Pastoralists in the Modern World – MCQs with Answers and Explanations
Class 9 • CBSE
History: India and the Contemporary World – I — Chapter 5
Pastoralists in the Modern World — Pastor Nomads and their movements | Colonial rule and pastoral life | Pastoralism in Africa
CBSE Board Examinations — Study Order
- Core concepts & definitions
- Types, mobility, and routes
- Colonial impacts & case studies
- Pastoralism in Africa & adaptations
- Contemporary issues & policy
Topic A — Definitions & Basics (1–6)
1. Who are pastoralists?
- A. People who mainly practice settled agriculture.
- B. People whose primary livelihood depends on rearing livestock and mobility.
- C. Urban traders involved in livestock trade.
- D. Factory workers producing dairy products.
Answer: B. Pastoralists rely primarily on herding animals and often move to access pasture and water. They are distinct from settled farmers or urban traders. Mobility is central to their livelihood, allowing them to use seasonal resources efficiently.
2. What is transhumance?
- A. Permanent settlement of nomads.
- B. Seasonal movement between fixed summer and winter pastures.
- C. Conversion of pasture to farmland.
- D. A type of commercial ranching.
Answer: B. Transhumance involves seasonal migration along established routes to exploit different pastures during summer and winter. It contrasts with nomadism where movement may be less predictable and without fixed seasonal bases.
3. Which of the following is a key feature of pastoral societies?
- A. Large-scale crop monoculture.
- B. Mobility and herd-based economy.
- C. Heavy industrialization.
- D. Permanent urban settlements.
Answer: B. Pastoral societies are characterised by mobility and dependence on animals for food, income and cultural life. They adapt to environments unsuitable for regular agriculture, such as drylands and high plateaus.
4. Which animals are commonly associated with pastoralism in arid regions?
- A. Camels and goats.
- B. Pigs and ducks.
- C. Tropical fruit trees.
- D. Aquaculture species.
Answer: A. Camels and goats are well-suited to arid environments; camels tolerate scarcity of water while goats can browse on sparse vegetation. Pigs and ducks are associated with settled agriculture and wet environments.
5. What is a pastoral corridor?
- A. A fenced road for vehicles through forests.
- B. A scenic tourist route in pastoral regions.
- C. A traditional migration route used by pastoralists.
- D. A trade route for agricultural produce only.
Answer: C. Pastoral corridors are customary routes linking pastures and water sources; protecting these corridors is critical for sustaining pastoral mobility and livelihoods.
6. Which statement about customary grazing rights is correct?
- A. They are always written and registered documents.
- B. They are community-based rules often passed down orally.
- C. They only apply to urban areas.
- D. They prevent any movement of pastoralists.
Answer: B. Customary grazing rights are informal, community-enforced norms that determine access to pastures. They are not always legally recognised, which can create problems when modern legal systems favour documented ownership.
Topic B — Types of Pastoralism & Mobility (7–12)
7. Partial sedentarisation refers to:
- A. Entire community permanently settling in towns.
- B. Some family members settling while others remain mobile.
- C. Forcing pastoralists to migrate abroad.
- D. Immediate abandonment of herding.
Answer: B. Partial sedentarisation is a common adaptation where households balance access to services (education, healthcare) and the economic benefits of mobility by splitting roles among members.
8. Which factor most influences pastoral movement routes?
- A. Availability of pasture and water.
- B. Proximity to shopping malls.
- C. Number of schools.
- D. Urban employment opportunities only.
Answer: A. Pastoralists plan movements primarily around pasture and water availability; social ties and security may also play roles, but ecological needs are primary.
9. Why do pastoralists often keep mixed herds?
- A. To make herding more complex.
- B. To spread ecological and economic risk.
- C. To reduce market opportunities.
- D. To avoid using pastures.
Answer: B. Mixed herds (e.g., cattle, goats, sheep) allow pastoralists to cope with variable environments—different species thrive on different vegetation and resist different stresses.
