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1. What does 'food security' mean?
A. Availability of only luxury food items
B. Availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times
C. Only the production of enough food grains
D. Export of food grains to other countries
Answer: B. Availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times
Explanation: Food security means ensuring that enough food is available, that people can access it, and that they can afford it, so that everyone has enough to eat at all times.
2. Which historical famine is discussed in the chapter as a devastating example of food insecurity in India?
A. Bengal Famine of 1943
B. Irish Potato Famine
C. Ethiopian Famine of 1980s
D. Chinese Famine of 1959
Answer: A. Bengal Famine of 1943
Explanation: The Bengal Famine of 1943 resulted in the deaths of about three million people and is discussed as a tragic example of large-scale food insecurity in Indian history.
3. What are the three main dimensions of food security discussed in the chapter?
A. Availability, accessibility and affordability
B. Production, distribution and storage only
C. Import, export and taxation
D. Farming, fishing and mining
Answer: A. Availability, accessibility and affordability
Explanation: The chapter identifies availability (production and stocks), accessibility (physical reach) and affordability (purchasing power) as the three key dimensions of food security.
4. Which section of the population in India is generally considered most vulnerable to food insecurity?
A. Landless people, casual labourers, and those affected by natural disasters
B. Government employees
C. Urban middle-class professionals
D. Large industrialists
Answer: A. Landless people, casual labourers, and those affected by natural disasters
Explanation: Groups such as landless agricultural labourers, casual workers, and those affected by disasters like floods and droughts are among the most vulnerable to food insecurity.
5. What is the term for the stock of food grains procured by the government to distribute in deficit areas or during emergencies?
A. Buffer stock
B. Trade surplus
C. Private inventory
D. Export reserve
Answer: A. Buffer stock
Explanation: A buffer stock is the stock of food grains, mainly wheat and rice, procured by the government to be distributed in deficit areas or sold at lower prices to the poor during emergencies.
6. Which government agency is responsible for procurement, storage and distribution of food grains in India?
A. Reserve Bank of India
B. Food Corporation of India (FCI)
C. Election Commission of India
D. Central Bureau of Investigation
Answer: B. Food Corporation of India (FCI)
Explanation: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the government agency responsible for procuring, storing, and distributing food grains across the country.
7. What is the 'minimum support price' (MSP)?
A. The maximum price a farmer can charge for crops
B. The price at which the government agrees to purchase crops from farmers to protect them from price fluctuations
C. The price paid by consumers at ration shops
D. The export tax on agricultural produce
Answer: B. The price at which the government agrees to purchase crops from farmers to protect them from price fluctuations
Explanation: The minimum support price is announced by the government before the sowing season to assure farmers of a fair price and encourage them to grow more of certain crops.
8. What is the 'issue price'?
A. The subsidised price at which food grains are sold to consumers through ration shops
B. The price at which farmers sell to private traders
C. The international market price of wheat
D. The price of luxury food items
Answer: A. The subsidised price at which food grains are sold to consumers through ration shops
Explanation: The issue price is the price at which the government sells food grains from its stock to consumers, particularly the poor, through the Public Distribution System.
9. What does PDS stand for?
A. Public Distribution System
B. Price Determination Scheme
C. Private Distribution Service
D. Poverty Development Standard
Answer: A. Public Distribution System
Explanation: The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the government mechanism through which food grains are distributed to people at subsidised prices via ration shops.
10. What are ration shops also commonly called?
A. Fair price shops
B. Wholesale markets
C. Export centres
D. Cooperative banks
Answer: A. Fair price shops
Explanation: Ration shops, also known as fair price shops, sell items like food grains, sugar, and kerosene at subsidised prices to registered card-holding households.
11. What are the three types of ration cards issued under India's PDS?
A. Antyodaya, BPL and APL cards
B. Gold, silver and bronze cards
C. Rural, urban and semi-urban cards
D. Farmer, worker and trader cards
Answer: A. Antyodaya, BPL and APL cards
Explanation: Ration cards are typically categorised as Antyodaya (for the poorest of the poor), Below Poverty Line (BPL), and Above Poverty Line (APL), each with different entitlements.
