Social Science · Economics

Social Inequality and Policy

5,627 Questions

Social Inequality and Policy addresses the causes and consequences of economic disparity and social mobility. Questions explore urbanization impacts, socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and policy recommendations. Understanding these themes is critical for mastering social science and economics papers.

Economic disparitySocial mobility conceptsUrbanization impactsPolicy recommendationsSocioeconomic vulnerabilities

Social Inequality and Policy Questions

Multiple choice

According to the passage, rural poverty is associated with which of the following one or more factors? (i) Want of effectiveness of productive efforts (ii) Dearth of employment opportunities (iii) Absence of sanitation and housing facilities

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question that follows:

Alleviation of rural poverty has been one of the primary objectives of planned development in India. Ever since the inception of planning, the policies and the programmes have been designed and redesigned with this aim.  The problem of rural poverty was brought into a sharper focus during the Sixth Plan. The Seventh Plan too emphasised growth with social justice. It was realised that a sustainable strategy of poverty alleviation has to be based on inversing the productive employment opportunities in the process of growth itself. However, to the extent the process of growth bypasses some sections of the population, it is necessary to formulate specific poverty alleviation programmes for generation of a certain minimum level of income for the rural poor.

Rural development implies both the economic betterment of people as well as greater social transformation.  Increased participation of people in the rural development process, decentralisation of planning, better enforcement of land reforms and greater access to credit and inputs go a long way in providing the rural people with better prospects of economic development. Improvements in health, education, drinking water, energy supply sanitation and housing couple with attitudinal changes also facilitate their social development.

Rural poverty is inextricably linked with low rural productivity and unemployment, including underemployment.  Hence, it is imperative to improve productivity and increase employment in rural areas. Moreover, more employment needs to be generated at higher levels of productivity in order to generate higher output.  Employment at miserably low levels of productivity and incomes is already a problem of far greater magnitude than unemployment as such.  It was around 5 percent.  As per the currently used methodology in the Planning Commission, poverty for the same year was estimated to be 30 percent.  This demonstrates that even though a large proportion of the rural population was ‘working’ it was difficult for them to eke out a living even at subsistence levels from it. It is true that there has been a considerable decline in the incidence of rural poverty over time.  In terms of absolute numbers of poor, the decline has been much less. While this can be attributed to the demographic factor, the fact remains that after 40 years of planned development about 200 million are still poor in rural India.

  1. Only (i)

  2. Only (ii)

  3. Only (iii)

  4. Only (i) and (ii)

  5. Only (ii) and (iii)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Statements (i) and (ii) can be directly derived from: ''Rural poverty is inextricably linked with low rural productivity and unemployment, including underemployment.''

Multiple choice

That is ___ you are poor.

  1. why

  2. that

  3. which
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'That' and 'which' refer to things or animals, not to clauses or situations. 'Why' functions as a conjunction connecting a result clause ('you are poor') with its cause. The structure 'That is why...' is a fixed expression explaining reasons.

Multiple choice

Pearl index is related to

  1. nutritional safety programme

  2. environmental sanitation programme

  3. family planning

  4. poverty

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Pearl Index is a measure used in family planning to assess the effectiveness of contraceptive methods. It calculates the number of failures per 100 woman-years of exposure. A lower Pearl Index indicates better contraceptive efficacy. It's not related to nutrition, environmental sanitation, or poverty programs.

Multiple choice

What is meant by the term underdevelopment?

  1. High level of economic and technological development

  2. Low per capita real income

  3. High population growth

  4. Social institution are very backward

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Underdevelopment is fundamentally characterized by low per capita real income, which reflects limited economic productivity and purchasing power in an economy. While underdevelopment has multiple dimensions including social indicators, low per capita income is a central economic indicator that distinguishes developing from developed nations.

Multiple choice

Which of these is a major cause of poverty?

  1. Inter-caste marriage

  2. Increase in Industrialization

  3. Improper utilization of natural resources

  4. Illiterate women
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Improper utilization of natural resources leads to economic inefficiency and reduced productivity, which directly contributes to poverty. When countries fail to harness their natural assets effectively, they miss development opportunities and employment generation. The other options are either irrelevant (inter-caste marriage) or would typically reduce rather than cause poverty.

