QUESTION ANSWER OF THE STORY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR//SST //CBSE 9  

Q.1. What are the main activities of the people of village of

Palampur?

Ans. Farming is the main activity, whereas several other activities such as

small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited

scale.

Q.2. What type of sources are needed by these production

activities?

Ans. Natural resources, man-made items, human effort and money, etc., are

the sources needed by production activities.

Q.3. What kind of transportation is used for connecting Palampur to

these neighbouring villages and towns?

Ans. Bullock carts, tongas, wooden carts, motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and

trucks.

Q.4. How many families live in Palampur?

Ans. About 450 families belonging to several different castes live in

Palampur.

Q.5. What was the benefit of electricity in Palampur?

Ans. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the

tubewells in the fields and is also used in various types of small businesses.

Q.6. What is the first and foremost requirement for the production

of goods and services?

Ans. The foremost requirement is land and other natural resources such as

water, forests, minerals, etc.

Q.7. What is called ‘Working Capital?

Ans. Production requires a variety of raw materials and some money during

production to make payments and buy other necessary items. These are

included in the ‘Working Capital’.

Q.8. What does ‘Human Capital’ mean?

Ans. We need knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land,

labour and physical capital and produce an output either to use yourself or to

sell in the market. This is called ‘Human Capital.’

Q.9. Which are the four main factors of production?

Ans. Land, labour, physical capital and human capital.

Q.10. What was the main reason behind the growth of three

different crops in a year in Palampur?

Ans. The main reason was the well-developed system of irrigation.

Q.11. What does ‘multiple cropping’ mean?

Ans. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known

as multiple cropping.

Q.12. What is the benefit of multiple cropping?

Ans. It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of

land.

Q.13. How did Green Revolution benefit the Indian farmer?

Ans. The Green Revolution in late 1960s introduced the Indian farmer to high

yielding variety of seeds to produce much greater amount of grain on a

single plant.

Q.14. How was land resource affected by modern farming methods?

Ans. Land being a natural resource, it is necessary to be very careful in its

use. Scientific reports indicate that the modern farming methods have

overused the natural resource base.

Q.15. How do farm labourers get wages in Palampur?

Ans. Wages can be in cash or kind (crop). Sometimes labourers get meals

also. Wages vary widely from crop to crop, from one farm activity to another.

Q.16. How small farmers manage the capital needed for farming?

Ans. Small farmers have to borrow money to arrange for the capital.

Q.17. What is the basic difference between two factors of

production–land and capital?

Ans. Land is a natural resource whereas money is man-made. It is possible

to increase capital, whereas land is fixed.

Q.18. Name the non-farm activities of Palampur?

Ans. Dairy farming, small scale manufacturing, trade, shopkeeping and

providing transport services.

Q.19. How is dairy farming practiced in Palampur?

Ans. Many families sell the milk of their buffaloes, in nearby village Raiganj.

Traders of Shahpur town have set up collection cum chilling centres at

Raiganj from where the milk is transported to far away towns and cities.

Q.20. What kind of manufacturing units are set up in Palampur?

Ans. 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.

Q.1. What is fixed capital?

Ans. (i) Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s

plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers,

etc.

(ii) They can be used in production over many years and are called fixed

capital.

Q.2. How were higher yields of wheat and rice were possible?

Ans. Higher yields of wheat and rice were possible only from a combination

of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc.

Q.3. How do chemical fertilizers affect the soil?

Ans. (i) Chemical fertilizers provide minerals which dissolve in water and are

immediately available to plants.

(ii) But these may not be retained in the soil for long.

(iii) They may escape from the soil and pollute groundwater, rivers and

lakes.

Q.4. From where small farmers borrow money?

Ans. Small farmers either 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 which makes it difficult for them to

repay.

Q.5. Name the main and other activities of the village of Palampur.

Ans. Farming is the main activity in Palampur. Other activities are smallscale

manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. They also have small shops selling

a wide range of items like rice, wheat, sugar, tea, oil, biscuits, soaps, etc.

