Class 10 Economics Chapter 1 Question Answers - Development

Q1: What are the various social indicators of development?

Ans: Although the level of income is an important indicator of development, it is an inadequate measure of the level of development. Other social indicators are:

• Health and Education: People become human resources when investments are made in their health and education.
• Sex ratio: It is defined as the number of females per thousand males. An ideal sex ratio should be more or less an equal number of males and females. The sex ratio in favor of males indicates sex discrimination, which goes against development.

Q2: What is Sustainable Development? Why is the issue of sustainability important for development? Explain.

Ans:  Sustainable Development refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

1. Economic development is a continuous process. Resources are to be used in such a way that they are not exploited. At the same time development should not harm the environment. 
2. It is desirable because everyone would certainly like the present level of development to go further or at least be maintained for the future generations.

Q3: How are economic development and human development related to each other?
Ans: 

• Human development: It refers to the process of improvement in human beings. People become human resources when investments in them are made in the form of health and education.
• Life expectancy at birth, adult literacy rate, and per capita GDP are important indicators of human development. 
• Economic development: It will be sustainable if resources are managed in such a way that future generations do not suffer and have at least the same that present generations have.

Q4: Prove that development for some may be harmful to others.
OR
With the help of examples, two groups may have different notions of development.
OR
‘What may be development for one may not be development for the other’. Explain by giving examples.
Ans: It is true that development for one may not be development for the other. The following examples can prove this truth:

Construction of Dams:

• The construction of dams may be beneficial for industrialists and large farmers, but this may submerge the agricultural land and disrupt the lives of the people.
• More wages mean development for a worker, but it can go against the employer.
• A consumer wants to purchase different household articles at low prices, but a trader or seller wants to sell these items at a higher price.

Q5: Write the importance of human development index in three points.

Ans: Human Development Index is published by the UNDP. 

1. It indicates the level of development of a country. 
2. The report provide information about the different welfare elements such as education levels, health status and literacy level of a country.
3. It also provide information about the per capita income of a country.

Q6: What is the main concern with regard to sustainable development? 
Ans:

Save resources from depletion:

• The main concern of sustainable development is to save resources from depletion. 
• Development should take place but not at the cost of the environment. 
• Resources should be reserved for future generations. 

Q7: Mention in brief the factors which are important goals in our life. 
Ans:

• Desire for more income: People desire regular work, a good salary structure, and decent prices for crops or other products that they produce. We can say that there is a desire for more income. 
• Equal treatment: People also want equal treatment in society.  People want freedom, security, and respect for others.  They don’t expect discrimination. 

Q8: Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own examples related to development.
Ans: 

• Different countries have different populations, so calculating the average helps in getting an estimated answer, which can be used to compare different things at different levels. 
• There are limitations in calculating averages because we cannot know the difference in the income of the people and the unfair distribution of income in a country or state.
• For example, if we calculate the per capita income of two countries A and B with 5 people each, the salary of five people in country A is Rs.23,000, Rs.22,000, Rs.23,500, Rs.28,000 and Rs.25,000 and the income of people living in country B are Rs.1,50,000, Rs. 22,000, Rs.50,000, Rs.4000, Rs.2500. 
• The average income of country A will be Rs.24,300, and that of country B will be Rs.45,700. This proves that the average of country B is higher than that of country A, and yet there is a disparity in the income distribution of country B and the income is evenly distributed in country A.

Q9: 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, 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. 
• This is true because the literacy rate, infant mortality rate, healthcare facilities, etc. are better in Kerala than in Haryana. 
• The per capita income is only calculated by calculating the average income of the state, irrespective of any other factor.

Q10: 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 people in India include firewood, coal, petroleum, crude oil, and natural gas. 
• The other possibilities fifty years from now can be using solar energy and wind energy as a source for various energy forms. 
• This is because the current usage of sources of energy may result in the loss of these resources for future generations.

Q11: Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?
Ans: 

• Sustainable development refers to using natural resources in a manner so that they can be used by the present and future generations. 
• The issue of sustainability is important for development because if natural resources are not used carefully, they may not be available for future generations. 
• The depletion of a country's resources may ultimately result in a lack of development.

Q12: “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: 

• Development not just depends on the economic factors of a country but is also dependent on resources that are available for the people of a country to use. 
• The statement: “The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person,” is completely relevant in terms of the development of a country because natural resources are non-renewable resources. 
• It is the responsibility of the people to use them only to meet their needs and not to satisfy their greed. 
• If natural resources are not used wisely now, future generations may not be able to use them for their needs, which will result in the downfall of the development of a country.

Q13: Explain common, different and conflicting developmental goals by giving appropriate examples.

Ans: Developmental goals may be common, different, or conflicting.
(i) Common goals: People’s common goals are regular work, better wages, equal treatment, freedom, security, friendship, respect for others, etc. These are the things that are inspired by everyone.
(ii) Different goals: Development does not mean the same thing for every individual. It varies from person to person. For example, the developmental goals of landless rural farmers may be more days of work and better wages, a local school for their children, etc., while unemployed youth may aspire for better employment opportunities etc.
(iii) Conflicting goals: Different people could have different as well as conflicting notions of a country’s development.

Q14: Why are the countries of the Middle East not called developed countries in spite of higher per capita income? 

Ans: The countries in the Middle East are small, and there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor. Since these are oil-producing countries, they have higher per capita income. However, the wealth available in these countries is not equally distributed among people. As a result, some are very rich while others are very poor.

Q15: Define:  1. Infant Mortality Rate  2. Literacy Rate  3. Net Attendance Ratio  4. BMI

Ans: 

1. Infant mortality rate. It indicates the number of children that die before the age of 1 year as a proportion of 1000 live children bom in that particular year.
2. Literacy rate. It measures the proportion of literate population in the 7 and above age group.
3. Net Attendance ratio. It is the total number of children of age group 6 to 10 attending school as a percentage of total number of children in the same age group.
4. BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is calculated by dividing the weight of a person in kilograms (kgs) by the square of his/her height in metres. It is an indicator of the level of nourishment in adults.