UP Board Solutions Class 10 Commerce Chapter 23 Labour Meaning Characteristics and Efficiency

Labour: Meaning, Characteristics And Efficiency Objective Type Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1. Labour plays a very important role in:
(a) Economy
(b) Production
(c) Manufacturing
(d) None of these
Answer: (b) Production
In simple words: Labour is crucial in the process of creating goods and services. Without human effort, resources cannot be transformed into products.

🎯 Exam Tip: Understand the fundamental role of labour as an active factor of production in economic activities.

Question 2. Land is a passive factor of ........
(a) Production
(b) Assets
(c) Organisation
(d) None of these
Answer: (a) Production
In simple words: Land, by itself, does not create anything; it requires human labour to become productive.

🎯 Exam Tip: Differentiate between active and passive factors of production, identifying land as passive and labour as active.

Question 3. Physical labourer requires the maximum use of muscular strength and
(a) Mentally Power
(b) Intelligency
(c) Physical Energy
(d) None of these
Answer: (c) Physical Energy
In simple words: Physical labour primarily involves the exertion of bodily strength and energy to perform tasks.

🎯 Exam Tip: Recognize the direct correlation between physical labour and the need for significant physical energy and muscular strength.

Question 4. Mental labour can be either professional or ....
(a) businessmen
(b) employment
(c) administrative
(d) None of these
Answer: (c) administrative
In simple words: Mental labour involves intellectual effort and can be found in professions like teaching or in administrative roles managing operations.

🎯 Exam Tip: Distinguish between different categories of mental labour, noting professional and administrative as key types.

Question 5. Efficiency means:
(a) Human Power
(b) Mental Capacity
(c) Productive Capacity
(d) None of these
Answer: (d) None of these
In simple words: Efficiency generally refers to the ability to produce a desired result with the least waste of time, effort, or resources, not just a specific capacity.

🎯 Exam Tip: Be cautious with 'None of these' options and ensure a thorough understanding of economic terms like 'efficiency' beyond simple synonyms.

Labour: Meaning, Characteristics And Efficiency Definite Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1. Is production possible only with the help of labour? Give answer in Yes or No.
Answer: Yes.
In simple words: Labour is a crucial factor, and production often requires human effort to transform resources into goods or services.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that labour is considered an active factor of production, essential for activating other factors like land and capital.

Question 2. If the labourers will be educated and trained the quality of labour will improve? Give answer in Yes or No.
Answer: Yes.
In simple words: Education and training enhance the skills and knowledge of workers, leading to higher quality and more efficient labour.

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on human capital development as a key driver of improved labour quality and productivity.

Labour: Meaning, Characteristics And Efficiency Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1. What is the efficiency of labour?
Answer: Efficiency means productive capacity: Efficiency of labour, therefore, denotes the capacity of the worker to produce relatively large amount or better kind of work or both in a given period of time. The efficiency of labour is that quality of the worker by which in given conditions in a specified time be produces more or better type of goods. Hence, the efficiency of labour depends on the quantity and quality of the product and the time is taken for its production.
In simple words: The efficiency of labour measures a worker's ability to produce a significant amount or higher quality of output within a specific timeframe. It reflects their productivity based on both quantity and quality of work.

🎯 Exam Tip: When defining efficiency of labour, ensure you include aspects of both quantity and quality of output produced within a given time frame.

Question 2. Give any two characteristics of labour in India.
Answer: Two characteristics of labour are as follows:
(a) Labour is indispensable for production: A labourer sells his labour and not himself. In no case can we separate human effort from him.
(b) Labourers have not the same power of bargaining as these employers: Labourers are at a disadvantage in bargaining with their employers because their labour cannot be stored up and has to be sold of lower rates.
In simple words: Labour is inseparable from the labourer and is essential for production. Workers often have weaker bargaining power because their labour cannot be saved or stored, requiring them to sell it promptly.

🎯 Exam Tip: When listing characteristics, focus on distinct features like inseparability and perishability, which affect labour's market dynamics.

Labour: Meaning, Characteristics And Efficiency Short Answer Type Questions (4 Marks)

Question 1. Mention three factors that increase the efficiency of labour.
Answer: Three factors that increase the efficiency of labour are as follows:
(a) Moral Qualities: The efficiency of a worker depends upon his moral structure. Honest, sincere, industrious and sober workers work more efficiently than those who lack these qualities.
(b) Diet, health and standard of living: The healthier worker is more efficient than a diseased, malnourished poor worker. Insufficient diet, insufficient clothing, filthy living quarters, decreased efficiency. A labourer whose standard of living is low is less efficient than the one whose standard of living is high.
(c) Education: Education is general and technical. General education enlarges the conception of a man about the matter and widens his knowledge about general things. Technical education makes a man a specialist in the work. The man who has received general and technical education is more efficient that one who lacks them.
In simple words: Labour efficiency is boosted by a worker's strong moral qualities, good health, a decent standard of living, and access to both general and technical education which enhances knowledge and specialized skills.

🎯 Exam Tip: For factors affecting labour efficiency, categorize them into human aspects (moral, health, education) and living conditions for a comprehensive answer.

