Human Resources
Welcome to HSLC Guru. In this article, we present a complete English-medium guide to Class 8 Social Science Geography Chapter 6 — Human Resources, prepared strictly according to the ASSEB (Assam State School Education Board) syllabus. This chapter explores why people are considered the most important resource on Earth, how population is distributed across the world, what causes population to change, and how India’s population scenario looks today. Below you will find a clear summary, complete textbook question answers, additional MCQs, fill in the blanks, true/false questions, and a glossary table for quick revision before your examinations.
Summary
People are the most valuable resource on Earth. It is the human mind, with its skill, knowledge, education and technology, that converts physical materials of nature into useful resources. Healthy, educated and motivated people develop other resources according to their needs. Therefore, human resources are considered the ultimate resource. The number, age structure, education level and skills of people directly decide the development and prosperity of a country. Investments in human capital — like spending on education, health and training — increase the productive power of a nation.
The world population is not evenly distributed. It is influenced by geographical factors such as climate, water availability, soil fertility, landforms and altitude; by social and cultural factors like better housing, education and religious importance; and by economic factors such as industries, transport and job opportunities. River valleys (Ganga, Nile, Hwang Ho) are densely populated while deserts, dense forests, polar regions and high mountains are sparsely populated. Population density is the number of people living per square kilometre of land. The world’s average population density is about 51 persons per sq km. China and India together account for nearly 37% of the world’s population, making them the two most populous countries.
Population change refers to the increase or decrease of people in a country, mainly caused by three factors — birth rate, death rate and migration. Birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people; death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 people; and migration is the movement of people from one place to another. Natural increase is the difference between birth rate and death rate. A population pyramid graphically shows the age and sex composition of a country’s population. There are three main types — expanding pyramid (high birth and death rates, e.g. Bangladesh), constant pyramid (low birth and death rates, e.g. United States), and contracting pyramid (where birth rate falls below death rate, e.g. Japan).
Population composition tells us about the structure of population — age groups (children, adults, elderly), sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males), literacy levels, occupational structure (primary, secondary, tertiary activities) and the urban–rural balance. The Indian population scenario, according to the Census of 2011, recorded 1.21 billion people, making India the second most populous country in the world. India’s population is young, with nearly 41% below 20 years of age. However, this large population also brings challenges of unemployment, poverty, poor healthcare, slums and pressure on resources. To meet these challenges, the Government of India has adopted population policies focusing on family welfare, education, health, women empowerment and skill development.
Textbook Questions and Answers
1 Mark Questions
Q1. Why are people considered a resource?
Answer: People are considered a resource because their skills, knowledge, education and technology turn natural materials into useful resources and create wealth for a country.
Q2. What is meant by population density?
Answer: Population density is the number of people living per square kilometre of land area. It is calculated by dividing the total population by the total area.
Q3. Name the two most populous countries of the world.
Answer: China and India are the two most populous countries of the world.
Q4. What is birth rate?
Answer: Birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a year.
Q5. What is death rate?
Answer: Death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year.
Q6. What is migration?
Answer: Migration is the movement of people from one place to another, either within a country (internal) or between countries (international).
Q7. What was the population of India according to Census 2011?
Answer: According to Census 2011, the population of India was 1.21 billion (121 crore).
Q8. What is sex ratio?
Answer: Sex ratio is the number of females per 1,000 males in a population.
Q9. Define literacy rate.
Answer: Literacy rate is the percentage of people aged seven years and above who can read and write with understanding in any language.
Q10. Give one example of a country with an expanding population pyramid.
Answer: Bangladesh (or Kenya / Nigeria) has an expanding population pyramid with high birth and death rates.
2 to 3 Marks Questions
Q1. Mention three geographical factors that affect population distribution.
Answer: The three geographical factors are: (i) Topography — plains support more people than mountains; (ii) Climate — moderate climates attract more people while extreme hot or cold areas remain sparsely populated; and (iii) Soil and water — fertile river valleys with adequate water support dense populations.
Q2. What are the three main causes of population change?
Answer: The three main causes of population change are birth rate (live births per 1,000 people), death rate (deaths per 1,000 people) and migration (movement of people in or out of a region). The difference between birth rate and death rate is called the natural growth rate.
