A prosperous dam contractor and a tribal family living along a river valley are asked whether building a large dam on the river counts as 'development'. They give opposite answers. Why might the same project be seen as development by one group and destruction by the other?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:21 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Development means different things to different people based on how a project affects them.
The dam contractor sees the project as development because it brings him contracts, profit, and business growth — fulfilling his economic aspirations.
The tribal family sees it as destruction because the dam will submerge their land, displace them, and disrupt their way of life. What benefits one group harms the other.
This shows that what may be development for one person may not be development for another — it may even be destructive for the other.
Source: Chapter 1 — What Development Promises: Different People, Different Goals
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Explanation
What examiners look for:
- Clearly contrast the two perspectives (contractor = profit/gain; tribal = displacement/loss).
- Use the textbook's key conclusion: "what may be development for one may not be development for the other; it may even be destructive." Quoting or paraphrasing this line typically earns the final mark.
- The Narmada dam example from the chapter is the direct reference here — mentioning it shows you've read the text carefully.
- Avoid vague statements like "they have different opinions." Be specific about why each group thinks differently.