DOWNLOAD Extra Questions and Answers of Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur

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Chapter 1 The Story of Village Palampur (Handwritten Extra Questions )

The Story of Village Palampur Class 9 Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

What is the main reason behind growing three different crops in a year?
Answer:
The village has a well-developed system of irrigation.

Question 2.
What are the main factors of production?
Answer:
Land, labour, physical capital and human capital.

Question 3.
Machinery, work plants, equipments, new technology, buildings are the example of
Answer:
Fixed capital

Question 4.
Consumption of chemical fertilisers is highest in which State of India?
Answer:
Punjab

Question 5.
The quality of resources which can be improved through investment in education and training is the _______ .
Answer:
Human capital

Question 6.
Why is there heavy competition for work among the farm labourers in village Palampur?
Answer:
Because people are ready to work for lower wages.

Question 7.
To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is called _______ .
Answer:
Multiple cropping.

Question 8.
The use of higher yields with combination of HYV (High Yielding Varieties) seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, etc. refers to _______ .
Answer:
Modern cropping.

Question 9.
One of the important non-farming activities besides farming in Palampur is _______ .
Answer:
Dairy farming.

Question 10.
Some shopkeepers in Palampur buy various goods from wholesale markets in the cities and sell them in the village. This process is called .
Answer:
Trading (exchange of goods).

Question 11.
Name two crops that grow in the rainy season.
Answer:
Jowar and bajra

Question 12.
Money in hand and raw materials are an example of _______ .
Answer:
Working capital

Question 13.
When were the high yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds introduced to the Indian farmers? -<§01
Answer:
In the late 1960s

Question 14.
What is the main production activity in Palampur village?
Answer:
Farming is the main production activity in Palampur village.

Question 15.
What do you understand by the Green Revolution?
Answer:
Green Revolution was started in the late 1960s in the field of agriculture, under this revolution, modern methods of farming were adopted to increase agriculture product.

Question 16.
Who are the small farmers?
Answer:
Small farmers are those farmers who have less than 2 hectares of land.

Question 17.
How many people of Palampur village were engaged in non-farming activities?
Answer:
25% people of Palampur village were engaged in non-farming activities.

Question 18.
What is the full form of HYV?
Answer:
High-Yielding Varieties.

Question 19.
How can you say that the use of modern farming methods is beneficial for Indian farmers?
Answer:
By using modern farming methods, Indian farmers are able to produce much greater amount of grains on a single plant. There is a large increase in the production of wheat. Using these methods, the farmers have greater amounts of surplus wheat to sell in the markets.

Question 20.
What is the most abundant factor of production?
Answer:
Labour is the most abundant factor of production.

Question 21.
From where do most of the small farmers borrow money to arrange for the capital in Palampur?
Answer:
Village moneylenders

Question 22.
Why do the farmers of Palampur follow multiple cropping?
Answer:
It is because this method is the most common way of increasing production.

Question 23.
What is meant by working capital?
Answer:
Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital.

Question 24.
Give two examples of fixed capital.
Answer:
Machines and buildings.

Question 25.
What role do markets play in the expansion of non-farm activities?
Answer:
Goods and services produced are sold in the markets.

Question 26.
What is multiple cropping?
Answer:
Multiple cropping means growing more than one crop on the same piece of land in a year.

Question 27.
Name the Indian states that tried out the modern farming methods at first.
Answer:
Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to try out the modern farming methods in India.

Question 28.
What is measured as the crop produced on given piece of land during a single season?
Answer:
Yield is measured as crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season.

Question 29.
What are the constituents of modern farming methods?
Answer:
The constituents of modern farming methods are use of high yielding variety of seeds, using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, as well as using plenty of water for irrigation.

Question 30.
Mention one difference between land and capital.
Answer:
Land is a natural resource whereas capital is man-made factor of production.

Question 31.
What is the harmful effect of continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation?
Answer:
The continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has led to the depletion of the water-table.

Question 32.
What is aim of production?
Answer:
The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want.

