Please refer to below Exam Question for Class 10 Social Science Chapter 7 Lifelines of National Economy. These questions and answers have been prepared by expert Class 10 Social Science teachers based on the latest NCERT Book for Class 10 Social Science and examination guidelines issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. We have provided Class 10 Social Science exam questions for all chapters in your textbooks. You will be able to easily learn problems and solutions which are expected to come in the upcoming class tests and exams for standard 10th.

Chapter 7 Lifelines of National Economy Class 10 Social Science Exam Question

All questions and answers provided below for Exam Question Class 10 Social Science Chapter 7 Lifelines of National Economy are very important and should be revised daily.

Exam Question Class 10 Social Science Chapter 7 Lifelines of National Economy

Objective Type Questions

Question. Which is the cheapest mode of transport in India?
(a) Waterways
(b) Roadways
(c) Railways
(d) Airways
Answer : (a) Waterways

Question. Which is the premier iron ore exporting port of the country?
(a) Tuticorin port
(b) Marmagao port
(c) Haldia port
(d) Kandla port
Answer : (b) Marmagao port

Question. Choose the correctly matched pair about the connectivity from the following options.
(a) Longest Highway – NH-44
(b) Highway between Delhi and Mumbai – NH-15
(c) National Highway that covers most of the Rajasthan – NH-1
(d) Under the Zila Parishad – State Highways
Answer : (a) Longest Highway – NH-44

Question. What reduces trans-shipment losses and delays?
(a) Railways
(b) Pipelines
(c) Waterways
(d) Roadways
Answer : (b) Pipelines

Question. Choose the correctly matched pair about the connectivity in India from the following options.
(a) NH-1 – Six-lane Super Highway
(b) Golden Quadrilateral – Between Delhi and Amritsar
(c) Border Roads Organisation – Established in 1985
(d) National Highway – Laid and maintained by the CPWD
Answer : (d) National Highway – Laid and maintained by the CPWD

Question. Which one of the following states is not connected with the HVJ pipeline?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Gujarat
(d) Uttar Pradesh
Answer : (b) Maharashtra

Question. Name the biggest port of India.
(a) New Mangalore port
(b) Haldia port
(c) Kochchi port
(d) Mumbai port
Answer : (d) Mumbai port

Question. The air travel is the ______________ mode of transport.
Answer : fastest

Question. _____________ trade refers to trade between two or more countries.
Answer : International

Question. _____________ communication and mass communication including radio, television, press, internet, films, etc. are known as mass communication.
Answer : Personal

Question. Tourism in _____________ has grown over the last three decades.
Answer : India

Question. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option:
Assertion (A): International trade is considered the economic barometer for a country.
Reason (R): Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its economic prosperity.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true.
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Question. Identify the programme launched by the Government of India with the help of the following features.
• A programme to transform India into digital empowered society
• Launched by 1 July 2015 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
• The menifesto concentrates on e-governance
Answer : Digital India

Question. Identify the important highways of India with the help of the following features.
• Six-lane Super Highways
• link Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai
• are being implemented by the NHAI
Answer : Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Which port export the iron ore concentrates from Kudremukh mines in Karnataka?
Answer : New Mangalore.

Question. What are the main commodities of export from India?
Answer : Agricultural and allied products, ores and minerals, gems and jewellery and petroleum products including coal.

Question. What are the main commodities of import to India?
Answer : The commodities imported to India include petroleum and petroleum products, pearls and precious stones, chemicals, coal, coke and briquettes, machinery, fertilizers, cereals, edible oils and newsprint.

Question. For what types of tourism do foreign tourists visit India?
Answer : Foreign tourists visit India for heritage tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism.

Question. What are National Highways?
Answer : Primary road systems which connect major cities of two or more states are known as national highways.

Question. Suggest any one way to improve the postal system in India.
Answer : One way to improve the postal system is to set up a feedback system through which the public can rate the employees and their efficiency.

Question. What is communication? What are the two types of communication?
Answer: Communication refers to exchange of ideas, messages, emotions either written or oral, from one place to another. The two ways of communication are personal communication and mass communication.

Question. Suggest any one way to enhance pilgrimage tourism through Indian Railways.
Answer: Apart from the transmission process, the trains are also allocated for the purpose of pilgrimage tourism.

