s DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL

MAHENDRA HILLS
SOCIAL SCIENCE NOTES- PYQs (2025-26) GRADE X
CHAPTER – DEVELOPMENT (ECONOMICS)

1. Why is sustainable development essential for economic growth?

Ans) Sustainable development is essential for economic growth because of the following reasons:
a) Natural resources are not unlimited. They should be used carefully.
b) Overuse of natural resources may exhaust. For e.g., water is an example of renewable resources but
overuse/misuse of this resource may create problem in near future.
c) Non-renewable resources are limited and warn us to use very carefully so they may be available for
future generation.
2. “People have conflicting development goals”. Support the statement with suitable example.
Ans) It is true to say that people have conflicting developmental goals. What may be development for
one may not be for the other. The above statement can be justified through the following points.
a) Different people have different interests, life situations and state of mind.
b) They seek things that are most important for them, i.e., that which can fulfil their aspirations or
desires.
c) They visualize things, actions, etc. according to their level of understanding.
d) For example, A girl expects as much freedom and opportunity as her brother, and that he also shares
in the household work. Her brother may not like this.
e) Similarly, industrialists may want more dams. But this may submerge the land and disrupt the lives
of people who are displaced – such as tribals.
3. “Money cannot buy the goods and services that one needs to live well”. Do you agree with this
statement? Justify your answer with any three suitable examples.
OR
“Though the level of income is important, it is an inadequate measure of the level of development.”
Justify the statement.
Ans) Yes, we agree with the statement that money cannot buy all the goods and services that one needs
to live well because of the following reasons:
a) Money, or material things is one factor on which our life depends. But the quality of our life also
depends on non-material things.
b) Besides seeking more income, people also seek things like equal treatment, freedom, security,
and respect of others.
c) We cannot buy pollution-free environment, unadulterated medicines and peace with money.
d) For development, people look at a mix of goals. For example, if women are engaged in paid
work, their dignity in the household and society increases.
e) Another example is when we get a job in a far off place, before accepting it we will consider
many factors, apart from income, such as facilities for family, working atmosphere, or
opportunity to learn.
4. What is the main norm/indicator used by the World Bank in classifying different countries as rich
and poor countries?
Ans) Average income or per capita income is the main domain used by the World Bank in classifying
different countries as rich and poor countries. According to the World Bank, income is one of the most
important attributes. This has classified countries in the following way.
a) Countries with per capita income of US$ 49,300 per annum and above in 2019, are called high
income or rich countries.
b) Those with per capita income of US$ 2500 or less are called low-income countries.
 c) India comes in the category of low middle income countries because its per capita income in
2019 was just US$ 6700 per annum.
d) The rich countries are generally called developed countries.
5. Mention any two restrictions of the World Bank’s norms.
Ans) These are the following restrictions of World Bank’s norms or indicators to measure development
of a country.
a) While average income is useful for comparison it does not tell us how this income is distributed
among people.
b) Although, income is an important attribute to measure development but not the only attribute. Over
the past few decades, health and education have made an important mark in the development of the
country.
c) So, if a country has high per capita income and literacy rate but does not have good medical
facilities, it cannot be considered developed.
6. For comparison between countries, total income is not such a useful measure”. Do you agree with
the given statement? If yes, justify.
Ans) Yes, I agree with the statement given above. This can be justified with the points that follows:
a) Countries have different populations, comparing total income will not tell us what an average person
is likely to earn.
b) Hence, we compare the average income which is the total income of the country divided by its total
population. The average income is also called per capita income.
7. Why does Kerala have a better Human Development Index ranking in comparison to Punjab?
Explain with three reasons.
Ans) Kerala has a better Human Development Index ranking in comparison to Punjab even though
Punjab has a higher per capita income in comparison to Kerala because of the following reasons:
a) Education: - Kerala has a higher level of literacy rate than Punjab. In fact, the literacy rate of
Kerala is the highest in India. This is mainly because education has been available to everyone in
Kerala whether they are upper caste or lower caste.
b) Health care: - the health care facilities in Kerala are far better than those in Punjab. Kerala has a
low Infant Mortality Rate because it has adequate provision of basic health and educational
facilities.
c) Government Machinery: - the political parties in Kerala have taken steps for genuine welfare of
the people and have invested in the field of health and education. The government of Kerala has
even worked for the land reform in the state to support the people.
8. Differentiate between Human Development Report and World Development Report.
Ans) The following are the differences human development report and world development report:
Human Development Report World Development Report
● It is published by UNDP. ● It is published by the World Bank.
● It compares countries based on the ● It compares countries solely based on the per
educational levels of the people, their health capita income.
status and per capita income.
● This notion of development implies leading ● It focusses on development in the
a good-quality life, where individuals conventional sense that would mean rise in
develop themselves to the fullest. per capita income and growth in the
economy.
● It takes into account the qualitative aspect of ● It takes into account the quantitative aspect of
development. development.
● This gives us a broader picture of ● This does not give us a broader perspective
development as specified by Human about the notion of development.
Development Index.
9. What is Human Development Index? Which organization measures HDI?
Ans) Human development index is a tool developed by the United Nations to measure and rank countries
based on the level of social and economic development.
a) The HDI makes it possible to track changes in development levels in different countries.
b) The concept of HDI goes beyond income and growth to cover overall development with the
object of improving the conditions of people from all angles.
c) The organization that measures the HDI is the United Nations Development Programme.
10. “What may be development for one may be the destruction for other.” Explain the statement with
appropriate examples.
Ans) Yes, it is true that what may be development for some may turn out to be destruction for the others.
[NOTE: - Write the points of the answer from Qs.No, 2]
a) For example, the Sardar Sarovar dam built over the Narmada River and as a result the tribes lost
their land and homes. This development of the sardar Sarovar dam turned out to be a destruction
for the tribes.
b) Another example, Multinational companies take away the land of the farmers for the construction
of industries. It may be beneficial for boosting production but at the same time it causes loss of
cultivable land and livelihood of the farmers.
11. Besides income, what are the six other things people may look for growth and development?
Ans) The following are the six things that people may look for growth and development, besides income.
a) Freedom
b) Respect
c) Health
d) Security
e) Quality of life
f) Education.
12. “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries.” Justify
the statement.
Ans) The statement mentioned above denotes that the issue of environmental degradation is no longer
region or nation specific. We can justify it through the following points: -
a) 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.
b) Sustainability of development is comparatively a new area of knowledge in which scientists,
economists, philosophers and other social scientists are working together.
c) Pollution in one country may affect the other in the form of acid rains, climate change etc.
d) Deforestation in some countries may disturb the rainfall pattern in the surrounding countries.
e) Land degradation and dam burst can bring massive siltation and flood like situation.