Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Exports: India exports gems and jewellery, and agriculture and allied products.
Imports: India imports petroleum crude and products, and electronic items/machinery.

Sea ports directly facilitate trade as India's 12 major ports handle 95% of foreign trade by volume. Well-developed ports enable loading/unloading of heavy bulk cargo like iron ore and crude oil efficiently. Air transport facilitates rapid movement of high-value goods and supports software/IT service exports, earning foreign exchange.

Without well-developed ports, India's external trade would be severely restricted — heavy and bulk goods cannot be transported by air economically, leading to delays, higher costs, and an unfavourable balance of trade.

Source: International Trade, Chapter 7; Major Sea Ports, Chapter 7

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• Examiners expect specific examples from the textbook — avoid vague terms like "manufactured goods."
• The key stat "95% of foreign trade through major ports" is a textbook figure that earns marks directly.
• For limitations, link logically: bulk/heavy goods → only sea transport is viable → no ports = trade collapses.
• Air transport's role here is secondary but mentioning IT/software exports shows syllabus awareness.
• Keep the answer tight — this is 3 marks, so 3 clear points suffice.