12. Which scheme is specifically aimed at providing highly subsidised food grains to the poorest of the poor families?
A. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
B. Make in India
C. Digital India
D. Skill India
Answer: A. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
Explanation: The Antyodaya Anna Yojana was launched to provide food grains at highly subsidised rates to the poorest families identified among BPL households.
13. Which programme provides cooked meals to children in government and government-aided primary schools?
A. Mid-Day Meal Scheme
B. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
C. Integrated Child Development Services alone
D. National Food Security Mission
Answer: A. Mid-Day Meal Scheme
Explanation: The Mid-Day Meal Scheme provides free cooked meals to children in schools, aiming to improve nutrition and encourage regular school attendance.
14. Which agricultural transformation in the 1960s significantly boosted India's food grain production, especially wheat?
A. The Green Revolution
B. The Industrial Revolution
C. The White Revolution
D. The Blue Revolution
Answer: A. The Green Revolution
Explanation: The Green Revolution, through the use of HYV seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation, dramatically increased food grain production in India, particularly wheat, starting in the 1960s.
15. Which cooperative is cited in the chapter as a successful example of a milk cooperative movement?
A. Amul
B. Patanjali
C. Nestle
D. Britannia
Answer: A. Amul
Explanation: Amul, a dairy cooperative started in Gujarat, is cited as a successful example of how cooperatives can help improve food security and rural livelihoods through the White Revolution.
16. What is meant by 'chronic food insecurity'?
A. A short-term food shortage due to a natural disaster
B. A persistent lack of adequate diet due to consistently low income and inability to buy food
C. Food insecurity that occurs only once
D. Excess food supply causing prices to fall
Answer: B. A persistent lack of adequate diet due to consistently low income and inability to buy food
Explanation: Chronic food insecurity refers to an ongoing inability of people to acquire enough food due to persistently low incomes and poverty.
17. What is 'transitory food insecurity'?
A. Food insecurity that happens over a temporary period, such as during a natural calamity or a crop failure
B. Food insecurity that never ends
C. A permanent food shortage across an entire country
D. A condition that only affects wealthy households
Answer: A. Food insecurity that happens over a temporary period, such as during a natural calamity or a crop failure
Explanation: Transitory food insecurity arises temporarily due to events like natural disasters, crop failure, or a sudden loss of income, unlike chronic insecurity which persists over time.
18. Which states in India are noted as being especially prone to famine and food insecurity historically?
A. Kalahandi in Odisha and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand
B. Kerala and Goa
C. Punjab and Haryana
D. Delhi and Chandigarh
Answer: A. Kalahandi in Odisha and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand
Explanation: Regions such as Kalahandi in Odisha, along with parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, have historically been more prone to food insecurity and starvation deaths.
19. What does the term 'starvation' generally refer to in the context of the chapter?
A. Voluntary fasting for religious reasons
B. Prolonged lack of adequate food, potentially leading to death
C. A temporary decrease in food price
D. Excess consumption of food
Answer: B. Prolonged lack of adequate food, potentially leading to death
Explanation: Starvation refers to the extreme and prolonged deprivation of food, which can result in severe malnutrition or death if not addressed.
20. What role does the government play in maintaining food security through procurement of food grains?
A. The government buys food grains from farmers at MSP to build a buffer stock for distribution
B. The government has no role in food procurement
C. The government only imports food from other countries
D. The government banns the sale of food grains entirely
Answer: A. The government buys food grains from farmers at MSP to build a buffer stock for distribution
Explanation: The government procures food grains from farmers at the minimum support price to maintain a buffer stock, which is later distributed through the PDS or during emergencies.
21. What is one criticism of the Public Distribution System mentioned in discussions of food security?
A. Issues like leakage, corruption and irregular supply at ration shops
B. It reaches every single poor household perfectly with no problems
C. It has no cost to the government at all
D. It only benefits wealthy households
Answer: A. Issues like leakage, corruption and irregular supply at ration shops
Explanation: Despite its importance, the PDS has faced criticism over issues such as diversion of food grains, corruption, and inconsistent quality or availability at ration shops.
