How many marks does "Economy and Livelihood" carry in Bihar Board Class 10 Social Science?

In the Bihar Board papers of 2021–2026, this chapter carried about 3 marks and about 4 questions a year; by marks it ranks 7 in Social Science.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "Economy and Livelihood"?

The 12 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 12 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

BSEB does not publish a marking scheme. Each answer is written point by point on a structure derived from past papers and checked by a second, independent model; it is never called the board’s official scheme.

Bihar Board Class 10 · Social Science · Matric exam 2027

Chapter 5: Economy and Livelihood

This chapter’s questions from Bihar Board (BSEB)’s real papers of 2016–2026 — the 12 asked most often, 3 with the full model answer, 9 with how the answer begins — and objective questions with the board’s key.

marks a year (about): 3
questions a year (about): 4
rank in Social Science: #7

From 6 years of papers, 2021–2026 · full chapter-wise marks

Chapter 5 notes (PDF) →

VVI questions — the ones the board asked most (12)

Q1Long answer4 marksAsked: 2024
How the series of inventions of machines paved the way for industrial revolution ?
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Model answer · inventions and Industrial Revolution
1. 1.In 1770, James Hargreaves developed the spinning machine, spinning Jenny, in which sixteen distaffs moved by moving a wheel so eight threads could be spinned simultaneously. In 1769, Richard Arkwright invented the thread spinning machine, spinning frame, the Water Frame, that was run by water-power. These machines brought a massive increase in production capacity of thread and cloth.1 mark
2. 2.The steam engine developed by James Watt had a very important role in industrialisation. Before this, factories had to be set up near rivers to use water power for running machines. The improvement of the steam engine by James Watt gave industrialists the freedom to establish factories anywhere, instead of only along riverbanks, since machines could now be run by steam power.1 mark
3. 3.The invention of new latest machines developed the factory system, and under this system the industrial production system took the place of the earlier cottage production system. This mechanization led to the centralization of the production process, as production which was earlier scattered in cottages was now concentrated in factories, resulting in the development of the factory system.1 mark
4. 4.These inventions made it possible to produce more goods in less time, as machines replaced human labour in large scale production. This accelerated the pace of the Industrial Revolution, as the series of inventions of spinning and weaving machines along with the steam engine together increased production and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.1 mark
- Name 'Spinning Jenny' and 'Water Frame' together with 'production capacity' in the first paragraph.
- Write 'James Watt' and 'steam engine' together with the idea of setting factories anywhere instead of only along riverbanks.
- Use the exact words 'mechanization' and 'factory system' when explaining centralization of production.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q2Long answer4 marksAsked: 2026
What was the impact of industrialization on India ? Describe in brief.
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Model answer · impact of industrialization on India
1. 1.Industrialisation led to the decline of cottage and handicraft industries, leaving artisans unemployed. Manually manufactured goods became costlier and their sale demised, consequently ancient industries started to disappear. Lacs of craftsmen and artisans were destroyed and there was no development of any new industry of that standard as an alternative, and their craftsmen and artisans made agriculture as their livelihood. Thus the balance of agriculture and industry that was going on in India was lost. This downfall of cottage industries began due to establishment of big factories, and Indian historians have termed this process 'deindustrialisation' for industry in India.1 mark
2. 2.Industrialisation means that due to the invention of machines, the speed of production increased and it became possible to manufacture more goods in less time. On the one side, the invention of machines started the process of industrialisation by increasing industry as well as production, but on the other hand the cottage industry in India reached the brink of destruction.1 mark
3. 3.As a result of industrialisation, cities developed rapidly and there was development of towns. When establishment of factories started in India after 1850, the unemployed persons from closed cottage industries started migrating from villages to towns, where they were engaged as labourers in search of employment.1 mark
4. 4.Two new classes emerged in society as a result of industrialisation. The industrialist making investment in Indian industry with British assistance became the capitalist class, and industrialisation gave birth to a new type of labour class, the factory labourer class, whose living standard was very low and who were exploited by the industrialists. Thus there was the emergence of class division in society, which increased economic inequality between the capitalist class and the labour class.1 mark
- Write 'deindustrialisation' as the exact term when explaining the decline of cottage industries.
- Mention both 'Capitalist class' and 'Labour class' by name to earn the point on economic inequality.
- State clearly that towns developed and labourers migrated from villages in search of employment.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q3Long answer4 marksAsked: 2026
Describe the development of labour movement in India.
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Model answer · labour movement in India
1. 1.The labour movement in India began after 1850 with the beginning of the era of labour class, when the number of labourers increased due to establishment of industries. The Indian labourers had to face problems of minimum wages, longer working hours, unhygienic condition of mills, child labour, and nonpayment of minimum wages to women, so they began to make plan for agitation against mill owners and colonial exploitation.1 mark
2. 2.In 1890, N.M. Lokhande established the Bombay Mill Hands Association in Bombay, which was the first labour organisation in India. Discontentment of labourers was witnessed during 1882 to 1890, when 25 strikes were registered in Madras and Bombay presidencies, since the labourers were unorganised and had come from villages wanting to make their position better.1 mark
3. 3.After the First World War, the labour movement intensified. The wave of communism arrived India from Russia and began to play active role in the national movement, and the labour class associated with them because the communist laid emphasis on the independent political role of labour class. During the Second World War, labourers went on strike in Bombay, Kanpur, Kolkata, Digboi, Jharia, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad over dearness allowance, and during the Quit India Movement in 1942, labourers opposed the colonial administration, giving support to the national movement.1 mark
4. 4.In 1920, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded on 31 October, 1920 with Lala Lajpat Roy as its chief. After independence the labour organisation split into three parts: Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Hind Mazdoor Sangh (HMS) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). The government passed the Minimum Wages Act in 1948, and in the third plan a labour board was founded and a Bonus commission was appointed to pay bonus, giving workers' rights constitutional protection.1 mark
- Write the year 1890 with N.M. Lokhande and the Bombay Mill Hands Association.
- Write 'AITUC' with the year 1920 and Lala Lajpat Roy's name.
- Mention the split into INTUC, HMS and UTUC after independence to show constitutional protection of workers' rights.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q4Short answer2 marksAsked: 2021
State any two negative effects of industrial revolution.
How the model answer begins
1. One negative effect of the Industrial Revolution was that cottage industries were destroyed and artisans became unemployed. With the establishment of big factories using new machines, manually manufactured goods became…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q5Short answer2 marksAsked: 2022
What do you mean by deindustrialization ?
How the model answer begins
1. Deindustrialization means the decline or destruction of a country's established traditional industries or handicraft industries.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q6Short answer2 marksAsked: 2022
What do you mean by deindustrialization ?
How the model answer begins
1. Deindustrialisation is the process in which a country's traditional handicrafts and cottage industries decline or get destroyed. Indian historians have termed it 'deindustrialisation' for industry in India.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q7Short answer2 marksAsked: 2023
What were the major industries of India in the 18th century ?
How the model answer begins
1. The cotton and silk textile industry of India was the most prominent in the world during the eighteenth century. Indian manufactured goods such as cotton textile and silk textile had worldwide market and there was…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q8Short answer2 marksAsked: 2024
Why was the All India Trade Union Congress established ?
How the model answer begins
1. The All India Trade Union Congress was established to address the changed industrial conditions and the problems of workers that arose after the First World War. These problems included low wages, longer working hours…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q9Short answer2 marksAsked: 2024
How did industrialization affect the livelihood of the labourers ?
How the model answer begins
1. Due to industrialisation, the working hours of labourers increased and they had to work for long periods at low wages. Industrialisation has damaged the livelihood of labourers to this extent that they had no money to…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q10Short answer2 marksAsked: 2026
What effect did the Charter Act have on Indian trade ?
How the model answer begins
1. The Charter Act passed by British parliament in 1813 abolished monopoly of East India Company over trade.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q11Short answer2 marksAsked: 2026
Name the major export products of India during the Colonial period.
How the model answer begins
1. The major items exported from India during the colonial period included cotton and indigo.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
Q12Short answer2 marksAsked: 2021
State any two causes of industrial revolution of England.
How the model answer begins
1. One cause of the industrial revolution of England was abundance of coal and iron. Britain had mines of coal and iron, and since the development of cloth industry depended mostly on coal and iron industry, the Britishers…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Objective questions with the board’s key (10)

