Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

Correct Answer is: (b) Asia

The 8 planets of the sun – Mercury. Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

The head of the solar system is sun.

We have seen polar star, stars, moon and sun in the sky.

Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system.

Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams.

Yes, we can go to the space.

Mercury is the nearest planet to the sun.

An aeroplane can move anywhere in the earth, but a spacecraft can move only in the space. A spacecraft moves 50 times faster than an aeroplane.

Astronauts wear a special space-proof suit connected to specific machines in the spacecraft.

We can go to the space by a spacecraft.

When seen from the moon, our earth would look like a ball.

The preparation for a space travel includes the following: 

• The practice of eating a different kind of food. 
• To work in specific conditions 
• To live in the absence of gravitational force. 
• To live in high pressure and weightlessness.

Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian astronaut who went to the space. The women astronaut from India who travelled to the space are Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.

The benefit of intramural competitions is extended to those students who have never got the opportunities/chance to participate in any competition. The aim is to ensure mass participation of children with fun and enjoyment.

The benefit of intramural competitions is extended to those students who have never got the opportunities/chance to participate in any competition. The aim is to ensure mass participation of children with fun and enjoyment.

Run for specific cause is important. In this mainly fund raising is done to help the people having a problem. The aim of these runs is to help the people, who are suffering from ailments such as leukaemia, arthritis, helping institutions engaged in cancer and aids research, etc. Running for cause makes you realize that your one step can help people reach their goal. People run for a cause and help in collecting funds. These collected funds are spent on needy people. In such runs efforts are made to get the participation of maximum number of people, e.g., 'Chennai Marathon for a cause' is organized every year. The proceeds for such runs go to several charity organizations. Such runs are the most effective way of making a difference in the lives of the sick, disabled or underprivileged.

Health run: Running is a natural human activity. Running meets our biological and physiological needs. It is more of fun and enjoyment and satisfaction. Health run programmes are usually carried out in the army or camps to improve the fitness of Jawans. Generally, people run individually according to their convenience. 

Run for Fun: It always has a strong message behind it. These types of events are arranged just for fun and also to create a habit in children and students to run/ walk every day to keep in good health. It is good for all ages and both sexes. This develops the components of fitness and toned up muscles, flexible joints, improved mood, improved circulation of blood, decreased obesity. It is suggested to everyone that one should run for fun and for healthy long life. These runs are for the sake of enjoyment and not for competition purpose. This also means to run for health and fitness in a relaxed way. Through this fun programme one grows, develops and learns basic skills because running is an inherent part of almost every play activity of children. And such activities are a source of great fun, enjoyment and satisfaction for them.

Steps to form Committees for Tournaments: Sports events are organised at various levels which include district, state, national or international levels. Such tournaments require careful planning in order to be successful. Committees are formed at various levels. A letter is sent to all concerned for participation. 

Various steps are: 

(i) Meetings are conducted at regular interval. o Experts in various areas are identified.

(ii) Pre-meet work organising committee is set up for the purchase of equipments, layout of courts, etc.

(iii) Welcome/Reception committee and a Technical committee to officiate during the sports meet is also formed.

Advantages: 

(a) It produces a deserving or true winner. 

(b) It gives ranking to all the competitors.

(c) It keeps the interest alive upto the end as all the participants have to play upto the end of the league. 

(d) It satisfies all the teams or players because all teams get equal chance to play against each other. 

(e) Greater number of matches are played by teams.

Advantages: 

(a) It produces a deserving or true winner. 

(b) It gives ranking to all the competitors.

(c) It keeps the interest alive upto the end as all the participants have to play upto the end of the league. 

(d) It satisfies all the teams or players because all teams get equal chance to play against each other. 

(e) Greater number of matches are played by teams.

There are two types of round robin tournament 

(a) Single league tournament 

(b) Double league tournament

Difference

(a) In Single league tournament every team plays with every other team once inits pool + N(N-1)/2

(b) In double league tournament every team plays with every other team twice in its pool N(N-1)

League: These are also called Round Robin Tournament. In league system all the teams are treated at par in league tournament. 

