Class 9 Economics NCERT Chapter 4 – "Food Security in India," featuring 30 MCQs, 10 short answer questions, and 5 long answer questions with concise answers.
30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Food security includes:
a) Availability of food
b) Accessibility of food
c) Affordability of food
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Food availability means:
a) Country must meet its own production
b) Enough food available to meet needs
c) Food can be exported to other countries
d) All of these
Answer: b) Enough food available to meet needs
The most devastating famine in India occurred in:
a) Punjab
b) Uttar Pradesh
c) Bengal
d) Bihar
Answer: c) Bengal
The card for below poverty line is:
a) Red card
b) Blue card
c) Yellow card
d) White card
Answer: c) Yellow card
Chronic hunger is:
a) Diets persistently inadequate in quantity/quality
b) Related to cycles of harvesting
c) A consequence of poor eating habits
d) Affects rich people most
Answer: a) Diets persistently inadequate
Which organization maintains buffer stock of food grains in India?
a) ICAR
b) FCI
c) Ministry of Education
d) Ministry of Agriculture
Answer: b) Food Corporation of India (FCI)
What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)?
a) Market price for crops
b) Price at which government buys crops from farmers
c) Price at ration shops
d) Price for exports
Answer: b) Price at which government buys crops
Which scheme gives grain to ‘poorest of the poor’?
a) Antyodaya Anna Yojana
b) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
c) Mid-Day Meal
d) PMAY
Answer: a) Antyodaya Anna Yojana
Which is a food surplus state in India?
a) Bihar
b) Punjab
c) Rajasthan
d) Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: b) Punjab
Season hunger is prevalent in:
a) Rural areas
b) Urban areas
c) Both rural and urban
d) Metro cities
Answer: c) Both rural and urban
At what price does government purchase grain for buffer stock?
a) Minimum Support Price (MSP)
b) Controlled price
c) High market price
d) All of the above
Answer: a) Minimum Support Price
Main purpose of buffer stock is:
a) Save grains from pests
b) Stop price fluctuations
c) Crisis management for low production
d) Both b and c
Answer: d) Both b and c
Name an NGO that set up grain banks in India.
a) Academy of Development Science, Maharashtra
b) Anand Milk Union Limited
c) Mother Dairy
d) None of these
Answer: a) Academy of Development Science, Maharashtra
What is the most affected group during food insecurity in rural areas?
a) Landless people
b) Traditional artisans
c) Beggars
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Public Distribution System (PDS) provides food grains:
a) At controlled prices
b) Free of cost
c) On ration card
d) Both a and c
Answer: d) Both a and c
Mother Dairy is an important cooperative in:
a) Gujarat
b) Punjab
c) Haryana
d) Delhi
Answer: d) Delhi
Food Corporation of India (FCI) was set up in:
a) 1965
b) 1980
c) 2000
d) 2013
Answer: a) 1965
The minimum nutritional requirement for rural population is:
a) 2400 calories/day
b) 1800 calories/day
c) 3000 calories/day
d) 1500 calories/day
Answer: a) 2400 calories/day
Which of the following is NOT a component of food security?
a) Availability
b) Affordability
c) Accessibility
d) Sustainability
Answer: d) Sustainability
Which organization decides price support for wheat and rice in India?
a) Food Corporation of India (FCI)
b) Ministry of Finance
c) Food Ministry
d) Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)
Answer: d) CACP
Which famine led to starvation deaths in 1943?
a) Bihar famine
b) Bengal famine
c) South India famine
d) Odisha famine
Answer: b) Bengal famine
What does Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) provide?
a) Fertilizers
b) Free school meals
c) Highly subsidized food grains
d) Free clothing
Answer: c) Highly subsidized food grains
Which issue is faced by PDS?
a) Poor quality grains
b) Irregular shop timings
c) Diversion to open market
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Who are the ‘poorest of the poor’ in food insecurity context?
a) Tribal families
b) Urban slum dwellers
c) Households with no assets
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Which crop was most successful during the Green Revolution?
a) Rice
b) Wheat
c) Pulses
d) Bajra
Answer: b) Wheat
Most malnutrition cases are seen in:
a) Urban cities
b) Well-off families
c) Rural areas
d) Developed states
Answer: c) Rural areas
MSP is reviewed by government:
a) Yearly
b) Every season
c) Ten years
d) Never
Answer: a) Yearly
Major cause for price rise in food grains is:
a) Hoarding
b) Drought
c) Both a and b
d) None
Answer: c) Both a and b
Which sector does buffer stock support?
a) Dairy
b) Agriculture
c) Mining
d) Manufacturing
Answer: b) Agriculture
Main aim of food security schemes is:
a) Food export
b) Checking price rise
c) Ensuring food for all
d) Promoting organic farming
Answer: c) Ensuring food for all
10 Short Answer Questions
Define food security.
Answer: Assures availability, accessibility, and affordability of food at all times to all people.
What is buffer stock?
Answer: Stock of food grains (wheat, rice) procured and maintained by FCI to prevent scarcity and stabilize prices.
Name any two factors that cause food insecurity.
Answer: Natural calamities (drought, flood) and poverty.
What is the role of PDS in India?
Answer: Provides subsidized food grains to poor and needy through ration shops.
Explain season hunger with an example.
Answer: Hunger caused by lack of work during specific seasons, like during crop sowing and harvesting.
Write two problems faced by the PDS.
Answer: Poor quality grains and diversion to open market.
State the main objective of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).
Answer: To provide highly subsidized food grains to the poorest families.
Who maintains the buffer stock in India?
Answer: Food Corporation of India (FCI).
What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)?
Answer: Price at which government purchases crops from farmers to support them.
What is the significance of NGO-run grain banks?
Answer: Provide emergency food support, especially in remote/drought-prone areas.
5 Long Answer Questions
Explain the concept of food security and its need in India.
Answer: Food security means ensuring availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for everyone and is crucial due to poverty, population, and calamities.
Describe major food security schemes implemented by government.
Answer: Schemes include Public Distribution System (PDS), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), and buffer stock maintenance, which ensure subsidized food for poor.
Analyze the causes and consequences of food insecurity in India.
Answer: Causes: poverty, unemployment, crop failure, hoarding; consequences: hunger, malnutrition, social unrest, increased mortality.
Discuss the role of buffer stock and Minimum Support Price in food security.
Answer: Buffer stock keeps reserve food grains to meet emergencies and stabilize prices; MSP ensures farmers get fair prices for their produce.
Suggest measures to improve food security in India.
Answer: Strengthen PDS, increase agricultural productivity, involve cooperatives/NGOs, ensure nutritional awareness, and better implementation of government schemes.
