Notes on Lifelines of National Economy | MCQs & Q&A

MCQs AND Q&A OF LIFELINES OF NATIONAL ECONOMY

CLASS X | GEOGRAPHY | CBSE | NCERT

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS OF LIFELINES OF NATIONAL ECONOMY

01. Which is not the national highway?
(a) Grand Trunk Road
(b) Agra-Mumbai Road
(c) Mathura Road
(d) Greater Noida Express Highways

02. National Highway connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata is termed as :
(a) Locomotives
(b) Guage
(c) Golden quadrilateral
(d) Dock

03. Gauge is the term stating
(a) The place where there is provision of loading and unloading of ships
(b) The place on the sea coast
(c) The high pedestal built along the coastline
(d) The width before the two rails of the railway line

04. Gateway is the name given to
(a) Harbour
(b) Port
(c) Dock
(d) Tidal port

05. Which of the following locations are joined by the east-west corridor?
(a) Mumbai and Nagpur
(b) Munbai and Kolkata
(c) Silcher and Porbandar
(d) Nagpur and Siligudi

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06. The name of the National Highway No. 2 is:
(a) Grand Trunk Road
(b) Agra-Mumbai Road
(c) Mathura Road
(d) Delhi- Mumbai Road

07. The rail gauge with a track width of 1.676m is
(a) Broad guage
(b) Metre guage
(c) Narrow guage
(d) None of these

08. What does BOT stands for?
(a) Bureau of Transport
(b) Bureau of Trans-communication
(c) Build, Operate and Transfer
(d) Bureaucracy Official against Terrorists

09. Which of the following is the navigation river of India?
(a) Yamuna
(b) Krishna
(c) Brahmaputra
(d) Son

10. Which of the following ports is not developed recently?
(a) New Mangalore
(b) Mumbai
(c) Haldia
(d) Nhava Sheva

11. Kochi in Kerala is the example of which port of the following
(a) Tidal Port
(b) Natural Harbour
(c) Artificial Harbour
(d) Recently developed

12. Tuticorin is located in the state of
(a) Kerala
(b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Karnataka
(d) Orissa

13. Which is not the name of international airport?
(a) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport
(b) Indira Gandhi International Airport
(c) Palam Airport
(d) Meenam Bakkam

14. What does QMS stand for?
(a) Quickly Medical Service
(b) Quick Mail Service
(c) Quickly Mother Dairy Service
(d) None of these

15. Which of the following is not the factor, which influence the distribution of railway in the country?
(a) Physiographic factors
(b) Economic factors
(c) Administrative factors
(d) Political factors

16. Which of the following is advantage of unigauge system?
(a) Larger capacity
(b) Higher speed
(c) No loss in trans-shipment
(d) All of these

17. Air travel is transport in north-eastern parts of India due to
(a) The prosperity of people of this region
(b) The less expensive mode of transport
(c) Heavy rains are liable to damage roads and railways
(d) All of the above

18. Which is not the development in the field of communication?
(a) Cellular phone
(b) Laptop
(c) Internet-e-commerce
(d) Radio

ANSWERS of the MCQs of Lifelines of National Economy

1. (d) Greater Noida Express Highways
2. (c) Golden quadrilateral
3. (d) The width before the two rails of the railway line
4. (b) Port
5. (c) Silcher and Porbandar
6. (c) Mathura Road
7. (a) Broad guage
8. (c) Build, Operate and Transfer
9. (c) Brahmaputra
10. (b) Mumbai
11. (b) Natural Harbour
12. (b) Tamil Nadu
13. (c) Palam Airport
14. (b) Quick Mail Service
15. (d) Political factors
16. (d) All of these
17. (b) The less expensive mode of transport
18. (d) Radio

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS LIFELINES OF NATIONAL ECONOMY

01. What are known as lifelines of the national economy?
Ans: Means of transport and communication

02. What are the two major means of land transport?
Ans: The two major means of land transport are:
1. Roadways 2. Railways

03. Name main means of communication.
Ans: Telephone, Radio, Television, Films and Internet.

04. What are the main categories of Indian Roads?
Ans: Main categories of Indian Roads are:
(1) National Highways
(2) State Highways
(3) District and Village Roads
(4) Express Highways
(5) International Highways

05. Who builds and maintains the National Highways?
Ans: The central government

06. What are express or free highways?
Ans: Express or freeways are the national highways with 4 to 6 lanes meant to meet the requirement of fast traffic movement across the country.

