Solutions Chapter 8 A Shirt in the Market
1. What made Swapna sell the cotton to the trader instead of selling it at the Kurnool cotton market?
Answer: Swapna borrowed ₹ 2,500 at high interest from the local trader. The amount was borrowed in order to buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides for cultivation. The other condition that Swapna had to agree to was that she would sell all her cotton to him instead.
2. Describe the conditions of employment as well as the wages of workers in the garment exporting factory. Do you think the workers get a fair deal?
Answer: The conditions of employment in the garment exporting factory are as follows:
I. Workers are employed on a temporary basis, which means that they can be dismissed as soon as the work is done or whenever the employer has no need of them.
II. They are under pressure to produce quality products in a limited time-frame
III. They are forced to work for long hours under extreme conditions
No, the workers don’t get a fair deal as they are paid very less for the work they do, in addition to being exploited by their employer. There is no job security as they can be asked to leave at a moment’s notice.
3. Think of something common that we use. It could be sugar, tea, milk, pen, pencil, paper, etc. Discuss through what chain of markets this reaches you. Can you think of the people that help in production or trade?
Answer: The chain of markets for milk production is as follows:
(i) Dairy cooperatives purchase milk from dairy farmers at different locations.
(ii) The milk is then transported to the factories run by the dairy cooperatives.
(iii) The milk is then pasteurised and packed in containers.
(iv) The packed milk containers are then given to traders working with the cooperatives, who transport them to locations where wholesale dealers will purchase them.
(v) Retailers then purchase the milk from the wholesalers, who then sell the packed milk at booths spread across the city.
4. Arrange the statement given below in the correct order and then fill in the numbers in the cotton balls accordingly. The first two have been done for you.
1. Swapna sells the cotton to the trader.
2. Customer buy these shirts in a supermarket.
3. The trader sells cotton to the Ginning Mill.
4. Garment exporters buy the cloth from merchants making the shirts.
5. Yarn dealers or merchants give the yarn to the weavers.
6. The exporter sells shirts to the businessperson from the USA.
7. Spinning mill buys the cotton and sells yarn to the yarn dealer.
8. Weavers return with the cloth.
9. Ginning mill cleans the cotton and makes it into bales.
Answer:
1. Swapna sells the cotton to the trader.
3. The trader sells cotton to the Ginning Mill.
9. Ginning mill cleans the cotton and makes it into bales.
7. Spinning mill buys the cotton and sells yarn to the yarn dealer.
5. Yarn dealers or merchants give the yarn to the weavers.
8. Weavers return with the cloth.
4. Garment exporters buy the cloth from the merchants for making shirts.
6. The exporter sells shirts to the businessperson from the USA.
2. Customers buy these shirts in a supermarket.
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Who was Swapna?
Answer: Swapna was a small farmer, growing cotton on her small piece of land.
2. Why did Swapna take loan from the local trader?
Answer: She took loan from the local traders to buy seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for the cultivation of cotton.
3. On what condition did the trader agree to give loan to Swapna?
Answer: He agreed to give loan to Swapna on a condition that she would sell all her cotton to him.
4. What is putting-out arrangement? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Under putting-out arrangement the cloth merchants supply the raw material to the weavers and receive the finished product.
5. Who are mostly employed in the Impex garment factory?
Answer: They are women.
6. What do women workers do in the Impex garment factory?
Answer: They do thread cutting, buttoning, ironing and packaging.
7. Whom does the garment exporting factory export the shirts to?
Answer: The garment exporting factory exports the shirts to foreign buyers.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. How are small farmers in the grip of the local trader? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Small farmers can not do without the help of the local traders. They depend on them for various reasons:
(a) During cropping season they take loan from the local traders.
(b) Whenever, there is an illness in the family they go to the local trader for help.
(c) Farmers also face seasonal unemployment. There are times in the year when they have no work and hence no income. During this time their survival depends on borrowing money from him.
Due to these reasons small farmers easily come in the grip of the powerful local traders.
2. How do weaver’s cooperatives reduce the dependence of weavers on the cloth merchants? [V. Imp.]
Answer: In a cooperative people with common interests come together and work for their mutual benefit. In a weaver’s cooperative, the weavers form a group and take up certain activities collectively. They get yam from the yam dealer and distribute it among the weavers. The cooperative also does the marketing. In this way, the role of the merchants is reduced and weavers get a fair price on the cloth that they produce by dint of their hard labour.
3. Write a short note on the Impex garment factory.
Answer: The impex garment factory employs mostly women. The workers work on temporary basis. They can be asked to leave any time. Their wages are fixed according to their skills. The highest paid among the workers are the tailors who get about Rs. 3,000 per month. Women are employed as helpers. They are engaged in thread cutting, buttoning, ironing and packaging. They get the lowest wages.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Who are involved in putting-out system? How is this system advantageous and disadvantageous for the weavers? [V. Imp.]
Answer: The persons involved in putting-out system are weavers and merchants.
This system is advantageous for the weavers in two ways:
(a) They do not have to spend their money on the purchase of yam.
(b) They are also free from the tension of selling the finished cloth.
This system is disadvantageous for the weavers in these ways:
(a) They have to depend on the merchants for raw materials as well as markets.
(b) Under this system the merchants become very powerful. They give orders for what is to be made and they pay a very low price for making the cloth.
(c) The weavers have no way of knowing who they are making the cloth for or at what price it will be sold.
2. How does market work move in favour of the rich and powerful? What are the ways to overcome them? (V. Imp.]
Answer: It is usually the rich and the powerful who earn the maximum profits in the market. These people have money and they own the factories, the large shops, large land holdings, etc. The poor have to depend on the rich and the powerful for various things. They have to depend for loans, for raw materials and marketing of their goods and most often for employment. This dependence makes the poor miserable. They are easily exploited in the market. They get low wages in spite of their hard labour and the rich earn huge profits at the cost of the workers. There are ways to overcome these such as forming cooperatives of producers and ensuring that laws are following strictly.
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