Economic Development –
Explore development, focusing on indicators like income, literacy rates, and
health across different countries.

Chapter 1 Development

Class 10 NCERT Economics –
Understanding Economic Development | Questions Answers

Updated for
2024-2025 Exams

 

1. Development of a country can
   generally be determined by:

(i) its per
capita income
(ii) its average literacy level
(iii) health status of its people
(iv) all the above

(iv) All the
above (Per capita
income, average literacy level, and health status are all indicators of
development.)

2. Which of the following neighboring
   countries has better performance in terms of human development than India?

(i) Bangladesh
(ii) Sri Lanka (Correct Answer)
(iii) Nepal
(iv) 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 the fourth family?

(i) Rs 7500
(Correct Answer)
(ii) Rs 3000
(iii) Rs 2000
(iv) Rs 6000

(i) Rs 7500 (The total income of the four families is 5000 x 4 = Rs
20000. The sum of the incomes of three families is Rs 14000, so the fourth
family’s income is 20000 – 14000 = Rs 6000.)

1. What is the main criterion used by
   the World Bank in classifying different countries? What are the
   limitations of this criterion, if any?
• The World Bank uses per capita
  income as the main criterion to classify countries. The limitation of
  this criterion is that it focuses only on income and does not consider
  other important factors like health, education, or the distribution of
  income within a country.
2. In what respects is the criterion
   used by the UNDP for measuring development different from the one used by
   the World Bank?
• The UNDP uses the Human
  Development Index (HDI), which considers three factors: per capita
  income, education levels, and health status (life expectancy). This
  is a more comprehensive measure than just per capita income.
3. Why do we use averages? Are there
   any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own examples related to
   development.
• Averages are used to simplify
  comparisons by summarizing data into a single figure. However, they
  can hide inequalities. For example, two countries may have the same
  average income, but in one country the income may be evenly distributed,
  while in the other, a few individuals may earn much more than the rest.
4. 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.
• No, per capita income is useful but not sufficient by itself.
  Kerala has a better human development ranking due to its focus on health
  and education, showing that factors beyond income are important for
  development.
5. 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?
• Presently, India relies on coal,
  natural gas, hydroelectricity, nuclear power, and renewable sources
  like solar and wind. In fifty years, the country could focus more on solar,
  wind, bioenergy, and hydrogen energy as these sources become more
  sustainable.
6. Why is the issue of sustainability
   important for development?
• Sustainability is crucial because
  resources are finite, and the overuse of resources can harm the
  environment, impacting future generations. Sustainable development
  ensures that economic growth does not deplete natural resources or
  degrade the environment.
7. “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.

• This statement highlights the
  importance of sustainable resource use. Greed leads to overexploitation
  of resources, causing environmental degradation and inequality.
  Development should aim to meet people’s basic needs without depleting
  resources.

11. List a few examples of
    environmental degradation that you may have observed around you.

• Examples include air pollution,
  deforestation, water contamination, and soil degradation due to
  excessive use of chemical fertilizers.

12. For each of the items given in
    Table 1.6, find out which country is at the top and which is at the
    bottom.

• Based on Table 1.6:
• GNI per capita: Top – Sri Lanka, Bottom – Nepal
• Life expectancy: Top – Sri Lanka, Bottom –
  Myanmar
• Mean years of schooling: Top – Sri Lanka, Bottom –
  Pakistan

13. Compare the nutritional level of
    people in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

• Kerala has a lower percentage of
  people with BMI below normal compared to Madhya Pradesh. For males, 8.5%
  in Kerala are undernourished compared to 28% in Madhya Pradesh. For
  females, it’s 10% in Kerala and 28% in Madhya Pradesh.