There are two types of league tournaments: 

(a) Single league tournament 

(b) Double league tournament

(a) Single league tournament: In this type of tournament, every team shall play once with every other teams. The total number of matches in a single league tournament shall be n(n-1)/2.

For example, if 10 teams are competing, the total number of matches to be played shall be n(n-1)/2 = 10(10-1)/2 = 10(9)/2 = 45 matches

(b) Double league tournament: In this type of tournament, every team shall play twice with every other team. The total number of matches shall be n (n - 1), r.g., 10 teams are competing the total number of matches: n (n - 1) = 10 (10 - 1) = 10 (9) = 90 matches.

Composition of Exports- Before the implementation of five year plans, the major Indian export heads were jute, tea, cotton textiles, mica, manganese, and animal skins. During the plan period, the component of agricultural products and minerals in total export decreased and the component of manufactured goods increased. This shows that the manufacturing sector has grown rapidly in the economy. In 1960, the component of agriculture and allied products in total exports was 44.2 per cent, which decreased to 13.7 per cent in 2013-14. The contribution of ores and minerals in total export was 8.1 per cent in 1960-61, which decreased to 1.8 per cent in 2013- 14. In the same way, the contribution of manufactured goods in total export was 45.3 per cent in 1960-61, which increased to 61.3 per cent in 2013-14. 

Composition Of Indian Exports :

Source- Reserve Bank Of India, Handbook of statistics on Indian economy.

Major Indian exports have been shown as components of total export. Petroleum products were 1.1 per cent of total exports in 1960-61, which grew to 20.6 per cent of total exports in 2013-14. This is because of the petroleum refining capacity of India. Crude petroleum is exported after refining. The component of engineering goods in total export was 3.4 per cent in 1960-61, which increased to 19.8 per cent in 2013- 14. The component of jewels and jewellery in total export was 0.1 per cent in 1960- 61, which increased to 13.2 per cent in 2013-14. In the same way, the component of chemicals and allied products was also 13.2 per cent. In 1960-61, the component of jute and tea in total export was 21 per cent and 19.3 per cent respectively. At present, both have a component 0.5 per cent in total exports.

Composition of Imports : At the time of Independence, India’s major import heads included machinery, oil, food grains, pulses, cotton, vehicles, iron goods equipment, chemicals, dyes, threads and cotton clothes. Due to the establishment of large scale industries and infrastructural industries on a large scale under the strategy adopted for industrial development in the second five year plan, there has been an increase in the import of equipment and machinery and the goods related to their maintenance.

Composition of Indian Imports :

Structural changes in the major items bf import of India have been shown in the above table under which the share of petroleum oil and lubricants was 6.1% in 1960- 61, which increased to 36.6% in 2013-14. At present, it is the major item of import of India. The share of non-ferrous metals (mainly gold and silver) in total imports was 4.2% in 1960-61, which increased to 8.6% in 2013-14. The share of electronic items and non-electrical machinery was 18.1 % in 1960-61, and it decreased to 5.2% in 2013-14. The total share of pearls and precious jewellary was 0.1% in total imports of 1960-61, which increased to 5.3% in 2013-14. The share of edible items in total imports was 16.1 % in 1960-61, which has become almost zero today. Import of capital goods was 31.7% in 1960-61, which declined to 12.1% of total imports in 2013-14.

2.1 per cent.

Electrical machinery, other machinery and equipments, transportation equipment, electronic goods, handicrafts, and projected goods.

European Union, US, Japan and Switzerland etc.

In winter, when the high mountains were covered with snow, the pastoralists lived with their herds in the low hills of the Siwalik range. The dry scrub forests here provided pasture for their herds. By the end of April they began their northern march for their summer grazing grounds. Several households came together for this journey, forming what is known as a kafila. 

1. Communities like Bedouins, Berbers, Maasai, Somali, Boran and Tinkana live pastoral life. They raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep and donkeys. They sell milk, meat, animal skin and wool.

