Rural Livelihoods Class 6 Important Questions with Answers
Class 6 Civics Chapter 8 Rural Livelihoods Important Questions and answers cover all the topics and help students to understand the concepts better. Students can solve these for practice. They may come across some of these questions in the final exam.
Students can clear their doubts from the chapter by solving these CBSE Class 6 Civics Important Questions and prepare well for the board exams. The links to download the PDF version of these questions are given in a link to this article.
Class 6 Civics Chapter 8 Rural Livelihoods Important Questions
1. Where is the Chizami village located?
Answer: Chizami village is in Phek district in Nagaland.
2. How much land does Sekar have?
Answer: Sekar owns only two acres of land.
3. Fishermen go far into the sea. Why?
Answer: Fishermen go far into the sea so that they can get a better catch.
4. What is special about Chakhesang community?
Answer: The people of Chakhesang community do ‘terrace’ cultivation.
5. What is the main crop that is grown in Kalpattu village?
Answer: Paddy is the main crop that is grown in Kalpattu village.
6. How much land does Ramalingam have?
Answer: He has twenty acres of paddy fields in Kalpattu.
7. How do fishermen survive during the monsoon?
Answer: During these months fishermen survive by borrowing from the trader.
8. Why did Thulasi borrow money from Ramalingam?
Answer: Thulasi borrowed money from Ramalingam for her daughter’s treatment.
9. What kinds of work do agricultural labourers do?
Answer: All of them depend on the work they do on other people’s fields to earn a living.
10. What work does Sekar do at Ramalingam’s rice mill?
Answer: Sekar helps Ramalingam collect paddy from other farmers in the neighbouring villages.
11. What are the important sources of livelihood for the people in rural areas?
Answer: Apart from farming, many people in rural areas depend upon collection from the forest, animal husbandry, dairy produce, fishing etc.
12. How does Sekar pay back the loan to traders?
Answer: To pay back his loan he has to sell his paddy to the traders at a somewhat lower price than what he would get in the market.
13. Why does Sekar need to earn some extra money?
Answer: Whatever he earn from selling paddy last only for eight months. So he needs to earn some extra money.
14. Why often farmers like Sekar needs to borrow money from moneylenders?
Answer: Very often farmers like Sekar need to borrow money to purchase basic things like seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.
15. What does Raman do when he gets no work on the farm?
Answer: When there is no work on the farm he finds work outside, either loading sand from the river or stone from the quarry nearby.
16. What does Ramalingam do with the paddy grown on his land?
Answer: Ramalingam uses the paddy grown on his land to produce rice in his rice mill and sells the rice produced to traders in nearby towns.
17. How Thulasi and her husband managed to pay back the loan to Ramalingam?
Answer: They had to sell their cow to pay back the money they borrowed from Ramalingam for their daughter’s treatment
18. Thulasi get paid little less than what labourers get in her home village, but she prefers to work on Ramalingam’s land. Why?
Answer: Unlike others, he does not go looking for cheaper labour from other villages. She can depend on him to call her whenever there is work.
19. List some of the activities that poor families in rural areas often do for the household apart from farming.
Answer: Poor families in rural areas often spend a lot of time every day collecting firewood, getting water and grazing their cattle.
20. For at least about four months during the monsoon, fishermen cannot go to the sea. Why?
Answer: Every year, for at least about four months during the monsoon, they cannot go to the sea because this is when the fish breed.
21. Why fishermen are forced to sell the fish to the trader?
Answer: During monsoon fishermen survive by borrowing from the trader. Because of this, later on they are forced to sell the fish to that trader, and cannot do their auction.
22. Under what circumstance farmers are unable to pay back their loans?
Answer: Crop failure due to bad quality of seeds, pests attack and delay in monsoon bring tough time for the farmers. Due to this farmers sometimes are unable to pay back their loans.
23. Why do people in many rural areas travel or migrate during particular seasons?
Answer: Not being able to earn money throughout the year forces people in many rural areas to travel long distances in search of work. This travel, or migration, takes place during particular seasons.
24 Imagine you are a member of a fishing family and you are discussing whether to take a loan from the bank for an engine. What would you say?
Answer: I would say it is better to take loan from bank than to go to money lenders. Money lenders charges high interest rates which cause distress among the poor people.
25. What are the problems faced by the fishermen during the monsoon season?
Answer: During the monsoon season, the fishermen cannot go to the sea because this is when the fish breed. These months are the most difficult ones. They survive by borrowing money from traders.