Q.6. What all facilities are available in the village?

Ans. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity is used to run

tubewells in fields and for many other purposes. 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. It also

has a well-developed system of roads and transport facilities.

Q.7. What are the main factors for production of goods and

services?

Ans. (i) The first requirement is land and other natural resources like water,

forests, minerals, etc.

(ii)The second requirement is labour, i.e., the people who will do the work.

Some activities require educated workers to perform the necessary task and

other activities require workers who can do manual work.

(iii) The third requirement is physical capital, i.e., the variety of inputs

required at every stage during production. It includes fixed capital and

working capital.

(iv) The fourth requirement is knowledge and entrepreneurship.

Q.8. State the various ways of growing more crop from the same

land by the people of Palampur.

Ans. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year:

(i) Modern farming methods like HYV seeds, pesticides, chemical fertilizers,

etc. were used.

(ii) Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced to the farmers, the

cultivation of wheat and rice by using high yielding variety seeds.

Q.9. What is the ‘multiple cropping’ system?

Ans. Multiple cropping is the most common way of increasing production on a

given piece of land. When more than one crop is grown on a piece of land

during the year, it is known as multiple cropping system. All the farmers in

Palampur grow at least two main crops and grow potatoes as their third crop.

Q.10. State the main reasons why farmers are able to grow three

different crops in a year in Palampur.

Ans. The main reasons are:

(i) A well-developed system of irrigation.

(ii) Electricity came early to Palampur. It was perceived to help in

transforming the system of irrigation as the earlier Persian wheels, till then,

were used to draw water from wells to irrigate small fields.

(iii) People noticed that electric-run tubewells could irrigate much large

areas of land more effectively.

Q.11. What do you understand by the term ‘Green Revolution’?

Ans. The ‘Green Revolution’ was introduced in India, in the late 1960s.

Indian farmers used it for the production of major food crops like wheat and

rice. They made use of the High Yielding Variety seeds, which produced

much greater yield than the traditional seeds. However, they needed plenty

of water, chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce best results.

Q.12. What are the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers?

Ans. Chemical fertilizers provide minerals which dissolve in water and are

immediately available to plants. But they may escape from the soil and

pollute the groundwater, rivers and lakes. Chemical fertilizers can also kill

bacteria and other micro-organisms in the soil. It means sometimes, after

their use, the soil will be less fertile than ever before. So, continuous use of

chemical fertilizers has led to the degradation of the soil’s health.

Q.13. How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

Ans. (i) Electricity enabled the use of tubewells, which improved the system

of irrigation, leading to more yield, more income and further investment.

(ii) Shops, sugarcane machines, small-scale industries and computer centres

were introduced by the farmers to get supplement income.

Q.14. Is it important to increase the area under irrigation and why?

Ans. More area under irrigation would lead to more yield or production to

fulfil the needs of the population. More yield would fetch more income to the

farmers. It would provide more employment opportunities for them. Their

supplement income can provide them more capital for further investment in

non-farm activities also.

Q.15. Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land or small

holding.

Ans. The farmer with a small land of 1 hectare needs less capital to prepare

his land. He uses traditional seeds, animals to plough, less labour, no

machines, less chemical fertilizers or manure. He does irrigation manually

and is helped by his family members to do the work of harvesting. The

production from 1 hectare of his land is consumed by his family.

Q.16. What can be done by the government to start more non-farm

activities in the villages to improve the farmers’ conditions?

Ans. (i) The government should provide capital to the villagers for starting

new business like shops, dairy farming, transport, etc.

(ii) Banks should be set up in the villages to provide loans to the farmers at

low interest rates.

(iii) People should be made literate so that they are qualified to start a new

business like computer training courses in computer centres.

Q.17. Differentiate between physical and human capital.

