CBSE Class 10 Economics: Chapter 1 Development - Part 2: VSA Questions

Top 25 VSA Questions with Answers | Latest CBSE Pattern

1. MCQ 2. VSA 3. SA 4. LA 5. Assertion-Reason 6. Case Study 7. Concepts 8. One-Shot Revision

Welcome to Part 2 of our 8-part series on Economics Chapter 1: Development. This post contains the top 25 Very Short Answer (VSA) Questions, designed to test your key definitions and concepts for the board exams.

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Top 25 VSA Questions - Development

Question 1: Per Capita Income

CBSE PYQ 2014 CBSE 2019

What is meant by Per Capita Income?

Answer: Per Capita Income is the average income of a country, calculated by dividing the total income of the country by its total population.

Question 2: Infant Mortality Rate

CBSE PYQ 2013 CBSE 2016

Define Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).

Answer: IMR indicates the number of children that die before the age of one year as a proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year.

Question 3: Literacy Rate

CBSE PYQ 2012 CBSE 2018

What is Literacy Rate?

Answer: Literacy Rate measures the proportion of the literate population in the 7 years and above age group.

Question 4: Net Attendance Ratio

CBSE PYQ 2015 CBSE 2020

Define Net Attendance Ratio.

Answer: It is the total number of children of age group 14 and 15 years attending school as a percentage of the total number of children in the same age group.

Question 5: BMI

CBSE PYQ 2017

What is Body Mass Index (BMI) used for?

Answer: BMI is used to find out if a person is properly nourished, undernourished, or overweight. It is calculated as Weight (kg) divided by Height squared (m²).

Question 6: HDI Full Form

CBSE PYQ 2021

Expand the term HDI.

Answer: Human Development Index.

Question 7: Sustainable Development

CBSE PYQ 2014 CBSE 2023

Define Sustainable Development.

Answer: It is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 8: World Bank Criterion

CBSE PYQ 2019

Which main criterion is used by the World Bank to classify different countries?

Answer: Per Capita Income (or Average Income).

Question 9: UNDP Criterion

CBSE PYQ 2020

What criteria does UNDP use for measuring development?

Answer: Educational levels (Literacy), Health status (Life Expectancy), and Per Capita Income.

Question 10: Dollars for Income

CBSE PYQ 2022

Why is per capita income calculated in dollars for all countries?

Answer: It is calculated in dollars so that it can be compared easily across countries. It is also done in a way (PPP) that 1 dollar buys the same amount of goods and services in any country.

Question 11: Development Goal Example

CBSE PYQ 2015

State one development goal for a girl from a rich urban family.

Answer: To get as much freedom as her brother and to be able to decide what she wants to do in life.

Question 12: Life Expectancy

CBSE PYQ 2013

What does 'Life Expectancy at birth' denote?

Answer: It denotes the average expected length of life of a person at the time of birth.

Question 13: Non-Renewable Resource

CBSE PYQ 2018

Give one example of a non-renewable resource.

Answer: Crude oil (or Coal).

Question 14: Reason for Average

CBSE PYQ 2016

Why do we use averages to compare the development of countries?

Answer: We use averages because countries have different populations. Comparing total income will not tell us what an average person is likely to earn.

Question 15: Limitation of Average

CBSE PYQ 2019 CBSE 2024

State one limitation of using average income for comparison.

Answer: Averages hide disparities. They do not tell us how the income is distributed among the people (i.e., the gap between the rich and the poor).

Question 16: Lowest IMR State

CBSE PYQ 2021

Which state in India generally has the lowest Infant Mortality Rate?

Answer: Kerala.

Question 17: Public Facilities Definition

CBSE PYQ 2012

What are public facilities?

Answer: These are services provided by the government to its citizens for collective use, such as schools, hospitals, transport, and electricity, which are necessary for a decent quality of life.

Question 18: PDS Full Form

CBSE PYQ 2025

What does PDS stand for?

Answer: Public Distribution System.

Question 19: Groundwater Threat

CBSE PYQ 2022

Why is the overuse of groundwater a threat to development?

Answer: Overuse lowers the water table. Since groundwater is renewable only if we use less than what rain replenishes, excessive use can exhaust the resource, threatening agriculture and drinking water supplies for future generations.

Question 20: Cause of High IMR

CBSE PYQ 2023

What is the main cause of high Infant Mortality Rate in some states?

Answer: Poor healthcare facilities (lack of hospitals/doctors) and low literacy/awareness among people.

Question 21: National Development

CBSE PYQ 2015

Define 'National Development'.

Answer: National Development refers to the ability of a country to improve the social welfare of its people, including providing better healthcare, education, infrastructure, and equal opportunities for all.

Question 22: Undernourished BMI

CBSE PYQ 2018

What is the BMI range for a person to be considered undernourished?

Answer: Less than 18.5.

Question 23: Purpose of Averages

CBSE PYQ 2017

Why do we use averages?

Answer: We use averages for comparison between two or more countries or groups, as they differ in population size.

Question 24: HDI Comparison

CBSE PYQ 2014

Name a neighbouring country of India that has a better HDI rank.

Answer: Sri Lanka.

Question 25: Goal of Development

CBSE PYQ 2020

What is the ultimate goal of development?

Answer: The ultimate goal is to create conditions where people can live a healthy, long, and creative life with access to resources and freedom.