large areas of forests have been recklessly cleared by man due to the
following reasons: (a) to meet the growing demand for cultivated land, (b) to acquire
land for setting up industries, (c) to provide land for settlement and urbanization.
(ii) Shifting cultivation in hilly areas of northeast and Central India.
(iii) Mining. Large areas are cleared of natural vegetation for the purpose of mining. (iv)
Constructional activities like building of dams submerge areas of valuable forests and
destruct the natural vegetation.
(v) Natural hazards like forest fires and landslides affect natural vegetation in hilly areas.
The Tsunami of 2004.
(vi) Cyclonic storms affect plant cover of the areas where they strike. Overgrazing of
pastures. (vii) Wiped off valuable rainforests in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These
above-mentioned human-made and natural factors have accelerated the process of
extinction of natural vegetation in India.

Q.12. What type of dangers does the wildlife sanctuaries of India face? How can they be
protected better? Write a brief note on each.

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Ans. 492 Wildlife Sanctuaries have been set up in India to protect and conserve wildlife. The
government has demarcated them and maintains them. But certain external factors and
loopholes in internal management of these areas creates problems and affect their
purpose. Dangers faced by wildlife sanctuaries of India are as follows:
(i) Poaching or illegal killing of animals for trade of their hides, skins, tusk, horns and bones. (ii)
Hunting of animals for game.
(iii) Killing of animals by villagers in instances of migration of animals to inhabited areas during
floods. In North Bengal often elephants move out from the forests to cultivated fields and are
killed by the villagers.
(iv) Shortage of trained personnel to take care of the animals within the sanctuaries. This leads
to death of sick animals. (v) Shortage of funds for management of the sanctuaries.
The wildlife sanctuaries can be protected better in the following ways:
(i) Strict vigilance of the areas within the sanctuaries.
(ii) Enforcing strict measures against people encroaching the wildlife sanctuaries without
proper permission.
(iii) Making laws against poaching and hunting stricter and punishing people who dare to
destroy the sanctity of the wildlife sanctuaries.
(iv) Training the personnel to take proper care of animals within the wildlife sanctuary.
(v) Creating a proper, protected boundary for the wildlife sanctuaries.
(vi) Creating public awareness regarding the need of wildlife sanctuaries.

Q.13.What is meant by natural vegetation or virgin vegetation?

Ans. Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human
aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is termed as virgin
vegetation. Thus, cultivated crops and fruits, orchards form part of vegetation but not natural
vegetation.

Q. 14.How are forests useful to human being?

Forests are renewable resources and play a major role in enhancing the quality of
environment. They modify local climate, control soil erosion, regulate stream flow, support
a variety of industries, provide livelihood for many communities and offer panoramic or
scenic view for recreation. It controls wind force and temperature and causes rainfall. It
provides humus to the soil and shelter to the wild life.

Q15. What are the factors that brought changes to natural vegetation in India?
India’s natural vegetation has undergone many changes due to several factors such as the
growing demand for cultivated land, development of industries and mining, urbanization and
over-grazing of pastures.

Q.16. Why is natural vegetation in large part of India no more natural?

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The vegetation covers of India in large parts are no more natural in the real sense. Except
some inaccessible regions like the Himalayas the hilly region of central India and the
Marusthali (desert) the vegetation of most of the areas has been modified at some places, or
replaced or degraded by human occupancy.

Q17. What is meant by ecosystem?

• All the plants and animals in an area are interdependent and interrelated to each other in
their physical environment, thus, forming an ecosystem.
• Human beings are also an integral part of the ecosystem.

Q.18. Name the different types of vegetation in India.

The following major types of vegetation may be identified in India.
(i) Tropical Rain Forests
(ii) Tropical Deciduous Forests
(iii) Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
(iv) Montane Forests
(v) Mangrove Forests
Q.19. What are the features of tropical rain forests?
• These forests are restricted to heavy rainfall areas of the Western Ghats and the island groups
of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu coast.
• They are at their best in areas having more than 200 cm of rainfall with a short dry season.
The trees reach great heights up to 60 meters or even above.
• Since the region is warm and wet throughout the year, it has a luxuriant vegetation of all
kinds – trees, shrubs, and creepers giving it a multilayered structure.
• There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves. As such, these forests appear green all
the year round.
• Some of the commercially important trees of this forest are ebony, mahogany, rosewood,
rubber and cinchona.
• The common animals found in these forests are elephants, monkey, lemur and deer.
13. What are the features of tropical deciduous forest?
• These are the most wide spread forests in India.
• They are also called the monsoon forests and spread over the region receiving rainfall
between 200 cm and 70 cm. Trees of this forest-type shed their leaves for about six to eight
weeks in dry summer.
• On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into moist and dry
deciduous.
• The moist deciduous forests are found in areas receiving rainfall between 200 and 100 cm.
These forests exist, therefore, mostly in the eastern part of the country – north eastern
states, along the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and
on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Teak is the most dominant species of this
forest. Bamboos, Sal, Shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum, arjun and mulberry are other
commercially important species.
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• The dry deciduous forests are found in areas having rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm.
These forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. There are open stretches in which Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem grow.
A large part of this region has been cleared for cultivation and some parts are used for
grazing.
• In these forests, the common animals found are lion, tiger, pig, deer and elephant. A huge
variety of birds, lizards, snakes, and tortoises are also found here.

Q.20. What are the features of thorn forests and scrubs?

• In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the natural vegetation consists of thorny trees
and bushes. This type of vegetation is found in the north-western part of the country
including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar
Pradesh and Haryana.
• Acacias, palms, euphorbia and cacti are the main plant species. Trees are scattered and have
long roots penetrating deep into the soil in order to get moisture.
• The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimize
evaporation.
• These forests give way to thorn forests and scrubs in arid areas.
• The common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and
camels.

6. POPULATION

Question and Answer.

Q.1. Find out what could be the reasons of uneven distribution of population in India. Ans.
Rugged terrain and unfavorable climatic conditions are primarily responsible for sparse
population in some areas. Hilly, dissected and rocky nature of the terrain, moderate to low
rainfall, shallow and less fertile soils influence population in hilly areas. Flat plains with fertile
soils and abundant rainfall have led a large number of people to settle in the densely
populated Northern Plains.

Q.2. Discuss the major components of population growth.

Ans. The major components of population growth are Birth Rate, Death Rate and Migration.

53
The difference between birth rate and death rate accounts for natural increase in population.
Adoption of family planning measures leads to decline in birth rate. Better availability of
medical facilities leads to decrease in death rate.
measures. Internal migration only changes the pattern of population over different parts of the
country. International migration affects both the magnitude and the quality of population.

Q.3. How is migration a determinant of population change?

Ans. Internal migration determines population change across regions and territories within the
country. In India there has been a significant migration from the rural areas to the cities. Apart
from magnitude, migration also brings about change in terms of sex ratio and age
composition. The migration from rural areas comprises only men. As such, the sex ratio in
village registers a decline and so does the age composition. The number of able-bodied men in
villages is reduced as a result of the rural-urban migration.

Q.4. What is the relation between occupational structure and development?

Ans. Development is related to occupational structure of the population. Countries are less
developed where a higher percentage of population is engaged in primary occupations like
agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and fishing.
As development takes place more people move into secondary occupations like manufacturing.
In highly developed societies, there are a high percentage of people involved in tertiary
occupations like banking, commerce, transport and administration.

Q.5. What are the significant features of the National Population Policy 2000?
Ans. (i) The National Population Policy 2000 aims at reducing infant mortal rate to below 30
per thousand live births. (ii) The policy framework provides for imparting free and compulsory
school education up to 14 years of age. (iii) Some other areas of attention are promoting
delayed marriages for girls and achieving universal immunization of children against all vaccine
preventable diseases. Family planning programme is to be promoted on a voluntary basis.

Q6. What are the main causes of rapid population growth in India? Explain any three.
Ans. India’s total population has increased from 236 million in 1901 to 361 million in 1951 to
1,028 million (approximately 1.03 billion) as on March 2001. India accounts for 16.7 per cent of
the world’s population. India is the second most populous country in the world after China. (i)
Birth rates have always been high in India, which has always been the main factor behind
rising population. (ii) But due to the advent of better medical facilities and public health
measures as well as with control of epidemics and infectious diseases with advancement of
medical science, there has been a rapid decline in the death rate in India. The fall in the death
rate has gone still further since independance because of extension of hospitals and medical
facilities, decrease in infant mortality and rise in nutrition level due to better opportunities for
livelihood. As natural increase in population is the difference between birth rates and death
rates, high birth rates and declining death rates resulted in higher rates of population growth.

54
(iii) The monsoon climate of India, its rich, fertile river plains supporting high agricultural
productivity, its mineral wealth have all supported huge population in India.

Q.7. Describe three methods to show how the population of a nation can be planned. Ans. The
population of a nation can be planned the through the successful controlling of birth rates
along with declining death rates. With the progress of medical science and with spread of
public health measures, death rates have fallen. But these advantages should also be utilised to
reduce the birth rates because rapidly rising population is a strain on limited resources and
leads to social and economic problems. The main role in planning the nation’s population has
been taken up through the family planning programmes and adoption of a National Population
Policy. Certain methods can be adopted in this regard:
(a) Motivation programmes to spread the knowledge of family planning through mass media
like newspapers, radio, television, films can help to make people conscious about need of
limiting family size. (b) Making contraception services accessible and affordable to all
sections of rural and urban (c) Encouraging delayed marriage and child bearing and
strengthening legal measures to prevent child marriage.
Q8. What is the importance of family planning? Discuss how it can help the country.
Ans. Family planning is a comprehensive and successful method of population planning.
Recognising that the planning of families would improve individual health and welfare, the
Government of India initiated a comprehensive family planning programme in 1952. The basic
aim of family planning was to reduce birth rate through acceptance of a small family size as an
ideal family by the people and providing supplies and services for birth control.
It is an important population programme for a highly populated country like India.
Family planning can help to successfully control the growth rate of population in a country.
So, it can help to reduce pressure on our limited natural resources.
The family welfare programme has sought to promote responsible and planned parenthood
on a voluntary basis. When the family size is small, people can arrange for the education of
their children and for proper health care of family members. Nutrition level and standard of
living improves. Health standards and literacy rates of the population improves. The
government does not have to take undue burden for arranging health and welfare
programmes. Problems like poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, shortage of food supply,
drinking water, sanitation and housing can be tackled with reduction of population size
through family planning.

Q9. Define the terms, age structure, Death rate and Birth rate.
Ans. The age structure or age composition of a population refers to the grouping of the
population according to the number of people in different age groups in a country. The
population within the age group of 0–14 years is called the child population, those within age
group 15–59 years is the working population and those above 60 years in age are the aged. A
age structure diagram, also called the age sex pyramid or population pyramid, is a graphical

55
illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population with the help of
back to back bar graphs representing the age groups.
Death rate is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year.
Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year.
Birth rate and death rate are two main components of population growth and the difference
between them gives the natural increase of population in a country.

Q.10. What are the main features of the National Population Policy 2000?
Ans. The National Population Policy 2000 is a culmination of years of planned efforts to
improve the quality of population in India. It is a comprehensive programme including
education, health and social improvement of the population. The National Population
Policy provides a policy framework for
(i) reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births,
(ii) achieving universal immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases,
(iii) imparting free and compulsory school education for children up to 14 years of age,
(iv) promoting delayed marriage and delayed child bearing for girls, and
(v) making family welfare a people-centred programme by encouraging public
The National Population Policy 2000 also gives emphasis on nutritional requirements and sexual
protection of adolescents to maintain their future health.

Q.11. Write a note on the adolescent population of India.

Ans. The segment of population within the age group of 10 to 19 years is generally termed as
adolescents. They are the would-be adults and are the most important resource of the
country for the future. In India one fifth of the total population is the adolescent population.
The huge size of adolescent population is a most significant feature of the Indian population
because they are the potential workforce.
Nutrition requirements of adolescents are higher than a normal child or adult. But in India, the
diet available to adolescents is inadequate and deficient in all nutrients.
The condition of adolescent girls is worse. A large percentage of them suffer from anemia.
They face the problems of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. They have
to be sensitized to the problems they confront. Their awareness can be improved through a
spread of education. The National Population Policy 2000 realized the importance of greater
attention to the adolescents. Besides nutritional requirements, the policy has put emphasis on
sexual protection of the adolescents. The programmes included.
(i) encouraging delayed marriage and child bearing,
(ii) strengthening legal measures to prevent child marriage, (iii) education of
adolescents about the risk of unprotected sex, (iv) providing food
supplements and nutritional services.

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Q.12. Why is the study of age composition of population important? Write a brief note.
Ans. The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in different age
groups in a country. It is one of the basic characteristics of a population. To a great extent, a
person’s age determines his role as a consumer and producer in the economy. As such, the
study of age composition of the population is important because the number and percentage of
the children, working age and aged people found in the total population are notable
determinants of the population’s social and economic structure. The framing of programmes
for population policies is influenced by it. A large section of population in the working age
group means greater development and prosperity. They are the economically productive and
biologically reproductive section of the population. They shoulder the responsibility for the
country’s progress. The percentage of children and the aged affect the dependency ratio
because they are not producers. Their food, clothing, medical care and education (in case of
children) have to be provided by the working population. The government also has to spend
more on welfare programmes and health care if the percentage of child and aged population is
high. The proportion of population in the different age groups affects the level of development.