2. Some also earn through trade and transport, others combine pastoral activity with agriculture. Still others do a variety of jobs to supplement their meagre income.

3. Like pastoralists in India, the lives of African pastoralists have changed dramatically over the colonial and post-colonial periods. Cultivation expanded, pasture lands diminish. The new laws restricted their movements.

1. Gujjar Bakarwals are a pastoral community of Jammu and Kashmir. They are great herders of goats and sheep.

2. The Gaddis are a prominent pastoral community of Himachal Pradesh. The cycle of seasonal movements is similar in case of Gujjar Bakarwals and Gaddis. The Gaddis too spent their winter in the low hills of Shivalik range, grazing their flocks in scrub forests.

3. By April they moved north and spent the summer in Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted and high passes were clear, many of them moved on to higher mountain meadows.

4. By September they began their return movement. On the way they stopped once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their summer harvest and sowing their winter crop. 

5. Then, they descended with their flock to their winter grazing ground on the Shivalik hills. Next April, once again, they began their march with their goats and sheep to the summer meadows.

The Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are great herders of goat and sheep. Many of them migrated to this region in the nineteenth century in search of pastures for their animals. 

In winter, when the high mountains were covered with snow, they lived with their herds in the low hills of the Siwalik range. The dry scrub forests here provided pasture for their herds. By the end of April they began their northern march for their summer grazing grounds. Several households came together for this journey, forming what is known as a kafila. With the onset of summer, the snow melted and the mountainsides were lush green. The variety of grasses that sprouted provided rich nutritious forage for the animal herds. By end September the Bakarwals were on the move again, this time on their downward journey, back to their winter base. 

The Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh had a similar cycle of seasonal movement. By April they moved north and spent the summer in Lahul and Spiti. By September they began their return movement. On the way they stopped once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their summer harvest and sowing their winter crop. 

Then they descended with their flock to their winter grazing ground on the Siwalik hills. Next April, once again, they began their march with their goats and sheep, to the summer meadows. 

In Garhwal and Kumaon, the Gujjar cattle herders came down to the dry forests of the bhabar in the winter, and went up to the high meadows – the bugyals – in summer. This pattern of cyclical movement is common to Bhotiyas, Sherpas and Kinnauris. 

(i) Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharashtra. Most of them were shepherds, some were blanket weavers, and still others were buffalo herders. The Dhangar shepherds stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon. 

(ii) Nothing but dry crops like bajra could be sown here. In the monsoon this tract became a vast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks. By October they move to Konkan. This was a flourishing agricultural tract with high rainfall and rich soil. Here the shepherds were welcomed by Konkani peasants. 

(iii) After the kharif harvest was cut at this time, the fields had to be fertilized and made ready for the rabi harvest. Dhangar flocks manured the fields and fed on the stubble. The Konkani peasants also gave supplies of rice which the shepherds took back to the plateau where grain was scarce. With the onset of the monsoon the Dhangars left the Konkan and the coastal areas with their flocks and returned to their settlements on the dry plateau. The sheep could not tolerate the wet monsoon conditions. 

(iv) In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh the Gollas herded cattle. The Kurumas and Kurubas reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets. 

(v) Unlike the mountain pastoralists, it was not the cold and the snow that defined the seasonal rhythms of their movement: rather it was the alternation of the monsoon and dry season that determined their movement. 

(vi) In the dry season they moved to the coastal tracts, and left when the rains came. Only buffaloes liked the swampy, wet conditions of the coastal areas during the monsoon months. Other herds had to be shifted to the dry plateau at this time. 

Banjaras were well-known group of graziers. They were to be found in the villages of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In search of good pastureland for their cattle, they moved over long distances, selling plough cattle and other goods to villagers in exchange for grain and fodder. 

1. Pastoralists are people who rear animals, birds and move from place to place in search of green pastures. They are nomadic tribes who need to move from one place to another to save their animals from adverse climatic conditions and to provide meadows or pastures regularly.

