Question

What is the main occupation in rural areas?
A.Agriculture
B.Manufacturing
C.Pharmacy
D.Financial services

Answer 1

Hint: Approach the question by understanding why an occupation would be more predominant in rural areas and what a rural area is. A rural area is defined as a settlement with less population and fewer houses than a city or a town. It is also called a ‘village’ or a ‘countryside’. The density of the population is lower and houses are located away from each other.

Complete Answer:
Option A: is correct. Agriculture is the main occupation in rural areas. The percentage of the rural population in India is 65.13% which is why agriculture is so important to the country’s economy. As of 2016, 59% of the total workforce in India is engaged in agricultural activities. There are various kinds of farming methods practised in India including primitive subsistence farming, humming, intensive subsistence farming and commercial farming and all of these aim to grow either food crops or cash crops or both. India has three cropping seasons throughout the year—Rabi crops which are sown in winter and harvested in summer, Kharif crops which are sown in before monsoon and harvested during September and October and Zaid crops which are grown during the summer months.
Option B: is incorrect. The Industrial sector accounts for 26% of the GDP in India and employs 22% of the total workforce. Post-liberalisation, the industrial sector in India has been expanding but it is mostly concentrated in the urban pockets.
Option C: is incorrect. The pharmaceutical industry in India accounts for 20% of the market share in the global supply of generics by volume. It contributes 1.5% to the GDP directly and another 3% indirectly. However, they are based in urban areas because of the technology they require for research and development.
Option D: is incorrect. The financial services industry contributes 37% to the GDP in India and employs 3% of the total workforce. However, this is also based in urban areas due to the higher density of population that avails such services.

Note: Most people tend to migrate from rural areas to urban areas in search of employment, to raise their standard of living and to access modern technology. This process is called urbanisation.