Q.13. Discuss the factors responsible for distribution of population in India. Ans. The
distribution of population in India is not uniform. While Uttar Pradesh has a population size of
166 million, the Himalayan state of Sikkim has a population of just 0.5 million. Almost half of
India’s population lives in just five states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and
Andhra Pradesh.
The main factors responsible for uneven distribution of population in India are as follows.
Climate: Areas with favourable climate and high rainfall like the coastal plain and the Northern
Plains have a high population density. Heavy monsoon rains bring agricultural prosperity in
these areas and support a big density of population. On the other hand, regions with harsh
climate like the Himalayan region and the Indian desert have sparse population. Thus,
Rajasthan, the largest state in terms of size, has only 5.5 per cent of the total population of
India.
Relief: The varied relief features of the vast country has influenced the distribution of
population. As such the Northern Plains with flat, fertile terrain and the coastal plains have
higher population densities. The peninsular states with hilly, dissected and rocky terrain have
moderate densities. While the mountainous region in the north and northeast have sparse
population on account of the rugged terrain.
Soil: The fertile alluvial soil of the plains is favorable for agriculture and support large
populations. Areas with shallow and less fertile soil have lesser populations. Mineral
wealth: The mining areas of the peninsular plateau attract population. Industrial
centers, ports, commercial centers, metro cities have high population densities
because of better opportunities of livelihood and greater facilities.

Q.14. Discuss the advantage of having a healthy population.

Ans. Health is an important component of population composition. The quality of the
population depends upon their good health. It affects the process of development. A

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healthy population is physically strong and mentally active. They are economically
more productive and contribute towards the economic prosperity of a country.
Healthy people can work hard and earn enough to support their family members. This
reduces poverty and raises standard of living of the population.
A healthy population is socially more active. They have more thinking and reasoning power, so
they can remove social evils and lead to social progress.
The government can concentrate on development projects rather than diverting large share
of its resources on health care programmes for the sick and diseased people. Thus, healthy
population is contributive towards economic, social, cultural and political development of a
country.

Q.15. Discuss the advantage of having a higher percentage of young people in a country. Ans.
Young people are the most prized resource for a country. They have the highest work efficiency
and comprise a great part of the country’s workforce. They are economically most productive
and contribute greatly to the economic development and prosperity of the country. In an
agricultural country like India where a large number of agricultural labourers are required, a
large young population helps in increasing the productivity of agriculture. They also help in
industrial development as they are more active and painstaking. The younger people are
more innovative and contribute to the development of new technologies for the advancement
of the country.
A higher percentage of young people also means social and cultural advancement in the
country. The youths are more advanced and have free thinking. They are the ones to campaign
against social evils and bring forward social reforms to do away with vices like child marriage,
dowry, discrimination against girl child and illiteracy.

The young people are biologically most productive. They bring the future human resources to
the world. A higher percentage of young people in the country also means healthy population
and less expenditure on health programmes.

Q.16.Why is population a pivotal element in social studies?

i) The people are important to develop the economy and society. The people make
and use the resources and are themselves resources with varying quality.
ii) It is the point of reference from which all other elements observed and from
which they derive significance and meaning. ‘Resources’, ‘calamities’ and ‘disasters’
are all meaningful only in relation to human beings. iii) Their numbers, distributions,
growth and characteristics or qualities provide the basic background for
understanding and appreciating all aspects of the environment. iv) Human beings are
producers and consumers of earth’s resources. Therefore, it is very important to
know how many people are there in a country, where do they live, how and why are
their numbers increasing and what are their characteristics.

Q.17. What are the 3 components of the study of population?

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1. Population size and distribution.
2. Population growth and purposes of population change.
3. Characteristics or qualities of the population.

Q.18. Define the following terms:

i. Population: The total number of people living in a country at a given point of time.
ii. Census: Process of collection, compilation and publication of information relating to
different aspects of people living in a country at a specific point of time. iii. Birth rate:
The number of live births per thousand persons in a year.
iv. Death rate: Number of deaths per thousand in a year
v. Million plus cities / Mega Cities: Cities with a population of one million and above. There are
35 million plus cities in India .e.g. Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore. vi. Agglomeration:
Around the core of each town or city, cluster of urban settlements have developed which
are linked to the economy of the country. They are known as urban agglomeration. They are
extension of cities but are not covered by defined municipal limits. vii. Sex Ratio: Number of
females per thousand males in the population. viii. Age composition: Population can be
divided according to categories of people of various age groups. Age composition of people
is usually expressed in terms of three broad age groups: children below the working age,
(below 15 years), persons in working age (15-59 years) and old persons above working age
(above 59 years). Anyone who is engaged in productive work and has the ability to do so is a
part of the working population. The dependent population is in the age group below 15 and
above 59 years.

POLITICAL SCIENCE

2 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?

Question and Answer.

1) What is democracy? Mention the features of democracy.
Ans: 1) Democracy is a form of government in which i.
Rulers elected by people take all major decisions.
ii. Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers. iii.
This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis. iv. The exercise
of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizen’s
rights.

Q 2). “Democracy is the ideal form of government”. Give arguments against the statement.
Ans. i. Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.
ii. Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.
iii. So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that leads to delay in decision-making.

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iv. Elected leaders don’t know the best interest of people. It leads to bad decision. v.
Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.
vi. Ordinary people don’t what is good for them they should not decide anything.

Q.3) What are the merits of democracy?

Ans. i. A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form
of government. ii. Democracy improves the quality of decision making. iii. Democracy
provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts. iv. Democracy enhances the dignity
of citizen.
v. Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows to correct its own
mistakes.

Q4) What is representative democracy?

Ans. In the countries we call democracy, all the people don’t rule. A majority is allowed to take
decisions on behave of people. Even the majority doesn’t rule directly. The majority of people
rule through their elected representatives. This is called representative democracy.

Q5. How do we distinguish democracy from other forms of government like monarchy and
dictatorship?
Ans. Other forms of government like monarchy, dictatorship or one-party rule do not require
all citizens to part in politics. In fact, most of the non-democratic governments like citizens not
to take part in politics. But democracy depends on active political participation by all the
citizens. That is why a study of democracy must focus on democratic politics.

Q6. Why should Pakistan government under General Musharraf not be called a democracy?
Ans. i. In Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf tried a military coup in October 1999. He
overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself as Chief Executive of
country. ii. He changed his designation to President later and in 2002 held a referendum that
granted him a 5-year extension. iii. Pakistan media, human rights organizations and
democracy activists said that the referendum was based on malpractices and fraud.
iv. In August 2002 he issued a Legal Framework order amending the constitution of Pakistan.
Now the president could dismiss the national / provincial assemblies.
v. The work of civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council dominated by
military. After the law was passed, elections were held to the assemblies. vi. Thus there
were elections elected representatives had some power but the final power was with the
military and General Musharraf himself.

Q7. With the help of Zimbabwe, show that popular approval of rulers is necessary in a
democracy, but it is not sufficient.

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Ans. i. Zimbabwe attained independence white minority rule in 1980. Since then the country
has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle, by its leader Robert
Mugabe.
ii. Elections have been held regulatory and always won by ZANU-PF. iii. President Mugabe is
popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. Over the years this government has
changed the constitution several times to increase his powers and less accountable.
iv. Opposition party workers are harassed and their meetings disrupted. Public protests and
demonstration against the government are illegal. There is a law that limits the right to criticize
the President.
v. Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s
vision. There are independent newspapers but government harasses journalists who go against
it. vi. The government has ignored some court judgments that went against it and has
pressurized judges.
Therefore, popular approval of rulers is necessary in a democracy but is not sufficient.

Q8. Explain with the help of Fiji, Estonia and Saudi Arabia that one person, one vote and one
value is the basic feature of democracy.
Ans i. In Saudi Arabia women don’t have right to vote. ii. Estonia has made its citizenship
rules in such a way that the people belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get
right to vote.
iii. In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than
that of Indian Fijian. Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of political equality.
Therefore, in a democracy each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one
value.

Q9. Explain with an example of any country of the world where free and fair elections are a part
and is must for democracy?
Ans. Let us take the example of China:
i. In China elections are regularly held after every 5 years for electing the country’s parliament
called Quanguo Renmin Daibrao Dahui. ii. The National People’s Congress has the power to
appoint the President of country.
iii. Some of the members are elected by Army. Before contesting elections, candidates need
approval of Chinese Communist Party.
iv. Only those who are members of this party or of smaller allied parties were allowed to
contest elections 2002-2003.
v. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.
Therefore, China can’t be considered a democracy as a democracy must be based on free and
fair elections those currently in power has a fair chance of losing.

Q 10. Summarize the definition of Democracy.

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Ans.In a democracy the final decision-making power must rest with those elected by the
people.
A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a
fair chance of losing.
In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.
A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.

Q11. Should we consider the elections held in China and Mexico are democratic elections? Give
reasons.
China:
1. In China, single party system is practiced.
2. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist
Party.
3. Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties
allied to it were allowed to contest elections.
4. The government is always formed by the Communist Party of China. Mexico:
1. Since its independence in 1930, every election was won by a PRI (Institutional
Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but the PRI uses many dirty tricks
to win elections.
2. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.
3. Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI. Media largely
ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them.
4. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute,
which made it difficult for people to cast their votes. The PRI spent a large sum of money
in the campaign for its candidates.

Q12. Explain the two types of Democracy.

Ans. The two types of Democracy are
1. Direct democracy- In which all the citizens of the country assemble in a place and directly
take part in decision making.
2. Indirect democracy or Representative Democracy-In which people elect their
representatives and those elected representatives make major decision. The majority of people
rule through their elected representatives.

Q13. Why is Representative Democracy become necessary in the present world?

Ans. Modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is physically impossible
for them to sit together and take a collective decision.
Even if they could, the citizen does not have the time, the desire or the skills to take part in all
the decisions.

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Q14. What is an ideal standard democracy?
Ans. True democracy will come to a country only when no one goes hungry to bed. In a true
democracy every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision making with equal right to
vote, equal information, basic education, equal resources and a lot of commitment.

3. Constitutional Design

Question and Answer.

Q.1. What is a constitution? What determines the rights of citizens and the powers of the
government?
Ans: In a democracy the rulers are not free to do what they like. There are certain basic rules
that the citizens and the government have to follow. All such rules together are called
constitution.
Ans: As the supreme law of the country, the constitution determines the rights of citizens, the
powers of the government and how the government should function.
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Q.2. Why was Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment?
Ans: Nelson Mandela was tried for treason by the white South African government. He and
seven other leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for daring to oppose the
apartheid regime in his country. He spent the next 28 years in South Africa’s most dreaded
prison, Robben Island.

Q.3. What is meant by apartheid?

Ans: Apartheid was the name of a system of racial discrimination unique to South Africa. The
white Europeans imposed this system on South Africa. The system of apartheid divided the
people and labelled them on the basis of their skin colour. The native people of South Africa are
black in colour. They made up about three-fourth of the population and were called ‘blacks’.
Besides these two groups, there were people of mixed races who were called ‘coloured’ and
people who migrated from India. The white rulers treated all nonwhites as inferiors. The
nonwhites did not have voting rights.

Q.4. Why was apartheid system particularly oppressive for the blacks?
Ans: The apartheid system was particularly oppressive for the blacks. They were forbidden from
living in white areas. They could work in white areas only if they had a permit. Trains, buses,
taxis, hotels, hospitals, schools and colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theatres, beaches,
swimming pools, public toilets, were all separate for the whites and blacks. This was called
segregation. They could not even visit the churches where the whites worshipped. Blacks could
not form associations or protest against the terrible treatment.

Q.5. Name the umbrella organisation that led the struggle against the policies of segregation in
South Africa.
Ans: The African National Congress (ANC) was the umbrella organisation that led the struggle
against the policies of segregation. Q.6. How was apartheid opposed?
Ans: The organizations that opposed apartheid included many workers’ unions and the
Communist Party. Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to oppose apartheid and played a
leading role in this struggle. Several countries denounced apartheid as unjust and racist.

Q.7. What was the reaction of the government towards the protest movement?
Ans: In South Africa the white racist government continued to rule by detaining, torturing and
killing thousands of black and coloured people. As protests and struggles against apartheid had
increased, the government realised that they could no longer keep the blacks under their rule
through repression. The white regime changed its policies. Discriminatory laws were repealed.
Ban on political parties and restrictions on the media were lifted. After 28 years of
imprisonment, Nelson Mandela walked out of the jail as a free man.

Q.8. When did South Africa become a democratic country?

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Ans: At the midnight of 26 April 1994, the new national flag of the Republic of South Africa was
unfurled marking the newly born democracy in the world. The apartheid government came to
an end, paving way for the formation of a multi-racial government.

Q.9. What appeal was made by black leaders after the emergence of the new democratic South
Africa?
Ans: After the emergence of the new democratic South Africa, black leaders appealed to fellow
blacks to forgive the whites for the atrocities they had committed while in power. They said let
us build a new South Africa based on equality of all races and men and women, on democratic
values, social justice and human rights.

Q.10. Write a note on constitution of South Africa.

Ans: After two years of discussion and debate one of the finest constitutions of the world was
prepared in South Africa. This constitution gave to its citizens the most extensive rights
available in any country. Together, they decided that in the search for a solution to the
problems, nobody should be excluded; no one should be treated as a demon. They agreed that
everybody should become part of the solution, whatever they might have done or represented
in the past.

Q.11. What was the need for constitution in South Africa?

Ans: The oppressor and the oppressed in South Africa were planning to live together as equals.
It was not going to be easy for them to trust each other. They had their fears. They wanted to
safeguard their interests. The black majority was keen to ensure that the democratic principle
of majority rule was not compromised. They wanted substantial social and economic rights. The
white minority was keen to protect its privileges and property.

Q.12. What did the whites in South Africa agree to?

Ans: The whites agreed to the principle of majority rule and that of one person one vote. They
also agreed to accept some basic rights for the poor and the workers.

Q13. Why did people in South Africa felt the need to have written rules for government? Ans:
The rules lay down how the rulers are to be chosen in future. These rules also determine
what the elected governments are empowered to do and what they cannot do. Finally these
rules decide the rights of the citizen. These rules will work only if the winner cannot change
them very easily. This is what the South Africans did. They agreed on some basic rules. They
also agreed that these rules will be supreme, that no government will be able to ignore these.

Q.14. Why do countries need constitution?

Ans: The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people living
together in a country. Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among

65
people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and
government.

Q.15. What are main features of the constitution?

Ans: The main features of constitutions are:
I. First, it generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind
of people to live together.
II. Second, it specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have power to
take which decisions.
III. Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights
of the citizens are.
IV. Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

Q 16. Why was constitution making not an easy affair in India?

Ans: Like South Africa, India’s Constitution was also drawn up under very difficult
circumstances.
The making of the constitution for a huge and diverse country like India was not an easy affair.
At that time the people of India were emerging from the status of subjects to that of citizens.
The country was born through a partition on the basis of religious differences. The British had
left it to the rulers of the princely states to decide whether they wanted to merge with India or
with Pakistan or remain independent. The merger of these princely states was a difficult and
uncertain task. When the constitution was being written, the future of the country did not look
as secure as it does today.

Q.17. What was the biggest advantage for the makers of Indian constitution?
Ans: There was one big advantage for the makers of the Indian Constitution. Unlike South
Africa, they did not have to create a consensus about what a democratic India should look like.
Much of this consensus had evolved during the freedom struggle.

Q.18. some basic values were accepted by all leaders much before the Constituent Assembly
met to deliberate on the Constitution.
Ans: In 1931, the resolution at the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress dwelt on
how independent India’s constitution should look like. Both these documents were committed
to the inclusion of universal adult franchise, right to freedom and equality and to protecting the
rights of minorities in the constitution of independent India. Thus some basic values were
accepted by all leaders much before the Constituent Assembly met to deliberate on the
Constitution.

Q.19. How did familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule help Indians develop an
agreement over the institutional design?

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Ans: The familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule also helped develop an agreement
over the institutional design. The British rule had given voting rights only to a few. On that basis
the British had introduced very weak legislatures. Elections were held in 1937 for Provincial
Legislatures and Ministries all over British India. These were not fully democratic governments.
But the experience gained by Indians in the working of the legislative institutions proved to be
very useful for the country in setting up its own institutions.

Q.20. How were Indian leaders inspired by other countries of world?

Ans: Years of thinking and deliberation on the framework of the constitution had another
benefit. Our leaders gained confidence to learn from other countries, but on our own terms.
Many of our leaders were inspired by the ideals of French Revolution, the practice of
parliamentary democracy in Britain and the Bill of Rights in the US. The socialist revolution in
Russia had inspired many Indians to think of shaping a system based on social and economic
equality.

Q. 21. Why should we accept the Constitution made by the Assembly more than fifty years
ago?
Ans: The Constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad
consensus of its time. Many countries of the world have had to rewrite their Constitution
afresh because the basic rules were not accepted to all major social groups or political parties.
The experience of our Constitution is different. Over the last half a century, several groups have
questioned some provisions of the Constitution, but no large social group or political party has
ever questioned the legitimacy of the Constitution itself. This is an unusual achievement for any
constitution. The second reason for accepting the Constitution is that the Constituent Assembly
represented the people of India.

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 4. ELECTORAL POLITICS

Question and Answers.

Q.1.What makes an election democratic? How do you distinguish democratic election from
any other election?
Ans: The conditions of a democratic election are
One vote, one value: Everyone should be able to choose and every vote should have equal
value.
Choice: There should be a choice for the people. Parties and candidates should be free to
contest elections.
Regular elections: Elections should be held at regular intervals.
Free and fair elections: Elections should be free and fair where people can choose whom
they wish. Candidate preferred by the people gets elected

Q.2.What are the challenges/limitations to free and fair elections?

Ans: The challenges to free and fair elections are

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Money and muscle power: Candidates and parties with a lot of money may not be sure of
their victory but they do enjoy a big and unfair advantage over smaller parties and
independents.
In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal connection have been able to push
others out of the electoral race and to secure a ‘ticket’ from major parties.
Dynastic politics: Some families tend to dominate political parties; tickets are distributed to
relatives from these families.
Limited choice: Very often elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens, for both the major
parties are quite similar to each other both in policies and practice.
Dirty tricks: In order to win elections political leaders use dirty tricks and illegal methods.
Domination of bigger parties: Smaller parties and independent candidates suffer a huge
disadvantage compared to bigger parties.
Misuse of government facilities: Ruling party sometimes misuse the government facilities and
machinery.

Q.3.What are the demerits of electoral competition?

Ans: The demerits of electoral competition are
Creates a sense of disunity and factionalism.
Political leaders and parties often level allegations against each other and use dirty tricks to
win elections.
Such political fights do not allow sensible long term policies to be formulated. Good
people who want to serve the country do not want to be dragged into unhealthy
competition.

Q. 4.How does our Election law regulate campaigns?

Ans: No party or candidate can Bribe
or threaten voters.
Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
Use government resources for election campaign
Spend more than Rs. 25 lakh in a Lok sabha election and Rs. 10 lakh in an Assembly election.

Q.5. What is the Model Code of Conduct that has been agreed by political parties during
election campaign?
Ans: According to it, no party or candidate can
Use any place of worship for election propaganda
Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections and
Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation stones of any projects, take
any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing public facilities

Q.6. Explain the procedure of the nomination of a candidate to contest a particular

election. Ans: i. Every person who wishes to contest an election has to fill a nomination form

69
 and give some money as ‘security deposit. ii. Every candidate has to make a legal
declaration, giving full details of: a. Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate;
b. Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family;
c. Educational qualification of the candidate.
This information has to be made public. This provides an opportunity to the voters to make
their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates.

Q.7.Why do we need reserved constituencies in India?

Ans: i. If some constituencies are not reserved then
The weaker sections may not get a good chance to get elected.
Those who are influential and resourceful may prevent them from winning elections.
If that happens, our Parliament and Assemblies would be deprived of the voice of a
significant section of our population.
That would make our democracy less representative and less democratic.

Q.8.What is the meaning of reserved constituency?

Ans: Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes [SC]
and Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In a SC reserved constituency only someone who belongs to the
Scheduled Castes can stand for election. Similarly only those belonging to the Scheduled
Tribes can contest an election from a constituency reserved for ST. Currently, in the Lok
Sabha, 84 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 47 for the Scheduled Tribes.
Q. 9.What are the powers of Election Commission of India? / ‘Very few election commissions
in the world have such wide-ranging powers as the Election Commission of India.’ Explain.
Ans: The powers of Election Commission of India are
Election commission takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from
the announcement of elections to the declaration of results.
It implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
During the election period, the EC can order the government to follow some guidelines, to
prevent use and misuse of governmental power to enhance its chances to win elections, or to
transfer some government officials.
When on election duty, government officers work under the control of the EC and not the
government.

Q.10. Elections in India are free and fair. Explain.

Ans: Elections in India are free and fair as
The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level.
In India about half of the sitting MPs or MLAs lose elections.
In fact in every two out of the three elections held in the last fifteen years, the ruling party
lost.

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Candidates who are known to have spent a lot of money on ‘buying votes’ and those with
known criminal connections often lose elections.
The electoral outcomes are usually accepted as ‘people’s verdict’ by the defeated party.

Q11. What are minimum conditions required for a democratic election?

Ans: First, everyone should be able to choose. This means that everyone should have one
vote and every vote should have equal value.
Second, there should be something to choose from. Parties and candidates should be free to
contest elections and should offer some real choice to the voters.
Third, the choice should be offered at regular intervals. Elections must be held regularly after
every few years.
Fourth, the candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
Fifth, elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as
they really wish.

Q.12. What are demerits of electoral competition.

Ans: An electoral competition has many demerits. It creates a sense of disunity and
‘factionalism’ in every locality. Different political parties and leaders often level allegations
against one another. Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections. Some
people say that this pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long-term policies
to be formulated. Some good people who may wish to serve the country do not enter this
arena. They do not like the idea of being dragged into unhealthy competition.

Q.13. Why elections are necessary in any democracy?

Ans: A rule of the people is possible without any elections if all the people can sit together
every day and take all the decisions. This is not possible in any large community nor is it
possible for everyone to have the time and knowledge to take decisions on all matters.
Therefore in most democracies people rule through their representatives. Thus elections are
necessary in any democracy to ensure efficient administration.

Q.14. How is municipal or town election conducted?

Ans: Each Parliamentary constituency has within it several assembly constituencies. The same
principle applies for Panchayat and Municipal elections. Each village or town is divided into
several ‘wards’ that are like constituencies. Each ward elects one member of the village or
the urban local body. Sometimes these constituencies are counted as ‘seats’, for each
constituency represents one seat in the assembly.

Q.15. Why India has special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections? How
many seats are reserved in Lok Sabha for weaker sections?
Ans: The makers of our Constitution thought of a special system of reserved constituencies
for the weaker sections. Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the

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Scheduled Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In a SC reserved constituency only
someone who belongs to the Scheduled Castes can stand for election. Similarly only those
belonging to the Scheduled Tribes can contest an election from a constituency reserved for
ST. Currently, in the Lok Sabha, 79 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 41 for
the Scheduled Tribes. This number is in proportion to their share in the total population.

Q.16. What is meant by Electoral Roll?

Ans: Once the constituencies are decided the next step is to decide who can and who cannot
vote. This decision cannot be left to anyone till the last day. In a democratic election, the list
of those who are eligible to vote is prepared much before the election and given to everyone.
This list is officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters’ List.

Q.17. What declaration a candidate has to make while filling nomination form? Ans:
Recently, a new system of declaration has been introduced on direction from the
Supreme Court. Every candidate has to make a legal declaration, giving full details of:
Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate.
Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family.
Education qualifications of the candidate.
This information has to be made public. This provides an opportunity to the voters to make
their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates.

Q.18. What is the purpose of election campaign?

Ans: In election campaigns, political parties try to focus public attention on some big issues.
They want to attract the public to that issue and get them to vote for their party on that
basis. In our country such campaigns take place for a two-week period between the
announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling. During this period the
candidates contact their voters, political leaders address election meetings and political
parties mobilize their supporters.

Q.19. Why is it necessary to regulate election campaigns?

Ans: It is sometimes necessary to regulate campaigns to ensure that every political party and
candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete. According to our election law, no party or
candidate can:
· Bribe or threaten voters
· Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
· Use government resources for election campaign
· Spend more than Rs. 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or Rs. 10 lakh in
a constituency in an Assembly election.

Q.20. What is the Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns?

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Ans: In addition to the laws, all the political parties in our country have agreed to a Model
Code of Conduct for election campaigns. According to this no party or candidate can:
· Use any place of worship for election propaganda
· Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections
· Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation stones of any projects,
take any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing public facilities.

Q.21. Discuss the process of polling during an election.

Ans: The final stage of an election is the day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote. That day
is usually called the election day. Every person whose name is on the voters’ list can go to a
nearby ‘polling booth’, situated usually in a local school or a government office. Once the
voter goes inside the booth, the election officials identify her, put a mark on her finger and
allow her to cast her vote. An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling
booth and ensure that the voting takes place in a fair way.

Q.22. What are the powers of the Election Commission of India?

Ans. The powers as the Election Commission of India are:
EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from the
announcement of elections to the declaration of results.
It implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
During the election period, the EC can order the government to follow some guidelines, to
prevent use and misuse of governmental power to enhance its chances to win elections, or to
transfer some government officials.
During the election duty, government officers work under the control of the EC and not the
government.

Q.23. Which unfair practices are common during elections?

Ans: Inclusion of false names and exclusion of genuine names in the voters’ list Misuse
of government facilities and officials by the ruling party.
Excessive use of money by rich candidates and big parties.
Intimidation of voters and rigging on the polling day.