The Story of Village Palampur Class 9 Extra Questions Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What are the essential four requirements for production?
Answer:
The essential four requirements for production of goods and services are :

• Land, and other natural resources like water, forests, minerals.
• Labour, i.e., people who will do the work. Each worker is providing the labour necessary for production.?
• The third requirement is physical capital, i.e., variety of inputs required at every stage during production.
• The fourth requirement is knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output.

Question 2.
Mention the main features of the Green Revolution.
Answer:
The main features of Green Revolution are :

• Increase in the production of wheat and rice.
• Use of chemical fertilizers.
• Use of insecticides and pesticides.
• Use of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds.
• Mechanisation of agriculture. (Any three)

Question 3.
What are the harmful effects of the Green Revolution.
Answer:
The harmful effects of the Green Revolution are :

• The Green Revolutions is responsible for the loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilizers.
• The chemical fertilizers provide minerals which dissolve in water and are immediately available to plants. But, these may not be retained in the soil for long.

Question 4.
What do you mean by working capital?
Answer:
Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools, machines and buildings, these are used up in production.

Question 5.
What was the major disadvantage associated with HYV seeds? Explain.
Answer:
The biggest disadvantage associated with HYV seeds is the requirement of plenty of water and chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce best results. Higher yields are possible only from combination of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, etc. Chemical fertilisers and pesticides degrade our environment by killing necessary bacteria in soil. Poor farmers can not afford HYV seeds due to increased requirement of fertilisers and machinery. New machinery replaced manual labour leading to unemployment and rural-urban migration.

Question 6.
Discuss dairy farming, a non-farming, activity in village Palampur, in detail.
Answer:
Dairy is a common activity in many families of Palampur. People feed their buffalos on various kinds of grass, the jowar and bajra that grow during the rainy season. The milk is sold in Raiganj, the nearby large village.
Two traders from Shahpur town have set up collection cum chilling centers at Raiganj from where the milk is transported to far away towns and cities.

Question 7.
Discuss small-scale manufacturing, a non-farming activity in village Palampur, in detail.
Answer:

• Less than fifty people are engaged in manufacturing in Palampur.
• Unlike the manufacturing that takes place in the big factories in the towns and cities, manufacturing in Palampur involves very simple production methods and are done on a small scale.
• They are carried out mostly at home or in the fields with the help of family labour. Rarely are labourers hired.

Question 8.
Describe transportation, a non-farming activity in village Palampur, in detail.
Answer:

• There are varieties of vehicles on the road connecting Palampur to Raiganj.
• Rickshawallahs, tongawallahs, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and people driving the traditional bullock cart and bogey are people in the transport services.
• They ferry people and goods from one place to another, and in return get paid for it. The number of people involved in transport has grown over the last several years.

Question 9.
How did Mishrilal managed to get a small profit in his business?
Answer:
Mishrilal has purchased a mechanical sugarcane crushing machine that run on electricity and has set it up on his field. Sugarcane crushing was earlier done with the help of bullocks, but people prefer to do it by machines these days.

Mishrilal also buys sugarcane from other farmers and processes it into jaggery. The jaggery is then sold to traders at Shahpur. In the process, Mishrilal makes a small profit.

Question 10.
What do you mean by physical capital? What are the items that come under physical capital?
Answer:
Physical capital includes the variety of inputs required at every stage during production. The following items come under the category of physical capital:
(a) Tools, machines, buildings: Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers, etc. Tools, machines, building can be used in production over many years.
(b) Raw materials and money in hand: Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital.

Question 11.
Write a short note on shopkeeping, a non-farming activity in village Palampur.
Answer:
There are very less people involved in trade in Palampur. The traders of Palampur are shopkeepers who buy various goods from wholesale markets in the cities and sell them in the village. There are small general stores in the village selling a wide range of items like rice, wheat, sugar, tea, oil, biscuits, soap, toothpaste, batteries, candles, notebooks, pen, pencil, even some clothes. A few of the families whose houses are close to the bus stand have used a part of the space to open small shops. They sell eatables.

