This type of settlement may result from a tendency to cluster in a restricted area of dispersed settlement. In this case, one or more sections of the village society choose or is forced to live a little away from the main cluster or village. Identify the settlements.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Semi-Clustered Settlements
Rural settlements in India are of four types: clustered, semi-clustered, hamleted and dispersed.
Option (1) Semi-Clustered Settlements — Correct. Here some houses bunch together inside a scattered area, or a big compact village breaks up. Some groups live a little apart: the land-owning community stays in the centre, while poorer groups and workers live on the outer edges.
Option (2) Clustered Settlements — Incorrect. A clustered village is a compact, closely built-up area of houses, with no section living apart.
Option (3) Hamleted Settlements — Incorrect. Here the settlement is broken into several units physically separated from each other but bearing a common name, such as panna, para, palli, nagla or dhani.
Option (4) Dispersed Settlements — Incorrect. These are isolated huts or hamlets of a few huts in remote jungles or on small hills.
NCERT (2026-27): “Semi-Clustered Settlements … Semi-clustered or fragmented settlements may result from tendency of clustering in a restricted area of dispersed settlement. More often such a pattern may also result from segregation or fragmentation of a large compact village. In this case, one or more sections of the village society choose or is forced to live a little away from the main cluster or village. In such cases, generally, the land-owning and dominant community occupies the central part of the main village, whereas people of lower strata of society and menial workers settle on the outer flanks of the village.” |