07. Why has government involved private companies to invest, develop and maintain these roads?
Ans: Their constructions and maintenance need huge investment.

08. In what way is television more useful than radio? Give one point.
Ans: Television is more useful than radio because it gives live vision of the happenings along with audio sounds and commentary while radio provides only audio service.

09. What are the 3 names of Express of Freeways?
Ans: Their names are:
(1) Golden Quadrilateral
(2) North-South and East-West Corridors
(3) Connectivity of 10 major ports with Golden Quadrilateral and Corridors

10. Which is the major public sector enterprise of the Central Government?
Ans: Indian Railways

11. What does 'BOT' stands for?
Ans: BOT stands for Build, Operate and Transfer. It means that after realising cost and profit for certain period, the roads will be transferred to the govt. as their rightful owners.

12. What is a railway gauge? Name 3 types of gauges found in India.
Ans: Railways guage refers to the width between two rails. There are three types of guage found in India. They are:
(1) Broad Guage (1.675 metres)
(2) Metre Guage (1.000 metres)
(3) Narrow Guage (0.762 metre and 0610 metre).

13. What is the total length of roads in India? How much of this length is surfaced?
Ans: The total length of roads in India is 25 lakh kilometre. 57% of this length is surfaced.

14. What is the policy of Indian Railways regarding electrification?
Ans: The rapid electrification of all the railway tracks.

15. Name the two super-fast trains of India.
Ans: Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express.

16. What is the inland navigational potential in India?
Ans: 5200 kilometres.

17. Name the two navigational rivers of India?
Ans: Ganga and Brahmaputra.

18. Up to which city would Ganga be used in navigation in due course?
Ans: Up to Patna and in due course up to Allahabad.

19. Name the two main ports of the western coast of India.
Ans: Mumbai and Nhava Sheva.

20. Name the four ports which have developed recently
Ans: (a) New Mangalore
(b) Haldia
(c) Nhava Sheva
(d) Ennore

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS of Lifelines of National Economy

Q.1 “Efficient means of transport and communication has converted the world into a large village”.
Explain this statement with the help of examples.
OR
Explain why the means of transport and communication are called lifelines of our national economy?
OR
Explain why a dense and efficient network of transport and communication is a pre-requisite for local, national and global trade of today.
Ans: Efficient means of transport and communication has converted the world into a large village.
a. Through transport and communication we are well-linked with the rest of the world
b. India is united despite its vast size, diversity and linguistic and socio-cultural plurality.
c. Railways, airways, water ways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema and internet, etc. have been contributing to India’s socio-economic progress in many ways.
d. The trades from local to international levels have added to the strength of our economy.
e. It has enriched our life and added amenities and facilities for the comforts of life.
OR
a. They help in increasing cooperation and assistance between countries by easy movement of goods and material between countries.
b. They help in trade and commerce within country.
c. They have reduced distances thus bringing the world closer.
d. They help in both production and distribution of goods and movement of large number of people and over long distance.
e. They provide important links between producers and consumers of goods.
f. They bring people very close to one another by promoting interdependence among people.

Q.2 Why the importance of road transport vis-à-vis rail transport is growing in India?
Ans: In India, roadways have preceded railways. The growing importance of road transport is due to the following reasons –
i. Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines,
ii. Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography, R
iii. Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas,
iv. Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances,
v. It also provides door-to-door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower,
vi. Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea ports.

Q.3 Name Six classes of roads in India according to their capacity.
Ans: The six classifications of roads in India are:
i. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways
ii. National Highways
iii. State Highways
iv. District Roads
v. Other Roads
vi. Border Roads

Q.4 What are super highways? Name 3 major super highway projects.
Ans: Super highways are six lane highways connecting major cities and ports of the country for speedy movement of goods and passengers. They are developed by NHAI for reducing time and distance.
3 super highways are:
1) Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: It links Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highways.
2) The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu)
3) East-West Corridor connecting Silcher (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat)

Q.5 What are national highways?
Ans: National highways link all major cities of extreme parts of the country. These are the primary road systems. They are maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Q.6 What are state highways?
Ans. Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State Highways. These roads are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (PWD) in State and Union Territories.