Question 12.
What are the various types of crops grown in village Palampur?
Answer:
The entire land is cultivated in village Palampur. There are different types of crops grown in the village.
During the rainy season (kharif,) farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. A part of the land area is also devoted to sugarcane which is harvested once every year. Sugarcane, in its raw form, or as jaggery, is sold to traders in Shahpur.

Question 13.
What do you mean by surplus? How is the sale of surplus farm products done?
Answer:
Surplus is the difference between the quantity of total production of the crop produced by the farmer and the quantity that he keeps for self-consumption.

Medium and large farmers produce a large surplus of the crop. By selling this surplus crop in the market, they earn income. The traders at the market buy the crop and sell it further to the shopkeepers in the towns and cities.

Question 14.
How is the required capital in farming arranged?
Answer:

• Most small farmers have to borrow money to arrange for the capital. They borrow from large farmers or the village moneylenders or the traders who supply various inputs for cultivation. The rate of interest on such loans is very high. They are put to great distress to repay the loan.
• In contrast to the small farmers, the medium and large farmers have their own savings from farming. They are, thus, able to arrange for the capital needed.

The Story of Village Palampur Class 9 Extra Questions Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
How can you say that Palampur is a well-developed village?
Answer:
Palampur is a well-developed village because :

• This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. The 80 upper caste families own the majority of land in the village. Their houses, some of them quite large, are made of brick with cement plastering.
• The SCs (dalits) comprise one-third of the population and live in one corner of the village and in much smaller houses, some of which are of mud and straw.
• Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business.
• Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated.

Question 2.
Differentiate between fixed capital and working capital.
Answer:
Both fixed capital and working capital come under the category of physical capital which is one of the four requirements for production of goods and services.

(i) Fixed Capital :

• It includes fixed factors of production which are used for years.
• Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, etc.
• It includes tools, machines, buildings, computers, etc.

(ii) Working Capital :

• It includes variable factors of production which are needed to be arranged every time at the time of production.
• Whatever money and raw material are required for production, are included in it.
• It is required to be arranged according to the desired production.

Question 3.
What are the main reasons to grow three different crops in a year in Palampur?
Answer:
The main reasons to grow three different crops in a year in Palampur are :

• To grow three different crops in a year in Palampur is due to the well-developed system of irrigation. Electricity came early to Palampur. Its major impact was to transform the system of irrigation.
• Persian wheels were, till then, used by farmers to draw water from the wells and to irrigate small fields. People saw that the electric-run tubewells could irrigate much larger areas of land more effectively.
• The first few tubewells were installed by the government. Soon, however, farmers started setting up private tubewells.
• As a result, by mid-1970s, the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares (ha.) was irrigated.

Question 4.
What is meant by the Green Revolution? Mention some of its important features.
Answer:

• The Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian farmer to cultivation of wheat and rice using High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds. Compared to the traditional seeds, the HYV seeds promised to produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant.
• As a result, the same piece of land would now produce far larger quantities of foodgrains than was possible earlier.
• HYV seeds, however, needed plenty of water and also chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce best results. Higher yields were possible only from a combination of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, etc.
• Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to try out the modem farming method in India. The farmers in these regions set up tubewells for irrigation, and made use of HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides in farming.
• Some of them bought farra-machinery like tractors and threshers, which made ploughing and harvesting faster. They were rewarded with high yields of wheat.

Question 5.
What are the features of traditional methods of farming?
Answer:
The features of traditional methods of farming are :

• Traditional seeds are used in this farming.
• Irrigation depends upon monsoons.
• Wooden tools and equipment are used.
• Bullock carts are used to plough land.
• The production is done for family use.
• Manure and cow dung are used to increase the fertility of the soil.