Question. Which National Highway connects Delhi and Amritsar?
Answer : Shershah Suri Marg which is called the National Highway No.1

Question. Why are the Himalayan mountainous regions unfavourable for the construction of railway lines?
Answer : Himalayan regions are unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.

Question. What are State Highways?
Answer : These are roads connecting state capital with district headquarters of the states.

Question. Name the agency that constructs and maintains the State Highways.
Answer : State Public Works Department (PWD) in state and union territories.

Question. What do you know about the district roads?
Answer : District roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These roads are constructed and maintained by the Zila Parishad.

Question. How many major and minor ports are located in India?
OR
What is the feature of Mumbai port?
Answer : There are 12 major and 200 minor ports in India.
It is a spacious, natural and well-sheltered harbour.

Question. What are the special characteristic features of Vishakhapatnam port?
Answer : Vishakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port.

Question. Which type of port is Kolkata?
Answer: Kolkata is an inland riverine port.

Question. Handling of exports and imports on a large scale is done conveniently from the Kandla port. Why?
Answer : Kandla port is a tidal port which caters to the convenient handling of exports and imports of highly productive granary and industrial belt stretching across the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Question. Which is the oldest artificial sea port of India?
Answer : Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports of India.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What is the importance of transport, communication and trade for the country like India?
Answer : (i) With the development in transport and communication, India is well-linked with the rest of the world despite its vast size, diversity and linguistic and socio-cultural plurality.
(ii) Roadways, railways, airways, waterways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema and internet have been contributing to India’s socio-economic progress in many ways.
(iii) Transport, communication and trade has enriched our life and added substantially to growing amenities and facilities for the comforts of life.

Question. Give an account of Tuticorin port of Tamil Nadu.
Answer : (i) Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu is the extreme south-eastern port of India.
(ii) This port has a natural harbour and rich hinterland.
(iii) It has a flourishing trade handling of a large variety of cargoes to even our neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. and the coastal regions of India.

Question. What are the special characteristic features of Kolkata port?
Answer : (i) Kolkata is an inland riverine port.
(ii) This port serves a very large and rich hinterland of the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin.
(iii) Being a tidal port, it requires constant dredging of Hoogly.

Question. What is trade balance? What are its two components? Explain.
Answer : The balance of trade of a country is the difference between its export and import. Its two components are–
(i) When the value of export exceeds the value of imports, it is called a favourable balance of trade.
(ii) If the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is termed as unfavourable balance of trade.

Question. Write a note on the changing nature of the international trade in the last fifteen years.
Answer : (i) International trade has undergone a sea change in the last fifteen years.
(ii) Exchange of commodities and goods have been superseded by the exchange of information and knowledge.
(iii) India has emerged as a software giant at the international level and it is earning large foreign exchange through the export of information technology.

Question. What are the importance and advantages of airways?
OR
Describe any three factors that accord prominence to airways as a mode of transportation.
Answer : (i) The air travel is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.
(ii) It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease.
(iii) Air travel has made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country.
(iv) Airways play a significant role during natural and man-made calamities like earthquake, floods, famines and war by virtue of their swiftness.

Question. “Airways is the most preferred mode of transport in the north-eastern states of India.” Give three reasons to prove this preference.
Answer : Air transport is preferred in the north-eastern states of India because it can cover the big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers present in these regions. It has made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country. It is very useful especially during natural calamities.

Question. What are Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways? Mention any two objectives of this project. The North-South and East-West corridors join which terminal cities? 
OR
Explain the characteristics and features of Super Highways in India.
Answer : (i) The Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways is a major road development project linking Delhi—Kolkata—Chennai—Mumbai and Delhi by six lane super highways.
(ii) The two major objectives of these Super Highways projects are to:
(a) reduce the time and (b) distance between the mega cities at India.
(iii) The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and East-West corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat).

Question. “Today, the world has been converted into a large village.” Justify the statement.
Answer : (i) With the development of science and technology, the area of influence of trade and transport expanded far and wide.
(ii) At present, the world has been converted into a large village with the help of efficient and fast moving transport.
(iii) Transport has been able to achieve this with the help of equally developed trade and communication system.

Question. State any three merits of roadways.
Answer : (i) Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography than rail lines.
(ii) Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas.
(iii) Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances.