Q.24. What is ballot paper? How does electronic voting machine (EVM) work?
Ans: Earlier the voters used to indicate who they wanted to vote for by putting a stamp on
the ballot paper. A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of the contesting
candidates along with party name and symbols are listed.
Nowadays electronic voting machines (EVM) are used to record votes. The machine shows
the names of the candidates and the party symbols. Independent candidates too have their
own symbols, allotted by election officials. All the voter has to do is to press the button
against the name of the candidate she wants to give her vote.

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 Q.25. What is a. booth capturing b. Code of Conduct c. party ticket d. Member of Legislative
Assembly e. Member of Parliament?
Ans: a. Booth capturing: It means supporters or hired musclemen of party or a candidate gain
physical control of a polling booth and cast false votes by threatening everyone or by
preventing genuine voters from reaching the polling booth.
b. Code of Conduct: It is a set of norms and guidelines to be followed by political
parties and contesting candidates during election time.
c. Party ticket: Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and
support. Party’s nomination is often called party ‘ticket’.
d. Member of Legislative Assembly: Each state is divided into a specific number of
Assembly constituencies. In this case, the elected representative is called the Member of
Legislative Assembly or an MLA.
e. Member of Parliament: The representative elected from each constituency is called
a Member of Parliament or an MP.

Q.25. Which slogan was given by the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971? Which
party gave the slogan “save democracy”? Which slogan was used by the Left Front in West
Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977?
Ans: The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove
poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to reorient all the policies of
the government to remove poverty from the country.
Save Democracy was the slogan given by Janata Party in the next Lok Sabha election held in
1977. The party promised to undo the excesses committed during Emergency and restore
civil liberties.
The Left Front used the slogan of Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections
held in 1977.

5. WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS Question

and Answers.
1.How does the parliament exercise political authority on behalf of the people? Why do we
need parliament?
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Ans: We need parliament because
i. Parliament is the final authority for making laws in any country.
ii. Parliaments exercise some control over those who run the government. Those who run the
government can take decisions only so long as they enjoy support of the Parliament.
iii. Parliaments control all the money that governments have. Public money can be
spent only when the Parliament sanctions it.
iv. Parliament is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and
national policy.

2.Lok Sabha is more powerful than Rajya Sabha. Explain. Ans:

Lok Sabha is more powerful than Rajya Sabha because
i. Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses. But in case of a deadlock
the final decision is taken in a joint session in which members of both the Houses sit
together. Because of the larger number of members, the view of the Lok Sabha is likely to
prevail in such a meeting. ii. Lok Sabha exercises more powers in money matters. Once
the Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money related law, the
Rajya Sabha cannot reject it. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest
changes in it. The Lok Sabha may or may not accept these changes.
iii. The Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers. If the majority of the Lok Sabha
members say they have ‘no confidence’ in the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the
Prime Minister, have to quit.

3. Why does the political executive have more power than the non political executive?
Ans: The political executive has more power than the non political executive because
i. In a democracy the will of the people is supreme. The minister is elected by the people and
thus empowered to exercise the will of the people on their behalf. ii. He/She is finally
answerable to the people for all the consequences of her decision. That is why the minister
takes all the final decisions. iii. The minister takes the advice of experts on all technical
matters. Depending on what the overall objective is, the minister takes the final decision.

4. What is the meaning of council of ministers? What does it consist of?

Ans: Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers. It
usually has 60 to 80 Ministers of different ranks. It consist of
i. Cabinet Ministers –They are top-level leaders of the ruling party who are in
charge of the major ministries. It comprises about 20 ministers. ii. Ministers of State
with independent charge-They are in-charge of smaller Ministries.
They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.
iii. Ministers of State are attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.

5. What are the powers of the Prime Minister?

Ans: The powers of the Prime minister are
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i. Prime Minister is the head of the government ii. He chairs
Cabinet meetings. iii. He is the link between the President and the
council of ministers.
iv. He coordinates the work of different Departments. His decisions are final in case
disagreements arise between Departments.
v. He exercises general supervision of different ministries. All ministers work under his
leadership. vi. The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers. He
also has the power to dismiss ministers. vii. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire
ministry quits.

6. The coalition politics has imposed certain constraints/limitations on the power of the Prime
Minister. How?
Ans: The Prime Minister of a coalition government has to accommodate different groups and
factions in his party as well as among alliance partners. He also has to listen to the views and
opinion of the coalition partners and other parties, on whose support the survival of the
government depends.

7. Why is President called a nominal executive?

Ans: The President is not elected directly by the people but he is elected by the Electoral
College which consist of the MPs and the MLAs. A candidate standing for President’s post has
to get a majority of votes to win the election. The President can never claim the kind of direct
popular mandate that the Prime Minister can. This makes him only a nominal executive.

8. What are the Powers of the President?

Ans.: The powers of the President are
i. All governmental activities take place in the name of the President.
ii. All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in his/her name. iii.
All major appointments are made in the name of the President. For example the
appointment of the Chief Justice of India, the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High
Courts of the states, the Governors of the states, the Election Commissioners,
ambassadors to other countries, etc. iv. All international treaties and agreements are
made in the name of the President. v. The President is the supreme commander of
the defense forces of India

9. What is Presidential form of government? Why has India chosen the parliamentary system
of government?
Ans: In a Presidential form of government
i. the President is directly elected by the people. ii. He personally chooses and
appoints all Ministers. iii. The law making is done by the legislature but the president

76
can veto any law. iv. Most importantly, the president does not need the support of the
majority of members in the Congress and neither is he answerable to them.
v. He has a fixed tenure of four years (US) and completes it even if his party does not
have a majority in the Congress.
In our country the parliament is supreme and the power is not concentrated in one person.
The prime minister and the council of minister are answerable to the parliament. If a
noconfidence motion is passed in the parliament then the whole cabinet has to resign.
Therefore India has chosen the parliamentary system of government.

10. What do you understand by ‘independence of the judiciary’?

Ans: Independence of the judiciary means that
i. it is not under the control of the legislature or the executive. ii. The judges do not
act on the direction of the government or according to the wishes of the party in power. iii.
The judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are appointed by the President on the
advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
In practice it now means that the senior judges of the Supreme Court select the new judges
of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. There is very little scope for interference by the
political executive.
iv. The senior most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed the Chief Justice.
Once a person is appointed as judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court it is nearly
impossible to remove him or her from that position. A judge can be removed only by an
impeachment motion passed separately by two thirds members of the two Houses of the
Parliament.

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 6. DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS

Question and Answers.

1. How were the prisoners treated in Guantanamo Bay?
Ans: The American government said that the prisoners were enemies of the US and linked to
the attack on New York on 11 September 2001.
I. In most cases the governments of their countries were not asked or even informed about
their imprisonment.
II.Families of prisoners, media or even UN representatives were not allowed to meet them.
III.The US army arrested them, interrogated them and decided whether to keep them there or
not.
IV. There was no trial before any magistrate in the US. Nor could these prisoners approach courts
in their own country.

2. What position do the citizens of Saudi Arabia have?

Ans: i. The country is ruled by a hereditary king and the people have no role in electing or
changing their rulers. ii. The king selects the legislature as well as the executive. He appoints
the judges and can change any of their decisions. iii. Citizens cannot form political parties or
any political organisation. Media cannot report anything that the monarch does not like. iv.
There is no freedom of religion. Every citizen is required to be Muslim. Non-Muslim residents
can follow their religion in private, but not in public.
v. Women are subjected to many public restrictions. The testimony of one man is considered
equal to that of two women.

3. Why do we need rights in a democracy?

Ans: i. Rights are necessary for a democracy. In a democracy every citizen has to have the right
to vote and the right to be elected to government. ii. For democratic elections to take place, it
is necessary that citizens should have the right to express their opinion, form political parties
and take part in political activities. iii. Rights also perform a very special role in a democracy.
Rights protect minorities from the oppression of majority. iv. Sometimes elected governments
may not protect or may even attack the rights of their own citizens. That is why some rights
need to be placed higher than the government, so that the government cannot violate them.

4. Explain the right to equality enjoyed by the citizens of India.

Ans: The right to equality tries to remove the social discrimination and economic disparities.
The features of this right is as follows.
I. Equality before law: Every person is guaranteed equality before law and equal protection
under law.
II.Prohibition of discrimination: The state cannot discriminate anyone on the basis of
religion, caste, race, sex or place of birth.

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 III.Abolition of titles: No title will be conferred on any citizen other than academics, sports
and military distinction.
IV. Ban on untouchability: Untouchability has been forbidden and is a punishable offence.

5. Discuss the different freedoms granted under the right to freedom in the constitution.
Ans: Different freedoms granted under the right to freedom in the constitution are I.
Freedom of speech and expression
II. Assembly in a peaceful manner
III. Form associations and unions
IV. Move freely throughout the country
V. Reside in any part of the country, and
VI. Practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

6. ‘The right to freedom of speech and expression does not come without qualifications.’ Explain.
Ans: We have the right to freedom of speech and expression. We can disagree with a policy of
government or activities of an association. We are free to criticize the government however,
we cannot use this freedom to instigate violence against others. We cannot use it to encourage
people to rebel against government.
Neither can we use it to defame others by saying false and mean things that cause damage to a
person’s reputation.

7. What are the three provisions of the Right against exploitation?

Ans: The three provisions of the Right against exploitation are
I. The Constitution prohibits human trafficking which means buying and selling of human
beings.
II. Our Constitution also prohibits forced labour or Begar in any form. Begar is a practice
where the worker is forced to render service to the ‘master’ free of charge or at a nominal
remuneration.
III. Finally, the Constitution also prohibits child labour. No one can employ a child below the
age of fourteen to work in any factory or mine or in any other hazardous work, such as
railways and ports.

8. What are the cultural and educational rights granted to minorities by the constitution?
Ans.: The cultural and educational rights granted to minorities by the constitution are
I. Any sections of citizens with a distinct language or culture have a right to conserve it.
i. Admission to any educational institution maintained by government or receiving
government aid cannot be denied to any citizen on the ground of religion or language.
ii. All minorities have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their
choice.

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9. How do people have a right to his/her life a personal liberty?
Ans: The Constitution says that no person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except
according to procedure established by law. It means that no person can be killed unless the
court has ordered a death sentence. It also means that a government or police officer cannot
arrest or detain any citizen unless he has proper legal justification. Even when they do, they
have to follow some procedures:
i. A person who is arrested and detained in custody will have to be informed of the reasons
for such arrest and detention.
ii. A person who is arrested and detained shall be produced before the nearest magistrate
within a period of 24 hours of arrest. iii. Such a person has the right to consult a lawyer or
engage a lawyer for his defence.

10. What were the main causes of conflict in Kosovo?

Ans.: Kosovo was a province of Yugoslavia before its split. In this province the majority of the
population was ethnic Albanian. But in the entire country, Serbs were in majority. A narrow
minded Serb nationalist Milosevic had won the election. His government was very hostile to the
Kosovo Albanians. He wanted the Serbs to dominate the country. Many Serb leaders thought
that Ethnic minorities like Albanians should either leave the country or accept the dominance of
the Serbs.

11. What are the various civil rights of the citizens?

Ans.: Some of the civil rights of the citizens are
I. Right to life
II. Right to property
III. Right to free press
IV. Right to family

12.Why is the preamble regarded as the soul of Indian constitution?

Ans: The Preamble of the Constitution reads like a poem on democracy. It contains the
philosophy on which the entire Constitution has been built. It provides a standard to examine
and evaluate any law and action of government, to find out whether it is good or bad. It is the
soul of the Indian Constitution.

13.What are constitutional amendments?

Ans: A constitution is not merely a statement of values and philosophy. A constitution is mainly
about embodying these values into institutional arrangements. Indian constitution is a very
long and detailed document. Therefore it needs to be amended quite regularly to keep it
updated. Those who crafted the Indian Constitution felt that it has to be in accordance with
people’s aspirations and changes in society. They did not see it as a sacred, static and

80
unalterable law. So, they made provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These
changes are called constitutional amendments.

Q.14. What are rights? Why are rights necessary in a democracy?

Ans: Rights are claims of a person over other fellow beings, over the society and over the
government. Rights are reasonable claims of persons recognised by society and sanctioned by
law.
Rights are necessary for the very sustenance of a democracy. In a democracy every citizen has
to have the right to vote and the right to be elected to government.

Q.15. What is meant by the rule of law?

Ans: The Constitution says that the government shall not deny to any person in India equality
before the law or the equal protection of the laws. It means that the laws apply in the same
manner to all, regardless of a person’s status. This is called the rule of law.

Q.16. Rule of law is the foundation of any democracy. Explain the statement.

Ans: Rule of law is the foundation of any democracy. It means that no person is above the law.
There cannot be any distinction between a political leader, government official and an ordinary
citizen. Every citizen, from the Prime Minister to a small farmer in a remote village, is subjected
to the same laws. No person can legally claim any special treatment or privilege just because he
or she happens to be an important person.

Q17. Freedom is not unlimited license to do what one wants. Explain.

Ans: Every citizen has the right to freedom. That means a person cannot exercise his freedom in
such a manner that violates others’ right to freedom. His freedoms should not cause public
nuisance or disorder. A person is free to do everything which injures no one else. Freedom is
not unlimited license to do what one wants. Accordingly, the government can impose certain
reasonable restrictions on our freedoms in the larger interests of the society.

Q.18. Why is Freedom of speech and expression one of the essential features of any
democracy?

Ans: A person’s ideas and personality develop only when he is able to freely communicate with
others. Even if a hundred people think in one way, one should have the freedom to think
differently and express their views accordingly. A person may disagree with a policy of
government or activities of an association. A person is free to criticize the government or the
activities of the association. A person may publicize his views through a pamphlet, magazine or
newspaper. A person can do it through paintings, poetry or songs. However, he cannot use this
freedom to instigate violence against others. You cannot use it to incite people to rebel against
government.

Q.19. What are the procedures to be followed while arresting a person?

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 Ans: A person who is arrested and detained in custody will have to be informed of the reasons
for such arrest and detention.
A person who is arrested and detained shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within
a period of 24 hours of arrest.
Such a person has the right to consult a lawyer or engage a lawyer for his defence.

Q.20 How does the government maintain its secular character?

Ans: A secular state is one that does not confer any privilege or favour on any particular
religion. Nor does it punish or discriminate against people on the basis of religion they follow.
Thus, the government cannot compel any person to pay any taxes for the promotion or
maintenance of any particular religion or religious institution. There shall be no religious
instruction in the government educational institutions. In educational institutions managed by
private bodies no person shall be compelled to take part in any religious instruction or to
attend any religious worship.

Q.21. What are the cultural and educational rights of the minorities?

Ans. Any section of citizens with a distinct language or culture has a right to conserve it.
Admission to any educational institution maintained by government or receiving government
aid cannot be denied to any citizen on the ground of religion or language.All minorities have the
right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Q22. What is meant by Right to Constitutional Remedies?

Ans: If rights are like guarantees, they are of no use if there is no one to honour them. The
fundamental rights in the Constitution are important because they are enforceable. We have a
right to seek the enforcement of the above-mentioned rights. This is called the Right to
Constitutional Remedies.
This right itself is a Fundamental Right. This right makes other rights effective.

Q23. Which rights are guaranteed by constitution of South Africa to its citizens?

Ans: The Constitution of South Africa guarantees its citizens several kinds of new rights:
I. Right to privacy, so that citizens or their home cannot be searched, their phones cannot be
tapped, their communication cannot be opened.
II. Right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
III. Right to have access to adequate housing.
IV. Right to have access to health care services, sufficient food and water; no one may be
refused emergency medical treatment.

Q. 24.what is meant by ethnic group?

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Ans: An ethnic group is a human population whose members usually identify with each other
on the basis of a common ancestry. People of an ethnic group are united by cultural practices,
religious beliefs and historical memories.

Q.25. Why reservations are not considered as a violation of the Right to Equality?
Ans: Equality does not mean giving everyone the same treatment, no matter what they need.
Equality means giving everyone an equal opportunity to achieve whatever one is capable of.
Sometimes it is necessary to give special treatment to someone in order to ensure equal
opportunity. This is what job reservations do. Just to clarify this, the Constitution says that
reservations of this kind are not a violation of the Right to Equality.

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 Economics
1. STORY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR

Q1. Which changes have taken place in the way of farming practiced in India?

Ans. a) Traditional seeds have been replaced by HYVs. b) Cow dung and other natural manure
were replaced by chemical fertilizers. c) Use of pesticides. d) Use of farm machinery like
tractors, threshers etc. for ploughing and harvesting. e) Use of tube wells for irrigation instead
of Persian wheels.

Q2. How did the spread of electricity help the people of Palampur?
Ans. Electricity helped farmers in running the tube wells in the field and is also used for
carrying out various small scale business in the village. The electricity run tube wells, irrigate
larger areas of land in more effective manner that Persian wheels which were earlier used to
draw water from the wells to irrigate the fields.

Q3. Why are the wages of farm labourers in Palampur less than the minimum wages? Ans.
The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the government is Rs 60 per day but a farm
labourer in Palampur gets only Rs 35-40 per day. It is because there is heavy competition for
work among the farm labourer in Palampur, so people agree to work at lower wages.

Q4. Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land?

Ans. A farmer with less than 2 hectares of land is regarded as a small farmer. Since the size of
plot is very small, therefore, he cannot fulfill the needs of his family. He will have to work as a
farm labourer in the fields of medium and large farmers for an amount of Rs 40-50 per day. In
order to cultivate his field he will have to borrow money from large farmers or moneylenders or
traders. From the borrowed money he will buy fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc.

Q5. Give the characteristics of Rural Industries.

Ans. Rural Industries are small scale manufacturing units. Their features are:- 1.
These involve very simple production methods.
2. The output is very small.
3. The work is carried out by the members of the family and rarely the labourers are hired.
4. The work is carried out at home and not in workshops. 5. The profits earned are also less.

Q6. What are the different ways of increasing the production on the same piece of land?
Ans. Following are the 5 different ways of increasing the production on the same piece of land:
1. Use of multiple cropping. It means growing more than one crop on a given piece of land at
the same time.
2. Use of HYV’s. These can be used to produce much greater amounts of grain in a single plant.
3. Chemical fertilizers and Pesticides. Their use produces better results by providing sufficient
materials to the soil and pesticides protecting the crops from pest attacks.
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4. Modern equipments like tractors, threshers, which made ploughing and harvesting faster. 5.
Tubewell irrigation. Electricity run tubewells irrigate much larger area in a more effective
manner and increase the yields.

Q7. How do medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the
small farmers?
Ans: Medium and large farmers sell surplus farm produce in the market and earn good money.
The money so earned is used to buy capital for farming in the next season. Thus medium and
large farmers are able to arrange for capital for farming from their own savings. On the other
hand, small farmers do not have their own savings because their production is small which is
mainly used for fulfilling their own family needs. Small farmers therefore, avail loans from the
medium and large farmers at very high rates of interest. Small farmers also borrow money from
various inputs for cultivation. These farmers are put to a great distress to repay the loan. Q8.
Explain the 4 factors of production?

Ans. The aim of production is to provide goods and services that we want. There are four
requirements for the production of goods and services which are known as factors of
production. These are:
1. Land and other natural resources such as water, minerals, forests etc.
2. Labour. It refers to the people who will do work for us. There are 2 types of labour: Skilled
Labour. These are the high trained or educated workers to perform the special and necessary
tasks. Unskilled Labour. These people do the manual physical work.
3. Physical Capital. It refers to the variety of inputs required at every stage of production. It is
of2 types. Fixed Capital. Tools, machines, buildings etc. that can be used for production
over many years. Working Capital. Raw material and money in hand and other inputs that
get used up in one round of production only.
4. Human Capital / Entrepreneur. It refers to the knowledge and enterprise required to
combine land, labour and physical capital to produce the output.

Q 9. Who is a farm labourer? Throw a light on their economic condition.

Ans. A farm labourer is a person who works on the land owned by another person. He is paid
for his services in the form of wages by the landowner. Wages may be paid in cash or kind.
Farm labour is generally comprised of landless people and/or very small farmers whose owned
land does not generate enough to support even bare subsistence living. Farm labourers may get
a regular job on a farm and may work throughout the year. But agriculture is a seasonal activity.
More often, farm labourers get employed only during a particular seasonal activity e.g.
ploughing of land, harvesting and threshing of crop. More generally, there are more persons
willing to work as farm labourers than are required at any point of time. Introduction of farm
machinery has substantially reduced the demand for farm labour. Landowners are in a position
to exploit this opportunity to their advantage. They pay them less wages. These may even be

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less than the minimum wages fixed by the government. But since the choice is between their
starvation and some wages, they opt for the latter. Farm labourers are compelled to borrow;
once in debt, they find it difficult to get out of it. Farm labourers live a life of destitution.

Q.10. What is HYV? Which states of India were the first to use modern methods of agriculture?

Ans. In late 1960s HYVs are introduced, which were a great boon to agriculture. These are High
Yielding Varieties of seeds which guarantees greater qualitative and quantitative production.
HYV seeds need plenty of water and also chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce best
results.
Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first states to use modern methods of
agriculture and made use of HYV seeds, pesticides, chemical fertilizers etc.

Q11 . What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming method? Multiple
cropping: In this method more than one crop is grown on a single piece of land. For example:
Wheat – bajra – potato.
Modern farming methods: In this method modern HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, modern
tools and machineries are used. This provides high yields.

Q12. How modern methods have over used the natural resources and violated the resources?
Ans. Green revolution is associated with the loss of soil fertility.
Continuous use of ground water for tube well irrigation has reduced the water – table below
the ground.
Chemical fertilizers may destroy the bacteria and other micro organisms in the soil. The
consumption of chemical fertilizers in Punjab is highest in the country.

Q13. How is land distributed between the farmers of Palampur and Indian villages?
Ans. Land is unevenly distributed among the farmers of the villages. Some farmers have large
lands while some have very small and others have no land at all. Gobind a farmer in Palampur
had 2.25 hectares of land. After his death his land is further distributed among his four sons. In
this way in every village the land is getting divided hereditarily into smaller and smaller. These
divisions may result in poor and unsatisfactory production leading to poor economic status to
the country.

Q14. What is the problem of Dala and Ramkali?

Ans. Dala and Ramkali are landless labourers.
They work in the fields of others but now a days they don’t get work because many rich
farmers use modern tractors, machines etc. and employ very less human labourers. To run
their livelihood Dala and Ramkali get loans. This further keeps them in debt for ever.
Landless farmers get jobs for a short duration and rest of the time they are engaged in
some other odd jobs.

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They get very less salaries for their work. They are paid even less than 35 – 40 rupees while the
government fixed salary is 60 rupees.

Q15. What is surplus? What do the farmers do with the surplus?

Ans. Surplus is the excessive amount of production produced by the farmers. Example: Farmers
produce wheat and store a part of it for their consumption and the remaining they sell in the
market and gain profit. This profit is called surplus. The farmers use the surplus as capital for
the next harvest. Farmers like Govind or Savita are poor and have little surplus. Big farmers like
Tejpal Singh purchase farm machines, lend money or save in the bank.

Q16. Write short note on a. Dairy farming b. small scale manufacturing c. shopkeeping d.
transport

Ans. a. Dairy farming: Dairy farming is a common activity in Palampur . People feed their
buffalos on various kinds of grass and the jowar and bajra that grows during rainy season. Milk
is sold in Raiganj. Traders of Shahpur have set up collection cum chilling centres at Raigan.

b. small scale manufacturing: Very simple production is done in the village. People produce
baskets, gur etc. in small scale. Mishrilal of Palampur produce Jaggery and sell in Shahpur. He
makes a small profit. He owns a crushing machine as capital.

c. shopkeeping: Some villagers sell rice, wheat, sugar, tea, oil, biscuits, soap, toothpaste,
batteries, candles etc. People whose houses are close to the bus stand use a part of the space
to open small shops. Some sell eatables like pakodas, samosas etc.. In Palampur Kareem had
opened a computer centre. Students from Shahpur town had joined it. He had appointed two
women of his village to work in his centre. In this way he is self employed and have given
employment to others.

d. transport: Transport is another major activity of villages. Rickshwas, Tongas, jeeps, tractors,
trucks are some of the vehicles found here. Some people are engaged in this line too. Kishora of
Palampur village own a buffalo. The buffalo gives milk and also draws cart for him. Every day he
goes to Ganga river to fetch clay for the potters of the village. Kishora is engaged in multi
economic activity.

Q17. What was the basic aim of the ‘Green Revolution’ in India? How did it affect the market?
Ans. The introduction of HYV seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation are known
collectively as the Green Revolution which was associated with increase in production of food
grains in India and make India self-sufficient in foodgrains.
Impact of Green Revolution on market economy
(a) Increased production of foodgrains like wheat and rice: Foodgrain yields continued to
increase throughout the 1980s. In financial year 1980, almost 75 percent of the total cropped
area under wheat was sown with HYV seeds.
(b) Green revolution has increased income disparities, higher income growth and reduced
incidence of poverty.
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Q.18. What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land. Explain
any four points.

Ans. Land area under cultivation is fixed. So, the ways of increasing farm produce on the same
piece of land are:

(i) Multiple cropping: It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of
land. Under it, more than one crop is grown on the same piece of land during the year. Indian
farmers should grow at least two main crops in a year. Some farmers have been growing a third
crop also over the past twenty years.
(ii) Green Revolution: It was brought in India in the late 1960s, the use of HYV (High Yielding
Variety) seeds for increase in production of rice and wheat. It promised to produce much
greater amount of grains on a single plant.
(iii) Use of modern technology: By the use of well developed able to cultivate their land with
greater efficiency. Farmers use pump sets for irrigation, threshers for threshing, harvesters for
harvesting, tractors for ploughing etc.
(iv) Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides: Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
improves fertility of soil and reduces pest respectively for the particular period of production.
This improves the quantity of production.

Q.19. Who provides labour for farming in Palampur? How are they paid for their work? Ans.
After land, labour is the second most necessary factor for production. Small farmers along with
the other numbers of their family cultivate their own fields. Thus, they provide the labour
required for farming themselves. Medium and large scale farmers hire farm labourers to work
Farm labourers either engaged from landless families or the families cultivating small piece of
land. Farm labourers do not have any right over the crops grown on the land. (I) Wages am
paid to them in form of cash or kind, i.e., crops.
(ii) Government has set up minimum wages for farm labourers to be Rs 60 per day but
unfortunately they do not get this much and are mostly exploited.
(iii) Sometimes poor farm labourers work for meal also.
(iv) Sometimes they are employed on daily basis and sometimes for the whole year. Thus,
durations of their employment is not fixed.

