Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

India's Different Experience:

In developed countries, the shift happened in two clear stages — first, workers moved from primary to secondary (industries), then from secondary to tertiary (services). In India, however, this two-stage shift did not occur. While the tertiary sector has grown to contribute the most to GVA (about 50–60% in 2017–18), the primary sector continues to employ more than half the workforce. This happened because secondary and tertiary sectors did not generate enough jobs — industrial output grew nine times but employment only three times; service production rose 14 times but employment only five times.

The reason: industries in India adopted capital-intensive methods, so production rose without a proportional rise in jobs. Workers stuck in agriculture could not move out for lack of alternative employment.

One Consequence — Disguised Unemployment (Underemployment):
Since excess workers remain in agriculture with no alternative work, they are disguisedly unemployed — apparently working but contributing less than their potential. For example, if five family members work on a small two-hectare plot, moving two away would not reduce output, meaning those two were underemployed all along.

Source: Sectors of the Indian Economy, Chapter 2 — Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sectors in India

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• The examiner wants you to explicitly contrast the developed-country pattern (primary → secondary → tertiary) with India's pattern (tertiary grew in GVA but primary still dominates employment).
• Use the textbook data points: 9× industrial output vs 3× employment; 14× service output vs 5× service employment — these show why the shift stalled.
• The consequence must be disguised/hidden unemployment (underemployment) — the textbook's own term. Back it with the Laxmi example to earn full marks.
• Don't confuse "open unemployment" with "disguised unemployment" — the question is specifically about primary sector workers.