We have provided you with Extra and Important Questions from Class 10 Social Science Economics Chapter 5 Consumer Rights. This Extra and Important Questions will help you to score 100% in your Board Exams. These extra questions will be helpful to revise the important topics and concepts.

Consumer Rights Class 10 Important Questions with Answers Economics Chapter 5

Extra Questions for Class 10 Economics Chapter 5 Very Short Answer Type

Question: Who are Producers?

Answer: People who make goods and provide services are called producers. As producers of goods and services, we could be working in any of the sectors such as agriculture, industry or services.

Question: Who are Consumers?

Answer: Consumers participate in the market when they purchase goods and services that they need. These are final goods that people as consumers use.

Question: Why do individual consumers often find themselves in a weak position?

Answer: Whenever there is a complaint regarding a good or service that they had bought, the seller tries to shift all the responsibility on to the buyer.

Question: How can large companies with huge wealth and power manipulate the market?

Answer: At times, false information is given through media, and other sources to attract consumers. Such big companies with huge wealth and power can manipulate the market.

Question: Give an example to prove how big companies can manipulate market with wealth and power.

Answer: A long battle had to be fought with court to make cigarette–manufacturing companies accept that their product could cause cancer.

Question: Why did consumer movement arise in India?

Answer: Consumer movement arose out of the dissatisfaction of the consumers as many unfair practices were being indulged in by the sellers.

Question: Name two certification marks for international standardisation.

Answer: Standardisation of product is done at the international level. ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 are the well-known certification marks for international standardisation.

Question: Which logo will you like to see on the electric heater to be sure of its quality?

Answer: ISI.

Question: Initially what was done by consumers to protect themselves from the exploitation?

Answer: Initially when a consumer was not happy with a particular brand, product or shop, he or she generally avoided buying that brand product, or would stop purchasing from that shop.

Question: Why did the consumer movement begin as a social force in India?

Answer: In India, the consumer movement as a ‘social force’ originated with the necessity of protecting and promoting the interests of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices.

Question: What was the status of consumer movement in 1960s?

Answer: Rampant food shortages, hoarding, black marketing, adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to consumer movement in an organised form in 1960s.

Question: What is COPRA?

Answer: A major step taken in 1986 by the Indian government was the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, popularly known as COPRA to protect consumer’s interests.

Question: When and why was ‘Consumer International’ adopted?

Answer: In 1985, United Nations adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection. This was a tool for nations to adopt measures to protect consumers’ advocacy groups to press their governments to do so.

Question: What is the status of Consumer International today?

Answer: Today, Consumer International has become an umbrella body of over 250 member organisations from in 120 countries.

Extra Questions for Class 10 Economics Chapter 5 Short Answer Type

Question: How has the ‘Right to Information’ been expanded to cover various services provided by the government?

Answer: In October 2005, the government of India enacted a law, popularly known as RTI or Right to Information Act, which ensures its citizens all the information about the functions of government departments.

The effect of the RTI Act can be understood by taking up the following example.

An engineering graduate applied for a government job and submitted all his certificates. But officials did not inform him the status of his selection. He, therefore, filed an application using the RTI Act, saying that it was his right to know the result, so that he could plan his future. He soon got his call letter for appointment.

Question: What is consumer awareness?

Answer: Consumer awareness means educating the consumer about his rights and duties. As a result of consumer education, consumer becomes familiar with the laws that protect his interests and restrict his exploitation.

Question: What is the need for consumer awareness?

Answer: Consumer is exploited in many ways. Consumers are scattered, unorganised and many of them are illiterate. The traders, moneylenders, service-providers exploit the consumers in many ways. Sellers try to shift the responsibility of product/service on the buyer. They plea that the buyer should be aware when he buys the goods. It is the responsibility of the buyer to check the goods while purchasing them. The need for consumer protection and satisfaction has been widely accepted all over the world. All this has resulted in need for creating consumer awareness in India also.

Question: Write a short note on ISI and AGMARK.

Answer: ISI: Indian Standards Institute.

AGMARK: ‘AG’ is for agriculture and ‘Mark’ is for certification mark. Agmark: Food Products.

ISI: Electrical Appliances and Industrial products.

These are provided by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). They are a guarantee of the good quality of a product. These marks generate trust among the consumers regarding the good quality of a commodity.

Question: How can money easily exchange it for goods or services? Give example to explain. [CBSE (Delhi) 2016]

Answer: Money acts easier to exchange for goods and services:

(i) A person holding money can easily exchange it for any commodity or service that he or she might want.