Ans. Difference between physical and human capital are given below:

Physical Capital        Human Capital

1. Tangible can be sold in the market. 1. Intangible, built in the body and mind of its owner.

2. Can be separated from the owner. 2. Inseparable can’t be sold anywhere but only services can be sold.

3. Mobile between countries if trade restrictions followed. 3. Hardly mobile restricted by

nationality.

4. Can be built only through imports and creates only private benefits. 4. It depends on a person’s choice whether he/she wants to raise the earnings or not. It creates both private and social benefits.

Q.18. Explain the types of activities necessary for production.

Ans. (i) Farming is the main activity for the production and sale of crops.

(ii) Non-farm activities include small-scale manufacturing, transport,

shopkeeping, dairy farms, etc. These activities help in other productions

needed in a village.

(iii) There are people who do cattle-rearing to provide milk and get surplus

income for their families.

Q.19. What means of transportation are used in the village of

Palampur?

Ans. Many kinds of transport are used by the people in the village of

Palampur. They use bullock carts, tongas, rickshaws, bogeys, etc. They are

also used for loading jaggery and other commodities to their neighouring

farms like Raiganj. Motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and

trucks, etc. are used to transport people and surplus crops to sell it to their

neighbouring villages.

Q.20. What kind of people live in the village Palampur?

Ans. 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 homes, some of which are of

mud and straw.

Q.21. How surplus farm products is sold by the farmers?

Ans. Let us assume that farmers have produced wheat on their land. They

retain a part of the wheat for the family consumption and sell the surplus

wheat. Small farmers like Savita have little surplus wheat because their total

production is small and from this a substantial share is kept for their own

family needs. The medium and large farmers supply wheat to the market

which the traders buy and sell it further to shopkeepers in the towns and

cities.

Q.1. Define Physical Capital, Fixed Capital, Working Capital and

Human Capital with examples.

Ans. (i) Physical capital: Physical capital is the variety of inputs required

at every stage during production. It includes fixed capital and working

capital.

(ii) Fixed capital: Tools and machines range from a plough to a tractor and

sophisticated machines like generators, turbines, computers, etc. The tools,

machines, buildings which can be used in production over many years are

called fixed capital.

(iii) Working capital: Production requires a variety of raw materials. It

requires money to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw

materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools and

machines, these are used up in production.

For example, Yarn required by a weaver; clay used by a potter.

(iv) Human capital: One needs knowledge and enterprise to be able to put

together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output; either to

use it by oneself or to sell in the market. This is known as human capital,

which enables better production with human skill and knowledge.

Q.2. What are the merits of the Green Revolution?

Ans. Merits of the Green Revolution

Green Revolution introduced a number of modern farming methods in India.

(i) Higher yield due to the use of HYV seeds.

(ii) Machines like harvesters, tractors and threshers have made ploughing

and harvesting faster and easier.

(iii) Higher yield enabled farmers to sell the surplus food in the market and

earn more.

(iv) Pesticides and insecticides are able to protect the crops from pests and

insects.

(v) A good irrigation system is able to enhance crop production.

Q.3. How do medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming?

How is it different from small farmers?

Ans. (i) 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 and these farmers are in great stress to repay the loans taken.

(ii) In contrast to the small farmers, medium and large farmers have their

own savings from farming. They use this savings to arrange for next year’s

capital and make high profits by selling surplus production and earning

higher amounts. Sometimes, they deposit their savings in a bank or lend

their money to small farmers or save their savings or buy cattle, truck or to

set up shops.

Q.4. Which non-farm activities are practised in Palampur? Write a

short note.

Ans. The non-farm activities of Palampur are:

(a) Dairy farming

(i) People feed their buffaloes with various kinds of grass, jowar, bajra that

grows during the rainy season.

(ii) The milk is sold in nearby villages.

(iii) Some people have set up collection centres and chilling centres from

where milk is transported to far away towns and cities.

(b) Small-scale manufacturing

(i) Manufacturing in Palampur involves very simple production methods and

are done on a small scale.

(ii) They are carried out mostly at home.

(iii) This is mostly done with the help of family labour. Labour is rarely hired.