Q3. Differentiate between immigration and emigration.
Answer: Immigration is the movement of people into a country from another country. Emigration is the movement of people out of a country to settle in another country. Immigrants increase the population of the receiving country, while emigrants reduce the population of the country they leave.
Q4. What does a population pyramid show?
Answer: A population pyramid is a bar graph that shows the age and sex composition of a population. The horizontal bars represent number of males on the left and females on the right, while the vertical axis shows different age groups. It helps to understand the proportion of children, working-age adults and the elderly.
Q5. Why are river valleys densely populated?
Answer: River valleys are densely populated because they have fertile alluvial soil, plenty of water for drinking and irrigation, flat land suitable for farming and settlement, and easy transport routes. Examples include the Ganga–Brahmaputra valley, the Nile valley and the Hwang Ho valley.
Q6. What do you mean by population composition?
Answer: Population composition refers to the structure of a population. It includes age groups, sex ratio, literacy levels, health conditions, occupation, income level, and the urban–rural distribution. It helps governments plan for schools, jobs, hospitals and other services.
5 to 6 Marks Questions
Q1. Discuss the factors that affect the distribution of population in the world.
Answer: The distribution of population on the Earth’s surface is uneven. It is affected by three groups of factors:
- Geographical factors: Topography (plains attract more people than mountains), climate (moderate climates are preferred over extreme hot or cold), soil (fertile alluvial soils support dense farming populations), water (river valleys and coastal plains are densely populated), and minerals (areas rich in minerals attract industries and workers).
- Social and cultural factors: Areas of better housing, education, health facilities and religious importance attract more people. Cities like Varanasi, Mecca and Jerusalem are heavily populated for cultural-religious reasons.
- Economic factors: Industries, business centres, ports, transport networks and job opportunities attract huge populations. Cities like Mumbai, Tokyo and Osaka have grown because of economic activity.
Therefore, regions with favourable climate, fertile land, water, jobs and good services have dense population, while deserts, dense forests, polar regions and high mountains have sparse population.
Q2. Explain the three types of population pyramids with examples.
Answer: Population pyramids are classified into three main types depending on birth rate, death rate and growth pattern:
- Expanding pyramid: It has a wide base and a narrow top, showing high birth rate and high death rate. The number of children is large but life expectancy is low. Example — Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria.
- Constant or stable pyramid: It has nearly equal width from base to upper middle, showing low birth and low death rates. Population growth is slow but steady. Example — United States of America, Australia and Canada.
- Contracting or declining pyramid: It has a narrow base, indicating that the birth rate has fallen below the death rate. The population of younger people is smaller than that of older people, leading to ageing societies. Example — Japan, Germany and Italy.
Population pyramids help governments plan for schools, jobs, healthcare and old-age services according to the country’s age structure.
Q3. Describe the population scenario of India based on Census 2011.
Answer: According to Census 2011, India’s total population was 1.21 billion (121 crore), making it the second most populous country in the world after China. Important features are:
- India holds about 17.5% of the world’s population on only 2.4% of the world’s land area.
- The average population density of India is 382 persons per sq km.
- Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state, while Bihar has the highest population density among large states.
- The sex ratio is 943 females per 1,000 males.
- The literacy rate stands at 74.04% (Males 82.14%, Females 65.46%).
- Nearly 41% of the population is below 20 years of age, showing a young population.
- About 68.84% of people live in rural areas and 31.16% in urban areas.
India’s young and large population is both a strength (huge workforce, demographic dividend) and a challenge (jobs, education, health and housing pressure).
Q4. Why do we say that “people are the greatest resource”? Explain.
Answer: The statement “people are the greatest resource” was given by economist Alfred Marshall and is widely accepted because:
- Without people, no other resource can be put to use. Coal, oil, soil and water remain useless until human beings discover, mine, refine and use them.
- Skills, knowledge, intelligence, technology and creativity of people transform raw materials into wealth.
- Healthy and educated people work productively in farms, factories, services and research, raising the income of the country.
- Inventions like wheel, steam engine, computer and internet show how human ideas have changed the world.
- People also create demand for goods and services, keeping the economy alive.
