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Read the text given below and answer the following questions:
In our daily life, we come across many people who we think are poor. They could be landless labourers in villages or people living in over-crowded jhuggis in cities. They could be daily wage workers at construction sites or child workers in dhabas. They could also be beggars with children in tatters. We see poverty all around us. In fact, every fourth person in India is poor. This means, roughly 270 million (or 27 crore) people in India live in poverty in 2011-12. This also means that India has the largest single concentration of the poor in the world. Since poverty has many facets, social scientists look at it through a variety of indicators. Usually the indicators used relate to the levels of income and consumption. A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs is different at different times and in different countries. Therefore, poverty line may vary with time and place. Each country uses an imaginary line that is considered appropriate for its existing level of development and its accepted minimum social norms. The proportion of people below poverty line is also not same for all social groups and economic categories in India. In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others. Women, elderly people and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family. Therefore women, children (especially the girl child) and old people are poorest of the poor.
Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option:
Question (i)
What does poverty means?
(a) Poverty means hunger and lack of shelter
(b) Poverty means where sick people cannot afford treatment
(c) Poverty means lack of clean water and sanitation facilities
(d) All of the above
Answer:
Poverty means -
-
Hunger and lack of shelter
-
Sick people
cannot afford medical treatment
- Lack of clean water and sanitation facilities
Question (ii)
Poverty is looked through other social indicators like:
(a) Lack of job opportunities
(b) Lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation.
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c) Poverty is looked through other social indicators like-
- Lack of job opportunities
- Lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation.
Question (iii)
In economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are:
(a) The rural agricultural labour households
(b) Scheduled caste households
(c) Scheduled tribe households
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) In economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are - The rural agricultural labour households.
Question (iv)
How a person is considered poor?
Answer:
From the paragraph
Since poverty has many facets, social scientists look at it through a variety of indicators. Usually, the indicators used relate to the levels of income and consumption. A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs is different at different times and in different countries.
A person is considered poor if his or her income or consumption level falls below a given “minimum level” necessary to fulfill basic needs.
Question (v)
Who among the following in poor families suffers more than others?
Answer:
From the paragraph
The proportion of people below the poverty line is also not the same for all social groups and economic categories in India. In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others. Women, elderly people, and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family. Therefore women, children (especially the girl child) and old people are the poorest of the poor.
In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others. Women, elderly people, and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family.
