NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Studies

(Economics) Chapter 2 – People as Resource

Exercises Page No. 27

1. What do you understand by ‘people as a resource’?

Answer:

‘People as a resource’ is a term that means how the population can be an

asset and not a liability. It a way of referring to the working class of society in
terms of their existing productive skills and abilities. The population becomes
human capital when an investment is made in the form of education and
training. Education and health also help human beings to be an asset to the
economy. Thus, people as a resource refers to the working population that
results in the development of society.

2. How is human resource different from other resources like land and
physical Capital?

Answer:

Human resources are different from other resources like land and physical
capital because human beings can use other resources to give out
productive output. However, resources like land and physical capital are
dependent on human resource for their use and cannot give any productive
output all by themselves.

3. What is the role of education in human capital formation?

Answer:

Education plays a very important role in human capital formation for the
following reasons:

1. An educated human can be considered an asset for the economy and not a liability.
2. Education can help an individual make better use of economic opportunities. It helps in
enhancing the national income, cultural richness and increases the efficiency of the
Government.
3. It enhances individual productivity in terms of quality and quantity.
4. Because being educated can help the economic status of an individual, it also develops
the consciousness towards society.
5. An educated person is also aware of health and hygiene, and it will ultimately result in
better health for the people of a country.

4. What is the role of health in human capital formation?

Answer:

Health plays a very important role in human capital formation in the following
ways:

6. If an individual is healthy, they may have better immunity to fight illness.

7. Being healthy will also increase the overall outcome of an individual.
8. The health of an individual is directly proportional to the work he does. Thus better health
will increase efficiency.

The above-mentioned points prove that if better healthcare measures are

taken up, and an individual in a country becomes more healthy, the human
capital and productivity will also increase.

5. What part does health play in the individual’s working life?

Answer:

If an individual is healthy, then they may be able to give a better outcome in

terms of their work lives. The efficiency of a healthy person is higher than that
of an unhealthy person. A healthy person can spend more time working in
comparison to an unhealthy person. Hence, health plays a very important role
in an individual’s working life.

6. What are the various activities undertaken in the primary, secondary and
tertiary sectors?

Answer:
The various activities that come under the primary, secondary and tertiary
sectors are as follows:

Primary Sector Second Tertiary Sector

ary
Sector

Agriculture, forestry, animal Manufa Trade, transport, communication,

husbandry, fishing, poultry, farming, cturing banking, education, health, tourism
mining and quarrying and insurance

7. What is the difference between economic activities and non-economic

activities?

Answer:

The activities that add value to the national income are called economic
activities. They can be divided into two types: market activities and non-
market activities. Market activities involve the activities performed for pay or
profit, and non-market activities include the production done for self-
consumption.

The activities that add no value to the national income are called non-
economic activities. Domestic chore is an example of non-economic
activities.

8. Why are women employed in low paid work?

Answer:

The wage distribution among men and women has been a major concern for
society. Women are mostly paid less than men, and one major reason for this
is the meagre education qualification of women. They are employed in
sectors which do not provide them with proper maternity leaves, childcare
benefits and other provisions and are also responsible for managing the
household work. Hence, they are paid less than men. Skill is another reason
why wages for women are less than for men. Men are considered more skilful
in comparison to women, despite equal physical work. Due to these reasons,
women are employed in low paid work.
9. How will you explain the term unemployment?

Answer:

A situation in which skilled and abled people do not get gainful work at a
decent wage is called unemployment. Both rural and urban areas have
unemployment. In the case of the rural population, there is seasonal
unemployment, and in urban areas, there is educated unemployment.

10. What is the difference between disguised unemployment and seasonal

unemployment?

Answer:

Rural areas have cases of both seasonal and disguised unemployment.

Seasonal unemployment is when a person is unable to find a job during a few
months of the year. This mostly happens for farmers who are unemployed for
a part of the year when no crops are grown.

Disguised unemployment is when people appear to be employed. When the

number of people working on agricultural land is higher than the number of
people actually required to work, this is considered an example of disguised
unemployment. If a piece of land requires only three people to work on it, but
rather five are working on it, the two extra people are an example of disguised
unemployment.

11. Why is educated unemployed a peculiar problem of India?

Answer:

Educated unemployment has become a common phenomenon in India.

Youths with matriculation, graduation and post-graduation degrees are
unable to get jobs in India. This is because the education system in India
labels anyone above the age of 18 years as eligible to work. This leaves the
youth unskilled and ultimately unemployed. It is important that an individual
who does not only have a degree but must also be skilled enough to get a job.

12. In which field do you think India can build the maximum employment
opportunity?
 Answer:

There are three types of activities into which the employment sector is
divided: the primary sector, secondary sector and tertiary sector. The largest
part of India’s population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, yet
there is a massive scope of disguised unemployment in the agricultural
sector. Hence the manufacturing sector, a secondary activity, is the one
where the maximum part of the population can be given employment due to
the increase in the number of industries.

13. Can you suggest some measures in the education system to mitigate
the problem of the educated unemployed?

Answer:

Some measures that can be taken in the education system to mitigate the
problem of educated unemployed are as follows:

9. Make secondary level education more career-oriented. This practice will not just help
individuals get an education but also enhance their skills and get better employment
opportunities.
10. An individual should be able to choose the subjects that suit his or her abilities.
11. New subjects and fields of study should be introduced at the school level, which can be
opted for a career in the future. This will open an opportunity for students to plan their
future options at the school level itself.

14. Can you imagine some village which initially had no job opportunities
but later came up with many?

Answer:

Students must answer this question based on their own experience.

15. Which capital would you consider the best — land, labour, physical
capital or human capital? Why?

Answer:

Human capital can be considered to be the best out of the land, labour,
physical and human capital. This is because the other resources cannot be
used all by themselves, and only humans can use other resources and get
productive outcomes from them.