-: Questions :-

A. Very Short Questions (Mark: 1)

Q1. What is the oldest form of livelihood?
Answer: The oldest form of livelihood mentioned is Food Gathering.

Q2. What is the first domesticated animal of man?
Answer: The text does not explicitly state the first domesticated animal of man.

Q3. In which prehistoric period the fishing economy was started?
Answer: Fishing activities increased a lot during the Mesolithic period due to more availability of water sources. The Upper Palaeolithic period also shows signs of fishing implements like fish hooks.

Q4. What is the main source of livelihood of the Todas of Nilgiri Hills?
Answer: The Todas of the Nilgiri hills are a pastoral tribe whose main source of livelihood is derived from the products and by-products of buffalo milk.

Q5. Name one pastoral tribe of North East India.
Answer: One pastoral tribe of North East India is the Monpa (specifically the nomadic part known as Brokpa) who rear Yak.

Q6. In which prehistoric period agriculture was first started?
Answer: Agriculture (cultivation and domestication of plants and animals) was first started during the Neolithic period.

Q7. Name the prehistoric period from which the domestication of animal started.
Answer: The domestication of animals started during the Neolithic period.

Q8. Name one community of North East India that practice terrace cultivation.
Answer: One community of North East India that practices terrace cultivation is the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh.

B. Short Questions (Mark: 2)

Q1. Name two communities who practice shifting cultivation.
Answer: Two communities who practice shifting cultivation (Jhum cultivation) in North-East India are: Reangs of Tripura and Adis of Arunachal Pradesh. (Other examples include the Khasis, Garos, Ao Nagas, Karbis of Assam, Santals, Gonds, etc.)

Q2. Write the names of any six fishing implements used in rural parts of Assam.
Answer: The text specifically names the following fishing implements that are illustrated, though their use is generally across fishing communities/regions and not explicitly limited to rural Assam: Fishing Net, Khaloi (Automatic trap), Polo (Manipulative trap / Plunge basket trap), Jakoi (Dip net), Chepa (Manipulative trap), Baichna (Automatic trap with valve).

Q3. Write the names of any six agricultural implements used in the rural parts of Assam.
Answer: The text mentions various primitive and agricultural tools. Six implements associated with simple, extensive, or horticultural agriculture are: Digging sticks, Dao, Hoe, Pick, Spade, and Plough (used in intensive cultivation).

Q4. What do you mean by simple economy?
Answer: A simple economy, also known as a primitive or subsistence economy, is one where the economic organization is of a subsistence type. In these economies, production and consumption are the two most important features, and the production mode is very simple, based on the society’s tradition and culture.

Q5. Write the salient features of simple economy.
Answer: Some important characteristic features of a simple economic system are:

1. It uses community or family labour.
2. It is of a subsistence type, with production and consumption being the main features.
3. The producer and the consumer is the same person.
4. It is a small-scale economy where transactions occur within a small geographical area.

Q6. What do you mean by subsistence economy? Write the salient features of subsistence economy.
Answer: Subsistence Economy: This is a type of economic system in which people use what they themselves produce in order to meet their own needs. In anthropology, primitive or simple societies often have this type of economic organization.

Salient Features of Subsistence Economy: Production and consumption are the two most important features. It is characterized by a lack of money for valuation or exchange. Barter or mutual exchange of goods is the basis for distribution. The system is based on a simple mode of production, rooted in tradition and culture.

Q7. What do you mean by food gathering economy? What are the different types of gathering economy?
Answer:  Food Gathering Economy is the earliest phase of subsistence where primitive people completely depended on plants and animals for food. They collected fruits, roots, seeds, tubers, and nuts readily available in the natural environment.

Different types of gathering economy (Food Gathering) are broadly divided into gathering, Hunting, and Fishing.

Q8. What do you mean by pastoralism? Write the salient features of pastoralism.
Answer: Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry in which domesticated animals are raised and herded for products like meat, milk, and hides. Pastoralists release their animals onto large vegetated lands (pastures) for grazing, and the economy largely depends on the welfare of these animals.

Salient Features of Pastoralism are:

1. Pastoralists are usually nomadic, moving to find green pastures and avoid harsh climatic conditions.
2. They often combine activities like cultivation, trade, and herding.
3. Suited to hilly and dry regions, allowing time for natural restoration of vegetation.
4. Pastoralists act as moving traders, exchanging cattle and goods for grain and fodder with villagers.