Multiple choice

Even after 60 years of independence, a major chunk of India is still wallowing in poverty. The following are the main causes of poverty:

(a) Large chunk of populace is engaged in handicraft/cottage industries. (b) Over dependency on agriculture is a key conducive factor. (c) Social factors such as illiteracy, caste system and big families are the main factors. (d) Poverty alleviation programmes have made considerable progress, but offset by population explosion.

With which of the above do you disagree?

  1. Only (a)

  2. Only (a) and (b)

  3. Only (a) and (c)

  4. Only (d)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

On account of rampant corruption and inefficiency, the poverty alleviation programme failed to make much.

Multiple choice

What is/are affected by an increase in human population?

  1. Living standard

  2. Food requirement and land resources

  3. Medical facilities

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

An increase in human population affects living standard, puts more demand on food supply and land resources and needs more medical facilities.

Multiple choice

Directions: For this question, select the best of the answer choices given.

Demographers doing research for an international economics newsletter claim that the average per capita income in the country of Kuptala is substantially lower than that in the country of Bahlton. They also claim, however, that whereas poverty is relatively rare in Kuptala, over half the population of Bahlton lives in extreme poverty. At least one of the demographers' claims must, therefore, be wrong. The argument above is most vulnerable to which of the following criticisms?

  1. It rejects an empirical claim about the average per capita incomes in the two countries without making any attempt to discredit that claim by offering additional economic evidence.

  2. It treats the vague term "poverty" as though it had a precise and universally accepted meaning.

  3. It overlooks the possibility that the number of people in the two countries who live in poverty could be the same even though the percentages of the two populations that live in poverty differ markedly.

  4. It fails to show that wealth and poverty have the same social significance in Kuptala as in Bahlton.

  5. It does not consider the possibility that incomes in Kuptala, unlike those in Bahlton, might all be very close to the country's average per capita income.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The demographers' claims are not necessarily contradictory because average income and income distribution are different concepts. In Kuptala, most people earn close to the average (narrow income distribution), so few are in poverty. In Bahlton, extreme inequality means a very wealthy few raise the average while half the population lives in poverty.

Multiple choice

The poverty line in India is determined by the

  1. per capita calories intake

  2. income of the family

  3. general health of a family

  4. housing and clothing facilities

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The poverty line in India is traditionally determined by per capita calorie intake (minimum nutritional requirements). This method estimates the minimum income needed to purchase food providing essential calories for survival.

Multiple choice

Inequality means

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

To a large degree, India embraced a system of socialism at the time it became Independent from the British. This system still continues today. Currently we find government-run or state-run companies and other organizations. Despite this, throughout the world, socialism has proven to be unsuccessful and has come to an end in many countries which have adopted it. While free market economies are certainly not problem-free, it is acknowledged that things are not equal. This inequality is certain, but rather than trying to remove it, working against it is more successful. In the recent past, the average yearly income for an Indian citizen has been steadily improving since 1980. This is a good sign for India and its economy.

  1. that things are equal

  2. that people are not the same

  3. that businesses are not the same

  4. that things are not equal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Incorrect - This is the opposite meaning of inequality. Inequality means things that are not equal.
    2. Incorrect - This is similar in meaning, but inequality means that things are not equal.
    3. Incorrect - This is similar, but inequality means that things are not the same.
    1. Correct - This is what inequality means. Things are not equal.

Multiple choice

In India, Poverty line is affected mostly by

  1. Per capita Income

  2. Level of Prices

  3. Production figures

  4. Gold Reserves in the country
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The poverty line in India is primarily determined by per capita income and consumption expenditure. The Planning Commission (now NITI Aog) used the Tendulkar Committee methodology which considers monthly per capita consumption expenditure as the key indicator. While price levels affect the purchasing power, the core determination is based on income/consumption criteria. Production figures and gold reserves are not direct factors in poverty line determination.

Multiple choice

What exists when there is a gap between expectations and objective conditions experienced by members of society?

  1. Cultural lag

  2. Relative deprivation

  3. Relative poverty

  4. Cultural disintegration
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Relative deprivation is the perception that one is worse off than others or lacking what one expects to have, based on a comparison between expectations and actual conditions. This gap often fuels social movements and collective behavior as individuals seek to bridge the disparity.