Class X Economics Ch-1 Development

1. Development of a country can generally be determined by

c) Health status of its people. d) All of above

2. Which of the following neighbouring countries of India has better performance in terms of
human development than India ?
a) Bangla desh b) Sri Lanka. c) Nepal. d) Pakistan

3. Assume there are four families in a country. The average per capita income of these
families is Rs. 5000. If the income of three families is Rs. 4000,Rs. 7000 and Rs. 3000
respectively, what is the income of fourth family ?
a) Rs.7500 b) Rs. 3000. c) Rs 2000. d) Rs. 6000

4. What is the main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different countries? What
are the limitations of this criterion, if any?
Ans. The World Bank considers only per capita as an indicator of development. According to this criterion,
countries with a per capita income of US$ 49300 per annum or above in 2019, are rich countries and those
with a per capita income of US$ 2500 per annum or less are low-income countries. According to this
classification, India, with a per capita income in 2016 of just US $ 2047 per annum is considered a low
middle income country.

The limitations of this criterion are as follows:

1 It does not tell us how this income is distributed among the people in the different countries.

2 It covers only the economic aspect,ignoring important factor such as health, education,longevity etc.

5. In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development different
from the used by the World Bank?
Or
How is the developmental report published by the World Bank different from the one
published by UNDP.
Ans . According to the World Bank:

(a) Per capita income is the base for comparison. (b) It is a narrow concept of development. (c) Countries
have been divided into two categories, i.e., rich countries and low-income countries.

According to UNDP:
(a) UNDP takes education, health and the per capita income as the base.

(b) It is a broader concept of development.

(c) Countries have been ranked according to Human Development Index (HDI).

6. Why do we use average? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own
examples related to development.
Ans. When comparing two or more countries, total income is not a very useful measure. Countries have
different populations, so comparing total income will not tell us what an average person is likely to earn.
Are the people in one country better off than those in another country? A better and more accurate picture
can be obtained by computing the average income, which is the total income of the country divided by its
total population. However, averages too have certain limitations:

(a) They hide disparities. Suppose there are two countries, A and B. The monthly incomes in both the
countries are the same. However, in country A, most people have higher incomes while in country Ba few
people are extremely rich but most of the people are extremely poor with very less income. In such a
scenario, everybody would like to live in country A because it has a more equitable distribution of income
while in country B, there is a lot of difference between the incomes of the rich and the poor.

(b) Averages may hide disparities. For example, the infant mortality rate of a country does not differentiate
between the males and females born in that country. It does not tell us whether the children dying before
the age of one are boys or girls.

7. Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than
Haryana. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to
compare states. Do you agree? Discuss.
Ans. Kerala has a lower per capita income than Haryana but it ranks higher than Haryana as far as the
Human Development Index (HDI) is concerned. This does not mean that per capita income is not a useful
criterion. It is true that does have its limitations but to counter this inadequacy, HDI is used. HDI uses a
broader range of development factors, such as health, education, etc., for comparison. But per capita
income is one of the most important factors and cannot be ignored completely.

8. Find out the present sources of energy that are used by the people in India. What could be
the other possibilities fifty years from now?
Ans. The present sources of energy used by the people in India are as under:

aaponventional sources of energy:

i) Coal. ii) Petroleum. iii) Natural Gas. (iv) Electricity

b) Non conventional sources of energy:

i) Solar energy ii) Wind energy iii) Biogas (iv) Geothermal energy

v) Wave energy. (vi) Tidal energy (vii) Nuclear energy

9. Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?

(a) It takes care of the needs of the future generations.

(b) It promotes an efficient use of natural resources.

(c) It lays emphasis on quality life.

10. "The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the
greed of even one person." How is this statement relevant to the discussion of
development? Discuss.
Ans. This statement means that the resources are sufficient for everyone if they are used judiciously.
However, if the resources are misused or exploited by a few people, then the others in need would be
deprived of using them. Development that makes judicious use of e resources is called sustainable
development. Since our natural resources are vital for our survival and for the survival of all living things on
earth, we should use them wisely. Renewable resources such as groundwater are naturally replenished by
rain. However, even this precious resource is being overused in many parts of the world. Non-renewable
resources, on the other hand, are those resources that would get exhausted over time. In other words, we
have a fixed stock of them on earth and not be replenished, for example, crude oil.

Sustainable development can be achieved by making use of both renewable and non-renewable resources
in such a way that the ecological balance is not disturbed. Only then will development be meaningful.
Sustainable development will ensure that the fruit of our efforts is enjoyed by the present and future
generations.

11. List a few examples of environmental degradation that you may have observed around
you.
Ans. Misuse of the environment and natural resources leads to environmental degradation. Deforestation,
falling levels of groundwater, soil erosion, water pollution, burning of fossil fuels, the hole in the ozone
layer, air pollution caused by vehicles and factories,etc.are some examples of environmental degradation.

12. What does human development mean? Beside income, what do the people aspire for?
Ans. Human development means the development of an individual in such way that he or she can lead a
happy life according to his/her liking and aptitude. The measures of looking at development other than
income are quality of life and environmental sustainability. Beside income, people desire regular work,
higher wages and decent price for their crops or other products. Moreover, people also want equal
treatment, freedom, security and respect of others.
13. The average person in Punjab has more income than the average person in Kerala but
lags behind in other crucial areas. Why?
Ans.(a) This is because money cannot buy all the goods and services that we need to live a healthy and
happy life.

(b) Therefore, income in itself cannot be the only adequate indicator of the material goods and services that
citizens are able to use.

(c) For example, money cannot buy us a pollution-free environment or ensure that we get unadulterated
medicines, unless we can afford to shift to a community that already has all these things.

14. What is national development? What are the aspects covered under national
development?
Ans. National development comprise the ideologies of different persons about the country's development.
These int ideologies may be conflicting at times. National development is measured by average income and
per capita income.

The following aspects are considered under national development:

(a) How to decide in case of conflict.

(b) Whether there is a better way of doing things. (a) Whether the idea would benefit a large number of
people or only a small group.

15. "Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live
well." Is it t not? Elucidate.
Ans. Yes, it is true. Income alone is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services th
citizens are able to use. Normally, money cannot buy us a pollution-free environment or ensure that we g
unadulterated medicines. Money may also not be able to protect you from infectious diseases, unlew the
whole of your community takes preventive steps.

16. Mention any three characteristics of development.

(b) What may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may be even destructive
for the other.

(c) For development, people look at a mix of goals.

17. 'For development people look at a mix of goals.' Support the statement with suitable
examples.
Ans. It is true that if women are engaged in paid work, their dignity in the household and society increases.
However, it is also the case that if there is respect for women, there would be more sharing of household
work and a greater acceptance of women working outside. A safe and secure environment may allow more
women to take up a variety of jobs or run a business.

18. What is sustainable development? Why is the issue of sustainability important for
development?
Ans. Sustainable economic development means development should take place without damaging the
environment and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future
generation. Issue of sustainability is important and desirable for development for the following reasons:

(a) Economic development is a continuous process. Resources should be used in such a way that they are
not exploited. At the same time, development should not harm the environment.

b) It is desirable because everyone would certainly like the present level of development to go further or a
least be maintained for the future generations.

19. What is development? Why do different people have different developmental goals?
Explain with four examples
Ans. Development means continuous progress or increase in real per capita income. In other words, there is
improvement in the economic welfare of the people and their standard of living. The four characteristics of
development are as follows:

(a) Developmental goals are different for different people.

(b) What may be development for one may not be development for the other.

(c) For development, people look at a mix of goals.

(d) Different persons may have different and often conflicting notions of country's development.