26. What work does Sekar do for a living?
Answer: Sekar own only two acres of land. He grows paddy with help of his family members. He also works in Ramalingam’s rice mill. He helps him collect paddy from other farmers in the neighbouring villages. He also has a hybrid cow, whose milk he sells in the local milk cooperative.
27. What are the reasons of crop failure?
Answer: The major reasons of crop failure are:
- If the seeds are not of good quality.
- If pests attack the crop.
- If the monsoon does not bring enough rain.
28. You have probably noticed that people in Kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non-farm work. List five of these.
Answer: Non-farm work
- Making baskets, utensils, pots, bricks, bullock-carts etc.
- Blacksmiths
- Teachers
- Washermen
- Weavers
29. How terrace farming is done?
Answer: In terrace farming, land on a hill slope is made into flat plots and carved out in steps. The sides of each plot are raised in order to retain water. This allows water to stand in the field, which is best for rice cultivation.
30. In what ways would her way of earning a living have been different if Thulasi owned some farm land? Discuss.
Answer: If Thulasi owned some farm land, she would have cultivated her field. There would have been possibility of earning more by selling the produce and her life would have been more comfortable.
31. Apart from farming how else does Ramalingam earn?
Answer: Ramalingam owns a rice mill and a shop selling seeds, pesticides etc. He buy paddy from within the village and from surrounding villages. The rice that is produced in the mill is sold to traders in nearby towns. This gives them a substantial income.
32. What are the main activities of people living near coastal village areas?
Answer: People in villages near coastal areas earn their livelihood by fishing. Their houses are close to sea and one finds rows of catamarans and nets lying around. At about 7 a.m. there are lot of activities on beach, this is the time when catamarans return with their catch and women gather to buy and sell fish.
33. What causes distress among the farmers?
Answer: When crops ruin, farmers sometimes are unable to pay back their loans and, for the family to survive, they may even have to borrow more money. Soon the loan becomes so large that no matter what they earn, they are unable to repay. This is how they are caught in debt. This has become a major cause of distress among farmers.
34. Write a short on people of Pudupet.
Answer: People here earn their living by fishing. Their houses are close to the sea and one finds rows of catamarans and nets lying around. At about 7 o’clock in the morning there is a lot of activity on the beach. This is the time when the catamarans return with their catch and women gather to buy and sell fish.
35. Thulasi gets paid very little money for the work she does. Why do you think agricultural labourers like her are forced to accept low wages?
Answer: Many of agricultural labourers are landless and others may own very small plots of land. All of them depend on the work they do on other people’s fields to earn a living. As there is no other kind of work in the village for agricultural labourers, they are forced to accept low wages.
36. What work does Sekar’s family do? Why do you think Sekar does not usually employ labourers for doing farming work?
Answer: Sekar’s family works in their own field. They own only two acres of land. They manage to do all the work on their own. At times, especially during the harvest they take the help of other small farmers and in turn help them harvest their field. Thus, Sekar does not usually employ labourers for doing farming work.
37. What do you think the government can do to help farmers like Sekar when they get into debt? Discuss.
Answer: Government can take the following steps:
- Provide low rate loan to the farmer so, that they can buy equipment for farming.
- Provide seeds and fertilizers on subsidized rate.
- Provide loan assistance to the farmers.
38: Why does Sekar not go to the town market to get a better price for his paddy?
Answer: Sekar probably gets 60 bags of paddy from his field. Some of this he is forced to sell to trader who gave him seeds and fertilizers as loan at a somewhat lower price than what he would get in the market. The rest is used in his home. He does not have a surplus. That’s why Sekar does not go to the town market to get a better price for his paddy.
39. Write a short note on people of Chizami.
Answer: Chizami village is in Phek district in Nagaland. The people of this village belong to the Chakhesang community. They do ‘terrace’ cultivation. The people of Chizami have their own individual fields. But, they also work collectively in each other’s fields. They form groups of six or eight and take an entire mountainside to clean the weeds on it. Each group eats together once their work for the day is over.
40. Describe the work that Thulasi does. How it is different from the work Raman does?
Answer: Thulasi is a labourer who works on Ramalingam’s land. Apart from working on the land, she does all the tasks at home. She cooks food for her family, clean the house and wash clothes. She goes to the nearby forest to collect firewood and she fetches water from borewell which is about one kilometre away.
Raman is also a labourer. During work on farm, he sprays pesticides. When there is no work on the farm he finds work outside, either loading sand from the river or stone from the quarry nearby.
42. Have you heard of tsunami? What is this and what damage do you think it might have done to the life of fishing families like Aruna’s?
