Industries

Question 1

What is meant by the term industry?

Answer 1

Industry refers to the economic activity that is concerned with the production of goods, extraction of minerals, or provision of services.

Question 2

Which are the main factors that influence the location of an industry?

Answer 2

The location of industries is affected by the availability of raw materials, land, water, labor, power, capital, transport, and market.

Question 3

Which industry is often referred to as the backbone of modern industry and why?

Answer 3

The steel industry is referred to as the backbone of modern industry because:

Ships, trains, trucks, and automobiles are largely made of steel.

From safety pins to big ships, all are made of steel.

Oil wells are drilled with steel machinery, and steel pipelines transport oil.

Minerals are mined with steel equipment.

Farm machines and large buildings often have steel framework.

Question 4

Why did the cotton textile industry rapidly expand in Mumbai?

Answer 4

The cotton textile industry expanded rapidly in Mumbai due to favorable conditions like a warm and moist climate, proximity to a port for importing machinery, easy availability of raw materials, and skilled labor.

Question 5

What are the similarities between the information technology industry in Bangalore and California?

Answer 5

Both have a clean environment.
Both have a mild climate throughout the year.
Both are close to educational, technological, and scientific centers.
Both are near major roads and airports.
Both have good access to markets.
Both have a skilled workforce.
Both have low rents and a low cost of living.

Question 6

How can industries be classified?

Answer 6

Industries can be classified based on raw materials, size, and ownership.

Question 7

How are industries classified on the basis of raw materials?

Answer 7

Agro-based industries: Use plant and animal-based products (e.g., food processing, cotton textiles).

Mineral-based industries: Use mineral ores (e.g., iron and steel).

Marine-based industries: Use products from the sea (e.g., seafood processing).

Forest-based industries: Use forest products (e.g., paper, pharmaceuticals).

Question 8

How are industries classified on the basis of size?

Answer 8

Small-scale industries: Use lesser capital and technology (e.g., basket weaving, pottery).

Large-scale industries: Use higher capital and superior technology (e.g., silk weaving, food processing).

Question 9

How are industries classified on the basis of ownership?

Answer 9

Private sector industries: Owned by individuals or groups (e.g., Reliance Industries).

Public sector industries: Owned by the government (e.g., Steel Authority of India Limited).

Joint sector industries: Owned by both the state and individuals (e.g., Maruti Udyog Limited).

Co-operative sector industries: Owned by producers or suppliers of raw materials (e.g., Anand Milk Union Limited).

Question 10

Differentiate between agro-based industries and mineral-based industries.

Answer 10

Agro-based industries: Use plant and animal products as raw materials (e.g., leather, food processing).

Mineral-based industries: Use mineral ores as raw materials (e.g., iron and steel).

Question 11

Differentiate between public sector and joint sector industries.

Answer 11

Public sector industries: Owned by the government (e.g., Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).

Joint sector industries: Owned by both the state and individuals (e.g., Maruti Udyog Limited).

Question 12

What are the factors affecting the location of industries?

Answer 12

The location of industries is affected by the availability of raw materials, land, water, labor, power, capital, transport, and market.

Question 13

What are secondary activities?

Answer 13

Secondary activities involve manufacturing, where raw materials are changed into products of more value to people.
Example: Pulp is changed into paper, and paper is changed into a notebook.

Question 14

What are industrial regions? Give a few examples.

Answer 14

When a number of industries are located close to each other and share the benefits of their closeness, they make an industrial region.

Examples in the world: North America, Western and Central Europe, Eastern Asia.
Examples in India: Mumbai-Pune cluster, Bangalore-Tamil Nadu region, Hooghly region, Chhota Nagpur region.

Question 15

What is an industrial system?

Answer 15

An industrial system consists of inputs, processes and outputs:

Inputs: Raw materials, labour, and cost of land, transport, power, and infrastructure.

Processes: Activities that convert raw materials into finished products.

Outputs: End products and the income earned from them.

Question 16

What is the importance of iron and steel industry?

Answer 16

The iron and steel industry is considered a feeder industry, where products are used as raw materials for other industries. The inputs for this industry include raw materials such as iron ore, coal, and limestone, along with labor, capital, site, and other infrastructure. The process of converting iron ore into steel involves many stages like smelting and refining. The output obtained is steel, which can be used by other industries.

Question 17

What are the features of steel?

Answer 17

• Steel is tough and can be easily cut, shaped, or made into wire.
• Special alloys of steel can be made by adding small amounts of other metals such as aluminum, nickel, and copper.
• Alloys give steel unusual hardness, toughness, or ability to resist rust.

Question 18

What is the history and significance of Jamshedpur in the iron and steel industry?

Answer 18

Before Independence, Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO) was the only iron and steel plant in the country that was privately owned. After Independence, the government set up many iron and steel plants. TISCO was started in 1907 at Sakchi near the confluence of the rivers Subarnarekha and Kharkai in Jharkhand. Later, Sakchi was renamed Jamshedpur.

Question 19

Why did the Iron and Steel Industry develop in Pittsburgh?

Answer 19

1. The raw material, such as coal, is available locally.
2. Iron ore comes from the iron mines of Minnesota, about 1,500 km from Pittsburgh.
3. The Great Lakes Waterway, one of the best shipping routes, helps transport ore cheaply.
4. Trains carry the ore from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh.
5. The Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers provide an adequate water supply.
6. Large steel mills are located in the valleys of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers above Pittsburgh and along the Ohio River below it.
7. Fresh steel is transported to the market by both land and water routes.
8. Other factories in the Pittsburgh area use steel to make various products like railroad equipment, heavy machinery, and rails.

Question 20

What are the locational advantages of Silicon Plateau, Bangalore?

Answer 20

1. Bangalore has the largest number of educational institutions and IT colleges in India.
2. The city was considered dirt-free with low rents and a low cost of living.
3. The State Government of Karnataka was the first to announce an IT policy in 1992.
4. The city has the largest availability of skilled managers with work experience.

Question 21

What are the locational advantages of Silicon Valley, California?

Answer 21

1. Close to some of the most advanced scientific and technological centers in the world.
2. Pleasant climate with an attractive and clean environment.
3. Plenty of space for development and future expansion.
4. Located close to major roads and airports.
5. Good access to market and skilled workforce.

Question 22

What is the Information Technology (IT) Industry?

Answer 22

1. The Information Technology Industry deals with the storage, processing, and distribution of information.
2. This industry has become global due to a series of technological, political, and social influences.
3. Major hubs of the IT industry are Silicon Valley, California, and Bangalore, India.
4. Other emerging IT hubs in India include metropolitan centers like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai.