Social Science: Std.

IX Economics Chapter -3 Poverty as a challenge:

What are the two social indicators of poverty?

Answer: Common Indicators like level of income, level of consumption and Social indicators like level of illiteracy, lack of
general resistance due to malnutrition, lack of access to health care and sanitation, lack of access to safe drinking water.
What is the basis of poverty analysis?
Answer: The two basis of poverty analysis are: Social exclusion and Vulnerability to poverty.
Social Exclusion: It is a process where people are excluded from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others enjoy.
Vulnerability to poverty: It is a measure describing the greater probability of certain communities or individuals of
becoming or remaining poor in the coming years. It is further analyzed on the basis of the greater risks faced at the time
of natural disasters by these groups.
Poverty Line: It is an estimated minimum level of income needed to fulfill basic needs of life.
Vulnerable groups: Social groups such as : Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and Economic groups such as Rural
agricultural labour and Urban casual labour.
What is poverty? Answer: It is a situation when a person remains unable to afford for his basic daily basic necessities.
Economic growth: It is a term which define an increase in real output of a country.
What are the causes of poverty? Answer: Poverty caused due to:
i) Low level of economic development under the British rule.
ii) Decline of traditional handicrafts.
iii) Unequal and irregular success of Green Revolution.
iv) Industries providing inadequate jobs.
v) Huge income inequalities.
vi) Borrowings by the poor leading them to indebtedness.
What are the measures for removal of poverty? Answer: To remove poverty govt. has undertaken the following
measures:
i) Promotion of economic growth
ii) Targeted Anti-poverty programmes such as: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme Act, 2005(MGNREGA),
What are the issues related to poverty? Answer: The following issues are related to poverty:
i) Landlessness ii) Unemployment iii) Size of families iv) Illiteracy v) Poor health/ malnutrition vi)
Helplessness
What do you mean by Social Exclusion? Answer: Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of
poverty in the usual sense. Broadly, it is a process through which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities,
benefits and opportunities that others (their “betters”) enjoy.
What is vulnerability to poverty? Answer: Vulnerability to poverty is a measure, which describes the greater probability
of certain communities (say, members of a backward caste) or individuals (such as a widow or a physically handicapped
person) of becoming, or remaining poor in the coming years.
In short: It is a measure which describes the greater probability of certain communities or individuals of becoming or
remaining poor in the coming years.
Who is a poor? Answer: A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given
“minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs.
NSSO: National Sample Survey Organization conducts surveys related to analysis of poverty level.
What does the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations Call for? Answer: The Millennium Development
Goals of the United Nations Calls for reducing the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day to half the 1990 level
by 2015.
What is the basis of the current anti-poverty strategy of the government ?Answer: The current anti-poverty strategy of
the government is based broadly on two planks such as i) promotion of economic growth ii) targeted anti-poverty
programmes.
Promotion of economic growth: To promote economic growth, the government is giving stress upon universalisation of
education, to increase net attendance ratio and maximize human resource development.
Targeted anti-poverty programmes: So many schemes are introduced by the government to achieve this such as NREGA-
2005, NFWP-2004, NREGA -2004, PMRY-1993, REGP- 1995, SGSY-1999, PMGY-2000 AAY-2000 etc.

What poverty really means to people? Answer: Poverty really means to people as a “minimum subsistence level of
living rather than a reasonable level of living. Minimum subsistence level of living refers to the minimum basic necessities
on must get to be fulfilled such as food , cloth, shelter, education, health facilities, job security etc. but reasonable level
of living refers to apart from the minimum subsistence level of living one must get to be fulfilled the followings: free from
caste and gender discrimination, free from child labour, security, equality and life with full of dignity etc.
What is Human Poverty? Answer: Human poverty refers to a broaden concept of poverty where a large number of
people may have been able to feed themselves or get their minimum subsistence level of living but they have also live
with full of dignity, security, social equality, free from any discrimination etc.
Social Science: Std. IX Economics Chapter -4 Food Security in India:
What is food security? Answer: The availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times is called
food security.
What are the two dimensions of food security? Ans: Poverty and hunger are the two dimensions of food security.
Chronic hunger: It is the consequence of a diet regularly deficient in quantity and quality due to lack of income.
Green Revolution: To attain self sufficiency in food grains and have the buffer stock, the govt. of India has started this
campaign to bring out remarkable increase in food production especially wheat and rice.
Buffer stock: It is the stock of food grains (wheat and rice) procured by government (through FCI) from surplus producing
states for distribution (through PDS) to deficit states and the poorest sections of society.
Minimum Support Price: The pre-announced price, paid by the government to farmers is called Minimum Support
Price(MSP).
PDS: The system of distribution of food procured by the FCI among the poorer section of society is called the Public
Distribution System(PDS).
Ration Shops: The shops who keeps stock of food grains, sugar, kerosene etc. to be sold to people at a price lower than
the market price are known as fair price shops/Control shops or Ration shops.
What are PAPs? : PAPs or Poverty Alleviation Programmes of govt. comprising components of food security such as:
ICDS: Integrated Child Development Service, FFW: Food for Work, MDM: Mid day Meals, AAY: Antyoday Anna Yojana etc.
Grain Bank: It is a mechanism for decentralized storage and management of grains at the village level, to address
transient food insecurity and provide immediate relief during emergencies.
Seasonal hunger: Seasonal hunger refers to the condition that is prevalent more in rural areas with the cycles of food
growing and harvesting. In seasonal hunger people are able to get food grains for a particular period of the year but in
the rest part of the year the stock of grains are over and they became food insecure.
What is hunger? Ans: Hunger refers to the condition of food insecurity. It is another aspect of indicating food insecurity.
It is not just an expression of poverty as it brings poverty.
Why is there the need of food security? Ans: Food security is needed to meet the emergencies of food demand,
shortage of food grains , prevent starvation and famines.
Who were the most affected people by the most devastated famine of Bengal in 1943? Ans: The agricultural labourers,
fishermen, transport workers, casual labourers of rural and urban areas.
The states who achieved the highest rate of growth in food grains production during Green Revolution: Punjab and
Haryana
Two components of food security system: Buffer stock and Public Distribution System
Issue Price: Issue Price is the price at which the govt. provides food grains to the poorer sections of the society through
PDS.
Fair Price Shops: Fir Price Shops are the ration shops/control shops which have been opened by the govt. to provide food
grains to the poor sections of the society with the lower price than the market price.
Subsidy: It is a payment that a govt. makes to a particular producer to supplement the market price of a commodity.
Co-operative societies: The societies which are run by the local people in a co-operative basis. With the fund of the local
people, these societies provide the basic necessities of life such as food grains, milk and vegetables at reasonable prices.
Food Corporation of India: It is a govt. agency which purchases food grains from the farmers wherever they are in
surplus and distributes those in the deficit areas.
Ration card: It is a special type of identity card and a record which states the category of a person in which he /she falls
under such as BPL/APL/AAY etc. benefit scheme of the govt.
NGO: NGOs are the non-governmental organizations working intensively along with the govt. to ensure food security of
India.
Constitutional Design:
What type of Constitution is there in South Africa? Ans: Democratic Constitution
How many years Nelson Mandela spent in prison and for what reason? Ans: Nelson Mandela spent twenty eight years in
prison raising his voice against apartheid.
Apartheid: A policy of racial discrimination practised by South African white government.
On what basis Apartheid was practised in South Africa? Ans: The policy of racial discrimination had been practised in South
Africa in the following manner:
i) Imposed by the whites who settled in South Africa and later became local rulers.
ii) Skin colour was made the basis of discrimination.
iii) The people are segregated as Blacks- 3/4th of the population, Whites- very small in number and Colours- Migrated
people from India.
iv) Blacks and coloured had no voting rights, had separate schools, hotels, beaches etc.
v) No rights to form associations or associations or to protest.
vi) African National Congress led the struggle against racial segregation- Apartheid.
vii) Apartheid was declared unjust by many countries.
viii) Whites continued their racist regime by detaining, torturing and killing Blacks and Coloureds.
What are the phases of the making of a new Constitution in South Africa? Ans: A new Constitution is made in South Africa
by the following phases:
i) Struggles and protests made the white regime unstable.
ii) Policies changed, laws repeated, restrictions on Mandela lifted.
iii) Mandela freed from prison.
iv) New flag of South Africa unfurled, Apartheid ended.
v) Blacks appealed to their fellows to forgive whites.
vi) Pledged to build a new South Africa based on democratic values.
vii) Both blacks and Whites worked together for a common constitution.
viii) South Africa became a model democracy.
What is Constitution? Ans: A Constitution is a set of rules and regulations according to which the government of a country
functions.
Why do we need a Constitution? Ans: We need a Constitution because:
i) It generates a degree of trust and coordination which is necessary for different kinds of people to live together.
ii) The constitution specifies how the government will be constituted and what power each organ will have and who
will take what decision.
iii) It also defines the responsibilities of these three organs of the government i.e. legislature, executive and judiciary.
iv) It regulates the relationship between three organs and also with the people.
v) It also tells us about the rights and duties of the citizens.
vi) It limits the powers of the government and tells us about the rights of the citizens.
vii) The Indian Constitution also protects the interests of minorities, the backward classes and weaker sections.
What do you know about Nelson Mandela? Ans: We know Nelson Mandela was the first President of South Africa and he was
also worked as Secretary General in UNO. But before that:
i) He was tried for treason by the white south African government.
ii) He along with seven others were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964, for daring to oppose the apartheid
regime in South Africa.
iii) He spent twenty eight years in Robben Island- South Africa’s most dreaded prison.
iv) He was released after 28 years from jail. At the midnight of 26th April 1994, South Africa become independent and
Nelson Mandela became its first President.
Mention any three changes that brought in the Constitution of South Africa after 1994: Ans: Any three changes that brought
in the Constitution of South Africa after 1994 were as follows:
i) Discretionary laws were repealed.
ii) Ban on political parties and restrictions on media were lifted.
iii) Nelson Mandela was released after 28 years from jail.
Treason: Betrayal of one’s own country or region.
What is Drafting Committee? Ans: It was a committee that formed to prepare a draft of the constitution for India for
discussion.
i) It was formed from among the members of the Constituent Assembly under the Chairmanship of Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar.
ii) The members worked for 114 days spread over three years to draft the Constitution of India.
iii) There were several rounds of thorough discussions on the draft of the Constitution clause by clause.
iv) Then it was presented to the public to get their opinion.
What was Constituent Assembly? Ans: The Assembly formed by the elected representatives to draft the Constitution of India.
What are the guiding values of our Constitution? Ans: There are two guiding values of our Constitution such as:
i) Gandhian guiding values: Mahatma Gandhi though not in Constituent Assembly, still members follow his vision of
social, economic, political and cultural equality.
 ii) J. N. Nehru’s guiding values: J.N. Nehru in his Tryst with Destiny speech pledged among other s for dedication,
humanity and responsibility.
What is Preamble? Ans: It is the introductory part of Indian Constitution. It is the soul of our constitution and philosophy of
our constitution. It is a preface or introductory document of the constitution that reflects the basic idea of the constitution.
Electoral Politics:
Why do we need elections: Ans: We need elections because:
i) To choose who will make laws for the country.
ii) Who will form the government and take major decisions.
iii) To choose the party that will guide the government and law- making.
What makes an election democratic? Ans: A democratic election must have the followings:
i) Everyone should have one vote and each vote should have one value.
ii) Parties and Candidates should be free to contest elections.
iii) Elections should be free and fair.
iv) Candidates preferred by the people should be elected.
v) Election should be held at regular intervals.
Is it good to have a political competition? Discuss its merits and demerits Ans: Electoral competition is good but it has some
merits and demerits such as:
Merits:
i) Political leaders are rewarded for serving people and punished for not doing so.
ii) Provides incentives to parties & leaders.
iii) Important issues are raised.
iv) Forces parties and leaders to serve people.
Demerits:
i) Creates sense of disunity and factionalism.
ii) Allegations against each other.
iii) Use of dirty tricks to win.
iv) Does not allow formulating sensible long term policies.
What is our election system? Ans:
Our election system has undergone the following patterns.:
i) Country is divided into electoral constituencies.
ii) Reserved Constituencies.
iii) Seats reserved for women and OBC in local bodies.
What is unfair election process? Ans: An election is said to be unfair if:
i) Inclusion of false names is there in the voter’s list.
ii) Misuse of government facilities.
iii) Excessive use of money.
iv) Rigging on polling day.
What are the challenges to free and fair election? Ans: An election is said to be free and fair if there is no:
i) Use of Money and Muscle power.
ii) Family dominance in political parties.
iii) Elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens.
iv) Smaller parties suffer.
What is Bi-election? Ans: If any elected MLA or MP dies or resigns from his constituency, then it remains vacant and to fill up
that vacant seat when election is conducted that is called as bi-election.
What is the election process of India? Ans: In India the following election process is practised:
i) Preparation of Voter’s list.
ii) Issue of Election Voter’s Identity Cards.
iii) Nomination papers are filled by candidates.
iv) Election campaign is to be carried out.
v) Code conduct has to be followed.
vi) Polling and counting of votes and declaration of results.
Physical features of India:
Theory of plate tectonic: The earth’s crust has been formed out of seven major and some minor plates.
Types of plate movements: There are three types of plate movements. Such as:
i) Convergent boundary: When two plates come towards each other. It leads to collision; crumbs or one plate
may slide under the other. Resulting into folding, faulting and volcanic activity.
ii) Divergent boundary: When two plates move away from one another. It leads to faulting or breaking of rocks.
iii) Transform Boundary: When two plates move past horizontally.
What are the major physiographic divisions of India? Ans: The major physiographic divisions of India are:
i) Northern Mountains of India
ii) Northern Plains of India
iii) Peninsular Plateau of India
iv) Coastal Plains of India
v) Great Indian Desert.
vi) Island Groups of India.
Northern Mountains of India: These are young fold mountains. Loftiest and most rugged. There are three ranges
such as a) Himadri- The greater Himalayas b) Himachal- Lesser Himalayas C) Shiwalik- Outer Himalayas.
Division of Himalayas on the basis of demarcation of rivers: On the basis of demarcation of rivers, Himalayas are
divided into five such as:
a) Punjab Himalayas b) Kumaon Himalayas c) Nepal Himalayas d) Assam Himalayas e) Purvanchal
Divisions of Northern Plains of India on the basis of Rivers: Northern Plains of India are divided into three on the
basis of Rivers such as : a) Punjab Plains b) Ganga Plains C) Brahmaputra Plains
Divisions of Northern Plains of India on the basis of relief: Northern Plains of India are divided into for on the basis
of relief such as : a) Bhabar b) Terai c) Bangar d) Khadar
Division of Peninsular Plateau of India : Peninsular Plateau of India are divided into two such as a) Central High lands
and b) Deccan Plateau
Division of Coastal Plains of India: Coastal Plains of India are divided into two such as a) Western Coastal Plains and
b) Eastern Coastal Plains
Division of Island groups of India: Island groups of India are divided into a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Bay of
Bengal on the east) and b) Lakshadweep Islands/ Coral Islands( Arabian Sea on the west).
Delta: A triangular landmass surrounded by the river on three sides and formed by the river at its mouth.
Doab: The land between two rivers. Do means two and Ab means water/river
Glacier: A slow moving river of snow and ice formed above sea level.
Folds and Faults: These are geological features developed through tectonic activity.
Gorge/ Canyon: A deep I-shaped valley having steep vertical walls on either side of the river. It is formed by the
erosive activity of a river.
Igneous rocks: Rocks formed by the cooling and solidification of magma. They are crystalline in nature.
Estuary: A funnel-shaped valley found at the mouth of the river, where the sea water meets with the river water. The
strong current of the sea takes away the sediments.
Pass: A narrow gap or opening between high mountains.
Tributaries: Small streams or rivers which join the main river.
Metamorphic Rocks: A rock formed when sedimentary and igneous rocks change their original characteristics and
appearance as a result of high heat, pressure and chemical reactions.
Sedimentary rocks: Rocks formed by consolidation of the sediments brought down by the rivers . These rocks are
always found in layers.
Gondwana land: It is the southern part of the ancient super continent Pangea with Angara Land in the northern part.
Duns: The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalayas and Shiwaliks are known as duns.
Tarai : it is a part of Northern plains along the foothills of the Himalayas. It is generally a marshy area with thick
growth of forest and wildlife.
Bhabar: A division of northern plains along the foothills of shiwaliks from river Indus to Tista. It has porpos bed and
contains pebbles.
Khadar: The younger alluvium of the flood plains which has fertile soil but is subject to floods.
Bangar: The older alluvium of the northern plains.It forms alluvial flats uplands above the level of the flood plains
and contains Kankar.
Landslides: In the hilly regions, due to heavy rainfall, the unconsolidated material from the hills falls apart and is
called landslide. Landslides mostly occur in shiwaliks.
Drainage:
Drainage: Drainage refers to the flow of river system of an area.
Watershed: A higher ground separating two adjoining drainage systems of a river basin.
Perennial rivers: Rivers which are both snow-fed and rain fed and have continuous supply of water throughout the
year.
Peninsular Rivers: All the rivers flowing in the Deccan Plateau are non-perennial or seasonal as their flow is mainly
depend upon rainfall. They are rain-fed and fluctuate in their volume.
Lagoons: Shallow salt water lakes almost cut off from the sea by a bitch or reef.
Rain Basin: An area drained by a single river with its tributaries.
Inland Drainage: When the rivers do not have sufficient water to reach a sea or an ocean but instead flow into a lake
or end up in an arid region, it forms inland drainage .
Dendritic drainage: It is a river system in which a number of streams (tributaries) join the main river to form a
pattern that looks like a tree with its spreading branches.
Trellis Drainage: It is ariver system in which the main river is joined by (Streams, tributaries) flowing in sub-parallel
valleys. The streams follow a rectangular trellis pattern.
Silt: A layer of very fine particles, coarser than clay but finer than sand. Silt is often carried and deposited by rivers.
Trough: Lower part of a wave between crests. An elongated low area made by erosional activity of a river.
Indus River: Length- 2,900 km. It rises from Tibet near Mansarowar lake. It enters India in Ladakh region of J& K. Its
tributaries are: The Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyok and the Hunza in Kashmir. River Indus ultimately drains into the
Arabian sea east of Karachi forming a delta in Pakistan.
Ganga River: Length- 2,500 km. Head water of river Ganga is Bhagirathi fed by the Gangotri Glacier. It joins by
Alkananda at Dev Prayag in Uttrakhand. It’s tributaries are: The Yamuna, the Ghagra, the Gnadak and the Kosi.
Tributaries come from Peninsular India are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son. Joined by all its tributaries, the
Ganga river enters Bangladesh where it is joined by Brahmaputra river.
Brahmaputra River: It rises in Tibet east of Mansarowar lake. At Namcha Barwa it takes U-turn to enter India in
Arunachal Pradesh through a Gorge. In Arunachal Pradesh it is called Dihang. It’s tributaries are: the Dibang, the
Lohit, The Kenula, and many others in Assam.
The Largest Delta: Both the rivers the Ganga and the Brahmaputra froms Sundarbans, the largest and fastest
growing delta in the world. It is named as Sundarbans delta because of the widely available Sundari tree or
Mangrove tree.
Salt water lakes or lagoons of India: Chilka Lake, Pullicat lake, Kolleru Lake.
Fresh water Lakes of India: Wular lake, Dal Lake, Bhimtal Lake, Naini Tal Lake, Loktak Lake and Barpani Lake.
Man-made lakes of India: Guru Govind Sagar Lake of Bhakra Nangal dam

Climate:
What is climate? Ans- It is the sum total of weather conditions over a large area for a longer period of time i.e. 30 to
40 years.
What is weather? Ans- It is the state of the atmosphere over a small area at a given time. It varies from place to
place and time to time.
 Elements of Climate and weather:
i) Temperature, ii) Atmospheric pressure, iii) Wind , Iv) Humidity, v) Precipitation
Climatic controls:
i) Latitude, ii) Altitude, iii) Pressure and wind, iv) Distance from the sea, v) Relief, vi) Ocean currents
Factors affecting India’s climate:
i) Latitude, ii) Altitude, iii) Pressure and winds
Pressure and winds are of four types. Such as:
i) Pressure and surface winds, ii) Upper air circulation, iii) Western cyclonic disturbances, iv) Typical cyclone
Monsoon: It refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction during a year.
Important factors to understand monsoon mechanism:
i) Different heating and cooling of land and water ii) Shift in the position of ITCZ iii) High pressure are east of
Madagascar iv) Tibetan plateau gets intensely heated v) Movement of the westerly jet stream of the north
of the Himalayas vi) Tropical easterly jetstream over the Indian peninsula
Four seasons of India:
i) Hot weather season(Summer) March to May: Temperature increases from South to North, Loo started
blowing in the North and North western parts of India, Kaal Baisakhi observed in West Bengal , Mango
showers observed in Kerala and Karnataka, Pressure of wind remains low.
ii) Cold weather season( Winter) November to February: Temperature decreases from south to North. Warm
days, cold nights, fRost in North, Snowfall in Himalayas found. North- east trade winds flow. The cyclonic
disturbances cause winter rainfall, locally called Mahawat observed which is important for Rabi crops.
iii) Weather of Advancing Monsoon(Rainy season) June to September: South –east trade winds started flowing.
South-west monsoon brings rainfall in entire country except north-west. Breaking of monsoon brings wet
and dry spells. There are Tropical depressions. Monsoon remains uncertain and erratic.
iv) Weather of retreating Monsoon( Transition ) October to November: Temperature remains warm. Initially
there is low wind pressure and that is gradually replaced by high pressure. There is hot days, cool nights and
moist air found., October heat caused due to high temperature and humidity.
Continentality: It is a measure of the difference between continental and marine climates , characterized by the
increased range of temperatures that occurs overland compared with water, e.g. very hot during summer and very
cold during winters.
Coriolis Force : An apparent force that as a result of the earth’s rotation, deflects moving objects like air currents to
the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is known as Ferrell’s Law. This
law states that a wind in any direction tends to deflect towards right( west to east) in the Northern Hemisphere and
to the left in the southern hemisphere .
Jet Stream: These are a narrow belt of high altitude (above 12000 m) westerly winds in the troposphere. Their speed
varies from about 110 km/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter. A number of separate jet streams have been
identified . The most constant are the mid-latitude and the sub tropical jet stream.
ITCZ( Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) : A broad trough of low atmospheric pressure located in the equatorial region
where the North- easterly and South-Easterly trade winds converge , extending approximately 5⁰ North and South
of the equator . As warm, humid air converges on this zone, it rises and cools, forming clouds and causing frequent
heavy showers. This convergence zone lies more or less parallel to the equator but moves North or South with the
apparent movement of the sun.
Loo: Strong , hot, gusty and dry winds blowing over North and North –Western India.
Trade winds: Winds that blow steady from East to West towards the Equatorial Zone. These are caused by hot air
rising at the equator, with cool air moving in to take its place from the south.
October Heat: The hot and humid conditions which make the weather oppressive.
Precipitation: A deposit of rain, hail, mist, sleet or snow on the earth.
Southern Oscillation(SO): It is the reversal of pressure conditions and vice-versa in Southern Pacific ocean and
Eastern Indian Ocean.
EL Nino: It is a warm ocean current that flows past the Peruvian Coast in place of Cold Peruvian Current in every 2
to 5 years.