Q9. What is terrace cultivation?
Answer: Terrace cultivation is a method of growing crops on the sides of hills or mountains by planting on graduated terraces built into the slope. It is regarded as a wet cultivation. The terraces are constructed by cutting the hill slopes into steps, allowing rainwater to flow from one terrace to the next, thereby irrigating the slopes.

C. Essay Type Questions (Mark: 4)

Q1. What is shifting cultivation? Discuss the merits and demerits of shifting cultivation.
Answer: Shifting cultivation, also known as slash-and-burn cultivation, is one of the oldest forms of subsistence and extensive agriculture, mainly practiced in tropical regions. It involves temporarily clearing a plot of land, cultivating it for a short period until the soil is exhausted, and then abandoning it to lie fallow for extended periods, allowing natural regeneration.

Merits of Shifting Cultivation:

1. Allows the land to rejuvenate naturally.
2. Ensures better productivity during cultivation periods.
3. Uses simple tools and techniques.
4. Promotes community or group work.

Demerits of Shifting Cultivation:

1. Leads to deforestation and destruction of forests.
2. Causes soil erosion and depletion of nutrients.
3. Results in habitat loss for wildlife.
4. May affect rainfall patterns and local climate.
5. Often leads to uneconomical production.

Q2. What are the different types of subsistence economy? Mention the characteristic features of food gathering economy.
Answer: Subsistence economies are simple economic systems where people produce only what they need. They are classified into Food Gathering such as gathering wild plants, hunting animals, and fishing, and Food Producing such as pastoralism and cultivation, based on whether communities rely on natural resources or produce their own food.

Characteristic Features of Food Gathering Economy:

1. Small and close-knit societies.
2. Minimal desire for wealth; accumulation of resources is rare.
3. Social institutions are family-based, centered on kinship.
4. Absence of formal political systems; simple leadership or communal decision-making.
5. Limited division of labour; all members participate in procuring food.
6. High dependence on natural resources and seasonal conditions.
7. Simple religious beliefs, often animistic or nature-oriented.

Q3. Write the difference between food gathering economy and food collecting economy.
Answer: Food Gathering Economy is the broader system including all ways of obtaining food from nature like gathering, hunting, and fishing. whereas food collecting or collection economy is a specific mode within it, focused on collecting stationary food resources like fruits, roots, and nuts.

Q4. “Producing economy is superior to collecting economy” – Discuss.
Answer: Producing economy (Pastoralism and Cultivation) is superior because it ensures food security, settled life, specialization of labour, and technological advancement. It encourages permanent habitation, social stratification, and surplus production, unlike the nomadic and uncertain collecting economy.

Q5. Describe the different stages of Jhum Cultivation. Name some communities practicing shifting cultivation.
Answer: Jhum Cultivation is a type of shifting cultivation practiced mainly in the northeastern states of India. It involves several stages that form a continuous cycle of farming and land regeneration.

Stages of Jhum Cultivation:

1. Selection of Site: Choosing a suitable patch of forested land.
2. Clearing: Cutting down trees and shrubs to prepare the land.
3. Burning: Setting fire to the cleared vegetation to enrich the soil with ash.
4. Cultivation: Growing crops on the cleared and burned land.
5. Abandonment: Leaving the land fallow after a few years of cultivation.
6. Regeneration: Allowing the forest to naturally regenerate over time.
7. Restart Cycle: Returning to the land or selecting a new site to repeat the process.

Communities Practicing Shifting Cultivation: Reangs of Tripura, Adis of Arunachal Pradesh, Khasis and Garos of Meghalaya, Ao Nagas of Nagaland, Karbis of Assam, and Santals.

Q6. “Shifting cultivation should be replaced by permanent cultivation” – Discuss with reasons.
Answer: Shifting cultivation should be replaced by permanent cultivation because it has several disadvantages, whereas permanent cultivation is more sustainable and productive. Shifting cultivation causes forest destruction, soil erosion, and low productivity, whereas permanent cultivation uses improved techniques like irrigation, fertilizers, and proper tools to maintain the land over long periods.

Overall, shifting cultivation is unsustainable with growing populations, whereas permanent cultivation is a more eco-friendly and efficient alternative.