Question 40 from UPSC CSE 2024 - Economic s

Question

With reference to the sectors of the Indian economy, consider the following pairs:
1. Storage of agricultural produce - Secondary
2. Dairy farm - Primary
3. Mineral exploration - Tertiary
4. Weaving cloth - Secondary
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Only three

Strategy: Identify the defining economic activity in each pair and map it to its fundamental sector. Direct production/extraction from nature indicates primary (e.g., dairy farm). Activities changing raw materials into a new product are secondary (e.g., weaving cloth). Services supporting production, like storage and exploration, align with tertiary. Eliminate pairs mismatching these core activities. Option C fits as three pairs are correct.

Key Info: Indian economic sectors are typically classified into three broad types:

* Primary Sector: Involves extraction or direct use of natural resources. Includes agriculture, animal husbandry (e.g., dairy farming), fishing, forestry, and mining. Dairy farms are thus part of the primary sector because they involve direct production from natural resources (milk from animals).

* Secondary Sector: Covers manufacturing and processing, where natural products are transformed into new goods. Examples include industries like food processing, textile weaving, steel manufacturing, etc. Weaving cloth is a classic secondary sector activity, as it converts raw (primary) produce like cotton or wool into finished goods.

* Tertiary Sector: Encompasses the provision of services that support primary and secondary sectors. Examples include transportation, banking, storage, communication, and trade. Storage of agricultural produce is a service (not production or manufacturing), placing it in the tertiary sector. Mineral exploration, which involves searching, surveying, and prospecting for minerals rather than actual extraction, is a specialized non-material service. Thus, it also falls within the tertiary sector, although sometimes subclassified further under quaternary (knowledge-based) in advanced models, but for UPSC purposes, it is taken as tertiary.

* Secondary sector only includes manufacturing (e.g., weaving). Primary sector includes producing natural goods (e.g., dairy). Tertiary sector includes non-tangible services (e.g., storage, exploration).

* Related authoritative sources include National Income Accounting (CSO/NSSO), standard NCERT texts (Class 10/11 Economics), and major reports (India Economic Survey).

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Only one

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Only two

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: All four

With reference to the sectors of the Indian economy, consider the following pairs: Storage of agricultural produce - Secondary Dairy farm - Primary Mineral exploration - Tertiary Weaving cloth - Secondary How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

With reference to the sectors of the Indian economy, consider the following pairs:

Storage of agricultural produce - Secondary

Dairy farm - Primary

Mineral exploration - Tertiary

Weaving cloth - Secondary
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?