People as Resource Class 9 Economics Chapter 2 Extra Questions are available here. These extra questions are prepared by the subject experts of our team.
People as Resource Class 9 Economics Chapter 2 Extra Questions
Question 1: What is the main theme of the chapter ‘People as Resource’?
Answer: The chapter explains population as an asset for the economy rather than a liability, emphasizing how investment in education, training, and medical care can turn population into human capital.
Question 2: What is human capital?
Answer: Human capital is the stock of skill and productive knowledge embodied in people.
Question 3: How does viewing people as a resource benefit the economy?
Answer: Viewing people as a resource highlights their productive skills and abilities, which can contribute to the creation of the Gross National Product (GNP).
Question 4: What is ‘human capital formation’?
Answer: Human capital formation is the process of further developing the existing human resource through education and health improvements, which enhances the productive power of a country.
Question 5: How does investment in human capital compare to investment in physical capital?
Answer: Investment in human capital yields returns similar to physical capital, such as higher productivity and incomes due to better education and health.
Question 6: What are examples of human capital influencing productivity in India?
Answer: India’s Green Revolution and IT revolution are examples where improved knowledge and technology increased productivity and demonstrated the significance of human capital.
Question 7: How does a more educated and healthier population benefit society beyond individuals?
Answer: Society gains indirectly because the benefits of a more educated or healthier population extend to others who may not have been directly educated or given health care.
Question 8: How is human capital superior to other resources like land and physical capital?
Answer: Human capital is superior because it can utilize land and physical capital, whereas land and capital cannot become useful on their own.
Question 9: How has a large population been viewed in India, and how can it be turned into a productive asset?
Answer: For many decades, a large population in India has been seen as a liability. However, it can be turned into a productive asset through investment in human capital, such as education, health care, training in modern technology, and scientific research.
Question 10: What is the story of Sakal?
Answer: Sakal, a twelve-year-old boy, was encouraged by his parents to join school and pursue education. He completed his higher secondary examination and a vocational course in computers, which led him to a job in a private firm where he designed a successful software. His productivity increased, and he was rewarded with a promotion.
Question 11: What is the story of Vilas?
Answer: Vilas, an eleven-year-old boy, faced several challenges including his mother’s illness, his own arthritis, and a lack of educational opportunities. As a result, he continued with his mother’s work in selling fish, earning only a meager income.
Question 12: How did Sakal’s and Vilas’s situations differ in terms of education and health?
Answer: Sakal received education and remained healthy, which enhanced his productivity and economic success. Vilas lacked education and faced health issues, which limited his opportunities and resulted in a low income.
Question 13: What was the impact of education and health on Sakal’s productivity?
Answer: Education and health significantly improved Sakal’s productivity, contributing to economic growth and a higher salary. His education in computer programming increased his productivity and career advancement.
Question 14: How does investment in human resources compare to investment in land and capital?
Answer: Investment in human resources, such as education and medical care, can yield high returns similar to investment in land and capital. This investment enhances individuals’ productivity and economic contributions.
Question 15: What is the effect of educated parents on their children’s future?
Answer: Educated parents are more likely to invest in their children’s education and health, creating a virtuous cycle that leads to higher earnings and greater societal contributions from the children.
Question 16: How have countries like Japan become wealthy despite lacking natural resources?
Answer: Countries like Japan have invested heavily in human resources, particularly in education and health. This investment has enabled them to make efficient use of other resources and develop advanced technology, leading to their economic success.
Question 17: What are the three main sectors of economic activities?
Answer: The three main sectors are primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Question 18: What does the primary sector include?
Answer: The primary sector includes agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, poultry farming, mining, and quarrying.
Question 19: What is included in the secondary sector?
Answer: The secondary sector includes manufacturing.
Question 20: What activities are part of the tertiary sector?
Answer: The tertiary sector includes trade, transport, communication, banking, education, health, tourism, services, insurance, and other similar activities.
