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CBSE Class 9th Economy Passage Based Question Chapter- 3 Poverty as a Challenge

Passage 1

Urban Case

Thirty-three-year-old Ram Saran works as a daily-wage labourer in a wheat flour mill near Ranchi in Jharkhand. He manages to earn around Rs 1,500 a month when he finds employment, which is not often. The money is not enough to sustain his family of six— that includes his wife and four children aged between 12 years to six months. He has to send money home to his old parents who live in a village near Ramgarh. His father a landless labourer, depends on Ram Saran and his brother who lives in Hazaribagh, for sustenance. Ram Saran lives in a one-room rented house in a crowded basti in the outskirts of the city. It’s a temporary shack built of bricks and clay tiles. His wife Santa Devi, works as a part time maid in a few houses and manages to earn another Rs 800. They manage a meagre meal of dal and rice twice a day, but there’s never enough for all of them. His elder son works as a helper in a tea shop to supplement the family income and earns another Rs 300, while his 10- year-old daughter takes care of the younger siblings. None of the children go to school. They have only two pairs of hand-me-down clothes each. New ones are bought only when the old clothes become unwearable. Shoes are a luxury. The younger kids are undernourished. They have no access to healthcare when they fall ill.

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What is Ram Saran’s occupation, and where does he work?

Answer: Ram Saran works as a daily-wage labourer in a wheat flour mill near Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Question 2: How much does Ram Saran earn per month, and why is it challenging for him?

Answer: Ram Saran earns around Rs 1,500 per month, but finding employment is not frequent, making it difficult to sustain his family.

Question 3: Who depends on Ram Saran and his brother for sustenance?

Answer: Ram Saran’s landless labourer father, who lives in a village near Ramgarh, relies on him and his brother in Hazaribagh.

Question 4: Describe the living conditions of Ram Saran’s family.

Answer: Ram Saran’s family lives in a one-room rented house made of bricks and clay tiles in a crowded basti on the outskirts of the city.

Question 5: What challenges do Ram Saran’s children face?

Answer: Ram Saran’s children do not go to school, have limited clothing (only two pairs of hand-me-down clothes), and suffer from undernourishment. They lack access to healthcare when they fall ill.

Passage 2

Rural case

Lakha Singh belongs to a small village near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. His family doesn’t own any land, so they do odd jobs for the big farmers. Work is erratic and so is income. At times they get paid Rs 50 for a hard day’s work. But often it’s in kind like a few kilograms of wheat or dal or even vegetables for toiling in the farm through the day. The family of eight cannot always manage two square meals a day. Lakha lives in a kuchha hut on the outskirts of the village. The women of the family spend the day chopping fodder and collecting firewood in the fields. His father a TB patient, passed away two years ago due to lack of medication. His mother now suffers from the same disease and life is slowly ebbing away. Although, the village has a primary school, Lakha never went there. He had to start earning when he was 10 years old. New clothes happen once in a few years. Even soap and oil are a luxury for the family.

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What is Lakha Singh’s occupation, and why is it challenging for him?

Answer: Lakha Singh does odd jobs for big farmers since his family doesn’t own any land. The work is erratic, and the income is uncertain. Sometimes, they receive only Rs 50 for a day’s hard work, while other times, they are compensated with wheat, dal, or vegetables.

Question 2: Describe Lakha’s living conditions.

Answer: Lakha lives in a kuchha hut on the outskirts of the village. His family struggles to manage two square meals a day. They lack basic necessities like soap and oil.

Question 3: What happened to Lakha’s father, and why?

Answer: Lakha’s father, a TB patient, passed away two years ago due to lack of medication.

Question 4: How do the women in Lakha’s family spend their day?

Answer: The women in Lakha’s family spend their day chopping fodder and collecting firewood in the fields.

Question 5: Why did Lakha never attend the village primary school?

Answer: Lakha had to start earning at the age of 10, which prevented him from attending school. New clothes are a rarity for him, and even basic necessities are considered a luxury.

Passage 3

Social exclusion

According to this concept, poverty must be seen in terms of the poor having to live only in a poor surrounding with other poor people, excluded from enjoying social equality of better-off people in better surroundings. Social exclusion can be both a cause as well as a consequence of poverty in the usual sense. Broadly, it is a process through which individuals or groups are excluded from facilities, benefits and opportunities that others (their “betters”) enjoy. A typical example is the working of the caste system in India in which people belonging to certain castes are excluded from equal opportunities. Social exclusion thus may lead to, but can cause more damage than, having a very low income.

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What does the concept of social exclusion imply regarding poverty and living conditions?

Answer: The concept of social exclusion suggests that poverty should be understood not only in terms of economic deprivation but also as a process where the poor are isolated from better-off individuals. They live in poor surroundings, often excluded from enjoying the same social equality and opportunities.

Question 2: How can social exclusion be both a cause and a consequence of poverty?

Answer: Social exclusion can perpetuate poverty by denying individuals access to essential rights, resources, and opportunities. Conversely, poverty itself can lead to social exclusion as it limits participation in societal activities.

Question 3: What is the role of the caste system in India as an example of social exclusion?

Answer: The caste system in India exemplifies social exclusion. People belonging to certain castes are systematically excluded from equal opportunities in education, jobs, and other aspects of life. This exclusion is based on birth and occupation.

Question 4: How does social inequality manifest through social stratification?

Answer: Social stratification is a system that unequally distributes social resources among different categories of people. It persists over generations, with social positions being ascribed (inherited). For instance, a Dalit may remain confined to traditional occupations due to caste-based restrictions.

Question 5: Why is the legitimacy of a system of inequality crucial for its persistence?

Answer: For any system of social stratification to endure, it must be perceived as either fair or inevitable. In the case of the caste system, beliefs about purity and pollution justify the hierarchy. However, not everyone accepts such systems as legitimate

Passage 4

Vulnerability

Vulnerability to poverty is a measure, which describes the greater probability of certain communities (say, members of a backward caste) or individuals (such as a widow or a physically handicapped person) of becoming, or remaining, poor in the coming years. Vulnerability is determined by the options available to different communities for finding an alternative living in terms of assets, education, health and job opportunities. Further, it is analyzed on the basis of the greater risks these groups face at the time of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami), terrorism etc. Additional analysis is made of their social and economic ability to handle these risks. In fact, vulnerability describes the greater probability of being more adversely affected than other people when bad time comes for everybody, whether a flood or an earthquake or simply a fall in the availability of jobs!

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What does vulnerability to poverty measure?

Answer: Vulnerability to poverty measures the greater probability that certain communities (such as members of a backward caste) or individuals (like widows or physically handicapped persons) will become or remain poor in the coming years.

Question 2: How is vulnerability determined?

Answer: Vulnerability is determined by assessing the options available to different communities in terms of assets, education, health, and job opportunities.

Question 3: What additional factors are considered in analyzing vulnerability?

Answer: In addition to the above factors, vulnerability is analyzed based on the greater risks these groups face during natural disasters (such as earthquakes or tsunamis), terrorism, and other adverse events.

Question 4: How is social and economic ability relevant to vulnerability?

Answer: Vulnerability considers the social and economic ability of individuals or communities to handle risks. This includes their capacity to cope with adverse situations and recover from setbacks.

Question 5: What does vulnerability describe in the context of adverse events?

Answer: Vulnerability describes the greater probability of being more adversely affected than other people when challenging times arise, whether due to a flood, an earthquake, or a decline in job availability.

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