Which of the following activities are normally practiced at subsistence level?
A. Hunting and gathering
B. Nomadic herding
C. Shifting agriculture
D. Commercial Plantation Agriculture
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B, and C only
A. Hunting and gathering Correct. It works at a very low level of technology, so the yield per person is very low and little or no surplus is produced. With nothing left over to sell, what is collected only meets the people’s own needs.
B. Nomadic herding Correct. Pastoral nomadism is a primitive subsistence activity; the herders rely on their animals for food, clothing, shelter, tools and transport, so the herd is used up within the family’s own life.
C. Shifting agriculture Correct. Shifting cultivation is the same as primitive subsistence agriculture, practised by many tribes in the tropics, who grow food on small cleared patches for their own use.
D. Commercial Plantation Agriculture Incorrect. Plantations are profit-oriented, large scale estates growing tea, coffee or rubber for sale.
NCERT (2025-26): “HUNTING AND GATHERING … Gathering and hunting are the oldest economic activity known. These are carried out at different levels with different orientations. Gathering is practised in regions with harsh climatic conditions. It often involves primitive societies, who extract, both plants and animals to satisfy their needs for food, shelter and clothing. This type of activity requires a small amount of capital investment and operates at very low level of technology. The yield per person is very low and little or no surplus is produced.” “Nomadic Herding … Nomadic herding or pastoral nomadism is a primitive subsistence activity, in which the herders rely on animals for food, clothing, shelter, tools and transport. They move from one place to another along with their livestock, depending on the amount and quality of pastures and water.…” “Primitive Subsistence Agriculture … Primitive subsistence agriculture or shifting cultivation is widely practised by many tribes in the tropics, especially in Africa, south and central America and south east Asia (Fig. 4.7).” “Plantation Agriculture … Plantation agriculture as mentioned above was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in the tropics. Some of the important plantation crops are tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber, cotton, oil palm, sugarcane, bananas and pineapples.…” |