Q20. Explain any two positive and two negative effects of Green Revolution.
Ans. Green Revolution was started in the late 1960s with an aim of achieving self sufficiency in
the production of grains like wheat and rice.

Two positive effects and achievements of green revolution are:

(i) Increase in productivity of grains : Use of HYV seeds produced much more amount of wheat
and rice in comparison to traditional seeds.
(ii) Modernisation of agriculture: HYV seeds required well-developed irrigation, use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. Use of farm machinery has also encouraged in the green revolution

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which resulted in development and modernization of agriculture. It also increased the surplus
in the field of agriculture.

Two Negative effects and drawbacks of Green Revolution:

(i) Decline in fertility of soil: Too much use of chemical fertilizers resulted in decline of
fertility of soil. Farmers have to use more and more chemical fertilizers which increases the
lost of production.
(ii) Level of groundwater: Use of groundwater for cultivation with the help of tube wells have
caused decline in level of ground water.

21. What are the difficulties faced by small farmers in arranging capital in comparison with
medium and large farmers.
Ans. Modern farming methods require a great deal of capital, so the small farmers face more
difficulties in arranging capital in comparison with medium and large farmers. Most of the
small farmers have to borrow money from for large farmers or the village money lenders or the
traders who supply various inputs for cultivation. The rate of interest on such loans is very high.
This put the small farmers in great distress to repay the loans. Unlike small farmers, medium
and large farmers have their own savings from farming. They sell their good amount of surplus
and earn more income. This income they utilize in arranging capital for next season of
production.

Q.22. How can you say that Palampur is a well-developed village? Ans.
Palampur is a well developed village. This can be made clear from the
following arguments:

(i) Multiple cropping: Farmers of Palampur have adapted multiple cropping. They plant three
crops on a year and never leave their land idle.
(ii) Modern facilities of agriculture: They have a well developed system of irrigation. is also
noticed in Palampur.
(iii) Markets and Education: There are small markets setup in Palampur which have all the daily
need commodities available. Kareem is also running computer classes and a good number of
students are learning there. High schools and education for women is available
(iv) Transportation: People of Palampur have facilities of transporting goods to other towns and
village with a good transportation system and well developed roads.

Q23. Differentiate between fixed capital and working capital. State any four points. Ans.
Both fixed capital and working capital are the parts of physical capital required for
production.

(i) Fixed Capital:

(a) It includes fixed factors of production which are used for years.

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(b) Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer's plough to sophisticated
machines such as generators, turbines etc. (c) It includes tools, machines, buildings etc.
(d) They remain constant for many years of production and increased or decreased only when
needed.

(ii) Working Capital:

(a) It includes variable factors of production which are needed to be arranged every time at the
time of production.
(b) Whatever money and raw material required for production are included in it.
(c) It is required to be arranged according to the desired production.
(d) They are dynamic depending upon the profits and income of last season.

Q.24. Explain four efforts that can be made to increase non-farming production activities in
Ans. Non-farming production activities should be increased in the village. Unlike farming,
nonfarm

(i) Loans can be made available to villagers on low rates of interest so that people with less

(ii) Markets should be made available to sell the goods produced in non-farm activities.

(iii) Development of goods transport, communication system and proper storage of goods
should be established to increase the opportunities for non-farm activities in the village.

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 2. People as Resource

Question and Answer.

Q1. Define a. Economic Activities b. Disguised Unemployment c. National Income d. Market

Activity e. Non-market Activity f. Primary Sector g. Seasonal Unemployment h. Secondary
Sector i. Tertiary Sector

Ans a. Economic Activities: The activities which result in the production of goods and services
and value to the national income are called economic activities.
b. Disguised Unemployment: It happens when the number of persons employed in a task is
more than what is required; If these extra persons are removed, there is no adverse effect on
the output.
c.Gross National Product or National Income: Refers to the sum total of the money value of all
final goods and services produced in an economy during a year.
d. Market Activity: That part of the activity which produces such goods or services that are
sold and purchased in the market, and the provider of the service gets paid for it.
e. Non-market Activity: The performer of this type of economic activity produces primarily for
self – consumption. Own-Account Production: The produced asset is not sold in the market; it
is produced for self consumption, e.g., a house.
f. Primary Sector: It consists of all those activities which are based on natural resources, such
as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry farming, and mining.
g. Seasonal Unemployment: It happens when people are not able to find jobs during some
months of the year.
h. Secondary Sector: It consists of all those activities which transform the shape of nature
based raw materials into some useful objects, e.g. quarrying and manufacturing.
i. Tertiary Sector: It consists of all those activities which are concerned with the distribution of
goods and services so that these reach the final consumers, e.g. trade, transport,
communication, tourism, health and insurance.

Q2. What is human capital formation? How is it different from Physical Capital formation?

Ans.Human capital formation refers to addition to the stock of human capital in the country.
This addition takes the form of investment in education, training and health care. Human
capital formation is both similar to and different from physical capital formation.

Human capital formation adds to the productive capacity and generation of income; physical
capital formation also performs the same function. Human capital formation adds to the stock
of human skills and knowledge. Physical capital formation adds to the stock of tools
equipments, machinery and buildings in an economy.

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Q3. When do “people” become a resource?

Ans. Human beings without any ability to work are known as simple or ordinary people but
given proper education, skills, training and proper health care, the same human beings
constitute human capital; it is an indispensable resource which constitutes to a nation’s growth
and welfare.

Q4. What do you understand by “People as a resource”?

Ans. The term People as a resource refers to population as asset for the economy. It is a way of
referring to a country’s working people in terms of their exciting productive skills and abilities.

Q5. What is the role of education in human capital formation?

Ans.Education plays an important role in human capital formation. Educated people earn higher
incomes on account of higher productivity which aids to the growth of the economy. Society as
a whole also gains indirect ways from educated population. The advantage of a more educated
population spreads to those who are not directly educated. Population turns into a productive
set as a result of education.

Q6. Explain the term life expectancy?

Ans. Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average length of survival of a living thing. It
is often calculated separately for differing gender and geographic location. Popularly it’s most
often construed to mean the life expectancy at birth for a given human population, which is the
same as the expected age at death. However, technically, life expectancy means the expected
time remaining to live, and it can be calculated for any age.

Q7. Is there any difference between unemployment in rural and urban areas?

Ans. Yes the nature of the unemployed differs in rural and urban area. In case of rural areas
there is seasonal and disguised unemployment. Urban areas have mostly educated
unemployment.

Q8. What is the significance of the concept of Gross National Product?

Ans.Gross National Product measures the output of goods and services produced in an
economy during a given year. It is a significant concept because an increase in the gross
national product means that the output of goods and services in an economy has increased.
More goods and services are now available in the economy. Availability of more goods and
services means that the standard of living and the welfare of the people has improved.
Therefore every country seeks to improve the size of GNP. Increase in GNP is also a measure of
economic growth of a country. Suppose the GNP of an economy in the year 2000-2001 was Rs.
1,00,000 crore and it increases to Rs 1,10,000 crores in the year 2001-2002. The percentage
increase in the GNP is measured as follows: (1,10,000 – 1,00,000 ) X 100 = 10% 1,00,000 GNP

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has increased by 10%. We will say that the rate of the growth of the economy in 2001-2002 was
10% over the preceding year.

Q9. ‘Population is an asset for an economy rather that a liability.’ Comment.

Ans. Population, for long, has been seen as a liability which slows the rate of the economic
growth. This view of population was based on the view that population represented the stock
of the human beings. Human beings make a demand on the nation’s resources for their
survival. It was thought that larger the population, more resources like food, clothing etc would
be required for their survival. Hence, population was being treated as a liability. However, this
view for population was not correct. More important thing is that it supplies the most
important factor resource i.e. human capital. It is the human capital that organizes the
production activities and uses other factor resources. It is in this sense that the stock of
knowledge and skills that constitutes the human resource is a valuable asset.

Q10. What do you understand by the virtuous and vicious cycle of human development?

Ans.By virtuous cycle of human development we mean that human development causes more
human development. Let us see how this happens: Educated and healthy parent provide good
education to their children, provide adequate nutrition and healthcare to their children. They
are more efficient and productive. Enjoy higher incomes and better standard of living . children
grow up as educated and healthy adults these adults become parents and the same cycle sets
off again. Conversely, the uneducated and sick parents are trapped in vicious cycle of
underdevelopment. They neither have the means or the knowledge to provide education or
healthcare to their children. Low productivity, low income and poverty perpetuate the vicious
cycle.

Q11. Differentiate between different types of economic activities with the help of examples.

Ans. Different type of economic activities can be classified into:

a) Primary activities. Primary activities include those activities which are related to the natural
resources like cultivation of land, forestry, poultry etc.
b) Secondary activities. These are the activities which are concerned with the transformation
of natural resources into other goods. E.g. transformation of wheat into flour is a secondary
activity.
c) Tertiary activities. It includes all the activities which produce different type of services
needed by the people in the economy. E.g. banking, teaching, driving etc. In an undeveloped
economy, primary sector is the dominant sector of the economy. With economic growth the
relative shares of secondary and tertiary sectors increases whereas that of the primary sector
falls.

Q12. Give two examples of how the human capital has brought phenomenal changes in the
Indian economy.

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Ans.a) Green revolution. It occurred in the late 1960s. It brought about massive increase in the
crop production. It was primarily brought out by the application of the human mind and
knowledge in cultivation.
b) Information Technology Revolution. It is relatively a new phenomenon. It has been brought
out by the application of human skills and knowledge. It has totally changed the way the
information is generated and distributed.

Q13. What is the role of education in human capital formation?

Ans. Expenditure on the education of a child can be seen as an investment. Like any other
investment, investment in education brings returns in future. Education provides better
knowledge and skills. A person with more knowledge and skills is generally more productive. As
a result: a) An educated person has higher income because his services command a higher
price. b) A country’s resources are better utilized. As a result the output and the overall GNP of
a nation also increase. Education enhances the cultural richness of a country and the efficiency
of governance.

Q14. Examine the role of health in human capital formation.

A healthy person is able to devote more time to his work. He has more strength, energy and
stamina. Hence, he is more efficient and productive. Therefore any expenditure on healthcare
may be regarded as the investment made in human capital formation.

Q15. Women are employed in low paid jobs. Do you agree?

Ans. This is not universally true that women are employed into low paid jobs. A worker’s
remuneration in a work depends upon the level of skill and knowledge involved. All those with
higher skill, knowledge and training are paid higher. There is no discrimination between men
and women. However, in general a large number of women are illiterate. They do not possess
any skills or training. Such women have to take up low paid jobs generally in unorganized
sectors of the economy. Also they are subjected to job insecurity.

Q16. Outline the strategies of the Tenth Five Year Plan to promote education.
Ans. The Tenth Five Year Plan aims to:
a) Increase the number of schools and colleges.
b) Quality improvement
c) Vocationalisation of education
d) Promotion of distant education e) Convergence between formal and non – formal system of
education
f) Adoption of state specific curriculum

Q17. ‘Unemployment rate in India is low.’ Explain.

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Ans. Unemployment rate in India is low as compared to other countries. In fact India
experiences a large rate of under- employment. This is because of the following reasons:

a) A poor cannot afford to sit unemployed for a long period of time. He has to find work for his
subsistence. Therefore, he accepts whatever job comes his way. It may be a low productivity,
low paid job. It may involve much hard work without sufficient remuneration. A poor man
would be compelled to accept it. He would be recorded as employed and not as unemployed.

b) A major part of our labour force is engaged into agriculture. In agriculture it is difficult to
identify who is employed and who is unemployed, although all persons will be reported as
employed. The reality is that a large portion of the agricultural labour force is disguisedly
unemployed.

Q18. Distinguish between disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment.

Ans. Disguised unemployment is a situation where the number of people employed in a job is
more than what is optimally required. E.g. suppose on a given farm land, one farmer cultivates
the land and manages to produce 5000 kg of wheat. Soon, two other members of his family join
him and share his work. The total output remains as before i.e. 5000 kg. It means that these
two additional labourers are not making any contribution to the total output. They work as
extras on land. These two persons will be called as disguisedly unemployed. Seasonal
unemployment refers to a situation where a large number of people are unable to find a job
during some months of the year. E.g. agriculture is a seasonal activity. There is an increased
demand for labour at the time of sowing, harvesting, weeding and threshing. In between there
is either no or little demand for labour. Agricultural labourer finds himself as unemployed
during this period. It is called seasonal unemployment.

Q19. Why is educated unemployment a peculiar problem in India?

Ans. Educated unemployment is a situation where a person has some formal education but fails
to find a job for himself. India is experiencing this problem mainly because of the following
reasons: Much of the education is of low-quality. There is rarely any vocation element in it.
Therefore, much of education is irrelevant. The rate at which the white collar jobs are created
in India is much less than the rate at which the population and education is increasing.

Q20. How does unemployment adversely affect an economy?