Question 6.
What are the ill effects of the Green Revolution?
Answer:
The ill effects of the Green Revolution are :

• The Green Revolution is associated with the loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilizer.
• Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has led to the depletion of the water-table.
• Environmental resources like soil fertility and groundwater, are built up over years. Once destroyed, it is very difficult to restore them.
• Modern farming methods used under the Green Revolution have overused the natural resources base. Maximum forestland was converted into agricultural land.
• The Green Revolution was limited only up to few states like Punjab and Haryana.

Question 7.
How is land distributed amongst the farmers of Palampur?
Answer:
In Palampur, about one-third of the 450 families are landless, i.e., 150 families. Most of them are dalits, and have no land for cultivation.

240 families cultivate small plots of land less than 2 hectares in size. Cultivation of such plots doesn’t bring adequate income to the farmer’s family.

On the other hand, more than half the area of the village is covered by plots that are quite large in size.
In Palampur, there are 60 families of medium and large farmers who cultivate more than 2 hectares of land. A few of the large farmers have land extending over 10 hectares or more.

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Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

Question 1.
What is the main economic activity in Palampur? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
The main economic activity in Palampur is farming.

Question 2.
What was the status of upper caste families in Palampur?
Answer:
The 80 upper caste families owned majority of the land in Palampur. Some of their houses were quite large and made up of brick with cement plastering.

Question 3.
What was the benefit of electricity in Palampur?
Answer:
Most of the houses have electricity connections. Electricity is used to power the tubewells in the fields and also for many small businesses.

Question 4.
What facilities are available for education and health in Palampur?
Answer:
Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated.

Question 5.
Define Production.
Answer:
Production is an activity that involves making of goods or services that a person needs.

Question 6.
Farmer’s plough is an example of which factor of production? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Farmer’s plough is an example of fixed capital.

Question 7.
What do you mean by physical capital?
Answer:
At every stage of production, we need a variety of inputs such as machines, raw materials and money. Together, these are called physical capital.

Question 8.
What is the first and foremost requirement for the production of goods and services?
Answer:
The first and foremost requirement for the production of goods and services is the land and other factors of production like labour and capital.

Question 9.
What do you mean by working capital?
                                  Or
Which capital is known as working capital? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Working capital refers to the variety of raw material and money in hand during the production, in order to make payments and buy other necessary items.

Question 10.
What is human capital?
Answer:
Human capital refers to knowledge and enterprise required to put tpgether land, labour and physical capital and produce an output for self-consumption or to sell in the market.

Question 11.
Name the kharif and rabi crops grown in Palampur.
Answer:
The kharif crops are jowar and bajra and rabi crops are wheat and sugarcane which are grown in Palampur. Potatoes are also grown in between these two seasons.

Question 12.
What was the main reason for the growth of three different crops in a year?
Answer:
The main reason for the growth of three different crops in a year was well-developed system of irrigation.

Question 13.
What is the impact of electricity on irrigation?
Answer:
Earlier, with the use of persian wheel, people used to irrigate small areas by using water from wells. But, now, with the use of electricity and tubewells, they can irrigate larger areas in lesser time.

Question 14.
What is multiple cropping? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Multiple cropping means to grow more than one crop on a same piece of land.

Question 15.
Define yield. [CBSE 2011]
Answer:
Yield means crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season.

Question 16.
How did the Indian farmers benefit from Green Revolution?
Answer:
The Green Revolution enabled the Indian farmers to cultivate wheat and rice using high yielding varieties of seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides etc.

Question 17.
Which modern implements were used by the Indian farmers?
Answer:
The modern implements used by the Indian farmers were tubewells, tractors, threshers and harvesters.

Question 18.
What is the impact of Green Revolution on soil and ground water table?
Answer:
Green Revolution is associated with the increased use of chemical fertilisers. The minerals of chemical fertilisers dissolve in water and contaminate it, thereby polluting both water and soil, thus, the continuous use of fertilisers makes the soil less fertile,

Question 19.
Who provides labour for medium and large farmers?
Answer:
Labour for medium and large farmers is provided by landless labourers or those who are cultivating small plots of land.

