NCERT Solutions for Class 9 SST Chapter 8

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 SST Chapter 8 Building Blocks in Economics: The Problem of Choice

The Big Questions

Question 1:
What does economics deal with?
अर्थशास्त्र किससे संबंधित है?
Answer
Economics deals with the problem of choice arising from limited resources and unlimited wants. Since resources such as land, labour, capital and time are scarce, people cannot satisfy all their wants. Economics studies how individuals, businesses and governments make choices about using these scarce resources to satisfy their most important wants.
अर्थशास्त्र चयन की समस्या से संबंधित है, जो सीमित संसाधनों और असीमित इच्छाओं के कारण उत्पन्न होती है। भूमि, श्रम, पूँजी और समय जैसे संसाधन सीमित होते हैं। इसलिए सभी इच्छाओं को पूरा करना संभव नहीं है। अर्थशास्त्र अध्ययन करता है कि व्यक्ति, व्यवसाय और सरकार सीमित संसाधनों का उपयोग कैसे करते हैं।

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Question 2:
What are the key questions in economics?
अर्थशास्त्र में प्रमुख प्रश्न कौन-से हैं?
Answer
The key questions in economics arise because resources are scarce. These are: What to produce? How to produce? For whom to produce? The first concerns the choice of goods and services, the second concerns the methods and resources used for production, and the third concerns how the produced goods and services are distributed among people.
अर्थशास्त्र में संसाधनों की कमी के कारण तीन प्रमुख प्रश्न उत्पन्न होते हैं—क्या उत्पादन किया जाए? कैसे उत्पादन किया जाए? और किसके लिए उत्पादन किया जाए? पहला प्रश्न वस्तुओं और सेवाओं के चुनाव से, दूसरा उत्पादन की विधि से तथा तीसरा उत्पादित वस्तुओं और सेवाओं के लोगों के बीच वितरण से संबंधित है।

Question 3:
How do different economic systems address these questions?
विभिन्न आर्थिक प्रणालियाँ इन प्रश्नों का समाधान कैसे करती हैं?
Answer
Different economic systems answer these basic questions in different ways. In a market economy, decisions are mainly guided by prices, demand and supply. In a centrally planned economy, the government decides what, how and for whom to produce. A mixed economy combines market forces with government intervention to make these choices.
विभिन्न आर्थिक प्रणालियाँ इन मूलभूत प्रश्नों का समाधान अलग-अलग तरीकों से करती हैं। बाजार अर्थव्यवस्था में निर्णय मुख्यतः कीमत, माँग और पूर्ति से निर्धारित होते हैं। केंद्रीय नियोजित अर्थव्यवस्था में सरकार तय करती है कि क्या, कैसे और किसके लिए उत्पादन करना है। मिश्रित अर्थव्यवस्था में बाजार शक्तियों और सरकारी हस्तक्षेप दोनों का समन्वय होता है।

Questions and activities

1. Why do you think people’s wants keep changing over time? How does this affect production in an economy? Why cannot all our wants be satisfied?
2. ‘Human wants are unlimited and keep changing’. How do you think this constant desire for more creates pressure on the environment? Can the fulfilment of wants and the extraction of resources be balanced?

3. Can you think of a resource in your region that is scarce but used wastefully? How could it be managed better?
4. Which economic system—market, planned, or mixed—do you think gives people the most freedom? Which economic system is best suited for promoting innovation? Why?
5. Critically examine why pure economic systems rarely exist in reality. Assess the limitations of such systems and justify why a mixed economy is often considered a more practical and effective approach in real-world contexts.
6. A student has ₹100 and must choose between buying a notebook or saving the money for buying a tennis racket later. Which economic concept best explains this situation?
   a. Demand b. Opportunity cost c. Production d. Inflation
7. How does understanding opportunity cost improve the quality of economic decision-making?
8. Can effective economic decisions be made without reliable data? Support your answer with an example.
9. Analyse how a country’s present economic choices can shape its long-term future. Why is it important to consider future consequences while making economic decisions today?
10. Identify a news article from any newspaper of your choice about a product or commodity (such as vegetables, fruits, fuel, or electronics) where producers or companies are deciding how much to produce or supply. Write 2–3 sentences explaining the example you found and why the production decision was made.