10. Which social institution commonly manages disputes over grazing?
- A. Corporate courts.
- B. Elders' councils or customary tribunals.
- C. International bodies only.
- D. Television networks.
Answer: B. Elders and customary councils typically resolve disputes, using local rules and social sanctions rather than formal legal systems, which may not recognise pastoral practices.
11. Seasonal mobility helps pastoralists by:
- A. Preventing access to diverse pastures.
- B. Allowing pasture recovery and better nutrition for herds.
- C. Creating permanent grazing pressure.
- D. Reducing herd health.
Answer: B. Seasonal moves reduce continuous grazing pressure in one area, allowing vegetation to recover and improving overall herd health and productivity.
12. Kinship groups in pastoral societies primarily help to:
- A. Centralise state power.
- B. Organise collective grazing and resource sharing.
- C. Promote urbanisation.
- D. Eliminate mobility.
Answer: B. Kinship and clan structures distribute responsibilities, manage grazing schedules and provide mutual support during crises, maintaining pastoral systems.
Topic C — Movements, Routes & Economy (13–18)
13. What is the likely effect when a migration route is blocked?
- A. Increased availability of pasture.
- B. Overuse of alternative pastures and potential conflicts.
- C. Immediate urban development only.
- D. Improved mobility.
Answer: B. Blocking established routes concentrates grazing pressure elsewhere, leading to degradation and possible disputes with settled communities over resources.
14. How do markets influence pastoral movement?
- A. They have no effect on pastoralists.
- B. Markets attract pastoralists to trading hubs and can shape seasonal routes.
- C. Markets always discourage livestock sales.
- D. They eliminate need for movement.
Answer: B. Proximity to markets can make certain routes more profitable—pastoralists may time movements to market seasons to sell animals or products, linking ecological and economic cycles.
15. Resting points along routes are important because:
- A. They are only tourist spots.
- B. They provide water, shade and recovery for herds during journeys.
- C. They prevent any movement.
- D. They are permanent settlements for all pastoralists.
Answer: B. Resting points are essential for the wellbeing of animals and people on long migrations, allowing recovery and access to water and forage.
16. Long-distance migration among pastoralists is usually driven by:
- A. Availability of better pastures or drought conditions.
- B. Preference for city life only.
- C. Desire to abandon herding entirely.
- D. Requirement to avoid markets.
Answer: A. Severe droughts or search for richer pastures often force longer movements; such migrations are risk-management strategies in harsh environments.
17. Maps and modern borders affect pastoralists by:
- A. Always facilitating easier movement.
- B. Sometimes restricting cross-border migration by imposing national boundaries.
- C. Making customary corridors legally stronger automatically.
- D. Increasing resting points.
Answer: B. Colonial-era borders often cut across traditional routes, complicating seasonal movements and requiring new legal arrangements to allow cross-border grazing.
18. Urban expansion typically impacts pastoral routes by:
- A. Expanding grazing lands.
- B. Fragmenting routes and reducing available pastures.
- C. Ensuring more resting points.
- D. Increasing customary grazing rights automatically.
Answer: B. Urban growth converts land for housing and infrastructure, breaking up corridors and limiting movement, which can increase conflict and pressure on remaining pastures.
Topic D — Colonial Rule and Pastoral Life (19–24)
19. Cadastral surveys introduced by colonial states primarily aimed to:
- A. Facilitate nomadic mobility.
- B. Map land for taxation and private ownership.
- C. Increase customary grazing rights.
- D. Promote pastoral festivals.
Answer: B. Cadastral surveys formalised land boundaries and ownership to enable taxation and settlement, often undermining communal or flexible pastoral land uses.
20. How did enclosure policies affect pastoralists?
- A. Increased access to new pastures.
- B. Restricted movement by fencing off common lands.
- C. Improved customary rights automatically.
- D. Reduced commercial ranching.
