Looking for complete, textbook-verified solutions for SEBA Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 1 (Basic Concepts of Economics / অৰ্থনীতিৰ প্ৰাথমিক ধাৰণাসমূহ) for the 2026–27 academic session? Access step-by-step solutions to all official textbook exercises—including Very Short Answer (VSA), Short Answer (SA), and Long Answer (LA) questions. Master high-scoring answers covering the core definitions of economics: Adam Smith’s classical wealth definition, Alfred Marshall’s neo-classical material welfare definition, and Lionel Robbins’ scarcity and choice definition; comparative analysis and criticisms of each perspective; the origin and etymology of the term ‘Economics’; classification and characteristics of human wants (unlimited, recurring, and competitive); distinction between free goods and economic goods; consumer goods versus capital goods; essential attributes of economic wealth (utility, scarcity, and transferability); fundamental concepts of value in use vs. value in exchange, price, utility, and welfare; and structured model answers formatted strictly according to the Assam Board (SEBA) examination marking pattern.
Q.1. The word ‘Economics’ has been derived from the word of which language?
Answer: Greek language.
Q.2. The word ‘Economics’ has been derived from which word?
Answer: The Greek word Oikonomia.
Q.3. Who is the father of Economics?
Answer: Adam Smith.
Q.4. The words ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ have been derived from which words?
Answer: The word ‘micro’ is derived from the Greek word Mikros, and the word ‘macro’ is derived from the Greek word Makros.
Q.5. Who has given the wealth-based definition of Economics?
Answer: Adam Smith.
Q.6. Who has given the welfare-based definition of Economics?
Answer: Alfred Marshall.
Q.7. In which book and when did Adam Smith give his definition of Economics?
Answer: In his book titled “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, published in the year 1776.
Q.8. In which book and when did Alfred Marshall give his definition of Economics?
Answer: In his book titled “Principles of Economics”, published in the year 1890.
Q.9. In which book and when did Lionel Robbins give his definition of Economics?
Answer: In his book titled “An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science”, published in the year 1932.
Q.10. Who said that the definition of economics given by Adam Smith is the ‘Gospel of Mammon’?
Answer: Critics like Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin.
Q.11. What is the power of a commodity to satisfy human wants called?
Answer: Utility.
Q.12. What are the produced means of production called?
Answer: Capital.
Q.13. The words ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ have been derived from which words?
Answer: The word ‘micro’ has been derived from the Greek word Mikros (meaning small), and ‘macro’ has been derived from the Greek word Makros (meaning large).
Assam Board Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 Solved Textbook Solutions PDF
Give Short Answer
Q.1. Write the definition of economics given by Adam Smith.
Answer: According to Adam Smith, Economics is an inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. In simple terms, he defined Economics as the science of wealth.
Q.2. Write the definition of economics given by Marshall.
Answer: According to Alfred Marshall:
“Political Economy or Economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part of individual and social action which is most closely connected with the attainment and with the use of the material requisites of wellbeing.”
Q.3. Write the definition of economics given by Robbins.
Answer: According to Lionel Robbins:
“Economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.”
Q.4. What are the basic concepts of the definition of economics given by Robbins?
Answer: The definition given by Lionel Robbins is founded on three core observations:
- Unlimited Ends (Wants): Human wants are endless and keep recurring.
- Scarce Means (Resources): The resources and time required to fulfill these unlimited desires are limited in supply.
- Alternative Uses of Resources: These scarce resources can be allocated to more than one productive purpose.
Q.5. What is Micro Economics?
Answer: Microeconomics is that branch of economics which deals with the economic behavior and decision-making of individual units of an economy, such as an individual consumer, a single household, or a single business firm.
Q.6. What is Macro Economics?
Answer: Macroeconomics is that branch of economics which studies the economy as a whole. It examines aggregate economic variables such as national income, aggregate employment, total savings, total investment, and the general price level.
Q.7. Show the differences between free goods and economic goods.
Answer:
- Source: Free goods are gifts of nature (e.g., air, sunlight), whereas economic goods are created by human labor and resources (e.g., clothes, books).
- Scarcity and Supply: Free goods exist in abundant supply relative to human needs, while economic goods are scarce relative to demand.
- Price: Free goods do not command any price in the market, whereas economic goods command a definite monetary price.
Q.8. What is National Income?
Answer: National Income is the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a particular financial year.
Q.9. What is Per Capita Income?
Answer: Per Capita Income is the average income earned per person in a given country during a year. It is obtained by dividing the National Income of the country by its total population:
PerCapitaIncome=NationalIncomeTotalPopulation
SEBA Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 Solutions
Give Long Answers
Q.1. Explain with examples the importance of the study of economics.
Answer: The study of economics holds immense practical value in the day-to-day life of individuals, businesses, and governments:
- For Consumers: Economics teaches an individual how to allocate a limited monthly income among various needs (food, clothing, education, savings) in order to obtain the maximum possible satisfaction.
- For Producers: It helps farmers, factory owners, and entrepreneurs choose the best combination of land, labor, and capital so that goods can be produced at the lowest possible cost while maximizing profit.