Answer: Yes, I heard of tsunami. Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. When tsunami waves become extremely large in height, they savagely attack coastlines, causing devastating property damage and loss of life. Tsunami waves destroy boats, buildings, bridges, cars, trees, telephone lines, power lines – and just about anything else in their way. The violent force of the tsunami results in instant death, most commonly by drowning. Fishing families, who live near the coast, may have lost their house and lives.
42. Poor rural labourers like Thulasi often do not have access to good medical facilities, good schools, and other resources. You have read about inequality in the first unit of this text. The difference between her and Ramalingam is one of inequality. Do you think this is a fair situation? What do you think can be done? Discuss in class.
Answer: This is not a fair situation.
- Government should put ceiling on land. This will lead to distribution of surplus land among the landless labour.
- Government should made primary education compulsory to all in villages. This will help people to know about their rights.
43. Write a short note on activities of people of Kalpattu village.
Answer: Kalpattu is a village that’s close to the sea coast in Tamil Nadu. The village is surrounded by low hills. Paddy is the main crop that is grown in irrigated lands. Most of the families earn a living through agriculture. Apart from agriculture, people do non-farm work such as making baskets, utensils, pots, bricks, bullock-carts etc. There are people who provide services such as blacksmiths, nurses, teachers, washer men, weavers, barbers, and cycle repair mechanics and so on. There are also some shopkeepers and traders. In the main street, which looks like a bazaar, there are variety of small shops such as tea shops, grocery shops, barber shops, a cloth shop, a tailor and two fertiliser and seed shops. There are some coconut groves around. Cotton, sugar cane and plantain are also grown, and there are mango orchards. There are agricultural labourers also who works on people’s fields to earn a living.
44. Why do both Sekar’s and Aruna’s families have to borrow? What similarities and differences do you find?
Answer: Sekar’s family has to buy seeds and fertilizers as a loan. To pay back this loan they have to sell their paddy to him at a somewhat lower price than what they would get in the market. During monsoon season, Aruna’s family has to borrow money from the traders as they cannot go to sea. Because of this, later on they are forced to sell the fish to that trader, and cannot do their auction.
Similarities:
- Both have to work very hard to earn their living.
- Both are under the clutches of the traders, from whom they have borrowed money.
Differences:
- Sekar is a small farmer who own only two acres of land and Aruna is a fisherwoman.
- Sekar earns some extra money by working in Ramalingam’s mill. Aruna sells fish only.
45. What are the similarities and differences between Sekar’s and Thulasi’s lives? Your answer could be based on the land that they have, their need to work on the land that belongs to others, or loans that they need and their earnings.
Answer: Similarities
- Thulasi and Sekar both work on agricultural land. They work from morning till evening.
- Both borrow money from money lenders.
Dissimilarities
- Thulasi do not own any land whereas Sekar own 2 acres of land.
- Thulasi works on Ramalingam’s land whereas Sekar works on his own land.
- Thulasi borrows money in need from her employer Ramalingam whereas Sekar borrows from traders.
- Thulasi earns 40 rupees per day whereas Sekar gets 60 bags of paddy from his field, sells milk to the local milk cooperative and work in Ramalingam’s rice mill.
Practice Paper
1. Would you say that a majority of the country’s farmers are quite poor? What do you think can be done to change this situation?
2. Have you heard of the tsunami? What is this and what damage do you think it might have done to the life of fishing families?
3. You have probably noticed that people in Kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non-farm work. List five of these.
4. List the different types of people you read about in Kalpattu who depend on farming. Who is the poorest among them and why
5. Imagine you are a member of a fishing family and you are discussing whether to take a loan from the bank for an engine. What would you say?
6. What do you think the government can do to help farmers like Sekar when they get into debt? Discuss.
7. People of Pudupet earn their living by________.
8. Mention the main crop grown in Kalpattu Village.
9. Discuss why Thulasi prefers to work on Ramalingam’s land despite getting paid little less than what labourers get in her home village. How much land does Ramalingam have?
10. Explain the speciality of Chakhesang community.
11. Define the work of Agricultural labourers.
12. How much land does Sekar own? How does he pay back the loan to the traders? Why do farmers like Sekar need to borrow money from the money lenders?
13. Mention the main sources of livelihood for the people in rural areas.
14. Give a reason why fishermen cannot go to the Sea for four months during the monsoon. What are the difficulties faced by them?
15. When he gets no work from the farm, what do Raman do?
16. Why are the fishermen forced to sell the fish to the trader?
17. Mention the circumstances under which farmers are unable to pay back their loans.
18. State reasons for Crop failure.
19. Mention how terrace farming is done.
20. Imagine you are a member of a fishing family and you are discussing whether to take a loan from the bank for an engine. Give your suggestion.