Question 20.
Which is the most labour absorbing sector of the economy? [CBSE 2012,11]
Answer:
Agriculture

Question 21.
How do farm labourers get wages in Palampur?
Answer:
In Palampur, the farm labourers get wages in the form of cash or kind, i.e., in terms of food grains.

Question 22.
What is the minimum wage per day for a farm labourer set by the government?
Answer:
? 300 per day.

Question 23.
How much Dala gets as a minimum wage?
Answer:
? 160.

Question 24.
What do the medium and large farmers do with the surplus from farm production?
Answer:
Medium and large farmers sell the surplus from farm production and a part of the earnings is saved and the other part of it, is used to buy cattle, trucks etc. for the next season.

Question 25.
Name any two non-farm activities in Palampur. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The non-farm activities in Palampur are:

1. Dairy farming
2. Small-scale manufacturing
3. Transport
4. Shopkeeping (any two)

Question 26.
In which type of activity is dairy farming included? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Dairy farming is included in non-farm activity.

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 27.
Highlight the basic constraints in raising production from a farm. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The basic constraints in raising production from a farm are:

1. The land area under cultivation is practically fixed.
2. There has been no expansion in land area under cultivation after 1960s. By then, some wastelands in the villages had been converted to cultivable land. .
3. There is no further scope to increase the farm production by bringing new land area under cultivation as no new land is available.

Question 28.
Explain the term physical capital. Mention its different types with examples. [CBSE 2012,11,10]
Answer:
Physical capital is the capital that is further used in the production of more goods such as tools,
equipments, machines and raw materials.
The two types physical capital are:

1. Fixed Capital. It is that capital which can be used over and over again. This capital lasts for a longer time such as machines and tools.
2. Working Capital. It consists of those goods that are used up in the process of production such as raw materials and money.

Question 29.
Give three reasons why small farmers have to arrange capital by borrowing. [CBSE 2013]
Answer:
The three reasons why small farmers have to arrange capital by borrowing are:

1. To buy seeds and water for irrigation.
2. To pay back the loan with high rate of interest.
3. To use the money for marriage or festivals.

Question 30.
Distinguish between Kharif and Rabi seasons.
Answer:

Kharif Season	Rabi Season
(a) It is identified with rainy or wet season. (b) Crops are sown in June-July and harvested in November-January. (c) Kharif crops are jowar and bajra.	(a) It is identified with winter or dry season. (b) Crops are sown in October-November and harvested in April-May. (c) Wheat is an important rabi crop.

Question 31.
State the importance of growing more than one crop on a piece of land. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The importance of growing more than one crop on a piece of land is:

1. It retains the fertility of the soil.
2. It generates employment for many people throughout the year.
3. It benefits the farmers economically.

Question 32.
What is Multiple cropping? How does it help in farmer’s prosperity?
Answer:
When two or more crops are grown on a given piece of land during a year, it is known as multiple cropping. This is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. Raising two or more crops from a given piece of land in a year translates into a corresponding increase in a farmer’s income and helps in the farmer’s prosperity.

Question 33.
‘Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry.’ Do you agree? [HOTS]
Answer:
Modern farming methods are the result of decades of scientific research. This research was in the form of high yielding varieties of seeds, irrigation equipments, tractors and other forms of machinery, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides, which are all produced in the industries. The result is that with greater adoption of modern farming methods inter-dependence of agriculture and industry has increased manifold.

Question 34.
What do you mean by Green Revolution? Why was it caused?
Answer:
Green Revolution means a rapid and sustained increase in the output of agriculture over a long period of time. This revolution took place in India in the late 1960s. The output of foodgrains increased manifold. Initially, the Green Revolution was limited only to wheat crop,, but lately, it spread to other crops like rice and oilseeds. It was caused by the use of modern methods like high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilisers and insecticides.

Question 35.
Land being a natural resource, is necessary to be carefully used. Why?
Answer:
Land, a natural resource, is subject to degradation. Due to negligence and over-exploitation, highly fertile pieces of land are being degraded, i.e., they have become barren and uncultivable. This is due to over utilisation of fertilisers in order to increase the yield with higher cost of production. Ground water resources are also depleting faster. The farmers need to dig deeper in order to get water. Chemical fertilisers kill bacteria and other micro-organisms in the soil and make it unfit for cultivation.