Ans. Unemployment adversely affects in an economy in the following ways:

a) It leads to the wastage of national resources. Human beings represent a national resource.
When in a job, contribute to the generation of national product. But when unemployed, their
potential contribution to the economy’s growth remains zero.
b) An employed person is a human resource and therefore an asset for the economy. An
unemployed person is a liability. He does not contribute to the national product. Rather puts a
pressure on the natural resources for his survival.

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c) More the unemployed persons in an economy, more persons are dependent on others.
More of the income gets consumed and only a little is saved. Little savings means that only little
is available for investment.

Q21. What are the causes of unemployment in our economy?

Ans. Rapid growth of population cuts away our limited and existing and limited resources,
retards capital formation, leaves no surplus and causes unemployment.
a) Slow rate of economic growth. India is a slowly growing economy. This slow economic
growth is neutralized by our rapid growth of population.
b) Overdependence on agriculture. Over 60% of the Indian population is dependent on
agriculture for their livelihood. Seasonal character of agriculture and disguised unemployment
in agriculture are the causes of unemployment in our country.
c) Under-developed industries. Industrial development in India is very slow due to shortage of
capital, essential inputs, power shortage, shortage of raw materials, outdated machinery, sick
industrial units etc. Hence, job opportunities are very limited in industrial sector.
d) Defective educational system. Our educational system is educated. It is not job-oriented. As
a result, we have a large number of educated unemployed.
e) Less savings, investment and capital formation. Our economy is characterized by low
savings due to low incomes and poverty, size of our families, less investment and almost no
capital formation.
f) Use of capital intensive technology. To earn huge profit and to save their industries from
labour unrest, frequent strikes, our industries are switching over to capital intensive
technology.

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 3. POVERTY AS A CHALLENGE

Question and Answer.

Q.1. Describe how the poverty line is estimated in India.

Ans. Estimation of Poverty Line in India : In India, poverty has been defined as a situation
in which a person fails to earn income sufficient to buy him bare means of subsistence.
Bare means of subsistence consist of minimum physical quantities of cereals, pulses, milk,
butter, etc. Thus the measurement of poverty line is based on the income or consumption
levels. While determining the poverty line, the Planning Commission has fixed the
minimum nutritional level of food energy at 2400 kilo calories per person per day for rural
areas and 2100 kilo calories per person per day for urban areas. Those persons whose
consumption levels falls below this minimum level are considered poor.
Poverty line has also been determined on the basis of consumption expenditure. This again
has been separately fixed for rural and urban areas. The level of consumption expenditure per
person per month has been fixed at Rs 328 and Rs 454 for rural and urban areas separately.
Those persons whose monthly consumption expenditure falls short of this level are treated as
poor.

Q.2. Do you think that the present methodology of poverty estimation is appropriate? Ans.
The official definition of poverty line is not appropriate, as it is based on the minimum
subsistence level of living rather than a reasonable level of living. It is suggested that the
concept of poverty must be broadened so as to include other indicators such as basic
education, health, drinking water, sanitation, etc. A large number of people may have been
able to feed themselves. But they do not have education, health care, job security, gender
equality, etc. Therefore, a proper definition of poverty should not only be given in terms of
income level but should be based on their factors also.

Q. 3.Discuss the major reasons for poverty in India.

Ans. Major Reasons or causes for Poverty in India are
1. Population, particularly among the poor, is considered one of the major causes behind
Indian poverty. Poor people are illiterate and have traditional outlook. Hence, they are either
ignorant of birth control measures or not convinced of the need of birth control. Moreover,
they consider male child as an asset, that is, as a source of income and a source of security
during old age.
2. Low Rate of Economic Development: The actual rate of growth in India has always been
below the required level. It has been around 4 per cent since 1951. This has resulted in less job
opportunities. This was accompanied by a high growth rate of population. These two
combined kept the growth rate of per capita income very low

3. Unemployment: Apart from agriculture, the industries also provide job opportunities, but
these are insufficient.

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4. Huge income inequalities: One of the major reasons for this is the unequal distribution of
land and other resources.

5. Other socio-cultural and economic factor which involves observing religious ceremonies
and fulfilling social obligations.

Q.4. Identify the social and economic groups which are most vulnerable to poverty.
Ans. Social Groups Vulnerable to Poverty :
(i) Scheduled caste households
(ii) Scheduled tribe households
Economic Groups Vulnerable to Poverty :
(i) Rural agricultural labour households
(ii) Urban casual labour households.

Q.5. Give an account of inter-state disparities in poverty in India.

Ans. There are wide disparities in poverty across the country.
1. The poverty ratio is not the same in every state. Recent estimates show that in 20 states
and union territories, the poverty ratio is less than the national average.
2. Orissa and Bihar continue to be the two poorest states with poverty ratios of 47 and 43 per
cent respectively.
3. In comparison, there has been a significant fall in poverty ratio in the states of Kerala,
Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal.
4. States like Punjab and Haryana have continuously succeeded in reducing their poverty ratio
to 6.16 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively with the help of high agricultural growth
rates.
5. In West Bengal, land reform measures have helped in reducing poverty.
6. The lowest incidence of poverty is found in Jammu and Kashmir with a poverty ratio of 3.5
per cent.

Q.6. Describe global poverty trends.

Ans. Global Poverty Trends:
1.The proportion of people in developing countries living in poverty has declined from 28 per
cent in 1990 to 21 per cent in 2001.
2. Although there has been a substantial reduction in global poverty, there are great regional
differences visible.
3. Poverty has substantially fallen in China and South-East Asian countries. The number of
poor in China has drastically come down from 606 million in 1981 to 212 million in 2001. But
the decline in poverty in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan has not
been so rapid.

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 Despite decline in the poverty ratio, the number of poor has declined marginally from 475
million in 1981 to 428 million in 2001.
However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty rose from 41 per cent to 46 per cent during the same
period.

Q.7. Describe the current government strategy of poverty alleviation. Ans.

Government Strategy towards Poverty Alleviation :
The current government strategy towards poverty alleviation has broadly been
twodimensional :
(1) Promotion of economic growth and, (2) Anti-poverty programmes.
1. Economic Growth : To fight against poverty our government laid emphasis on promotion of
economic growth. This strategy is based on the belief that the benefits of economic growth
would automatically ‘trickle down’ to the poor people in form of more employment and more
income.
2. Anti-Poverty Programmes : With a view to launch a direct attack on poverty, our
government formulated several schemes to benefit the poor. Important among them are :
1. Prime Minister Rojgar Yojana
2. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana
3. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana
4. Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana
5. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
Through the programmes, the government has tried to help the poor by way of
income generation, wage employment and asset building. However, the results of
their programmes have not been so satisfactory as desired.

Q.8. Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) What do you understand by human poverty?
(ii) Who are the poorest of the poor?
(iii) What are the main features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005?
(i)Human Poverty : Human poverty is a wider concept than poverty. It refers to the lack of
human development. It reflects the state of deprivation in the society. It is measured in
Human Development Index and Human Poverty Index.
(ii) The Poorest of the Poor : People from poor families like old people, women and female
infants are the poorest of the poor. These people are denied equal access to resources
available to the family.
(iii) Main Features of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005
(i) NREGA provides 100 days assured employment every year to every rural household in 200
districts. Later, the scheme will be extended to 600 districts. One-third of the proposed jobs
would be reserved for women.

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(ii) The central government will establish a National Employment Guarantee Fund. Similarly,
state governments will establish State Employment Guarantee Funds for the implementation of
the scheme.

Q9. Explain how poverty begets more poverty.

Ans. Poverty begets more poverty. It is both a cause as well as consequence of poverty. A
poor country cannot save much out of its national income. As a result, it suffers from
capital deficiency which adversely affects the level of production and income in the
country.

Q.10. Explain the concepts of :

(a) Social exclusion
(b) Vulnerability
Social Exclusion : According to this concept, poverty must be seen in terms of the poor who
have to live only in a poor surroundings with other poor people. Poor people are excluded
from better surroundings with better-off people. For example, in India people belonging to
certain castes are excluded from equal opportunities.

(b) Vulnerability : There is a greater possibility of remaining poor in case of certain

communities (such as members of a backward classes, widows, physically
handicapped persons). These groups of people face greater risks at the time of natural
disasters (earthquakes, tsunami). Thus vulnerability describes the greater possibility
of being adversely affected in comparison of other people in odd times.

Q.11. Who are poor in the rural areas?

Ans. In the rural sector, the poor include farm labourers, small and marginal farmers, rural
artisans, backward classes and backward tribes. They lack basic literacy and skills. They are
unable to find alternative employment elsewhere. They generally become victims of village
moneylenders.

Q.12. Who are poor in the urban sector?

Ans. In the urban sector, the poor consist of rickshaw-pullers, cobblers, street vendors, petty
self employed persons, domestic servants and low-paid workers working in factories or in
other occupations. They reside in poor localities where the conditions of living are very poor.

Q.13. Explain how the low level of education can be held responsible for poverty in India.
Ans. Low level of education of the poor is a major cause behind their poverty. Poor
people are illiterate. Because of their illiteracy, Indian farmers have failed to learn new
methods of cultivation. Even the village moneylenders succeed in cheating them quite

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easily. Moreover, poor parents are not able to send their children to schools. Because of
their illiteracy, poor people are employed as unskilled workers and are paid low wages.

Q.14. Suggest some measures to reduce regional poverty.

Ans. Measures to reduce regional poverty : Several states of India like Orissa, Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, etc., are economically very poor. To remove this
regional poverty the following measures may be suggested :
(a) More Central assistance and grants should be given to backward states.
(b) Special concessions may be given for investments in backward areas.
(c) Public sector enterprises should be set up in backward states.

Q.15. Discuss any three measures to reduce poverty in India.

Ans: More Industrialization: In order to remove poverty and unemployment, especially
in cities, more and more industries are to be set up.
• Improvement in Agriculture: While latest methods should be adopted in improving
agriculture, steps should also be taken so that land is provided to the tiller and it is not
concentrated in the hands of few rich farmers and landlords.
• Education: Education is must for removing any evil, including poverty and unemployment.
It must be made cheaper so that every person could get it easily.

Q.16. Mention any three features of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.
Ans. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 was passed in September 2005 with
the following features :
(i) It provides 100-days assured employment every year to every rural household
with the reservation for one-third of the proposed jobs for women.
(ii) The central government will establish a National Employment Guarantee Fund for
Women and state governments will establish State Employment Guarantee Funds
for implementation of the scheme.
(iii) If an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days, he/she will get
daily unemployment allowance.
Q.17. How is the regular growth of population one of the major causes of poverty?
Ans. Problem of high population growth is the major hurdle for economic growth in Indian
economy. This results in less job opportunities and low growth rate of incomes. These factors
in combination make the growth rate of per capita income very low. The failure on two fronts
– promotion of economic growth and population control perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
Rapid growth of population increases the number of job seekers and job opportunities are
again limited. So, population is one of the major causes of poverty in India.

Q.18. How the policies of colonial government were responsible for poverty in India? Ans.
Policies of colonial government is one of the historical reasons of poverty after and at
the time of British colonial administration.
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The policies of the colonial government ruined traditional handicrafts and discouraged
development of industries like textiles.
The low rate of growth persisted until the nineteen eighties. This resulted in less job
opportunities and low growth rate of incomes.
This was accompanied by a high growth rate of population. The two combined to make the
growth rate of per capita income very low. The failure at both the fronts – promotion of
economic growth and population control – perpetuated the cycle of poverty.

Q19. Explain three ways in which poverty can be estimated in India.

Ans. While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum level of food requirement,
clothing, footwear, fuel and light, educational and medical requirement etc. are determined
for subsistence.
(i) The calorie requirement depending upon the age, sex, area and type of work is the way
of estimating poverty. Average calorie requirement in India is 2400 per person per day in
rural areas and 2100 per person per day in urban areas.
(ii) Monetary expenditure per capita needed is also a way of estimating poverty. In the year
2000, poverty line for a person was fixed at Rs 328 per month for the rural areas and Rs
454 for the urban areas.
(iii) A uniform standard for poverty line is also used, which is given by international
organizations like World Bank. This is equivalent of $ 1 per person per day.

Q.20. ‘‘In poor families all suffer but some suffer more than others.’’ Explain.
Ans. Analysis of poverty on the basis of social exclusion and vulnerability shows that there
are people in our economy who suffer more than others. Socially excluded people due to
caste discrimination are excluded even from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others
enjoy. Vulnerability brings greater risks to the people at the time of natural disasters or
terrorism etc. Vulnerable groups lack social and economic ability to handle risks.

Q.21. What is poverty line? Give the income for poverty line fixed for the rural and urban areas
in India according to 2000.
Ans. A person is said to be poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given
‘‘minimum level’’ necessary to fulfils basic needs. Each country uses an imaginary line that is
considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social
In the year 2000, a family of five members living in rural areas and earning less than about Rs
1640 per month were below the poverty line, whereas in urban areas earning less than about
2270 per month in similar family were below the poverty line.

