Class 10
Economics Ch-1
Development
1) Why is sustainable development essential for economic growth?
Ans. Sustainable development is essential for economic growth because:
(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 the near future.
(c) Non-renewable resources are limited and warn us to use very carefully so they may be available for
future generations.
2) Differentiate between Human Development Report and World Development Report.
Ans. Human Development Report
(a) This notion of development implies good and quality life.
(b) Its parameters are good education, health facilities, etc.
c) It includes literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate etc. to determine the status of development
of a particular area, region or country.
World Development Report
(a) It stresses on rise in per capita income and growth in the economy.
(b) It takes into account quantitative aspect of development.
(c) It includes GDP, national income and per capita income.
3) What is development? Mention two aspects of development.
Ans. Development is a positive growth or change in the economical , social and political aspects of a
country.
Two aspects of development are:
(a) Economic development or rise in income of the people.
(b) Social development which includes education, health and public services.
4) Mention any three characteristics of development.
Ans. The following are the three major characteristics of development:
(a) Different people can have different developmental goals.
(b) What may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may be destructive for the
other.
(c) People tend to look at a mix of goals for their development.
5) Distinguish between a developing country and a developed country.
Ans. Developing Country
(a) In a developing country, per capita income is low and
there is widespread poverty.
(b) The standard of living is low.
(c) The level of efficiency and productivity is low.
(d) The rate of capital formation is low.
Developed Country
(a) In a developed country, per capita income is high.
(b) The standard of living is high.
(c) The level of efficiency and productivity is high.
(d) The rate of capital formation is high.
6) What is Human Development Index? Which organisation measures HDI? Explain the three major
indicators of HDI.
Ans. Human Development Index is a tool to measure and rank countries based on the level of social and
economic development. The HDI makes it possible to track changes in development levels from time to
time and to compare development levels in different countries. 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.
The organisation that measures the HDI is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Three major indicators of the HDI are as follows:
(a) Health: Without proper health facilities, no matter how much a country earns, it will not be able to
provide basic facilities to its people.
(b) Education: Over the past few decades, education has become an important factor in leading a quality
life.
So, if the country has high income but the literacy rate is low, it cannot be considered developed.
(c) Per capita income: The total income of the country divided by its total population is called per capita
income. The more the per capita income, the country is considered more developed.
7) Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?
Ans. Sustainability is an important factor for the development of a country. Sustainable development
means attending today's needs without compromising the needs of the future.
The issue of sustainability is important due to following
reasons:
(a) It ensures that the trend of the economy is dynamic and development must be in relation with the
future.
(b) It takes care of the overall development of the economy such as health services and better education.
(c) If the available resources are misused then the development will stagnate after a period of time.
This is because in the future, those resources will not be available.
8) Give any two common developmental goals of the people.
Ans. The two common developmental goals of the people are as follows:
(a) Peace and security
(b) Better living conditions
9) State any two goals of development other than income.
Ans. The development goals other than income are:
(a) Good standard of living
(b) Security
(c) Satisfaction
10) "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.
Ans. Human wants and aspirations are unlimited, but the resources required to satisfy these wants are
limited in supply. Our earth has provided us enough resources. But nowadays, human beings have become
so greedy that for their progress and development they readily succumb to the activities such as
deforestation, extraction of excess underground water, etc. If these available resources are utilised
irrationally, they will end up soon, get degraded or become less productive and inefficient. If human beings
keep a check on their uncontrolled manners, our earth has enough resources to meet their needs, but
certainly not enough to satisfy their greed.
11) Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries. Explain the
meaning of this statement.
Ans. 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.
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.
(a) Pollution in one country may affect the other in the form of acid rains, climate change, etc.
(b) Deforestation in some countries may disturb the rainfall pattern in the surrounding countries.
(c) Land degradation and dam burst can bring massive siltation and flood like situation in the surrounding
regions also.
12) 'Development for one may be the destruction for other. Do you agree with the statement? Justify
your answer.
Ans. I certainly agree with the statement that development for one may be the destruction for other.
People have different developmental goals. They seek what is most important for them and fulfill their
aspirations and desires. For example, the establishment of a dam leads to infrastructural development,
generation of electricity, etc., but at the same time, it may lead to the large-scale displacement of people,
loss of livelihood, shelter, etc. of the people living near the proposed dam site. Hence, construction of dam
may be development for some, but may be destruction for others.
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