(ii) Everyone prefers to receive payments in money and exchange the money for things they want.

For example: A shoemaker wants to sell shoes in the market and buy wheat. The shoemaker will first exchange shoes for money and then exchange the money for wheat. If the shoemaker had to directly exchange shoes for wheat without the use of money. He would have to look for a wheat growing farmer who not only wants to sell wheat but also wants to buy the shoe in exchange. Both the parties have to agree to sell and buy each other’s commodities. This process is very difficult, time consuming and unhealthy.

Question: “Consumer awareness is essential to avoid exploitation in the market place.” Support the statement. [CBSE (Delhi) 2016]

Answer: Consumer awareness to avoid exploitation: Consumer awareness is essential to avoid exploitation in the market place. Market do not work in a fair manner. Exploitation happen in various ways. Therefore, awareness is essential. Certain details are given on the packing. When we buy medicines, on the packets details are marked. Rules have been made so that the manufacturer displays the information. Consumers can complain and ask for compensation or replacement of the product, if proves to be defective in any manner.

Question: “Rules and regulations are required for the protection of the consumers in the market place.” Justify the statement with arguments. [CBSE (AI) 2016]

Answer: Rules and regulations are required for the protection of the consumers in the market place.

(i) Individual consumers often find themselves in a weak position whenever there is a complaint regarding a good or service that had been bought, the seller tries to shift all the responsibility on to the buyer.

(ii) Exploitation in the market place happens in various ways.For example, sometimes the traders indulge in unfair trade practices such as – when shopkeepers weigh less than what they should or when traders add changes that were not mentioned before or when adulterated or defective goods are sold.

(iii) At times false information is passed on through media to attract consumers.

Question: “The consumer movement arose out of dissatisfaction of the consumers”. Justify the statement with arguments. [CBSE (AI) 2016]

Answer: “The Consumer movement arose out of dissatisfaction of the consumers”:

• As many unfair practices were being indulged in by the sellers.
• There was no legal system available to the consumers to protect them from exploitation in the market place.
• In India, the consumer movement as a “Social Force” originated with the necessity of protecting and promoting the interest of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices.
• Rampant Food shortage, hoardings black marketing, adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to the consumer movement in an organized form in the 1960s

Question: How are consumers exploited in the market place? Explain. [CBSE (AI) 2016], [CBSE (F) 2017]

Answer: Consumers are exploited in the market place in following ways:

• Weigh less than what they should. Absence of expiry date on products.
• Traders add charges that were not mentioned before. Rough behaviour of shopkeepers.
• Traders sell adulterated or defective goods.
• False information is passed through the media and other sources to attract consumers.

Question: Analyse any three reasons for the beginning of the consumer movement in India. [CBSE Delhi 2017]

Answer:

• The consumer movement arose out of dissatisfaction of the consumers as many unfair practices were being indulged in by sellers.
• There was no legal system available to consumers to protect themselves from exploitation in the marketplace.
• It was presumed that it was the responsibility of the consumers to be careful while buying a commodity or service considering that sellers are indulged in many unfair practices.
• It took many years for organisations in India and around the world to create awareness amongst people.
• This has also shifted the responsibility of ensuring the quality of goods and services onto the sellers.

Question: Who can file a complaint? What is the procedure?

Answer:

• Individual Consumer.
• Consumer Organisations/Registered Voluntary Consumer Associations.
• Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs).
• The Central Government or any State Government.

There is no court fee for filing complaint in consumer court. The consumer has to file a simple registration form and can even plead his case on his own. The claim up to ` 20 lakh is filed with district forum. If a consumer is not satisfied with the decision of the district forum, then he can make appeal to the state commission. If the consumer is not satisfied with the decision of state commission then he can make appeal to National Commission located in New Delhi. National Commission is the apex body in this regard.

Extra Questions for Class 10 Economics Chapter 5 Long Answer Type

Question: Why are rules and regulations needed in the market? Explain with examples. [CBSE Delhi 2017]

Answer: Need for rules and regulations:

(i) Individual consumers often find themselves in a weak position. Whenever there is a complaint regarding a good or service that had been bought, the seller tries to shift all the responsibility on to the buyer.

(ii) Sometimes traders indulge in unfair trade practices, such as when shopkeepers weigh less than what they should.

(iii) Markets do not work in a fair manner when producers are few and powerful. A long battle had to be fought with court cases to make cigarette manufacturing companies accept that their product could cause cancer.

(iv) Large companies with huge wealth, power and reach can manipulate the market in various ways. At times false information is passed on through the media and other sources to attract consumers.