All this indicates that land, a fixed asset, is under deep stress.

Question 36.
What can be done to increase the non-farm activities in the Indian Villages? [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
The things which can be done to increase the non-farm activities in the Indian villages are:

1. Banks should provide loans at low interest rates so that the poor villagers can start some small-scale businesses and can earn their livelihood.
2. Government should initiate effective employment generating schemes like small-scale industries, computer training centres, vocational courses etc.
3. Government should provide training to the villagers in different skills.
4. Government should provide facilities for transportation and selling of locally manufactured goods
   of the villagers in the cities. (any three)

Question 37.
Describe three features of small-scale manufacturing as non-farming activity in Palampur. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Small-scale manufacturing in Palampur is carried out to supplement the earnings of the people.
The features of small-scale manufacturing in Palampur are:

1. They are organised on very small scale and employ simple methods of production like simple machines, equipment and tools.
2. Raw materials used by small-scale manufacturing are generally locally available.
3. They are generally organised at home with family labour.
4. These industries sell their products locally or in nearby villages. (any three)

Long Answer Type Questions [5 Marks]

Question 38.
What is the aim of production? State any four requirements for production. [CBSE 2016,15]
Answer:
The aim of production is to generate income for those people who are involved in the production of goods and services.
The four requirements for production are:

1. Land. It is a passive factor of production. It requires human effort to make it a productive resource. No activity can take place in the absence of land and it is the basis of all human activities.
2. Labour. The second requirement is labour, i.e., people who do the work. Some activities require educated and skilled labour to perform the necessary tasks and others require workers who can do the manual work.
3. Physical capital. The third requirement is physical capital. There are variety of inputs like machines,
   tools, raw materials and money required at every stage of production. It includes fixed capital and working capital. .
4. Human capital. It is the knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital to produce an output either to use for themselves or to sell in the market.

Question 39.
What is land? Suggest any three ways to sustain land. [CBSE 2011,10]
Answer:
Land is the basic natural resource required as an input in any production activity. It is fixed in nature.
The three ways to sustain land are: 

1. To use fertilizers in a judicious manner so as to maintain the soil fertility.
2. Not to overuse ground water, i.e., to maintain the ground water table.
3. To carry out crop rotation/multiple cropping to increase the production and maintain soil fertility.

Question 40.
How can you say that the distribution of land is unequal in Palampur? [HOTS]
                                                           Or
How is land distributed amongst the farmers of Palampur? Explain. [CBSE 2011]
                                                           Or
Describe the distribution of land among farmers in Palampur. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Land is very important for farming. Unfortunately, not all the people in Palampur have sufficient land for cultivation. Out of 450 families in Palampur, only 240 families cultivate plots less than 2 hectares in size and 150 dalit families are landless. The remaining 60 families of medium and large farmers cultivate more than 2 hectares of land. A few large farmers have land extending over 10 hectares or even more.

Cultivation from plots of land less than 2 hectares in size does not bring adequate income to the farmers family. On the other hand, half of the areas of the village is covered with plots quite large in size. Thus, land in Palampur is unevenly distributed.

Question 41.
Is it true that foodgrains output in India has increased significantly because of larger area under cultivation? Explain. [HOTS]
Answer:
It is not true that foodgrains output is India has increased because of larger area under cultivation. Foodgrain output in India has increased significantly because of Green Revolution in the late 1960s. At this time, farmers in Punjab, Haryana and later in Western Uttar Pradesh started using modern methods of farming like high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilisers, modern implements, irrigation facilities, insecticides and pesticides. These methods enabled the farmers to increase the yield per hectare and their earnings from farming. They, after meeting their needs of foodgrains, had enough surplus to sell in the market. But as mentioned above, this was limited to mainly Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh initially. Although, later it was also copied in the case of rice cultivation in the delta regions of Tamil Nadu an$ some parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Question 42.
Distinguish between traditional farming methods and modern farming methods. [CBSE 2016]
Answer:

Traditional Farming Methods	Modern Farming Method
(a) In these methods, simple and traditional seeds are used. (b) Wells and tanks are used for irrigation. (c) In these methods, fertiliser used is manure from cow dung. (d) Farmers use bullocks for ploughing the fields. (e) In these methods, manual labour and traditional old machines are used for all activities.	(a) In these methods, high yielding varieties of seeds are used. (b) Dams, tubewells and canals are used for irrigation. (c)  In these methods, chemical fertilisers are used. (d) Farmers use tractors and threshers for ploughing the fields. (e)  In these methods, modern machinery is used for all activities.

 

Question 43.
What is meant by Green Revolution? Mention some of its features.
Answer:
The introduction of high yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of chemical fertilisers and irrigation are collectively known as Green Revolution.
The major features of Green Revolution are:

1. It was started in the late 1960s in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh.
2. Use of high yielding varieties of seeds which promised to produce more of crops on a single piece of land.
3. Use of advanced technology, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides and a well-developed system of irrigation.
4. It solved the food crisis in India and made India self-sufficient in foodgrains.
5. It led to higher income growth and reduced poverty. (any four)

Question 44.
Explain two merits and three demerits of Green Revolution. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The two merits of Green Revolution are:

1. Higher yield per hectare, increased up to three times by the use of higher yielding varieties of seeds.
2. Greater use of machines like harvesters, tractors and threshers has made ploughing and harvesting much faster and easier.

The three demerits of Green Revolution are:

1. Loss of soil fertility due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers.
2. Continuous use of groundwater by means of tubewells in irrigation, the level of groundwater has declined.
3. The chemical fertilisers easily soluble in water can dissolve in the groundwater and pollute it.

Question 45.
Green Revolution is associated with loss of soil fertility. In the light of the statement, mention five problems caused by modern farming. [CBSE 2014; HOTS]
Answer:
The problems caused by modern farming are:

1. In many areas, it is associated with loss of soil fertility due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers.
2. Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has reduced the water table below the ground level.
3. Pesticides and insecticides pollute surface water as well as air.
4. Chemical fertilisers kill some necessary bacteria as well such as nitrogen fixing bacteria that add up to soil fertility. Thus, the cost of farming has gone up.
5. It has adverse effect on environment as well as natural resources. Thus, creating pollution of
   soil and water due to excessive use of fertilisers.

Question 46.
Name any four non-farm production activities practised in Palampur. Give brief descriptions of any three. [CBSE 2015]
                                                                                     Or
Mention any four non-farm production activities of village Palampur. Which activity do you feel most useful for the villagers? Give any two reasons. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The non-farm activities practised in Palampur are:

1. Dairy farming. People in Palampur rear buffaloes. They feed them on different types of grass, jowar and bajra. Milk is sold in nearby villages. Some people also set up collection and chilling centres from where milk is transported to the nearby cities and towns.
2. Small-scale manufacturing. This involves simple production methods and are done on small scale. These are carried out at home with family members as labourers. The labourers are rarely hired for these activities.
3. Shopkeeping. Shopkeepers in Palampur buy goods from wholesale markets in the cities and sell them in the village. Small stores sell a wide range of products like rice, wheat, sugar, oil and some clothes. Some people who have shops near the bus stop use them to sell eatables.
4. Transport. There are different means of transport in Palampur like rickshaws, tongas, trucks, jeeps and tractors. These means of transport are used to transport goods and people from village to cities and the people get paid for this.
5. Self-employed. Some people have opened computer training centres, stitching centres etc. to obtain more profits and to train more people for better opportunities in life. (any four)

I think computer education is most useful for the villagers because:

1. It generates employment for the people being educated.
2. It employs skilled persons in the village to teach so that they would not go to other cities and towns in search of employment opportunities.