Q.7 What are district roads?
Ans. Roads which connect the district headquarters with other places of the district are called district roads. These roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad.

Q.8 What are rural roads?
Ans: Roads which link rural areas and villages with towns are classified as rural roads.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana scheme special provisions are made so that every village in the country is linked to a major town in the country by an all season motorable road.

Q.9 What are border roads? Mention its two importance.
Ans: Strategically important roads in the bordering areas of the country are called border roads. These roads are in the northern and north-eastern border areas.
Importance of Border roads: -
1) Border roads have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain.
2) They have helped in the economic development of border areas.
3) Used to supply military equipments to the borders of our country.

Q.10 State any four problems of Road transport in the country.
Ans. Major Problems are:
i. Road transportation in India is inadequate keeping in view the volume of traffic and passengers.
ii. About half of the roads are un-metal and this limits their usage during the rainy season.
iii. The National Highways are inadequate too.
iv. Moreover, the roadways are highly congested in cities
v. Most of the bridges and culverts are old and narrow.

Q.11 Describe the importance of Railways in India.
Ans. Indian Railways has been
i. The principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
ii. Suitable for long distance travel.
iii. Conduct of multiple activities like business, sightseeing, and pilgrimage along with transportation of goods.
iv. Plays an important role of national integration.
v. Bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture.
vi. The largest public sector undertaking in the country.

Q.12 Describe the factors which influence the distribution pattern of Railway network in India.
Ans: The distribution pattern of the Railway network in the country has been largely influenced by physiographic, economic and administrative factors.
i. The density railway network is high in the northern plains because they are vast level land, have high population density and rich agricultural resources.
But, a large number of rivers create obstacles because it requires construction of bridges across their wide beds.
ii. In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracts are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels therefore it difficult to construct railway lines.
iii. The Himalayan mountainous regions are unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
iv. It is difficult to lay railway lines on the sandy plain of western Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat, forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand.
v. Sinking of track in some areas and land slides makes it difficult for railways.

Q.13 Mention some of the problems faced by the Indian Railways.
Ans: Rail transport in our country suffer from certain problems such as -
i. Many passengers travel without tickets.
ii. Thefts and damaging of railway property has not yet stopped completely.
iii. People stop the trains, pull the chain unnecessarily and this causes heavy damage to the railway.

Q.14 Describe the importance of Pipelines in India.
Ans. Pipelines are important for -
i. They are used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil fields and natural gas fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants.
ii. Solids can also be transported through a pipeline when converted into slurry.
iii. Because of pipelines, refineries at Barauni, Mathura, Panipat and gas based fertilizer plants, could be located in the interiors of India.
iv. Initial cost of laying pipelines is high but subsequent running costs are minimal.
v. Pipelines rules out trans-shipment (during transportation) losses or delays.

Q.15 Name three important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.
Ans: The 3 important networks of pipelines are -
i. Pipeline from oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
ii. Pipeline from Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab,
iii. Pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Q.16 Mention the importance of water transport.
Ans: Water transport is important for -
i. Waterways are the cheapest means of transport.
ii. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
iii. It is a fuel-efficient and environment friendly mode of transport.

Q.17 Name three National Waterways of our country.
Ans: The 3 National waterways are -
i. The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia (1620 km)-N.W. No.1
ii. The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km)-N.W. No.2
iii. The West-Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapurma-Komman, Udyogamandal and Champakkara canals-205 km) – N.W. No.3

Q.18 Mention the importance of airways.
Ans: The importance of airways is -
i. It is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.
ii. It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, and dense forests.
iii. It can also cover long oceanic stretches with great ease.
iv. Airways have made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country which has big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers.

Q.19 Name six mail channels introduced by Indian postal network.
Ans. Six mail channels for quick delivery of mails in large towns and cities:
i. Rajdhani Channel,
ii. Metro Channel,
iii. Green Channel,
iv. Business Channel,
v. Bulk Mail Channel
vi. Periodical Channel.

