Development — Practice

Question 1

Define per capita income.

Accepted Answer

Per capita income is the total income of a country divided by its total population — the average income per person.

✦ Answer: total income ÷ total population (average income).

Question 2

What does Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) measure?

Accepted Answer

The number of children who die before the age of one year per 1,000 live births in a given year.

✦ Answer: deaths of children under one year per 1,000 live births.

Question 3

Which organisation publishes the Human Development Report?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).

Question 4

Give two examples to show that different persons can have different developmental goals.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — A landless labourer wants more days of work and better wages; a big farmer wants higher crop prices and cheap labour — their goals conflict.

Step 2 — A girl from a rich family may want as much freedom and opportunity as her brother, while her parents may not see that as a priority.

✦ Answer: any two examples showing goals differ (and may conflict) between people.

Question 5

Why is average income not an adequate measure of development?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Average (per capita) income tells us nothing about how that income is distributed among people.

Step 2 — Two countries with the same average can differ greatly — one fairly equal, the other with a few very rich and many poor. So averages hide disparities and inequality.

✦ Answer: it ignores distribution/inequality, so it can hide wide disparities.

Question 6

Apart from income, state two things people may consider important for development.

Accepted Answer

Any two of: equal treatment, freedom, security, respect/dignity, a pollution-free environment, good health and education facilities, job security.

✦ Answer: any two non-income goals as above.

Question 7

Kerala has a lower per capita income than some other states but a higher human development. Explain.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Per capita income measures only average money income, not the services people can actually access.

Step 2 — Kerala has invested in public facilities — schools and health centres — giving it a low Infant Mortality Rate and high literacy.

Step 3 — Because health and education (provided collectively) determine quality of life, Kerala scores higher on human development despite a lower income.

✦ Answer: good public provision of health and education raises human development even when income is lower.

Question 8

On what three parameters is the Human Development Index based, and why is it better than per capita income?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Health, measured by life expectancy at birth.

Step 2 — Education, measured by years/expected years of schooling.

Step 3 — Income, measured by per capita income (in PPP US$).

Step 4 — Because it combines health and education with income, HDI captures overall well-being and quality of life, not just money — making it a broader, fairer measure.

✦ Answer: health + education + income; broader than income alone because it includes well-being.

Question 9

What is sustainable development? Explain with two examples why it is necessary.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Step 2 — Example 1: groundwater is being over-used; water tables are falling in many parts of India because we extract it faster than it is recharged, threatening future water supply.

Step 3 — Example 2: crude oil and other minerals are exhaustible; using them up rapidly leaves less for future generations and harms the environment.

Step 4 — Hence development must conserve resources and protect the environment for the long term.

✦ Answer: definition + groundwater depletion + exhaustible resources like oil show why sustainability is needed.

Practice — Development

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