2. Some of the pastoral nomads move to combine a range of activities – cultivation, trade and herding – to make their living. Continuous movement of nomadic tribes is useful for environment.

3. Pastoral nomadism is a form of life that is perfectly suited to many hilly and dry regions of the world. Pastoral movement allows time for the natural restoration of vegetation growth. Pastoralists play a very important role as moving traders.

4. In search of good pasture land for their cattle the pastoralists move over long distances selling plough cattle and other goods to villagers in exchange for grain and fodder.

I am a 60-year-old Raika- herder; I have seen many changes in my life. We as herders have been affected in a variety of ways by changes in the modern world. New laws and new borders have affected the pattern of our lives and our movements. We have seen many restrictions being imposed on our mobility and we as pastoralists find it difficult to move in search of new pastures.

We have adapted to new times. We have changed the path of our annual movement, reduced our cattle numbers, pressed for rights to enter new areas, exerted political pressure on the government for relief, subsidy and other forms of support and demanded a right in management of forests and water resources. We are not relics of the past.

1. Pastoralists had to pay tax on every animal they grazed on the pastures. In most pastoral tracts of India, grazing tax was introduced in the mid-nineteenth century.

2. The tax per head of cattle went up rapidly and the system of the collection was made increasingly efficient.

3. During the 1850s to the 1880s, the right to collect the tax was auctioned out to contractors. There contractors tried to extract as high a tax as they could to recover the money they had paid to the state and earn as much profit as they could within the year.

4. By the 1880s the government began collecting taxes directly from the pastoralists. Each of them was given a pass. To enter a grazing tract, a cattle herder had to show the pass and pay the tax. The number of cattle heads he had and the amount of tax he paid was entered on the pass.

The herdsmen who move from one place to another looking for pasture for their herd.

In the deserts of Rajasthan lived the Raikas. Over vast stretches no crop could be grown. So the Raikas combined cultivation with pastoralism. During the monsoons, the Raikas stayed in their home villages, where pasture was available. By October, when these grazing grounds were dry and exhausted, they moved out in search of other pasture and water, and returned again during the next monsoon. One group of Raikas – known as the Maru (desert) Raikas – herded camels and another group reared sheep and goat. 

1. The Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir, the Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh, the Gujjar cattle herders of Garhwal and Kumaon, the Bhotiyas, the Sherpas and Kinnauris move annually between their summer and winter grazing grounds governed by the cycle of seasonal movements.

2. They adjust their movements to seasonal changes and make effective use of available pastures in different places. When pastures are exhausted or unstable in one place they move their herds to new areas.

Pastoralists live in small villages, in plateaus, in deserts or near the skirt of the woods. They cultivate a small piece of land, Keep herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and goats or herds of camels. They move between their summer and winter pastures with their herds, selling plough cattle and their things to farmers and getting grain and rice, selling milk and ghee, animal skin and wool. The pastoral life is sustained by the knowledge of:

• How long to stay in one area
• How to find food and water for their herds
• How to assess the timing of their movement
• Their ability to set up relationship with farmers.

1. Forest Acts were enacted to protect and preserve forests for timber which was of commercial importance. These Acts changed the life of pastoralists.

2. They were now prevented from entering many forests that had earlier provided valuable forage for their cattle.

3. They have issued permits which monitored their entry into and exit from forests. They could not stay in the forests as much as they liked because the permit specified the number of days and hours they could spend in the forests. The permit ruled their lives.

the houses they were living in.

1. The views of a forester: Rules about the use of forest resources were needed as indiscriminate felling of trees had to be stopped; grazing as well; this was the only way of preserving timber.

2. We need trees suitable for building ships or railways. We need teak and sal trees. It can be done only if villagers/pastoralists are barred from entering these forests; to stop them from taking anything from the forests.

3. The views of a pastoralist: We need fuel, fodder and leaves. Fruits and tubers are nutritious; Herbs are needed for medicines, wood for agricultural implements like yokes and ploughs, bamboo for fences and making baskets and umbrellas.

