Social Studies VSQ (2 Marks)

 When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation. The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are many problems and issues which are best settled at the local level.
1. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities.
2. They also have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently.
3. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in decision making.
4. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation. Local government is the best way to realise one important principle of democracy, namely local self- government, or self-rule. Local Government is thus an effective way to uphold the democratic principle of decentralization.

Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

1. Europe's poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of the humble potato.
2. Ireland's poorest peasants became so dependent on potatoes that when disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died of starvation. Thus new crops can significantly impact survival and well-being.

The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between distant parts of the world. There were several silk routes, over land and by sea that brought together regions of Asia, and linked Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They existed since before the Christian Era and thrived almost till the 15th century. The name 'silk routes' points to the importance of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route.

1. Chinese pottery, textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia also travelled the same route. In return, precious metals - gold and silver - flowed from Europe to Asia.
2. Trade and cultural exchange went hand in hand. Buddhism from India spread in several directions through intersecting points on the silk routes. Early Christian missionaries travelled this route to reach Asia and Muslim preachers took the same route a few centuries later.

"Agriculture and industry are not exclusive of each other. They move hand in hand". Justify your answer with examples.
Agriculture and industry are not exclusive of each other. They move hand in hand. For instance, the agro-industries in India have given a major boost to agriculture by raising its productivity. They depend on the latter for raw materials and sell their products such as irrigation pumps, fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides, plastic and PVC pipes, machines and tools, etc. to the farmers.