Class 6 Social Science Question Answers Chapter 14

Economic Activities Around Us

Question 1. What is the primary sector? How is it different from the secondary sector? Give two examples.

Answer: The primary sector involves economic activities that rely directly on natural resources, such as agriculture and mining. The secondary sector, on the other hand, involves processing raw materials from the primary sector into finished goods, such as manufacturing and construction.

Examples:

Primary Sector: Agriculture (cultivation of grains), Mining (extraction of coal).
Secondary Sector: Manufacturing (production of textiles), Construction (building roads).

Question 2. How does the secondary sector depend on the tertiary sector? Illustrate with a few examples.

Answer: The secondary sector depends on the tertiary sector for various services that facilitate the production and distribution of goods. For example:

Transportation services are needed to deliver raw materials to factories and finished products to markets.
Banking services provide the financial support necessary for running manufacturing units.
Communication services are crucial for coordinating between different stages of production and distribution.

Question 3. Give an example of interdependence between primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. Show it using a flow diagram.

Answer:

Example: The dairy industry.

Primary Sector: Farmers raise cows (livestock) to produce milk.
Secondary Sector: The milk is processed into products like cheese and butter in factories.
Tertiary Sector: The processed dairy products are transported, sold in retail stores, and managed through banking and communication services.

Flow Diagram:

Primary Sector (Dairy Farming) → Secondary Sector (Milk Processing) → Tertiary Sector (Transportation and Retail)

The Big Questions (Page 195)

Question 1. How are economic activities classified?

Answer: Economic activities are classified into three main sectors: primary, secondary, and tertiary. These classifications are based on the nature of the activities and their roles in the economy.

Question 2. What differentiates these activities to be grouped into sectors?

Answer: The differentiation is based on the characteristics of the activities:

Primary Sector: Involves direct extraction or harvesting of natural resources (e.g., agriculture, mining).
Secondary Sector: Involves processing and manufacturing activities that transform raw materials from the primary sector into finished products (e.g., construction, manufacturing).
Tertiary Sector: Involves providing services that support the primary and secondary sectors, as well as catering to consumers directly (e.g., transportation, banking, healthcare).

Question 3. How are the three sectors interconnected?

Answer: The three sectors are interconnected in the process of converting natural resources into finished products and services for consumption. For example, raw materials from the primary sector are processed by the secondary sector, and the finished goods are distributed and sold by the tertiary sector, which also provides necessary services like transportation and communication.

Think About It (Page 199)

Question 1. Can you think of any primary activities that you may have seen in the past? What are the natural resources used in these activities? Name two of them and discuss your experiences with your classmates.
1.
2.

Answer:

1. Agriculture: In this activity, natural resources like soil and water are used to cultivate crops. For example, growing rice in paddy fields requires fertile soil and a consistent water supply.

2. Fishing: This activity involves catching fish from rivers, lakes, or seas, using water as the primary natural resource. For example, seeing fishermen use nets to catch fish in a river is a common primary activity in coastal areas.