22. Which of these is an important requirement for food to be considered 'accessible' to people?
A. Food must be physically within reach, such as through nearby markets or shops
B. Food must only be grown locally by the family
C. Food must be imported from abroad
D. Food must be free of cost for everyone
Answer: A. Food must be physically within reach, such as through nearby markets or shops
Explanation: Accessibility means that food is physically available to people, for instance through nearby markets, ration shops or their own production.
23. What does 'affordability' mean in the context of food security?
A. That people have sufficient money to buy adequate, nutritious food
B. That food is available only to the wealthy
C. That food prices are always extremely high
D. That food is distributed for free to everyone regardless of income
Answer: A. That people have sufficient money to buy adequate, nutritious food
Explanation: Affordability refers to a person having enough money or purchasing power to acquire enough nutritious food to meet their dietary needs.
24. Why did India adopt a policy of building food grain buffer stocks after independence?
A. To ensure food availability during shortages and stabilise prices
B. To export all excess food grains immediately
C. To reduce agricultural production deliberately
D. To eliminate the need for farming altogether
Answer: A. To ensure food availability during shortages and stabilise prices
Explanation: Buffer stocks help the government manage food shortages, stabilise market prices, and distribute food during emergencies such as droughts or floods.
25. Which government body is primarily involved in fixing the minimum support price for crops?
A. The central government, based on recommendations from an advisory body
B. Private trading companies
C. Individual farmers
D. Foreign governments
Answer: A. The central government, based on recommendations from an advisory body
Explanation: The central government announces the minimum support price for various crops each season, based on recommendations from relevant advisory bodies.
26. What does the chapter suggest about the relationship between the Green Revolution and regional disparities in India?
A. The Green Revolution's benefits were spread equally in every region
B. The Green Revolution mainly benefited certain regions like Punjab and Haryana more than others
C. The Green Revolution had no impact on any region
D. The Green Revolution eliminated all regional differences instantly
Answer: B. The Green Revolution mainly benefited certain regions like Punjab and Haryana more than others
Explanation: The chapter notes that the gains of the Green Revolution were unevenly distributed, with states like Punjab and Haryana benefiting significantly more than many other regions.
27. What is one non-food-grain welfare programme mentioned that supports nutrition for children and pregnant women?
A. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
B. Digital India
C. Skill India Mission
D. Smart Cities Mission
Answer: A. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
Explanation: ICDS is a welfare programme aimed at improving the nutrition and health of young children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
28. Why is maintaining food security considered especially important during natural calamities?
A. Because food production and access can be severely disrupted, increasing the risk of starvation
B. Because natural calamities have no effect on food supply
C. Because prices always fall sharply during calamities
D. Because calamities only affect wealthy households
Answer: A. Because food production and access can be severely disrupted, increasing the risk of starvation
Explanation: Natural calamities such as floods and droughts can destroy crops and disrupt supply chains, making food security measures especially critical during such times.
29. What overall lesson does the chapter draw from the Bengal Famine of 1943 for food security policy?
A. That famines occur only due to natural causes and cannot be prevented by policy
B. That poor distribution, hoarding and mismanagement, not just food shortage, can cause famine, highlighting the need for good governance
C. That famines have no lasting impact on policy
D. That famines are always caused by too much food supply
Answer: B. That poor distribution, hoarding and mismanagement, not just food shortage, can cause famine, highlighting the need for good governance
Explanation: The Bengal Famine illustrated how factors like hoarding, poor distribution, and administrative failure, not just food shortage alone, can lead to famine, underlining the importance of effective food security policy.
30. What is the overall conclusion of the chapter regarding food security in India?
A. Food security is no longer a concern in India today
B. Ensuring food security requires continued efforts in production, distribution, and support for vulnerable groups through schemes and cooperatives
C. Food security depends only on international trade
D. Government policies have no role in food security
Answer: B. Ensuring food security requires continued efforts in production, distribution, and support for vulnerable groups through schemes and cooperatives
Explanation: The chapter concludes that food security in India depends on sustained agricultural production, an effective distribution system, and targeted support programmes for the most vulnerable sections of society.
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