Q.22. ‘‘There is a strong link between economic growth and poverty reduction.’’ Explain. Ans.
Economic growth widens the opportunities and provides the resources needed to invest
in human development. This also encourages people to send their children, including the
girl child, to schools in the hope of getting better economic returns from investing in
education.
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Since eighties, India's economic growth has been one of the fastest in the world. The growth
rate jumped from the average of about 3.5% a year in the 1970s to about 6% during the
1980s and 1990s which significantly helped in the reduction of poverty.

Q.23. Give one positive and one negative side of poverty conditions in India, and mention the
major weaknesses of poverty alleviation programmes.
Ans. Positive aspect :(i) India's economic growth is one of the fastest in the world which helps
in reducing poverty.
Negative aspect :(i) Large number of poors live in villages and dependent upon agriculture
where growth is much below expectation.

Weakness of Poverty alleviation programme : Lack of proper implementation and right

targeting with lots of over lapping schemes.

Q.24. What are the main features of poverty in India?

Ans. Features of Poverty in India : Following are the main features of poverty in India. (1)
Declining Trend : The proportion of people below poverty line in India had variations. Poverty
ratio increased during the decade of the 1970s. It decreased sharply during the decade of the
1980s. During the decade of 1990s, there was first a rise following the period of economic
reforms and then a fall in the incidence of poverty. Since 1993-94, the total number of the
poor shows a declining trend.
(2) Inter-State Variations : Poverty is not equally distributed through the country. A
recent study shows that more than 90 per cent of India’s rural poor live in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Further, 50 per cent of India’s rural poor live in three states
(namely, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh). As against this, the poverty ratio in the
states of Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab and Haryana is quite low.
(3)Nature of Poverty: Poverty is visible both in our rural and urban areas. The rural poor
consist of people of low castes and tribal groups. The major group of the poor includes
landless agricultural labourers, small and marginal farmers, rural artisans, etc. In the urban
sector, the poor include largely unemployed, underemployed or persons employed in low
productivity occupations such as rickshaw pullers, cobblers, street vendors.

Q.25. How is the illiteracy responsible for Poverty in India? Explain.

Ans. Illiteracy is responsible for poverty in India as it causes the vicious circle of life where a
poor remains poor. Educated parents teach their children and make them more productive
towards the economic growth. They are more conscious about the education, health and
hygiene of their children. On the other hand, illiterate parents are not aware and conscious
about providing better education, health and hygiene facilities to their children. Thus they do
not look for other occupational facilities other than traditional one, therefore remain poor.
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 4. FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA

Question and Answer.

Q.1. When is food security ensured?

Ans. Food security is ensured under the following conditions:
a. Availability: When food is available in adequate quantity as well as quality to meet
nutritional and dietary needs
b. Accessibility: When food is within the reach of every person.
c. Affordability: When an individual has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious
food to meet one’s dietary needs.

Q.2. Which are the people more prone to food insecurity?

Ans. People more prone to food insecurity are:
(i) Landless and small farmers
(ii) Traditional artisans
(iii) Providers of traditional services
(iv) Petty self-employed persons and destitute including beggars.

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Q.3. Which states are more food insecure in India?
Ans. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, parts of
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are more food-insecure in India.

Q.4. Do you believe that Green Revolution has made India self-sufficient in foodgrains? How?
Ans. After Independence, Indian policy-makers adopted all possible measures to achieve
selfsufficiency in food grains. India adopted a new strategy in agriculture which resulted in
the Green Revolution. Green Revolution took place especially in the production of wheat
and rice. The core of this new strategy was the use of HYV seeds along with chemical
fertilizer and assured water supplies. As a result, total production of food grains increased
from 50.8 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 212.0 million tonnes in 2003-04. The largest
contribution came from wheat, whose production rose from 6.4 million tonnes to 72.1
million tonnes.

Q.5. A section of people in India are still without food. Explain.

Ans. Despite large increase in foodgrain production we find people without food in India. Poor
people suffer from chronic hunger. They find themselves unable to buy food. Over onefifth of
the country’s population still suffers from chronic hunger.

Q.6. Differentiate between seasonal hunger and chronic hunger.

Ans. Hunger has seasonal and chronic dimensions. Seasonal hunger is a consequence of
seasonal nature of work. For example, agriculture in India is seasonal occupation. Farm
labourers remain out of work during some months of the year. Hence, during off-season poor
people are not able to buy food. On the other hand, chronic hunger exists among people who
are not able to buy food because of their very low income. For example landless labourers earn
very less to earn enough for food.

Q.7. What has our government done to provide food security for the poor? Discuss any two
schemes launched by the government.
Ans. Our government has undertaken a number of measures to provide food security for the
poor. A brief account of these measures is given below:
1. Maintenance of Buffer Stock. Our government maintains buffer stock of foodgrains
through Food Corporation of India. The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in
surplus states and stores in granaries.
2. Public Distribution System (PDS). The food procured by the FCI is distributed among the
poor through ration shops. Presently, there are about 5.5 lakh ration shops in the country 3.
Nutritional Programmes. In order to provide nutritional security, our government has
launched various schemes. Mid-day meal scheme for schoolchildren, scheme for supply of
foodgrains to scheduled castes/scheduled tribes and special nutrition programmes for
pregnant/nursing mothers are examples of such schemes.

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4. Food for Work Programme: It was launched in 2004 in 150 most backward districts of the
country with the objective of intensifying the generation of wage employment.
5. In 2000, two special schemes were launched. One, Antyodaya Anna Yojana and second,
the Annapurna Schemes. The former relate to the poorest of the poor, while the latter targets
indigent senior citizens. The functioning of these two schemes was linked with the PDS. Under
AAY scheme, thirty-five kilograms of foodgrains are made available to each eligible family at a
rate of Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for rice. Under APS, 10 kilograms of food grains is
made available to eligible persons free of cost.

Q.8. Why is buffer stock created by the government?

Ans. The government creates buffer stock of foodgrains to protect the interest of both farmers
as well as consumers. Farmers’ interests are protected when they are assured to get a certain
minimum price for their crops. This price is called ‘minimum support price’. The interests of
the consumers are protected when the procured food is made available to the consumers at
subsidized rates. This task is done through fair price shops.

Q.9. What are the problems of the functioning of ration shops?

Ans. There are various problem of the functioning of ration shops such as ;
1. Ration cards are issued only to those people who have their proper residential
addresses. Hence a large number of homeless poor fail to get ration from these shops.
2. The owners of these shops sell ration in the open market at higher prices.
3. Sometimes shopkeepers make bogus entries in the ration cards.

Q10. Write a note on the role of cooperatives in providing food and related items. Ans. Role of
Cooperatives in providing food and related items is as follows: The cooperatives are playing an
important role in food security in India, especially in the southern and western parts of the
country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell goods to the poor people at lower prices.
For example, out of all fair price shops operating in Tamil Nadu, nearly 94 percent are being run
by the cooperatives. In Delhi, Mother Dairy is providing milk and vegetables to the consumers
at controlled prices which are decided by the Delhi Government. Amul is another example in
this regard. It has brought about the White Revolution in the country. There are many more
cooperatives and NGOs also working intensively towards this direction.

Q.11. What are the essentials of food security system?

Ans. Essentials of Food Security System are the following :
1. Increasing domestic production of food to meet its growing demand
2. Food should be available in adequate quantity as well as to meet nutritional requirements
3. Food should be available at reasonable prices
4. Buffer stock of food should be maintained

Q12. Why is there need for self-sufficiency in food grains in India?

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Ans. Need for self-sufficiency in foodgrains arises from the following :

(i) to feed growing population

(ii) to fight against any natural calamity
(iii) to reduce import of foodgrains
(iv) to control prices of foodgrains

Q13. The task of attaining self-sufficiency in foodgrains in future seems to be difficult. Give two
reasons in support of this statement.
Ans. The task of attaining self-sufficiency in foodgrains in future seems to be difficult in India.
It is because :
(i) There has been a gradual shift from cultivation of food crops to cultivation of fruits,
vegetables, oil seeds and crops which act as industrial raw materials.
(ii) More and more land is being used for construction of factories, residential buildings,
etc.

Q.14. State three dimensions of food security.

Ans. Three dimensions of food security :
(i) Availability of food : There should be enough stocks of food items in the country through
good production, through imports or previous year's stock stored in government godowns.
(ii) Accessibility of food : Food should be within the reach of everybody.
(iii) Affordability of food : The prices of different food articles should be such that every
individual is able to buy them. The foodgrain items should be within the reach of the people.

Q.15. Why has Public Distribution System been criticised? Explain any three reasons. Ans.(i)
Market ineffectiveness of PDS : Average consumption of PDS grain at all India is only 1 kg per
person per month. Average consumption figure in the states of Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh
is only 300 gms, while in states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu this figure is 3-4 kg per
person per month. As a result, the poor has to depend on markets rather than ration shops.
(ii) With the introduction of three types of cards and three different prices for the same
articles to the different people, any family above the poverty line gets very little discount at the
ration shop.

(iii) PDS dealers malpractices: The ration shop dealers resort to malpractices. They divert the
grains to the open market to get a better margin, selling poor quality grains at ration shops.

Q.16. What is the difference between chronic and seasonal hunger?

Ans. Chronic Hunger: When diet is inadequate in terms of quantity or quality, it is called chronic
hunger. Usually poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their low income and as a

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result their inability to buy food even for their survival. This type of hunger is more or less of a
permanent nature and presents throughout the year.
Seasonal Hunger: Seasonal hunger persists only during a particular period of the season. It is
linked with the cycles of food growing and harvesting. In rural areas, the seasonal hunger is
prevalent because of the seasonal nature of agricultural activities. The gap between the sowing
season and the reaping season is marked by seasonal hunger.

Q.17. What is buffer stock? Why is it created by the government?

Ans. Buffer stock is the stock of foodgrains, namely wheat and rice procured by the
government through Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases wheat and rice from
the farmers in states where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced
price for their crops. Buffer stock is created to distribute foodgrains in deficit areas and among
the poorer strata of society at price lower than the market price. It is also used at the time of
adverse weather conditions.

Q.18. Discuss the role of government in the stabilization of food grain prices. Ans.
Government's Measures to Stabilize food grain prices.
Our government has adopted the following measures to stabilise food grain prices. (i) The
government has often resorted to import of food grains whenever it became necessary. For
example, it entered into the PL 480 agreement with USA in 1956 to import food grain to face
food crisis in the country.
(ii) It tries to maintain price stability through buffer stocks. It buys food grains during crop
season when prices fall and sell them when prices tend to rise in times of shortage. Had the
government not purchased the food grains, their prices might have fallen due to increased
supply in the market. Similarly, in the times of shortage, when these food grains are supplied
to the consumers at subsidized prices, their prices do not raise much.

Q.19. Explain briefly the measures undertaken by the government to increase the production
and supply of foodgrains.
Ans. Government's measures to increase the production and supply of foodgrains Main steps
undertaken by the government in this regard are as follows :
(i) Land Reform Measures : Our government introduced several land reform measures soon
after independence to increase domestic production of foodgrains. These measures included (i)
abolition of intermediaries to transfer land to the actual tiller (ii) tenancy reforms to regulate
rents paid by the tenants to the landlords (iii) imposition of ceiling on landholdings to procure
surplus land for distribution among the landless.
(ii) Provision of Institutional Credit. To provide cheap and adequate agricultural finance many
institutional credit agencies were set up. The expansions of institutional credit to farmers were
made especially through cooperatives and commercial banks. As a result, the importance of
village moneylenders, who used to exploit the farmers by charging high rates of interest, has
drastically declined. Initially, only four percent of the total agricultural credit was advanced by

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cooperatives and commercial banks in 1950-51. Now their percentage share rose to 89 percent
in 2004-05.
(iii) New Agricultural Strategy. New agricultural strategy was introduced which resulted in the
Green Revolution, especially in the production of wheat and rice. Total production of foodgrain
has increased from 50.8 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 212.0 million tonnes in 2003-04.

Q.20. Explain the paradox of excess stocks of food grains and starvation. Ans.
Paradox of Excess Stocks and Starvation.
1. India has experienced a paradoxical situation in recent years. While the granaries of the
government are overflowing with excess foodgrain stock, we also find people without food.
2. The main reason for this unfortunate situation is that many poor families do not have
enough purchasing power (i.e. money income) to buy food. Over one-fifth of the country’s
population suffers from chronic hunger. They have to go to their beds with empty stomach.

3. A good food security network, therefore, should not only ensure adequate physical
availability of food but also increase the capabilities of the poor to buy food.
4. To tackle this unfortunate situation, our government has launched several special poverty
alleviation programmes. These programmes aim at increasing income of the poor so as to
enable them to buy food.

Q.21. What are the major functions of the Food Corporation of India? Ans.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has the following major functions :
i) FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production.
(ii) They announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) on which government buy the surplus from
the farmers.
(iii) They keep the record and maintain the buffer stock.

Q.22. Describe four main advantages of the Public Distribution System. Ans.
The main advantages of Public Distribution System are :
i) It is the most effective instrument of government policy over the years in stabilizing prices
and making food available to consumers at affordable prices.
(ii) It averts widespread hunger and famine by supplying food from surplus regions of the
country to the deficit ones.
(iii) It revises the prices of food grains in favour of poor household.
(iv) The declaration of minimum support price and procurement has contributed to an increase
in food grains production and provided income security to farmers in certain regions.

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