Q.20 Mention the importance of mass communication.
Ans. The importance of mass communications are -
i. Mass communication provides entertainment.
ii. They create awareness among people about various national programmes and policies.
iii. They provide variety of programmes in national, regional and local languages for various categories of people, spread over different parts of the country.
iv. They strengthen democracy in the country by providing news and information to the masses.
v. They help in rural development which is suffering from illiteracy and superstitious social practices.
vi. It helps in agriculture sector by helping farmers by providing them information about new agricultural practices.

Q.21 Define international trade. Why it is considered as economic barometer of a country?
Ans. International trade is defined as the exchange of goods and services between two or more countries.
It is also considered as economic barometer because
a. Advancement in international trade of a country leads to economic prosperity.
b. Income earned from international trade constitutes a major part in the net national income.
c. Large international trade leads to revival of domestic economy.

Q.22 Define balance of trade. Distinguish between favourable balance of trade and unfavourable balance of trade.
Ans: The difference between export and import is known as balance of trade.
Difference between favourable and unfavourable balance of trade:
a. If the value of exports is more than the value of imports, it is called favourable balance of trade. And if the value of imports is greater than the value of exports it is known as unfavourable balance of trade.
b. Favourable balance of trade is regarded good for the economic development where as unfavourable balance of trade is seen harmful for the domestic economy.

Q.23 Name major commodities which India import and export.
Ans: Major commodities which India import and export:
i. Major Exports:
a. Gems and jewellery.
b. Agriculture and allied products.
c. Petroleum products.
d. Ores and Minerals
e. Chemical products.
f. Engineering goods.
ii. Major Imports:
a. Petroleum and petroleum products such as crude oil, natural gas, synthetic raw materials.
b. Pearls and precious stone
c. Inorganic chemicals
d. coal, coke and briquettes
e. Machinery

Q.24 Mention the importance of tourism as a trade.
Ans: The importance is -
i. Our country earns foreign exchange through Tourism.
ii. More than 15 million people are directly engaged in the tourism industry.
iii. Tourism also promotes national integration,
iv. It provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits.
v. It also helps in the development of international understanding about our culture and heritage.
vi. Heritage tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism promotes development of all sectors of economy.

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS OF LIFELINES OF NATIONAL ECONOMY

Q.1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:
(i) Which of the following is the most important mode of transportation in India?
(a) Pipelines
(b) Railways
(c) Roadways
(d) Airways
Ans: (a)

(ii) Which one of the following terms is used to describe trade between two or more countries?
(a) Internal trade
(b) International trade
(c) External trade
(d) Local trade
Ans: (b)

(iii) Which two of the following extreme locations are connected by the East-West Corridor?
(a) Mumbai and Nagpur
(b) Silchar and Porbandar
(c) Mumbai and Kolkata
(d) Nagpur and Siliguri
Ans: (b)

(iv) Which one of the following ports is the deepest land-locked and well-protected port along the east coast?
(a) Chennai
(b) Paradip
(c) Tuticorin
(d) Visakhapatnam
Ans: (d)

(v) Which mode of transportation reduces trans-shipment losses and delays?
(a) Railways
(b) Roadways
(c) Pipeline
(d) Waterways
Ans: (c)

(vi) Which one of the following states is not connected with the H.V.J. pipeline?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Gujarat
(d) Uttar Pradesh
Ans: (b)

Q.2. What is the significance (importance) of:
(a) National Highways and (b) Border Roads?
Ans: (a) The National Highways are the primary road systems of our country. They link extreme parts of the country and provide connectivity between the different states of India. They have been planned to meet the requirement of fast movement of traffic in the country. A number of major National Highways run in north-south and east-west directions. They connect most of the important towns and cities of the country. The National Highways are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
(b) The Border Roads are vital road links along the frontiers of our country. These roads are of strategic importance. They have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain mainly in the northern and north-eastern border areas. They have played a major role in the economic development of these areas. The Border Roads Organization, a government of India undertaking, was established in 1960 for the purpose of building the border roads. The organization is in charge of construction and maintenance of these roads.