- For Citizens and Voters: It equips citizens to understand vital public issues like price rise (inflation), unemployment, taxation, and government budget allocations.
- For the Government: It assists policymakers in addressing national challenges such as poverty eradication, regional development, revenue mobilization, and economic planning.
Q.2. Which definition of economics is the most acceptable and why? Explain.
Answer: Among the major definitions given by Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, and Lionel Robbins, the scarcity-based definition provided by Lionel Robbins is considered the most scientific and widely accepted.
Reasons for its universal acceptance:
- Scientific and Analytical: Robbins did not classify human activities into rigid moral categories like “material” and “immaterial” (a flaw in Marshall’s definition). He treated economics as an objective science of choice.
- Universal Applicability: The core problem stated by Robbins—unlimited human wants facing scarce resources with alternative uses—is present everywhere. It applies equally to a student, a household, a capitalist country, or a socialist country.
- Realistic Core Problem: Every economic challenge in the real world directly stems from scarcity and the necessity of making choices. By making scarcity the central pillar, Robbins gave economics a concrete and logical foundation.
Q.3. Write about the scope of economics.
Answer: The scope of economics defines the boundaries and subject matter dealt with by the discipline. Traditionally, the subject matter is classified into four major functional divisions:
- Consumption: This area studies human wants, consumer behavior, the concept of utility, and the principles that govern how consumers spend their income to maximize satisfaction.
- Production: This part deals with the creation of utility or goods and services. It examines the four factors of production—land, labor, capital, and organization—and the laws of production.
- Exchange: Goods and services produced must reach consumers. Exchange covers the mechanism of markets, money, trade, and how prices of goods and services are determined through supply and demand.
- Distribution: This area investigates how the total wealth or income produced in a country is shared among the factors that helped produce it, in the form of rent (for land), wages (for labor), interest (for capital), and profit (for organization).
- Public Finance: In modern economics, the scope also includes government revenue, public expenditure, taxation, and debt policies aimed at achieving economic stability and growth.
Very Short Answer Questions
Q.1. Define:
Answer: (a) Poverty
Poverty is a situation in which a person is unable to satisfy the minimum basic human needs of life, such as food, clothing, shelter, health care, and basic education.
(b) Unemployment
Unemployment is a condition where an individual has both the physical and mental ability as well as the willingness to work at the prevailing wage rate, but fails to find any gainful work opportunity.
(c) Density of population
Density of population refers to the average number of persons living per unit of land area, usually expressed as the number of people per square kilometer.
(d) Sex ratio
Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1,000 males in the total population of a country or region.
Q.2. What is poverty line? What is the poverty line in rural and urban areas?
Answer: The poverty line is a benchmark or dividing line that separates the poor from the non-poor based on a minimum level of income or consumer expenditure needed to meet basic physical needs.
- In terms of minimum daily calorie intake: It is fixed at 2,400 calories per person per day in rural areas and 2,100 calories per person per day in urban areas.
- In terms of daily per capita expenditure (Rangarajan Committee): It is ₹32 per day in rural areas and ₹47 per day in urban areas.
Q.3. What percentage of the total land area of the world is in India?
Answer: India accounts for approximately 2.4% of the total land area of the world.
Q.4. Which state of India has the highest sex ratio and how much is it?
Answer: Kerala has the highest sex ratio in India, with 1,084 females per 1,000 males (according to Census 2011).
Q.5. What is the density of population of Assam?
Answer: According to the 2011 Census, the population density of Assam is 398 persons per square kilometer (given as 397 persons per sq. km in some textbook editions).
Q.6. What is disguised unemployment?
Answer: Disguised unemployment is a situation where more people are engaged in an activity than are actually needed. In this state, the marginal productivity of the surplus workers is zero, meaning that if some workers are withdrawn, total output remains unchanged.
Q.7. What is inflation?
Answer: Inflation is a sustained and continuous increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time, leading to a fall in the purchasing power (value) of money.
Q.8. What are the causes of inflation?
Answer: The two primary causes of inflation are:
- Demand-pull factors: Increase in aggregate consumer demand over the available supply of goods and services.
- Cost-push factors: Rise in the cost of production caused by higher wages, higher raw material costs, or higher indirect taxes.
Basic Concepts of Economics Textual Questions SEBA 2026-27
Long Answer Questions
Q.1. Discuss the main causes for the problem of rapid growth of population in India.
Answer: The primary causes behind the rapid growth of population in India include:
- High Birth Rate: Factors such as universal and early marriage, religious beliefs, the desire for male children, and looking at children as extra earning hands in rural families keep the birth rate persistently high.
- Rapid Decline in Death Rate: Due to major advancements in medical science, eradication of epidemics, better public sanitation, and improved famine relief, the mortality rate has fallen sharply while the birth rate remained high.
- Illiteracy and Lack of Awareness: A large segment of the population, particularly in rural and economically backward regions, lacks education and awareness regarding the consequences of large families and family welfare methods.
- Poverty: Poor families often perceive each additional child as an additional income-earning asset rather than an economic liability.
