The following table shows the proportion of undernourished adults in India.

[question] Question. The following table shows the proportion of undernourished adults in India. It is based on a survey of various states for the year 2001. Look at the table and answer the following questions. (i) Compare the nutritional level of people in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. (ii) Can you guess why around 40 per cent of people in the country are undernourished even though it is argued that there is enough food in the country? Describe in your own words. [/question] [solution] Solution: ...

For each of the items given in Table 1.6, find out which country is at the top and which is at the bottom.

[question] Question. For each of the items given in Table 1.6, find out which country is at the top and which is at the bottom. [/question] [solution] Solution: Table 1.6 (i) Per Capita Income in US$: Top country - Sri Lanka; Bottom country - Myanmar (ii) Life Expectancy at birth: Top country - Sri Lanka; Bottom country - Myanmar (iii) Literacy Rate for 15+ yrs population: Top country - Sri Lanka; Bottom country - Bangladesh (iv) Gross Enrolment Ratio for three levels: Top country - Sri Lanka; B...

List a few examples of environmental degradation that you may have observed around you.

[question] Question. List a few examples of environmental degradation that you may have observed around you. [/question] [solution] Solution: Environmental degradation manifests itself in different ways. Deforestation, falling levels of ground water, soil erosion, water pollution, burning of fossil fuels, the hole in the ozone layer and combustion from automobiles causing extreme air pollution especially in urban areas are some of the examples of environmental degradation. [/solution]...

"The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person".

[question] Question. "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. [/question] [solution] Solution: “The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person”. This statement is relevant to the discussion of development since both resources and development go hand in hand. For the sustainability of deve...

Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?

[question] Question. Why is the issue of sustainability important for development? [/question] [solution] Solution:. The issue of sustainability is important for development because development must be in tandem with the future. If natural resources are not sustained, then development will stagnate after a point of time. Exploiting resources unethically will ultimately undo the development that a country may have achieved. This is because in the future, those resources will not be available for ...

Find out the present sources of energy that are used by the people in India.

[question] Question. Find out the present sources of energy that are used by the people in India. What could be the other possibilities fifty years from now? [/question] [solution] Solution: The present sources of energy that are used by the people of India are electricity, coal, crude oil, cowdung and solar energy. Other possibilities fifty years from now, could include ethanol, bio-diesel, nuclear energy and a better utilisation of wind energy, especially with the imminent danger of oil resour...

Kerala, with lower per capita income has a better human development ranking than Punjab.

[question] Question. Kerala, with lower per capita income has a better human development ranking than Punjab. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to compare states. Do you agree? Discuss. [/question] [solution] Solution: Kerala, with lower per capita income has a better human development ranking than Punjab. However, it would be wrong to say that per capita income is not a useful criterion at all. Per capita income is certainly not the only criterion ...

Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own examples related to development.

[question] Question. Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own examples related to development. [/question] [solution] Solution: We use averages because they are useful for comparing differing quantities of the same category. For example, to compute the per capita income of a country, averages have to be used because there are differences in the incomes of diverse people. However, there are limitations to the use of averages. Even though they are us...

In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development different from the one used by the World Bank?

[question] Question. In what respects is the criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development different from the one used by the World Bank? [/question] [solution] Solution: The criterion used by the UNDP for measuring development is different from the one used by the World Bank in the sense that it uses a combination of factors such as health, education and income as indicators of development. It does not rely solely on per capita income, as is the case with the World Bank. [/solution]...

What is the main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different countries?

[question] Question. What is the main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different countries? What are the limitations of this criterion, if any? [solution] Solution: The main criterion used by the World Bank in classifying different countries is the per capita income or average income of a person in a country. Limitations of this criterion: It does not tell us about how this average income is distributed among the people in the individual countries. Two countries with the same per ...

Assume there are four families in a country. The average per capita income of these families is Rs 5000.

[question] Question. Assume there are four families in a country. The average per capita income of these families is Rs 5000. If the income of three families is Rs 4000, Rs 7000 and Rs 3000 respectively, what is the income of the fourth family? (i) Rs 7500 (ii) Rs 3000 (iii) Rs 2000 (iv) Rs 6000 [/question] [solution] Solution: (iv) Rs 6000 [/solution]...

Which of the following neighbouring countries has better performance in terms of human development than India?

[question] Question. Which of the following neighbouring countries has better performance in terms of human development than India? (i) Bangladesh (ii) Sri Lanka (iii) Nepal (iv) Pakistan [solution] Solution: (ii) Sri Lanka [/solution]...

Development of a country can generally be determined by

[question] Question. Development of a country can generally be determined by (i) its per capita income (ii) its average literacy level (iii) health status of its people (iv) all the above [solution] Solution: (i) its per capita income [/solution]...