RISHS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, MANGADU, CHENNAI – 122.

GRADE: 10
SUBJECT: SOCIAL(ECONOMICS)
TOPIC: DEVELOPMENT
Answer the following
1. What is meant by economic development?
Economic development refers to the adoption of new technologies from agriculture based to
industry based economy and improvement in lifestyle.
The two bases of measuring economic development of a country are
(i) Average or per capita income
(ii) National income and public facilities
2. Describe any three features of developed country.
(i) A developed country has a high literacy rate
(ii) Most of the people of a developed country are engaged in service sector
(iii) As per World Bank Report, any country with a per capita income of US$ 49,300 per
annum and above is termed as rich or developed country.

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

Answer: Sustainable development refers to using natural resources in a manner 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 resources of a country may ultimately result in a lack of
development of the country.

4. “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.

Answer: 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.
We are indulged in activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, overuse of groundwater, use
of plastics etc.. in the name of development.

The exploitation of natural resources harms the environment as well as affects the future
generations of the development process.

The development of all the countries would be at risk in case fossil fuels get exhausted.

It is the responsibility of the people to use them 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.

5. “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state

Environment is degraded through the depletion of resources like air, water and soil. It leads to
the destruction of the ecosystem and extinction of wildlife. It is now a global issue and has
been debated over decades. Environmental degradation is not restricted to the nation or state
boundaries.

Its consequences have been felt in the surrounding states and the neighbouring countries and
sometimes globally which are

(i) Pollution in one country may affect the other in the form of acid rain, climate change etc…

(ii) Deforestation in some countries may disturb the rainfall pattern in the surrounding
countries.

(iii) Large degradation and bursting of dam can bring massive flood like situation in
neighbouring areas.

(iv) Emission of greenhouse gases in one country can lead to global warming.

6. Explain with the help of some examples, how development could mean different
things to different people.

(i) Construction of dams may be development for some. It may be beneficial for the
generation of electricity. Urban areas may benefit from it but the rural areas may ne
submerged under water. (e.g) Narmada valley project

(ii) Multinational companies may be seen as a symbol of development. But these companies
hamper the small producers and retailers as they may not be able to compete with the huge
resource and modern technology.
(iii) A girl may try to seek freedom and opportunity as her brother for development, but this
notion may not be liked by his parents.

(iv) Women may seek desirable reservation in election to local bodies for their development.
Male dominated society may not approve it, fearing their power being divided.

7. “Average income is useful for comparison but it may hide disparities”. Support the
statement with suitable arguments.

Average income is useful for comparison but it may hide disparities. It does not give the true
picture of a country due to the following reasons:

(i) It does not tell us how equally or evenly income is distributed.

(ii) It does not give information regarding the human development index such as literacy rate,
infant mortality rate etc..

(iii) Average income does not give us any information regarding the non-materialistic goods
and services.

8. Suggest some ways to improve public facilities in India.

(i) Public Distribution System (PDS) such as ration shops through which basic food items are
supplied at very low price/sudsidised rate must be regulated properly so that the problems of
the people get rectified.

(ii) Adequate provisions of basic health and educational facilities must be provided.

(iii) Government must ensure law and order and provide security in order to maintain peace
in the country.

(iv) Transport facilities must be available to everyone easily even in the remotest of areas.
The availability of transport facility makes commute affordable anf hence bring down the
cost of accessing regular commodities.

9. How do different people have different development goals? Explain with example.

Ans: Different people have different developmental goals because of the following reasons

(i) Development of progress does not mean the same thing for every individual. Each
individual has his own idea of development.
(ii) People come from different economic and social backgrounds and their priorities and
aspirations vary.

(iii) People set their goals according to their changing situations and circumstances. For
example a rich family would always want to earn more luxuries but if they suddenly suffer a
huge loss their developmental goals will change to first secure a stable source of income
ensuring education for their children etc…

10. Why do people look at a mix of goals for development? Explain.

Though income is one of the most important components of development but there are other
important things. Such as

(i) Women need safe and secure environment to take up a variety of jobs or run a business.

(ii) People seek a pollution free environment.

(iii) People also need political rights.

(iv) People also seek certain conditions like equal treatment, freedom, security and respect.

Therefore people look at a mix of goals for development.

11. Define the term ‘per capita income’

Per capita income is the average income of the citizen of a country and is equal to the total
income of a country divided by the total population.