4. The Forest Act and closure of forests have deprived us of all these; we cannot also graze our cattle. We cannot also hunt and cannot supplement our food. We have been displaced from our houses in forests.

1. Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharashtra. Most of them were shepherds, some were blanket weavers, and still others were buffalo herders.

2. They stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon. This was a semi-arid region with low rainfall and poor soil. It was covered with thorny scrub. Dhangars sowed bajra there.

3. In the monsoon this region became a nast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks. By October the Dhangars harvested their bajra and started on their move west. After a month, they reached the Konkan. This was a flourishing agricultural tract with high rainfall and rich soil. Here the Dhangar shepherds were welcomed by Konkani peasants.

4. After the kharif harvest was cut, the fields had to be fertilised and made ready for the rabi harvest. Dhangar flocks manured the fields and fed on the stubble. The Konkani peasants also gave supply of rice which the shepherds took back to the plateau where grain was scarce. 

5. With the onset of the monsoon the Dhangars left the Konkan with their flocks and returned to their settlement on the dry plateau. The sheep could not tolerate the wet monsoon conditions.

1. In Maasailand, as elsewhere in Africa, not all pastoralists were equally affected by the changes in the colonial period. Wealthy pastoralists including chiefs were appointed by the British.

2. They often accumulated wealth. They had regular income to buy animals, goods and land. They lent money to the poor neighbours to pay taxes. Some of them lived in towns and got involved in trade. Their families stayed back in villages to look after the animals.

3These rich pastoralists managed to survive devastation of wars and drought. But the life of poor pastoralists depended only on their livestock.

4. They did not have resources to tide over bad times. In times of war and famine they lost everything. They had to go looking for work in town. Some eked a living as charcoal burners. Others did odd jobs.

5. The lucky ones got more regular work in road or building construction.

Kenya and Tanganyika

1. Under colonial rule the life of the pastoralists changed completely. Their grazing grounds became less, their movements were regulated, the revenues they had to pay increased, their trade and crafts and agricultural produce declined.

2. The pastoralists adjusted with these changes. They reduced the number of cattle in their herds. They discovered new pastures. Some bought land and began to lead a settled life. Some poor peasants borrowed money to survive.

3. In due course of time they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers.

1. In Maasailand, as elsewhere in Africa, not all pastoralists were equally affected by the changes in the colonial period. In pre-colonial times, Maasai society was divided into elders and warriors.

2. To administer the affairs of Maasai, the British appointed chiefs who were made responsible for the affairs of the people. These chiefs often accumulated wealth with which they could buy animals, goods and land.

3. They lent money to poor neighbours who needed to pay taxes. Many of them began living in cities and became involved in trade. Their wives and children stayed back in villages to look after animals. These chiefs managed to survive the devastation of war and drought. They had both pastoral and non-pastoral income. But the poor pastoralists who depended only on their livestock did not have resources to tide over bad times. In times of war and famines, they lost nearly everything and had to look for work in towns.

(i) Pastoralists reacted to the changes in a variety of ways. Some reduced the number of cattle in their herds, since there was not enough pasture to feed large numbers. 

(ii) Others discovered new pastures when movement to old grazing grounds became difficult. After 1947, the camel and sheep herding Raikas, for instance, could no longer move into Sindh and graze their camels on the banks of the Indus, as they had done earlier. The new political boundaries between India and Pakistan stopped their movement. So they had to find new places to go. They have been migrating to Haryana where sheep can graze on agricultural fields after the harvests are cut. 

(iii) Over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying land and settling down, giving up their nomadic life. Some became settled peasants cultivating land, others took to more extensive trading. 

(iv) Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed money from moneylenders to survive. At times they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers, working on fields or in small towns. 

(v) Pastoralists not only continue to survive, in many regions heir numbers have expanded over recent decades. When pasturelands in one place was closed to them, they changed the direction of their movement, reduced the size of the herd, combined pastoral activity with other forms of income and adapted to the changes in the modern world.