Question. Give the features of National Highways in India.
Answer : (i) National Highways link extreme parts of the country.
(ii) These are the primary road systems and are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
(iii) A number of major national highways run in North-South and East-West directions in the country.

Question. What is the difference between personal communication and mass communication? State any two points of importance of mass communication.
Answer : Personal communication means a communication between two persons either through oral, letter or through telephone, etc., while mass communication includes the use of radio, television, internet, press, films, etc. for wider public audience.
The two points of importance of mass communication are
(i) provides entertainment and
(ii) creates awareness among people about various national programmes and policies.

Question. Explain the ways in which tourism promotes the related industries and services of the destination country. 
Answer : The industries cheek in jowl with tourism is handicraft industry, sculpture, sea-shell, regional handloom among others. Indian handicraft and handloom in particular hold special attraction for the Western tourists. Hospitality in services sectors is benefitted immensely by tourism.
Also, the transportation services reap the benefits of tourism. Over 8.03 million foreign tourists visit India every year. For example, tourism contributed ` 1,35,193 crore of foreign exchange in 2015 and generated employment for 15 million people directly engaged in the tourism industry.

Question. Give the description of feature films as a means of communication.
Answer : (i) India is the largest producer of feature films in the world.
(ii) It produces short films, video feature films and video short films.
(iii) The Central Board of Film Certification is the authority to certify both Indian and foreign films.

Question. What is meant by trade? What is the difference between international and local trade?
Answer : The exchange of good and services among people, states and countries is reffered to as trade.
(i) Trade between two countries is called international trade. It may take place through sea, air or land routes.
(ii) Local trade is carried in cities, towns and villages, state level trade is carried between two or more states.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. What problems does road transportation in India face?
OR
Describe any five problems faced by road transport in India.
Answer : Road transportation in India faces a number of problems. These are as follows:
(i) Keeping in view the volume of traffic and passengers, the road network is inadequate.
(ii) About half of the roads in our country are unmetalled and this limits their usage during the rainy season.
(iii) The National Highways are inadequate too.
(iv) The roads are highly congested in cities.
(v) Most of the bridges and culverts are old and narrow which led to traffic jam.

Question. Explain the importance and activities of Indian Railway.
OR
Explain the importance of railways as the principle mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India. 
Answer : (i) Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
(ii) Railways also conduct multifarious activities like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over longer distances.
(iii) Apart from an important means of transport, the Indian Railways have been a great integrating force for more than 150 years.
(iv) Railways in India bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture.
(v) The Indian Railways have a network of about 7,137 stations spread over a route length of 66,687 km with a fleet of 11,122 locomotives, 54,506 passenger service vehicles, 6,899 other coach vehicles and 2,51,256 wagons (as on March 2016).

Question. “The distribution pattern of the railway network in the country has been largely influenced by physiographic, economic and administrative factors.” Explain. 
OR
Analyse the physiographic and economic factors that have influenced the distribution pattern of the railway network in our country.
OR
Describe the physical and economic factors that influenced the distribution pattern of the Indian Railways network. 
OR
Explain with examples the conditions responsible for uneven distribution pattern of the railway network in India. 
Answer : The distribution pattern of the railway network in the country has been largely influenced by physiographic, economic and administrative factors. It can be classified in the following points:
(i) The northern plains with their vast level land, high population density and rich agricultural resources provided the most favourable condition for the growth of rail network.
(ii) In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracks are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels.
(iii) The Himalayan mountainous regions are also unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
(iv) It is also difficult to lay railway lines on the sandy plain of Western Rajasthan, Swamps of Gujarat, forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.
(v) There are several economic factors that affect the distribution of railway e.g. state funding plays a vital role in the development of railways across the nations. The state with flexible laws supports the growth of railways.
(vi) Along with this the places that are highly industrialised attract the development of railways. Since the growth of both is complimentary to each other e.g. recently railways network is enhancing along the industrial corridors.

Question. Explain the importance and advantages of pipelines transportation in India.
OR
“Pipeline transport network is a new arrival on the transportation map of India.” Explain.
Answer : (i) Pipelines are used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants.
(ii) Solids can also be transported through a pipeline by converting it into slurry.
(iii) The far inland locations of refineries like Barauni, Mathura, Panipat and gas based fertilizer plants could be thought of only because of pipelines.
(iv) Initial cost of laying pipelines is high but subsequent running costs are minimal.
(v) Pipelines transportation rules out trans-shipment losses or delays.

