20. What kind of poverty compares a group’s living conditions with those prevailing in wider society?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 17 Feb 2019]
- A. Enforced poverty
- B. Absolute poverty
- C. Relative poverty
- D. Culture of poverty
Answer: C. Relative poverty
Explanation: Relative poverty identifies deprivation compared with the typical living standard of a society. A person may meet physical survival requirements yet be considered relatively poor if resources are far below normal social participation standards. Absolute poverty uses a more fixed basic-needs threshold.
19. Which committee’s method was used to show a decline in India’s poverty incidence between 2004–05 and 2011–12?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 17 Feb 2019]
- A. Ahluwalia Committee
- B. Dandekar–Rath Committee
- C. Tendulkar Committee
- D. Rangarajan Committee
Answer: C. Tendulkar Committee
Explanation: The Tendulkar methodology produced the official poverty comparison between 2004–05 and 2011–12 that showed a reduction in poverty incidence. Its broader consumption framework differed from older calorie-linked lines. Changes in poverty should therefore be interpreted with methodological continuity.
18. Which economists were associated with the development of HDI in 1990?
[RRB Group D, 28 Sep 2018, Shift 1]
- A. Mahbub Khan alone
- B. Aparna Sen alone
- C. Syed-ul-Haq alone
- D. Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen
Answer: D. Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen
Explanation: Mahbub ul Haq led the creation of the HDI, assisted intellectually by Amartya Sen and other scholars. Their work shifted development measurement toward life expectancy, education and living standards, which UNDP began presenting internationally in 1990.
17. Which institution formerly fixed and published India’s official poverty-line estimates?
[UPPSC Civil Services Prelims 2018, GS-I]
- A. Union Council of Ministers
- B. Lok Sabha
- C. Rajya Sabha
- D. Planning Commission
Answer: D. Planning Commission
Explanation: The Planning Commission historically estimated poverty ratios using specified lines and National Sample Survey consumption data. NITI Aayog subsequently succeeded the Planning Commission institutionally, but the answer must correspond to the historical administrative arrangement addressed by this examination.
16. Which sociologist is known for the “culture of poverty” concept?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 29 Oct 2018]
- A. Oscar Lewis
- B. Gunnar Myrdal
- C. M. N. Srinivas
- D. McKim Marriott
Answer: A. Oscar Lewis
Explanation: Anthropologist Oscar Lewis popularized the culture-of-poverty concept through studies of disadvantaged communities. The concept concerns patterns of adaptation in deprivation, but it has also drawn criticism for underplaying structural barriers such as unequal opportunity and labour-market constraints.
15. Which district topped West Bengal’s district Human Development Index in the cited state report?
[WBCS Prelims 2017]
- A. Kolkata
- B. Purba Medinipur
- C. Bardhaman
- D. North 24 Parganas
Answer: A. Kolkata
Explanation: The West Bengal district Human Development Report’s older figures placed Kolkata first in the district HDI comparison. Urban advantages in educational access, income and services influenced the ranking. This is a period-specific state report rather than a contemporary district league table.
14. In what year was the Human Development Index first introduced?
[WBCS Prelims 2017]
- A. 1980
- B. 1990
- C. 1995
- D. 2000
Answer: B. 1990
Explanation: UNDP introduced the HDI with the first Human Development Report in 1990. Its aim was to provide a compact measure of well-being beyond GDP per person by combining health, schooling and income-related indicators.
13. Which traditional indicator was used prominently in earlier Indian poverty-line calculations?
[SSC Stenographer, 12 Sep 2017, Shift 2]
- A. House location
- B. Job type
- C. Calorie consumption
- D. Highest level of schooling
Answer: C. Calorie consumption
Explanation: Earlier Indian poverty estimation linked minimum consumption expenditure to benchmark calorie requirements, historically differentiated between rural and urban areas. Later methods, including the Tendulkar approach, revised the basket and reduced reliance on a single nutritional norm.
12. Who headed the expert group appointed in 2012 to reconsider Indian poverty measurement?
[UPPSC GIC Lecturer (Economics) 2017]
- A. C. Rangarajan
- B. Urjit Patel
- C. Meghnad Desai
- D. Jean Drèze
Answer: A. C. Rangarajan
Explanation: The 2012 group was led by C. Rangarajan. It submitted recommendations in 2014, proposing revised poverty thresholds that included broader food and non-food necessities. It followed the earlier expert group chaired by Suresh Tendulkar.
11. What proportion of India’s population was below the poverty line in 2011–12 by the Tendulkar methodology?
[RPSC Senior Teacher Social Science, 02 Jul 2017]
- A. 25.7%
- B. 21.9%
- C. 30.7%
- D. 38.2%
Answer: B. 21.9%
Explanation: The official Tendulkar-based all-India poverty headcount was 21.9% for 2011–12. The rural component was higher than the urban component. The Rangarajan group’s later alternative produced a different all-India estimate, illustrating the importance of the measurement basis.