Question 21: What are economic activities?
Answer: Economic activities are actions that result in the production of goods and services and contribute to the national income. They include both market and non-market activities.
Question 22: What are market activities?
Answer: Market activities involve remuneration and are performed for pay or profit, including the production of goods and services and government services.
Question 23: What are non-market activities?
Answer: Non-market activities involve production for self-consumption, such as the consumption and processing of primary products and own account production of fixed assets.
Question 24: What is the traditional division of labor between men and women in the family?
Answer: Women generally handle domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare, while men work in the fields and earn money for the family.
Question 25: Why are women not paid for their household services?
Answer: Women’s household services are not recognized in the National Income, and they are not remunerated for these services.
Question 26: How are women compensated for their work when they enter the labor market?
Answer: Women are paid for their work in the labor market based on their education and skill levels, similar to their male counterparts.
Question 27: How does education and skill affect earning potential?
Answer: Education and skill are major determinants of earnings, helping individuals make better use of economic opportunities.
Question 28: What challenges do many women face in terms of employment?
Answer: Many women face challenges such as low education and skill levels, meager earnings compared to men, job insecurity, and a lack of basic facilities like maternity leave and childcare.
Question 29: How are highly educated and skilled women compensated in the workforce?
Answer: Women with high education and skill levels are paid on par with men and often work in organized sectors like teaching and medicine, as well as administrative and scientific positions.
Question 30: What types of careers attract highly educated women?
Answer: Highly educated women are attracted to careers in teaching, medicine, administrative services, and other fields requiring high levels of scientific and technological competence.
Question 31: What factors determine the quality of a population?
Answer: The quality of a population is determined by literacy rate, health (indicated by life expectancy), and skill formation.
Question 32: How does the quality of the population impact a country?
Answer: The quality of the population ultimately decides the growth rate of the country.
Question 33: What makes a literate and healthy population an asset?
Answer: A literate and healthy population is considered an asset because it positively influences the country’s growth rate.
Question 34: How did Sakal benefit from his education?
Answer: Sakal’s education led to a good job and salary, opened new horizons, provided new aspirations, and developed values of life.
Question 35: How does education contribute to society?
Answer: Education enhances national income, cultural richness, and increases the efficiency of governance.
Question 36: What measures have been taken to improve elementary education?
Answer: Measures include universal access, retention, quality in elementary education with a focus on girls, the establishment of Navodaya Vidyalayas, and development of vocational streams for high school students.
Question 37: How has the budget for education changed over the years?
Answer: The budget for education increased from Rs 151 crore in the first plan to Rs 99,300 crore in 2020–21, though the expenditure as a percentage of GDP rose from 0.64% in 1951–52 to 3.1% in 2019–20 (B.E.), and then declined to 2.8% in 2020–21 (B.E.).
Question 38: What changes have been observed in literacy rates over time?
Answer: Literacy rates increased from 18% in 1951 to 85% in 2018. However, there are significant differences across different sections of the population, with literacy rates higher among males, urban areas, and varying by states.
Question 39: What challenges remain in the primary school system despite its expansion?
Answer: Challenges include poor quality of schooling and high dropout rates despite the expansion of the primary school system.
Question 40: What initiatives have been implemented to improve elementary education?
Answer: Initiatives include the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, bridge courses, back-to-school camps, and the Mid-day Meal Scheme to increase enrollment, encourage attendance, and improve nutritional status.
Question 41: What is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, and how does it compare to the world average?
Answer: The GER in higher education for the age group of 18 to 23 years is 27% in 2019–20, which is broadly in line with the world average.
Question 42: What are the current focuses and strategies in higher education?
Answer: The focus is on increasing access and quality, adopting state-specific curriculum modifications, vocationalization, networking with information technology, distance education, and the convergence of different education systems.
Question 43: How has higher education evolved over the past 60 years?
Answer: There has been significant growth in the number of universities and institutions of higher learning in specialized areas.