Q.3. Mention four merits of road transportation with reference to India.
Ans: Roadways are the most important means of transportation in India. India has one of the largest networks of roadways in the world, aggregating to about 2.3 million km at present. Road transport has preceded railways and still has an edge over it in view of the ease with which it can be built and maintained. Other means of transport like pipelines have limited application and waterways are localized in rivers and water bodies while airways are costly and out of reach of common people.

Road transport is more useful than railways on account of its following merits:
(a) Construction and maintenance cost of roads is much lower than that of railways.
(b) Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography. They can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and can traverse mountainous regions such as the Himalayas. They can reach remote villages and hilly regions where railway tracks cannot be constructed.
(c) Roads provided door to door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
(d) Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport, for example, they provide a link between railway stations, airports and ports. They link the village, towns and cities to the railway stations. They provide linkage between ports and markets and trading centres.

Q.4. Where and why is rail transport the most convenient means of transportation?
Ans: Railways can transport larger number of goods and passengers over long distances at economical cost. Hence, Railways are the most convenient means of transport in the vast Northern Plains of India. The flat terrain, dense population, rich agricultural resources and greater industrial activity have favoured the development of railways in this region. The Northern Plains, therefore, have the densest road networks. Railways have accelerated the development of industry and agriculture in this region by providing quick availability of raw materials and distributing the finished products to the market.

Q.5. Why is the means of transportation and communication called the lifeline of a nation and its economy?
Ans: Transport system is the means for movement of goods and services from their supply locations to demand locations. The means of transport provide an important link between the producers and consumers of goods. The transport routes or channels are, thus, the basic arteries of our economy. Therefore, efficient means of transport are prerequisites of fast development. They help in development of agriculture and industry by providing raw materials and distributing finished product. A well-knit transport and communication system brings people of different regions within the country and the world closer to one another. This promotes inter-dependencies between them.
With the development in science and technology, the area of influence of trade and transport has expanded far and wide. Different countries, geographically far from each other, are now engaged in trade relations. A product made in the USA is now available in India. Efficient and fast-moving transport and communication system has helped to convert the world into a large, closely knit global village. India is part of this network and is well connected with the rest of the world. Its flourishing international trade has added vitality to its economy and enriched the lives of the people by raising their living standards.
A dense and efficient network of transport and communication is a prerequisite of local, national and global trade of today. Thus, modern means of transport and communication serve as lifelines of our nation and its modern economy.

Q.6. What is meant by trade? What is the difference between international and local trade?
Ans. Exchange of goods, commodities or services between people, states or countries is termed as trade. Trade means the exchange of products between regions of surplus and regions of deficiency.
The exchange of commodities between two or more countries is termed as international trade.
It may take place through sea, air or land routes.
While local trade is carried on within cities, towns or villages. Exchange of the items takes place in local markets where items of local needs are catered to. Local trade mainly takes place through roads, railway or inland waterways.
Export and import are the components of international trade. When goods are traded out from a country to other countries, it is termed as export. When goods are traded and brought into a country from other countries, it is termed as import.
Export means earning of foreign exchange by the country while imports involve use of foreign exchange.
The difference between export and import of a country is termed as its balance of trade. When the value of exports exceeds the value of imports, it is called favourable balance of trade. If the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is termed as unfavourable balance of trade.

Q.7. Write a note on the changing nature of the international trade in the last fifteen years.
Ans: India has trade relations with all the major trading blocks and all geographical regions of the world. Among the commodities of export, whose share has been increasing over the last few years till 2004-05, are agriculture and allied products (2.53%), ores and minerals (9.12%), gems and jewellery (26.75%) and chemical and allied products (24.45%), engineering goods (35.63%) and petroleum products (86.12%).
The commodities imported by India included petroleum and petroleum products (41.87%), pearls and precious stones (29.26%), inorganic chemicals (29.39%), coal, coke and briquettes (94.17%) machinery (12.56%). Bulk imports as a group registered a growth accounting for 39.09% of total imports.
This group includes fertilizers (67.01%), cereals (25.53%), edible oils (7.94%) and newsprint (5.51%).
International trade has undergone a sea of change in the last fifteen years. Exchange of commodities and goods have been superseded by the exchange of information and knowledge. India has emerged as a software giant at international level and it is earning large foreign exchange through the export of Information Technology because of its fast growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.