Identify correct statements about the Human Poverty Index.
(A) It is a non-income measure.
(B) The probability of not surviving till the age of 40 is considered.
(C) It includes the number of small children who are underweight.
(D) Often Human development Index is more revealing than human poverty Index.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B), (C) only
The UNDP uses two indices to measure human development. The Human Development Index (HDI) measures what a country has achieved in health, education and access to resources. The Human Poverty Index (HPI) measures the shortfall, that is, what people still lack.
(A) It is a non-income measure. — Correct. The HPI does not use income at all. It looks at early death, illiteracy, lack of clean water and hungry children.
(B) The probability of not surviving till the age of 40 is considered. — Correct. Many deaths before the age of 40 point to poor health care. This shows a shortfall in a long and healthy life.
(C) It includes the number of small children who are underweight. — Correct. Underweight children are a sign of hunger and poor nutrition. So they are counted as a shortfall in human development.
(D) Often Human development Index is more revealing than human poverty Index. — Incorrect. It is the other way round. The HDI is an average of attainments and says nothing about how they are shared among people. The HPI measures the shortfall itself, so often the HPI is more revealing than the HDI. NTA swapped the two indices of the book, and a true line became false. Read every word before you mark the answer.
NCERT (2026-27): “Measuring Human Development … The human development index measures attainments in human development. It reflects what has been achieved in the key areas of human development. Yet it is not the most reliable measure. This is because it does not say anything about the distribution.” “The human poverty index is related to the human development index. This index measures the shortfall in human development. It is a non-income measure. The probability of not surviving till the age of 40, the adult illiteracy rate, the number of people who do not have access to clean water, and the number of small children who are underweight are all taken into account to show the shortfall in human development in any region. Often the human poverty index is more revealing than the human development index.” |