Important Questions: A shirt in the Market | Social Studies (SST) Class 7 PDF Download

Q1: Explain the chain of markets that links the cotton producer to the buyer at the supermarket. Does everyone benefit equally from this chain?
Ans: The chain involves cotton producers, traders, weavers, garment exporters, and foreign buyers. Not everyone benefits equally; some gain more profits while others, like farmers and weavers, may not.

Q2: Describe Swapna's experience as a cotton farmer in Kurnool. How does the local trader's influence impact her earnings?
Ans: Swapna borrows money for cultivation, agrees to sell all her cotton to the local trader, and faces challenges in getting a fair price. The trader's influence, including loans, affects her earnings.

Q3: Analyze the putting-out system in the weaving industry. How does it empower merchants and what challenges do weavers face?
Ans: The putting-out system involves merchants supplying raw materials and getting finished products from weavers. Merchants hold power, giving orders at low prices. Weavers lack information about the end buyers and prices.

Q4: Discuss the working conditions of the weavers and their earnings. How does dependence on merchants affect the weavers?
Ans: Weavers, working long hours, earn low wages. Dependence on merchants for both raw materials and markets leaves weavers with limited bargaining power.

Q5: Explain the role of the garment exporting factory near Delhi in the production chain. How does it deal with pressures from foreign buyers?
Ans: The factory receives cloth from Erode, makes shirts, and exports them. To meet demands from foreign buyers, the factory tries to cut costs by maximizing work at lower wages.

Q6: Calculate the profit for the foreign businessperson per shirt using the given information in the chapter.
Ans: The foreign businessperson's profit per shirt is Rs.900. (Sales price Rs.1,800 - Cost Rs.900 = Profit Rs.900)

Q7: Calculate the profit per shirt for the garment exporter based on the provided cost details.
Ans: The garment exporter's profit per shirt is 150. (Selling price 300 - Cost 150 = Profit 150)

Q8: Summarize who gains the most and the least in the market, considering the cotton farmer, weaver, merchant, garment exporter, and foreign businessperson.
Ans: The foreign businessperson gains the most, followed by the garment exporter. The cotton farmer and weaver earn comparatively less, and the merchant falls in between.

Q9: Discuss the concept of market and equality as mentioned in the chapter. How does the market impact different individuals differently?
Ans: The market offers opportunities for work and selling, but the rich and powerful often earn more. The poor, due to dependence, may face exploitation in terms of loans, raw materials, and employment.

Q10: Explain how dependence on the rich and powerful contributes to the exploitation of the poor in the market. Provide examples from the chapter.
Ans: The poor depend on the rich for loans, raw materials, and employment, leading to exploitation. Examples include Swapna's dependence on the local trader for loans and weavers relying on merchants for orders.

Q11: Suggest ways, based on the chapter, that individuals like Swapna and weavers could overcome their dependence and potential exploitation in the market.
Ans: Forming cooperatives of producers and ensuring strict adherence to laws are ways to overcome dependence and exploitation, as discussed in the chapter.

Q12: Discuss the significance of democracy in ensuring fair wages in the market, drawing examples from the experiences of Kanta and Swapna.
Ans: Democracy is crucial for ensuring fair wages. Without sufficient earnings, individuals like Kanta and Swapna may struggle to consider themselves equal to others.

Q13: Explain the challenges faced by temporary workers in the Impex garment factory near Delhi. How does their employment status impact their rights?
Ans: Temporary workers, mostly women, have uncertain employment, and they can be asked to leave at any time. Their status affects job security and rights.

Q14: Reflect on the implications of foreign buyers' strict conditions for quality and timely delivery on the garment exporting factories. How does this influence the factory's behavior?
Ans: Strict conditions from foreign buyers push garment exporting factories to cut costs and maximize profits by getting more work from labor at lower wages.

Q15: Based on the chapter, explain the role of cooperatives in addressing the issues faced by producers like Swapna and weavers.
Ans: Cooperatives can empower producers by providing collective bargaining power, enabling fair prices, and reducing dependence on individual traders. This helps in overcoming exploitation in the market.