Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Geography

Chapter

India-People and Economy: Geographical Perspective on selected issues and Problems

Question:

Read the given paragraph and answer the following questions.

Both rural and urban settlements are different in their functions, although sometimes, complementing each other. Apart from these, rural and urban areas have also emerged into two seperate cultural, political, economic and technological divide. India has predominantly rural population (approximately 69%). Rural areas are performing primary activities existing as an appendix to the core population urban centre forming its hinterland. This may give an impression that urban centres exist as undifferentiated homogeneous entities in opposition to rural areas. On the contrary, urban centres are more differentiated in terms of socio-economic, politico-cultural and other indicators of development than any other areas.

At the top, there are farm houses and high income group localities characterised by well-developed urban infrastructures and on the other extreme are slums, jhuggi-jhopari clusters and colonies of shanty structures. These are inhabited by those people who were forced to migrate from rural areas to these urban areas in search of livelihood but could not afford proper housing due to high rent and high cost of land. They occupy environmentally incompatible and degraded areas. Slum dwellers work in low-paid, high-risk prone, unorganised sector of the urban economy. Consequently, they are under-nourished, uneducated and prone to diseases. The poverty makes them vulnerable to drug abuse, alcoholism, crime and ultimately social exclusion. The Swachh Bharat Mission is part of urban renewal mission launched by the Government of India to improve the quality of life in urban areas.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of village in India?

Options:

Population is largely dependent on primary activities.

They are located in hinterland to the core urban centre.

Approximately 69 per cent of the total population of India resides in villages.

They occupy environmentally incompatible and degraded areas.

Correct Answer:

They occupy environmentally incompatible and degraded areas.

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (4) → They occupy environmentally incompatible and degraded areas.

  • Villages in India are largely dependent on primary activities such as farming and allied occupations.

  • They are generally situated in the hinterland of core urban centres, serving as their support system.

  • Nearly 69 per cent of the Indian population resides in villages.

  • The description of occupying environmentally incompatible and degraded areas applies to slums in urban regions, not to villages.