- Lack of Family Planning Adoption: Inadequate reach, traditional mindsets, and reluctance to adopt modern family planning practices contribute significantly to population pressure.
Q.2. What is poverty? Explain how the poverty line determines poverty.
Answer:
- Poverty: Poverty is a socio-economic condition where individuals or families lack sufficient income or resources to obtain the basic necessities of life, including adequate nutrition, clothing, housing, clean water, and schooling.
- How the Poverty Line Determines Poverty:
- The poverty line sets an objective income or expenditure threshold necessary to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of physical sustenance.
- In India, it is traditionally determined on the basis of nutritional requirements: a person needing at least 2,400 calories daily in rural areas (where manual labor is higher) and 2,100 calories daily in urban areas.
- The monetary cost of buying this basket of food, along with essential non-food items, is computed to determine the monthly or daily per capita expenditure cutoff.
- People whose income or consumption expenditure falls below this designated line are classified as living Below the Poverty Line (BPL), while those above it are identified as Above the Poverty Line (APL).
Q.3. What is inflation? Discuss the main effects of inflation.
Answer:
- Inflation: Inflation is an economic situation marked by a persistent, sustained rise in the general price level of commodities, which simultaneously causes a drop in the purchasing power of money.
- Main Effects of Inflation:
- Adverse Impact on Fixed-Income Earners: Salaried employees, wage laborers, and pensioners suffer because their monetary earnings do not rise in proportion to the rising prices of goods.
- Increase in Inequality: Inflation tends to benefit businessmen, speculators, and industrialists who earn higher profits, while transferring the burden onto the poorer and middle-income classes, thereby widening the wealth gap.
- Loss to Creditors, Gain to Debtors: Debtors repay loans in depreciated currency with lower real purchasing power, giving them an advantage, while creditors suffer a real economic loss.
- Discourages Savings and Investment: As the value of money drops, people lose confidence in currency savings, leading to lower capital formation and speculative investment in gold or real estate.
- Adverse Effect on Production and Trade: Unchecked inflation creates uncertainty, raises production expenses, and makes domestic goods uncompetitive in foreign markets.
Q.4. What is unemployment? What are its different types? Mention the main causes of this problem.
Answer:
- Unemployment: Unemployment is a condition where capable individuals who are actively looking for work at the current wage rates are unable to find productive employment.
- Types of Unemployment:
- Seasonal Unemployment: Occurs during certain months of the year when demand for labor decreases (e.g., in agriculture between sowing and harvest).
- Disguised Unemployment: Occurs when excess workers are employed in an activity without adding to total output (common in Indian farming).
- Educated Unemployment: Occurs when educated and technically trained youths fail to obtain suitable jobs matching their educational credentials.
- Industrial / Structural Unemployment: Arises from structural shifts in the economy or mismatch between skills demanded by industries and those possessed by job seekers.
- Main Causes of Unemployment:
- Rapid Population Growth: The work-seeking population is expanding faster than new job creation.
- Jobless Growth: Growth in national income driven heavily by capital-intensive and automated technology rather than labor-intensive methods.
- Slow Industrial Expansion: The secondary and tertiary sectors have not grown fast enough to absorb surplus labor from agriculture.
- Defective Education System: The lack of practical, job-oriented, and vocational training makes graduates unfit for industry requirements.
Class 9 Social Science Economics Chapter 1 Question Answer Assam Board
Q.5. Write short notes:
(a) Seasonal Unemployment
Seasonal unemployment is an employment pattern where people are gainfully employed only during specific parts of the year and remain out of work for the rest. It is most prevalent in the agricultural sector, where farming activities like sowing, weeding, and harvesting require heavy labor, while the intervening slack period offers little to no farm work. It is also seen in seasonal agro-based industries such as sugar mills, ice-cream manufacturing, and brick kilns.
(b) Demand-Pull and Cost-Push Inflation
- Demand-Pull Inflation: This occurs when aggregate demand for goods and services in an economy exceeds the total aggregate supply at existing prices. Characterized by the phrase “too much money chasing too few goods,” it happens when public spending, credit expansion, or household incomes rise rapidly.
- Cost-Push Inflation: This takes place when the general price level rises because the cost of inputs and production rises, even without an increase in aggregate demand. The main drivers include wage hikes demanded by workers, an increase in prices of essential raw materials (like fuel or electricity), and higher indirect taxes levied on goods.
💰 Class 9 Social Science Solutions Notice: This page features the complete SEBA Class 9 Social Science (Economics Section) Chapter 1: Basic Concepts of Economics Official Textual Questions and Answers updated for the 2026–27 academic session. Formatted according to the official Assam Board evaluation marking scheme, every foundational economic topic—from the comparative evaluation of Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, and Lionel Robbins’ definitions, the nature of scarcity and choice, and the classification of human wants and economic goods to the exact distinction between wealth, price, and value—is presented with point-wise precision, standard formulas, and structured subheadings to help you secure full marks in your school assessments, half-yearly, and final annual examinations.
💡 Master SEBA Class 9 Economics Textual Solutions:
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