Correct option: (b) – According to NCERT Class 9 Economics, poverty is a situation in which a person cannot meet basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, education and health care. It is not about buying luxuries, but about satisfying minimum requirements for a decent life.

Correct option: (b) – The chapter explains that poverty is multi-dimensional because it involves several types of deprivations at the same time: inadequate food, low level of education, poor health, bad housing and lack of basic services.

Correct option: (d) – Illiteracy, lack of health care and malnutrition are common social indicators of poverty. Ownership of a large factory indicates wealth, not poverty. So option (d) is not an indicator of poverty.

Correct option: (b) – Poverty is an injustice because it denies people their basic human needs and the right to live with dignity. Poor people struggle for food, shelter, education and health, which are basic rights.

Correct option: (b) – The NCERT textbook uses the example of a poor rural family that works as landless agricultural labourers with low and seasonal wages, debt and poor living conditions.

Correct option: (b) – The urban poor in the NCERT case study include rickshaw pullers, vendors, domestic workers and casual labourers living in slums. They have no job security and low wages.

Correct option: (b) – Both rural and urban poor suffer from several deprivations at the same time – inadequate food, poor housing, illiteracy and lack of healthcare.

Correct option: (a) – Rural poor are usually engaged in agriculture and related activities, while urban poor mostly work in informal non-farm jobs like vending or construction.

Correct option: (b) – The poverty line is an imaginary line that represents the minimum income or consumption needed to meet basic needs. People below this line are counted as poor.

Correct option: (a) – The NCERT book explains that earlier the poverty line was based mainly on the minimum calorie requirement for food (2400 calories in rural areas and 2100 in urban areas).

Correct option: (b) – The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) conducts large-scale sample surveys on consumption, which are used by the government to estimate poverty.

Correct option: (b) – The head count ratio is the proportion (percentage) of people in a country who live below the poverty line. It is used to measure the extent of poverty.

Correct option: (b) – Rural and urban areas have different prices and consumption patterns. Urban residents spend more on housing, transport and services. Therefore, poverty lines are set differently.

Correct option: (b) – NCERT notes that the percentage of people below the poverty line has generally declined since independence, especially after the 1970s, though the challenge still remains.

Correct option: (b) – The chapter clearly states that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are among the most vulnerable groups to poverty due to historical discrimination and lack of resources.

Correct option: (b) – Casual labourers and landless agricultural labourers have no job security, low wages and no social security. This makes them highly vulnerable to poverty.

Correct option: (b) – NCERT highlights that within poor families, women, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable and deprived members.

Correct option: (b) – Social exclusion refers to systematically keeping certain groups (like some castes) out of participation in social, economic and political life, which restricts their opportunities and leads to poverty.

Correct option: (b) – Children in poor families are often undernourished, frequently ill and may have to drop out of school. This reduces their chances of getting good jobs later, so poverty continues into adulthood.

Correct option: (a) – Interstate disparities refer to differences in the percentage of people below the poverty line in different states of India.

Correct option: (a) – States that have experienced higher economic growth and invested in education, health and infrastructure have reduced poverty faster.

Correct option: (b) – States with high poverty usually have low economic growth, poor infrastructure and weak education and health services.

Correct option: (b) – The chapter clearly states that poverty is a global challenge, particularly severe in many developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Correct option: (a) – An international poverty line is a common minimum income/consumption level used by organisations like the World Bank to compare how many people are poor in different countries.

Correct option: (a) – The chapter explains that colonial rule destroyed traditional industries, heavily taxed farmers and drained wealth from India, leading to low development and widespread poverty.

Correct option: (b) – Rapid population growth increases the number of people sharing limited resources and jobs, thus reducing per capita income and making it harder to provide basic needs.

Correct option: (b) – When a few people own most of the land, large numbers of families remain landless or have very small holdings. Their income stays low and uncertain, keeping them in poverty.

Correct option: (b) – The government follows a two-pronged strategy: promoting economic growth and running targeted programmes like employment schemes and PDS to directly help the poor.

Correct option: (b) – The Public Distribution System (PDS) provides essential food grains at subsidised rates through fair price shops, ensuring food security for poor families and leaving more of their income for other needs.

Correct option: (a) – Even though the poverty ratio has declined, the absolute number of poor remains large, and many families just above the poverty line can fall back into poverty due to shocks like illness or job loss.