1. Bihar Board 2026
During which five-year plan was the First Wage Board constituted ?
- (A) First
- (B) Second ✓
- (C) Third
- (D) Fourth
Answer: (B)
2. Bihar Board 2026
What was the percentage share of cotton textiles in Indian exports in 1800 A.D. ?
- (A) 30 per cent ✓
- (B) 15 per cent
- (C) 5 per cent
- (D) None of these
Answer: (A)
3. Bihar Board 2026
Who was the first President of the All India Trade Union Congress?
- (A) Manabendra Nath Roy
- (B) Lala Lajpat Rai ✓
- (C) Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee
- (D) A. O. Hume
Answer: (B)
4. Bihar Board 2026
When was the first Factory Act passed for India?
- (A) 1835
- (B) 1881 ✓
- (C) 1898
- (D) 1905
Answer: (B)
5. Bihar Board 2026
When did Patna become the capital of Bihar?
- (A) 1910
- (B) 1911
- (C) 1912 ✓
- (D) 1947
Answer: (C)
6. Bihar Board 2026
Rourkela steel plant was established with the cooperation of whom ?
- (A) Britain
- (B) Russia
- (C) France
- (D) Germany ✓
Answer: (D)
7. Bihar Board 2025
When was 'All India Trade Union Congress' established ?
- (A) 1848
- (B) 1881
- (C) 1885
- (D) 1920 ✓
Answer: (D)
8. Bihar Board 2025
Where was the first modern cotton mill established in India ?
- (A) Surat
- (B) Bombay
- (C) Calcutta ✓
- (D) Ahmedabad
Answer: (C)
9. Bihar Board 2024
Railways were started in India during whose reign ?
- (A) Lord Dalhousie ✓
- (B) Lord Lytton
- (C) Lord Cornwallis
- (D) Lord Minto
Answer: (A)
10. Bihar Board 2023
In whose reign was the railway and telegraph line started in India ?
- (A) Lord Lytton
- (B) Lord Dalhousie ✓
- (C) Lord Curzon
- (D) Lord Dufferin
Answer: (B)

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "Economy and Livelihood" carry in Bihar Board Class 10 Social Science?: In the Bihar Board papers of 2021–2026, this chapter carried about 3 marks and about 4 questions a year; by marks it ranks 7 in Social Science.
Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "Economy and Livelihood"?: The 12 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 12 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.
Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?: BSEB does not publish a marking scheme. Each answer is written point by point on a structure derived from past papers and checked by a second, independent model; it is never called the board’s official scheme.

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