Question. Give an account of National Waterways in India.
Answer : (i) National Waterway No. 1 is in the Ganga river between Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Haldia (1620 km).
(ii) National Waterway No. 2 is in the Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
(iii) The National Waterway No. 3 is in the West-coast canal in Kerala (Kottapuram-Kollam, Udyogamandal and Champakkara Canals-205 km).
(iv) Specified stretches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers along with Kakinada Puducherry stretch of canals (1078 km) is National Waterway No. 4.
(v) Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta channels of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East Coast canal (588 km) is the National Waterway No. 5.
(vi) There are some other inland waterways on which substantial transportation takes place. These are Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak, Backwaters of Kerala and tidal stretches of some other rivers.

Question. “Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its prosperity.” Support the statement with suitable examples.
Answer : (i) No country in the world is self-sufficient in all its needs. Goods produced by one country are required by the other country and vice-versa. Hence, differences in resources, needs and development among nations creates conditions for international trade between them.
(ii) It helps in exchange of surplus goods with those of deficit countries through foreign trade.
(iii) Foreign trade has helped India to improve its productivity of manufactured goods.
(iv) International trade contributed to India’s economic growth, raising income levels of people thus, increasing the foreign exchange reserves.
(v) International trade helps India to import advanced technology of other countries to improve its own production.

Question. “Roadways still have an edge over railways in India.” Support the statement with examples.
Answer : India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 54.7 lakh km (2014-15 data). In India, roadways have preceded railways. They still have an edge over railways in view of the ease with which they can be built and maintained.
Roadways still have an edge over railways in India due to the following reasons:
(i) Cost of construction of roads is much lower than that of railway tracks.
(ii) Roads can pass through comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.
(iii) Road transport is economical in transportation of a few persons and relatively smaller quantity of goods over short distances.
(iv) It provides door to door services thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
(v) It is used as feeder to other modes of transport. To reach any destination be it railway station, sea port or airport, one needs to travel through roads. Apart from an important means of transport, the Indian railways have been a great integrating force for more than 150 years.
(vi) It is the prime mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
(vii) Railways also make it possible to conduct multifarious activities like business sightseeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over long distances.
(viii) Railways in India bind the country’s economic life as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture.

Question. Write a short note on various kinds of roads in India.
Answer : In India, roads are classified into six categories, they are as follows:
(i) Super Highways: These are six-lane roads, constructed to reduce the travel time and distance between the mega cities of India. Golden Quadrilateral, North-South corridors and East-West corridors are main super highways. These are constructed and maintained by NHAI.
(ii) National Highways: These are the primary roads which link extreme parts of the country. These are constructed and maintained by the CPWD.
(iii) State Highways: These roads are linking a state capital with different district headquarters of the state. These are constructed and maintained by the state Public Works Department (PWD) in state and union territories.
(iv) District Roads: These roads connect the district headquarter with other places of the district. These are constructed and maintained by the Zila Parishad.
(v) Rural Roads: These are roads which link rural areas and villages with towns. Under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana every village in the country is linked to a major town in the country by an all weather motorable road.
(vi) Border Roads: They are constructed and maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, a Government of India undertaking, in the bordering areas of the country. These roads are of strategic importance in the northern and north-eastern border areas of the country.

Question. Explain the importance of the Indian postal network as a means of communication in India.
Answer : (i) The Indian Postal network is the largest in the world. It handles parcels as well as personal written communication.
(ii) Cards and envelopes are considered as first-class mail and are airlifted between stations covering both land and air.
(iii) Book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals are considered as second-class mail. They are carried by surface mail, covering land and water transport.
(iv) To facilitate quick delivery of mails in big towns and cities, six mail channels have been introduced recently.
(v) They are called Rajdhani channel, Metro channel, Green channel, Business channel, Bulk Mail channel and Periodical channel.

