Read the passage and answer the questions:
Outsourcing
Outsourcing has resulted in the opening up of a large number of call centres in India, China, Eastern Europe, Israel, Philippines and Costa Rica. It has created new jobs in these destination countries. Outsourcing is coming to those countries where cheap and skilled workers are available. These are also out-migrating countries. With the work available through outsourcing, the migration in these countries may come down. Outsourcing countries are facing resistance from job-seeking youths in their respective/home countries. The comparative advantage is the main reason for continuing outsourcing. New trends in quinary services include knowledge processing outsourcing (KPO) and ‘home shoring’, the latter as an alternative to outsourcing. The KPO industry is distinct from Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as it involves highly skilled workers. It is information driven knowledge outsourcing. KPO enables companies to create additional business opportunities. Examples of KPOs include research and development (R and D) activities, e-learning, business research, intellectual property (IP) research, legal profession and the banking sector.
What is an alternative to outsourcing?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Home shoring
Option (1) Technopolies — Incorrect. Technopolies are regional clusters of high-tech industry, such as Silicon Valley, not an alternative to outsourcing.
Option (2) Home shoring — Correct. The passage names two new trends in quinary services, knowledge processing outsourcing (KPO) and ‘home shoring’, the latter as an alternative to outsourcing.
Option (3) Immigration — Incorrect. Immigration is a movement of people into a place; outsourcing moves the work, not the people.
Option (4) Emigration — Incorrect. Emigration is a movement of people out of a place, which outsourcing may in fact reduce.
Note: This passage is taken almost word for word from the NCERT chapter ‘Tertiary and Quaternary Activities’ (Fundamentals of Human Geography). One small paragraph on KPO and home shoring, five questions out of it: NTA got full value from that page of the book, and a student who read it slowly gets the same. Give the short paragraphs at the end of a chapter the same care as its first pages.
NCERT (2025-26): “QUINARY ACTIVITIES … Outsourcing has resulted in the opening up of a large number of call centres in India, China, Eastern Europe, Israel, Philippines and Costa Rica. It has created new jobs in these countries. Outsourcing is coming to those countries where cheap and skilled workers are available. These are also out-migrating countries. With the work available though outsourcing, the migration in these countries may come down. Outsourcing countries are facing resistance from job-seeking youths in their respective countries. The comparative advantage is the main reason for continuing outsourcing. New trends in quinary services include knowledge processing outsourcing (KPO) and ‘home shoring’, the latter as an alternative to outsourcing. The KPO industry is distinct from Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as it involves highly skilled workers. It is information driven knowledge outsourcing. KPO enables companies to create additional business opportunities. Examples of KPOs include research and development (R and D) activities, e-learning, business research, intellectual property (IP) research, legal profession and the banking sector.” |