(c) Shopkeeping

(i) Shopkeepers buy various goods from the wholesale market in the cities

and sell them in the village.

(ii) Small general stores in the village sell a wide range of items like rice,

wheat, sugar, oil, biscuits, soap, batteries, candles, toothpaste, pens, pencils,

notebooks, and even some clothes.

(iii) Some families whose houses are closer to the bus stand have used a

part of the space to open small shops. They sell eatables here.

(d) Transport

(i) Rickshawallahs, tongawallahs, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and people

driving the traditional bullock carts and bogeys are the people in transport

services.

(ii) They carry people and goods from one place to another and in return get

paid for it.

(iii) The number of people in transport services have risen over the last

several years.

(e) Self-employed

Some people have opened coaching institutes for various kinds of arts like

computer training centres or stitching classes, etc. to obtain profit from a

non-farm activity and train more and more people for better opportunities in

their lives.

Q.5. How is multiple cropping practised in Palampur?

Ans. All land is cultivated in Palampur. No land is left vacant. 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. From the

wheat produced, farmers keep enough wheat for family’s consumption and

sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj. 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.

Q.6. What kind of labour is found in Palampur?

Ans. Farm labourers come either from landless families or families

cultivating small plots of land. Unlike farmers, farm labourers do not have a

right over the crops grown on the land. Instead they are paid wages by the

farmer for whom they work. Sometimes labourers get meals also. Wages

vary widely from region to region, from crop to crop, from one farm activity

to another. There is also a wide variation in the duration of employment. A

farm labourer might be employed on a daily basis, or for one particular farm

activity like harvesting, or for the whole year.

Q.7. Modern farming methods require more inputs which are

manufactured in industry. Do you agree?

Ans. (i) The Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian

farmers to the cultivation of wheat and rice using High Yielding Varieties

(HYVs) of seeds compared to the traditional seeds.

(ii) 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 more

quantity of food grains than was possible earlier.

(iii) Tubewells are set up for irrigation, and the farmers use pesticides and

chemical fertilizers in farming which are produced in industries.

(iv) Farm machinery like tractors, threshers, harvesters, which made

ploughing and harvesting faster, are also being used as modern farming

methods, which are also manufactured in the industries.

Q.8. What are the different ways of increasing production on the

same piece of land? Explain.

Ans. (i) To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is

known as multiple cropping.

(ii) All land is to be cultivated, no land to be left vacant.

(iii) During the kharif season, crops like jowar and bajra can be grown,

followed by cultivation of potato between October and December.

(iv) In the winter season, rabi fields are sown with wheat. A part of the land

can be used for growing sugarcane, which is harvested once every year.

(v) For all these variety of crops, a well-developed irrigation system is

required which can be acquired with the help of electric-run tubewells

Q.1. What were the limitations of Green Revolution?

OR

What are the ill-effects of Green Revolution?

Ans. (i) Loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilizers.

(ii) Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has reduced the

water table below the ground.

(iii) The chemical fertilizers, easily soluble in water, can dissolve in the

groundwater and pollute it.

(iv) They can kill bacteria and other micro-organisms helpful for the soil.

(v) Excessive use of fertilizers can also make the soil alkaline and unfit for

cultivation.

Q.2. State three reasons of the variation in the wages of farm

labourers all over India.

Ans. (i) Employment is less and farmers are more and therefore, farmers

have to be content with what they are earning.

(ii) Land is owned by landlords who desire to earn more and more profits by

giving minimum wages.

(iii) The farmers are illiterate and unaware of the minimum amount set by

the government.

Q.3. Explain any three efforts which can be made to increase nonfarming

production activities in villages?

Ans. (i) Collection centres for collecting milk can be developed in village for

supplementing income of poor farmers.

(ii) Small-scale manufacturing can be introduced where family members of

farmers can work together to produce goods which can be sold in the

market.

(iii) Education and health of the people should be improved, so that they can

become self- dependent and can open computer centre or school in the

village.