Question. Give an account of India’s international trade with the other countries of the world.
Answer : (i) India has trade relations with all the major trading blocks and all geographical regions of the world.
(ii) Among the commodities in export, the share of agriculture and allied products has been 8.64%, ores and minerals 6.91%, gems and jewellery 17.02% in 2016-17.
(iii) The commodities imported to India include petroleum and petroleum products 22.4%, gems and jewellery 12.8%, chemicals and related products 9.76%, base metals 5.95%, agricultural and allied products 5.84%, machinery 8.9% in 2016-17.
(iv) Bulk imports as a group registered a growth accounting for 28.2% of total imports. This group includes fertilizers 3.4%, cereals 14.3%, edible oils 17.4% and newsprint 40.3% in 2010-11.
(v) International trade has undergone a sea change in the last fifteen years. Exchange of commodities and goods have been superseded by the exchange of information and knowledge.

Case Based Questions

Question. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

Kandla in Kuchchh was the first port developed soon after Independence to ease the volume of trade on the Mumbai port, in the wake of loss of Karachi port to Pakistan after the Partition. Kandla also known as the Deendayal Port, is a tidal port. It caters to the convenient handling of exports and imports of highly productive granary and industrial belt stretching across the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Mumbai is the biggest port with a spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour. The Jawaharlal Nehru port was planned with a view to decongest the Mumbai port and serve as a hub port for this region. Marmagao port (Goa) is the premier iron ore exporting port of the country. This port accounts for about fifty per cent of India’s iron ore export. New Mangalore port, located in Karnataka caters to the export of iron ore concentrates from Kudremukh mines. Kochchi is the extreme south-western port, located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbour. Moving along the east coast, you would see the extreme south-eastern port of Tuticorin, in Tamil Nadu. This port has a natural harbour and rich hinterland. Thus, it has a flourishing trade handling of a large variety of cargoes to even our neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. and the coastal regions of India. Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports of the country. It is ranked next to Mumbai in terms of the volume of trade and cargo. Vishakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port. This port was, originally, conceived as an outlet for iron ore exports. Paradwip port located in Odisha, specialises in the export of iron ore. Kolkata is an inland riverine port. This port serves a very large and rich hinterland of Ganga- Brahmaputra basin. Being a tidal port, it requires constant dredging of Hoogly. Haldia port was developed as a subsidiary port, in order to relieve growing pressure on the Kolkata port.

(i) ____________ is the biggest port while Kandla is the tidal port in ________ .
(a) Kolkata; Vishakhapatnam
(b) Mumbai; Gujarat
(c) Tuticorin; Kolkata
(d) New Mangalore, Mumbai
Answer : (b) Mumbai; Gujarat

(ii) Major ports handle about 95 per cent of India’s foreign trade. Identify which port belongs to which state:

Choose the correct option:
(a) a–2, b–1, c–4, d–3
(b) a–4, b–1, c–2, d–3
(c) a–3, b–4, c–2, d–1
(d) a–4, b–2, c–1, d–3
Answer : (a) a–2, b–1, c–4, d–3

(iii) Why is Chennai port called an artificial port?
Answer : A wall has been built to facilitate the anchor of ships as there is no zigzag coastline.

(iv) Give the second name of Kandla Port.
Answer : Deendayal Port

Question. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

Today, the world has been coverted into a large village with the help of efficient and fast moving transport. Transport has been able to achieve this with the help of equally developed communication system. Therefore, transport, communication and trade are complementary to each other. Today, India is well-linked with the rest of the world despite its vast size, diversity and linguistic and sociocultural plurality. Railways, airways, waterways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema and internet, etc. have been contributing to its socio-economic progress in many ways. The trade from local to international levels have added to the vitality of its economy. It has enriched our life and added substantially to growing amenities and facilities for the comforts of life. The modern means of transport and communication serve as lifelines of our nation and its modern economy. It is thus, evident that a dense and efficient network of transport and communication is a prequisite for local, national and global trade of today.

(i) The world has been covered into a large village with the help of _________ and _________ moving transport.
(a) moving; loaded
(b) efficient; fast
(c) easy; convenience
(d) convenience; fast
Answer : (b) efficient; fast

(ii) Which of the following is not the significance of means of transport as communication for socioeconomic progress?
(a) Create job opportunities
(b) Help to grow economy
(c) Reduce awareness among the people at national level
(d) Interlinking world
Answer : (c) Reduce awareness among the people at national level

(iii) Why is it essential to interlink with the world?
Answer : For development, advancement and globalisation.

(iv) What is pre-requisite for the fast development of a nation?
Answer : Efficient network of transport and communication.