Therefore, investing in education, health and skill training of people — known as human resource development — is the best investment a country can make.
Q5. What are the major challenges of India’s growing population? Suggest measures to overcome them.
Answer: India’s rapidly growing population creates several serious challenges:
- Unemployment — Jobs are not being created at the same rate as the workforce.
- Poverty — A large number of people live below the poverty line.
- Pressure on resources — Land, water, food and housing are under stress.
- Poor education and health services — Schools and hospitals are overcrowded.
- Slums and urban congestion — Cities have unplanned settlements with poor sanitation.
- Environmental degradation — Forests, rivers and air quality suffer.
Measures to overcome:
- Promotion of family welfare and small-family norms.
- Universal education and skill development through schemes like Skill India.
- Better health services and immunisation programmes.
- Women empowerment and improved sex ratio.
- Generation of employment in agriculture, industry and services.
- Balanced regional development and rural-urban planning.
Additional Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Q1. The most populous country in the world is —
(a) India (b) China (c) USA (d) Russia
Answer: (b) China
Q2. Population density is measured in —
(a) persons per sq metre (b) persons per sq km (c) persons per hectare (d) persons per acre
Answer: (b) persons per sq km
Q3. Birth rate is the number of live births per —
(a) 100 people (b) 500 people (c) 1,000 people (d) 10,000 people
Answer: (c) 1,000 people
Q4. India’s population according to Census 2011 was —
(a) 100 crore (b) 121 crore (c) 150 crore (d) 90 crore
Answer: (b) 121 crore
Q5. The pyramid of Bangladesh is an example of —
(a) constant pyramid (b) contracting pyramid (c) expanding pyramid (d) inverted pyramid
Answer: (c) expanding pyramid
Q6. The contracting population pyramid is found in —
(a) Japan (b) Kenya (c) India (d) Nigeria
Answer: (a) Japan
Q7. Sex ratio is expressed as the number of females per —
(a) 100 males (b) 1,000 males (c) 500 males (d) 10,000 males
Answer: (b) 1,000 males
Q8. Which of the following is a sparsely populated region?
(a) Ganga valley (b) Sahara desert (c) Western Europe (d) Japan
Answer: (b) Sahara desert
Q9. The literacy rate of India as per Census 2011 is —
(a) 64.8% (b) 74.04% (c) 82.14% (d) 90%
Answer: (b) 74.04%
Q10. The movement of people from rural to urban areas in search of jobs is called —
(a) emigration (b) immigration (c) internal migration (d) international migration
Answer: (c) internal migration
Fill in the Blanks
Q1. The number of people living per square kilometre is called __________.
Answer: population density
Q2. __________ and India together account for nearly 37% of the world’s population.
Answer: China
Q3. The difference between birth rate and death rate is called the __________ growth rate.
Answer: natural
Q4. A __________ pyramid shows the age-sex structure of a population.
Answer: population
Q5. The Census of India is conducted every __________ years.
Answer: ten
True or False
Q1. India is the most populous country in the world.
Answer: False (As per Census 2011, China was the most populous country.)
Q2. Birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people.
Answer: True
Q3. Deserts and polar regions are densely populated.
Answer: False (They are sparsely populated due to harsh climate.)
Q4. Japan has an expanding population pyramid.
Answer: False (Japan has a contracting pyramid.)
Q5. Migration is one of the main causes of population change.
Answer: True
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Human Resource | People with their skills, knowledge and abilities that help in development. |
| Population Density | Number of people living per square kilometre of land area. |
| Birth Rate | Number of live births per 1,000 people in a year. |
| Death Rate | Number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year. |
| Migration | Movement of people from one place to another. |
| Immigration | Movement of people into a country from another country. |
| Emigration | Movement of people out of a country to another country. |
| Natural Growth Rate | Difference between birth rate and death rate. |
| Population Pyramid | Graph showing the age and sex composition of a population. |
| Sex Ratio | Number of females per 1,000 males in a population. |
| Literacy Rate | Percentage of people aged 7+ who can read and write. |
| Census | Official counting of the population done every ten years. |
| Demographic Dividend | Economic benefit from a large working-age population. |
| Urban Population | People living in towns and cities. |
| Rural Population | People living in villages and the countryside. |