Grade: 10 CH: DEVELOPMENT

1. What is development? Why do different people have different developmental goals?

Explain with four examples. (Board Term-I, Set-6AP67LB, 2015-16)
Development means continuous progress or increase in real per-capita income. In other
words, there is improvement in economic welfare of the people and their standard of
living.
The four characteristics of development are :
(i).Developmental goals are different for different people.
(ii) What may be development for one may not be development for the other.
(iii) For development people look at a mix of goals.
(iv) Different persons could have different as well as conflicting notions of
country’s development.
2. Why is “Per Capita Income” not an adequate indicator of economic development of
a country? Explain. (Board Term-I, (67), 2012
Ans. (i) Per capita income is the average income. It is income per head of the population
per year.
(ii) Per Capita Income = Total income of country Total population
(iii) It is not an adequate indicator because : (a) It does not tell us how this income is
distributed. Per Capita Income might not be the income of every individual in the state.
(b) Life expectancy and Infant Mortality Rate are other important criteria for measuring
development.
(c) Education and literacy level are other indicators of development.
(d) Pollution free environment, less corruption, gender equality etc. are also important
3. Why do we use averages to compare the development of countries? What are the
limitations in using it? Explain. (Board Term-I, (70), 2012)
Ans. Use of averages to compare development:
(i)Averages are used for better understanding.
(ii) For comparison between countries, total income is not very useful.
(iii) Different countries have different populations, so total income will not tell us
what an average person is likely to earn.
 (iv) According to the World Bank, countries with per capita income of US $ 12616
per annum and above in 2012 are called rich countries, and those below US $ 1035
per annum or less are poor.
Limitation: Average income does not depict how the income is distributed among the
people. Some may be very rich but the masses may be poor.
3. What is the main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different
countries? Describe its limitations. (Board Term-I, (Set-OEQL2HT), 2016-17)
Ans. The average income, i.e., per capita income is the main criterion used by the World
Bank in classifying different countries.
Limitations (a) It covers only the economic aspect ignoring factors like infant mortality
rate, literacy rate, no attendance ratio for class I-V, etc., which are important indicators
for development. (b) This method also does not provide us the distribution different
levels of income.
4. How is it that the average person in Punjab has more income than the average
person in Kerala but it lags behind in many other crucial areas? Explain. (Board
Term-I, (Set-6HTQGTF), 2016-17)
Ans. (i) Per capita income of Punjab is ` 26,000 and Kerala is ` 22,800. (ii) Literacy rate
of Punjab according to 2001 is 70% and Kerala is 91%, i.e., Punjab lags behind Kerala.
(iii) Therefore, income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods
and services that citizens are able to use. (iv) Over the past decade, health and education
indicators have come to be widely used along with income as a measure of development.
(v) Human Development Report Published by UNDP compares countries on the basis of
educational levels of the people health status and per capita income. (vi) Kerala has a low
infant mortality rate as it has adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities.
5. Besides income, what can be the other attributes to compare economic
development? (Board Term- I, (55), 2012
Ans. Income is not only the criterion but it is one of the important indicators of economic
development. Some of the others attributes are: (i) Infant Mortality Rate : It is an indicator of the
availability of doctors and medical facilities in the region as well as the awareness of the people
living there in regard to diseases and their prevention. Low infant mortality rate indicates good
medical facilities and all round development in the society. A high rate will be an economic loss
for the region as much effort is wasted, which could have been harnessed. (ii) Literacy Rate :
This is an indicator of the number of schools and teachers available in a region and also indicates
whether the facilities are being used or not due to societal pressures. Low literacy rate shows
backwardness and there will not be fast economic development. (iii) Life Expectancy : This is
also an indicator of available health facilities. Low life expectancy will be a hindrance to
economic development.
6. “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state
boundaries”. Support the statement with examples
Ans: Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state
boundaries. This issue is no longer a regional or national issue. Our future is linked
together. Sustainability of development is essential for all the mankind and it is our
 common responsibility to save the environment. These days, it is matter of discussion
among different countries of world. Global warming, acid rain, etc are not to be
controlled by one nation. It is a global matter of thinking and finding the solutions.
7. Why is sustainable development essential? How does it help to prevent
environmental degradation?
Or
Why is sustainable development essential for economic growth? Give three reasons.
Suggest also two measures to ensure sustainable development
Ans. Sustainable development is important for economic growth because : (i)
Environment must be conserved while development is taking place. (ii) Resources must
be used in such a way that something is conserved for future generations. (iii) The
standard of living of all people must be raised. Measures to ensure sustainable
development : (i) We should focus on using renewable resources and keep inventing new
techniques to decrease the use of conventional resources. (ii) The present resources must
be used judiciously, with planning, and over exploitation should be avoided.
8. What is development? What are the indicators used by UNDP for measuring
development? Compare it with the World Bank report. (Board Term-I, (82), 2012)
Development refers to the process as a result of which along with increase in real per-
capita income, there is improvement in the economic welfare and well-being of people.
The UNDP has taken : (a) Education, (b) Health and (c) Per-capita income as the
indicators.

Compared to the World Bank Report : (a) It is a broader concept of development. (b)
Countries
have been ranked and goals other than level of income are being taken into account.

9. ‘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? Explain.
Ans. This statement is given by Mahatma Gandhi : (i) It means that the earth has
abundant resources to satisfy everyone’s needs but in our greed and hurry to develop, we have
been recklessly exploiting these resources. (ii) In the name of development, we have indulged in
activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, encroachment into forest lands, overuse of ground
water, use of plastics, etc. (iii) The exploitation of natural resources not only harms the
environment but may cripple the future generations of the development process itself. (iv) If
fossil fuels are exhausted, the development of all countries would be at risk. (v) Thus, there is a
need for conservation and judicious use of resources for development.

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