(v) Consumer is also exploited when buyers purchase in small amount and are scattered. For example, a company for years sold powder milk for babies all over the world as the most scientific product claiming this to be better than mother’s milk. It took years of struggle before the company was forced to accept that it had been making false claims.

Question: What problems do we face in taking the consumer movement forward?

Answer: The consumer redressal process is becoming cumbersome, expensive and time consuming. Many times, consumers are required to engage a lawyer. These cases require time for filing and attending the court proceedings, etc. In most purchases, cash memos are not issued, hence, evidence is not easy to gather.

Moreover, most purchases in the market are small retail sales. The existing laws also are not very clear on the issue of compensation to consumers injured by defective products.

After 32 years of the enactment of COPRA, consumer awareness in India is spreading but slowly. Besides this, the enforcement of laws that protects workers, especially in the unorganised sector is weak. Rules and regulations for the functioning of markets are often not followed.

Question: COPRA has enabled the consumers to have the right to represent in the consumer courts. Explain how it benefits the consumers. [CBSE Sample Paper 2016]

Answer: Under COPRA, a three-tier quasi-judicial machinery at the district, state and national levels was set up for redressal of consumer disputes.

The district level court deals with the cases involving claims upto ₹20 lakhs, the state level courts between ₹20 lakhs and ₹1 crore and the national level court deals with cases involving claims exceeding ₹1 crore.

If a case is dismissed in district level court, the consumer can also appeal in state and then in National level courts. Thus, the Act has enabled us as consumers to have the right to represent in the consumer courts.

It strengthened the Consumer Movement and provided the consumers with the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices and exploitation. If any damage is done to a consumer, she has the right to get compensation depending on the degree of damage.

Question: What are the forms of consumer exploitation?

Answer: When a consumer in the market place is forced to buy a product or sold for higher price or not returned if defective or sold defective product, he is supposed to be exploited.

Consumer is exploited in the following ways:

(1) Deceptive Advertising: In some cases, the advertisers speak very highly of their product by giving exaggerated statements. Taking these advertisements to be true, the consumer is tempted to buy these goods. But on actual use, he finds that he has been deceived. For example: An advertisement of washing powder claims that a spoon-full of powder can wash a full bucket of clothes. On actual use, it was found that it could wash only one or two clothes; this advertisement was held deceptive.

(2) Unreasonable Prices: Sometimes sellers charge a price higher than the maximum retail price (MRP). Traders create artificial scarcity of essential goods by hoarding them. Later, these goods are sold at higher prices, thus leading to consumer’s exploitation.

(3) Adulteration: Adulteration of goods are sometimes dangerous to life or hazardous to health. For example, mixing animal fat with ghee.

(4) Poor Quality Products: There are a large number of deaths and injuries on account of substandard and unsafe domestic products like pressure cookers, electrical gadgets, etc.

(5) Deceptive Packing: Sometimes manufacturers use almost similar brand name with minor changes in the spelling of a reputed brand, but the appearance of the wrapper is kept almost the same so as to give the impression that the product is of reputed brand.

(6) Under weighed Supplies: Some manufacturers sell certain products in packings where actual quantity is less than the quantity written on these packages. For example, each LPG cylinder must contain 14.2 kg of gas but sometimes under weighed cylinders are supplied to the consumers.

Question: “Consumer movement can be effective only with the consumer’s active involvement.” Analyse the statement. [CBSE Delhi 2017]

Answer: The consumer movement is generally a result of dissatisfaction of consumers over unfair practices in a market place. It is true that consumer movement can be effective only with the consumer active involvement. Consumers are the kings in the market place, therefore they should exercise their consumer rights.

Whenever a consumer buys any product or services, must be careful before buying, so that he may not be fooled by the producers and shopkeepers. Consumer should exercise his rights and duties diligently. He should insist on buying a standardised product looking at his own safety.

If consumer is conscious or aware, he should convey this message to others so that this consumer movement may be made more effective. For example in the 1960, there were food shortages and black marketing and adulteration of food. This resulted in strong consumer movement.

Question: How can a consumer exercise his right to choice?

Answer: Any consumer who receives a service in whatever capacity, regardless of age, gender and nature of service, has the right to choose, whether to continue to receive the service or not.

For example, suppose you want to buy a shampoo and the shop owner says that he can sell the shampoo only if you buy a body wash. If you are not interested in buying the body wash your right to choice is denied.

So many times you are forced to buy things that you may not wish to as you are left with no choice. But every consumer in a capitalist company has the right to exercise his right to choice.