Question 44: How does a person’s health impact their work efficiency?
Answer: A person’s health affects their ability to realize their potential and fight illness, which in turn impacts their efficiency and output in the workplace. Poor health can hinder a person’s contribution to the growth of an organization.
Question 45: Why is improving the health status of the population a priority?
Answer: Improving health is essential for realizing well-being and enhancing productivity. It is a priority to ensure that the population can contribute effectively to the overall growth of the country.
Question 46: What does the national policy focus on regarding healthcare?
Answer: The national policy aims to improve accessibility to healthcare, family welfare, and nutritional services, with a special focus on underprivileged segments of the population.
Question 47: What progress has India made in healthcare infrastructure over the last five decades?
Answer: India has built a vast healthcare infrastructure and developed manpower required in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors, both in government and private sectors.
Question 48: What challenges remain in India’s healthcare infrastructure?
Answer: Many places in India still lack basic healthcare facilities.
Question 49: How many medical and dental colleges are there in India, and where are they concentrated?
Answer: India has 542 medical colleges and 313 dental colleges, with the majority located in just four states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
Question 50: What is the life expectancy in 2021?
Answer: The life expectancy in 2021 is over 67.2 years.
Question 51: How has the infant mortality rate (IMR) changed from 1951 to 2020?
Answer: The IMR has decreased from 147 in 1951 to 28 in 2020.
Question 52: What are the crude birth rates and death rates in 2020?
Answer: The crude birth rate is 20.0 and the death rate is 6 in 2020.
Question 53: How do increases in life expectancy and improvements in childcare impact the future progress of a country?
Answer: Increases in life expectancy and improvements in childcare are useful indicators for assessing future progress, as they reflect a good quality of life and self-confidence.
Question 54: What factors contribute to the reduction in infant mortality?
Answer: Reduction in infant mortality involves protecting children from infections, ensuring proper nutrition for both mother and child, and providing adequate childcare.
Question 55: Can Sheela, Jeetu, or Seetu be considered unemployed?
Answer: No, Sheela, Jeetu, and Seetu cannot be considered unemployed. Sheela is not interested in working outside her domestic domain, while Jeetu and Seetu are too young to be part of the workforce population, which includes people aged 15 to 59 years.
Question 56: What is unemployment defined as?
Answer: Unemployment exists when people who are willing to work at prevailing wages cannot find jobs.
Question 57: What types of unemployment are present in rural areas?
Answer: Rural areas experience seasonal unemployment and disguised unemployment. Seasonal unemployment occurs when people cannot find jobs during certain months of the year, particularly in agriculture. Disguised unemployment happens when more people are working in a sector than necessary, such as in agriculture, where extra workers do not add to productivity.
Question 58: What is educated unemployment and where is it common?
Answer: Educated unemployment refers to the situation where individuals with higher education levels, such as graduates and postgraduates, are unable to find jobs. It is common in urban areas.
Question 59: What are the consequences of unemployment?
Answer: Unemployment leads to wasted manpower, increased economic burden, decreased quality of life, social waste, and can contribute to a depressed economy. It also affects the health status of families and increases dependence on the working population.
Question 60: How does unemployment affect the statistical employment rate in India?
Answer: Statistically, unemployment rates in India appear low because many people with low income and productivity are counted as employed. They may work throughout the year but not at their full potential or earning capacity.
Question 61: What is disguised unemployment and how is it evident in agriculture?
Answer: Disguised unemployment occurs when more people are engaged in a sector than necessary, leading to lower productivity. In agriculture, it is evident when a family employs more people than needed for farming tasks, leading to low productivity but shared output.
Question 62: How has the employment scenario changed across different sectors?
Answer: Agriculture remains the most labor-absorbing sector, but there has been a decline in its dependence due to disguised unemployment. Surplus labor from agriculture has moved to the secondary (small-scale manufacturing) and tertiary (new services like biotechnology and IT) sectors.