Answer: B. Enclosures divided communal lands into private plots, limiting corridors and access to grazing, thereby pressuring pastoral systems and often forcing sedentarisation.
21. Forest laws under colonial rule often led to:
- A. Greater pasture availability.
- B. Reduced grazing as forests were reserved and grazing banned.
- C. Automatic legal recognition of pastoralism.
- D. Expansion of pastoral corridors.
Answer: B. Forest reservation often excluded pastoral use, shrinking the land available and disrupting traditional grazing practices.
22. Commercial ranching introduced during colonial times typically:
- A. Complemented communal grazing without conflict.
- B. Displaced communal pastures and reduced access for local pastoralists.
- C. Increased customary grazing rights.
- D. Reduced market opportunities.
Answer: B. Large-scale ranching took control of extensive lands for private production, often pushing pastoralists to marginal areas and reducing communal grazing options.
23. Which perception influenced colonial policy towards pastoralists?
- A. Pastoralism seen as modern and efficient.
- B. Pastoralism often seen as backward compared to settled agriculture.
- C. Pastoralism recognised as a protected industry.
- D. Pastoralists were always given land titles.
Answer: B. Colonial officials frequently valued settled agriculture over mobility, shaping policies that favoured land privatization, enclosure and sedentarisation of pastoralists.
24. Pastoralists responded to colonial restrictions by:
- A. Only accepting all changes without adaptation.
- B. Resisting, negotiating exemptions, or adapting livelihoods (e.g., partial sedentarisation).
- C. Immediately industrialising.
- D. Becoming exclusively urban workers.
Answer: B. Responses varied: some resisted or negotiated, others adapted by diversifying livelihoods, settling partly or moving to less controlled areas.
Topic E — Pastoralism in Africa & Contemporary Issues (25–30)
25. The Maasai are pastoralists primarily found in:
- A. South America.
- B. East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania).
- C. Southeast Asia.
- D. Arctic regions.
Answer: B. The Maasai are a well-known pastoral group in East Africa, with a culture centred on livestock and mobility adapted to savannah environments.
26. One major challenge for Sahelian pastoralists is:
- A. Excessive rainfall year-round.
- B. Frequent droughts and desertification.
- C. Complete lack of markets.
- D. Lack of livestock species.
Answer: B. The Sahel faces recurring droughts and land degradation, causing mobility, loss of animals and increased vulnerability for pastoral households.
27. Colonial borders in Africa often impacted pastoralists by:
- A. Supporting unrestricted cross-border grazing always.
- B. Splitting traditional grazing lands and restricting movement.
- C. Eliminating pastoralism entirely.
- D. Increasing resting points.
Answer: B. Arbitrary colonial borders often divided pastoral territories, making traditional routes and cross-border grazing more difficult and sometimes illegal without permits.
28. Conservation areas in Africa have sometimes caused:
- A. Increased access to communal pastures.
- B. Exclusion of pastoralists and loss of grazing land.
- C. Automatic legal protection for pastoral corridors.
- D. Elimination of wildlife-human conflicts.
Answer: B. Protected areas sometimes restrict grazing, displacing pastoralists; community-based conservation is an alternative that seeks to balance conservation with livelihoods.
29. One adaptation pastoralists use to cope with modern market pressures is:
- A. Refusing to trade entirely.
- B. Diversifying income (selling animal products, wage work, crafts).
- C. Only relying on barter systems.
- D. Abandoning all livestock.
Answer: B. Diversification helps households manage risk—selling milk, engaging in seasonal labour or handicrafts provides alternative income when herds are stressed or markets fluctuate.
30. A useful policy to support pastoralists today would be:
- A. Ignoring customary rights completely.
- B. Legal recognition of pastoral corridors and flexible land-use policies.
- C. Mandatory permanent settlement of all pastoralists immediately.
- D. Banning livestock markets.
Answer: B. Recognising corridors and creating flexible policies that accommodate mobility can protect livelihoods and reduce conflicts between pastoralists, farmers, conservationists and developers.