About This Section
This is a collection of important questions with complete model answers covering the whole of Chapter 7 — Lifelines of National Economy. They are grouped by marks — 1-mark, 3-mark and 5-mark — for thorough Board preparation.
1-Mark Questions
Q1. Which country has the second-largest road network in the world? Ans. India (about 62.16 lakh km).
Q2. When did the first train run in India? Ans. In 1853, from Mumbai to Thane (34 km).
Q3. Which is the cheapest means of transport? Ans. Waterways.
Q4. Which port is the premier iron-ore exporting port of India? Ans. Marmagao (Goa).
1-Mark Questions (continued)
Q5. Which is the deepest, landlocked and well-protected port on the east coast? Ans. Vishakhapatnam.
Q6. Full form of HVJ pipeline? Ans. Hazira–Vijaipur–Jagdishpur.
Q7. Which scheme aims to make air travel affordable for the common citizen? Ans. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik).
Q8. In which language is the largest number of newspapers published in India? Ans. Hindi.
3-Mark Questions
Q9. State any three merits of roadways. Ans. (1) Roads are cheaper to construct than railway lines; (2) they can cross dissected, undulating land and steep gradients (even mountains); and (3) they provide door-to-door service and act as a feeder to other modes, lowering loading/unloading cost.
3-Mark Questions (continued)
Q10. Where and why is rail transport the most convenient means of transportation? Ans. Rail transport is most convenient in the northern plains, which have vast level land, high population density and rich agriculture. These give heavy passenger and goods traffic and make it easy and cheap to lay and run railway lines.
3-Mark Questions (continued)
Q11. What is the significance of the Border Roads? Ans. Border Roads, built by the Border Roads Organisation (1960), run in the strategic northern and north-eastern border areas. They improve accessibility in difficult terrain, help move defence supplies, and promote the economic development of remote border regions.
5-Mark Questions
Q12. Why are the means of transport and communication called the lifelines of a nation and its economy? Ans. Goods and services must move from supply areas to demand areas, and information must flow between them. Transport (road, rail, pipeline, water, air) carries goods and people, while communication carries information; trade depends on both. Together they connect distant regions, support industry and agriculture, earn foreign exchange, and integrate the country — just as blood vessels keep a body alive. Hence they are the lifelines of the nation and its economy.
5-Mark Questions (continued)
Q13. Write a note on the changing nature of India's international trade in recent years. Ans. India's trade has grown and diversified. The composition has changed — India now exports gems and jewellery, chemicals, agricultural products and software/IT services, and imports petroleum crude, electronic items, machinery and base metals. India has emerged as a software giant, earning large foreign exchange through IT exports. Trade in services and commodities to all major trading blocks has expanded, and the growth of tourism has added further to trade.
Q14. Describe any three modes of transport and one advantage of each. Ans. Roadways — door-to-door service and low construction cost; Railways — carry heavy freight and many passengers over long distances and integrate the nation; Pipelines — carry oil and gas continuously at minimal running cost without trans-shipment loss.