Question 2. Write the four disadvantages of division of labour.
Answer: Four disadvantages of division of labour are as follows:
(a) Disadvantages to Producers:
- Disadvantages of large scale production: Big producers reduce their costs up to the limit where other competitors could not stay in the market.
- More use of Machines: Due to the more use of machines, products will bp increases which will result in low prices.
(b) Disadvantages to Labourers:
- Disadvantages of large scale production: The use of machines reduces the importance of labour.
- Disadvantages of use of machines: Due to the implementation of division of labour, the introduction of machines also increases. Machines take the place of men which results in unemployment.
In simple words: Division of labour can lead to disadvantages for producers by creating conditions that favor large-scale production, potentially harming smaller competitors, and increasing reliance on machines. For labourers, it can decrease the importance of individual skills and lead to unemployment as machines replace human workers.

🎯 Exam Tip: When discussing disadvantages of division of labour, ensure you provide balanced points, covering both impacts on producers (e.g., increased machine use, market dominance) and labourers (e.g., job displacement, reduced skill importance).

Question 3. Make out the main differences between Land and Labour.
Answer: Difference between Land and Labour:

🎯 Exam Tip: When differentiating land and labour, highlight their contrasting characteristics such as passivity vs. activity, perishability, mobility, and inseparability to show a clear understanding.

Labour: Meaning, Characteristics And Efficiency Long Answer Type Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1. What is meant by the term “Labour”? What are its kinds? What do you understand by skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour?
Answer: Meaning of Labour. In simple language, “labour” means human efforts. But in Economics, labour consists of those human efforts, mental or bodily or both which are undertaken in the expectation of reward. Thus, labour includes the following two things:
- Labour can be physical as well as mental. For example, the labour of a worker is physical and that of a university lecturer mental.
- Labour is that human effort which is undertaken for the sake of earning a wealth of a living. For example, where a man sings for his own recreation, his effort does not amount to labour. But, if he sings in expectation of a reward in a theatre, his exertion is labour.
Kinds of Labour: There are four kinds of labour found in India:
- Physical and mental labour.
- Skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour.
- Productive and unproductive labour.
- Professional and administrative labour.
Skilled Labour: Skilled labour is performed by those workers who have received general education and professional training for a particular trade so that they can solve complicated problem connected with their job.
Semi-skilled Labour: Semi-skilled labour is performed by those workers who have received no formal training in the trade or job performed by them but they have acquired enough skill to solve various problems of trade by themselves.
Unskilled Labour: Unskilled labour is the labour which is performed by the worker who has obtained no training in any particular trade or line.
In simple words: Labour, in economics, refers to any human effort, mental or physical, undertaken for a reward. It includes various types like physical, mental, skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, productive, unproductive, professional, and administrative labour. Skilled labour requires formal training, semi-skilled labour involves acquired practical skills without formal training, and unskilled labour requires no specific training.

🎯 Exam Tip: When defining labour, emphasize both mental and physical efforts undertaken with the expectation of reward. For kinds of labour, ensure a clear classification and distinction between skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled categories.

Question 2. What is meant by efficiency of Labour? What factors affect the efficiency of labour?
Answer: By ‘efficiency of labour', we mean the productive capacity of a worker to do more work or better work or both during a specified period of time. We know that all workers are not equally efficient. It is usually observed that the labourers working in the same occupation with similar types of tools and types of equipment with the same type of raw materials, with the similar type of working conditions and for the same period of time produce not only different quantities of output but also different qualities of output.
Factors Affecting Efficiency of Labour: Efficiency of labour depends upon a large number of factors. Chief of them are as follows:
1. Racial Characters: People of some races are superior to others in physical strength and are capable of prolonged physical exertion. Take for example the case of those living in Punjab or Haryana who are taller, stronger and hard-working than the rest of the people of the country.
2. Hereditary Characters: Hereditary traits of father and mother also influence the efficiency of the workers. For example, the children of educated parents are also usually educated and efficient.
3. Moral Qualities: An honest and sincere worker is regarded as an efficient worker. Moral quantities include the way a child is brought up, his family background, educational, religious and social upbringing etc.
4. Food, Health and Standard of Living: The efficiency of labour to a great extent is determined by the type of food eaten and the kind of physique maintained by a labourer. A large part of the labour force will go waste if a reasonable standard of living for the working class is not provided.
5. General Education: General education enables a person to develop his intellect and widen his knowledge. This knowledge makes a worker intelligent and enlarges his power to distinguish what is right and what is wrong?
6. Technical Education: Technical education trains the worker in a particular trade or profession and develops in him certain specific qualities and makes him a specialist.
7. Climate: Extreme climatic conditions do not favour hard labour. For example, high rugged mountains and hot deserts impose tremendous handicaps upon the density of population, economic activities, transportation facilities etc. which directly influence the efficiency of labour.
8. Social Conditions: Some people are compelled to continue in the business or trade carried out by their ancestors. Under such conditions, the workers are not in a position to select their profession according to their qualification and taste. When this is the case, they cannot perform according to their efficiency.
In simple words: Labour efficiency is the productive capacity of a worker to perform more or better quality work within a specific time. It is influenced by factors such as racial characteristics, hereditary traits, moral qualities, food, health, standard of living, general and technical education, climate, and social conditions.

🎯 Exam Tip: When explaining labour efficiency, define it clearly and then systematically list and briefly explain the key factors that influence it for a comprehensive answer.

Question 3. What is Labour? Briefly describe the main features of labour as a factor of production.
Answer: Meaning of Labour. In simple language, “labour” means human efforts. But in Economics, labour consists of those human efforts, mental or bodily or both which are undertaken in the expectation of reward. Thus, labour includes the following two things:
- Labour can be physical as well as mental. For example, the labour of a worker is physical and that of a university lecturer mental.
- Labour is that human effort which is undertaken for the sake of earning a wealth of a living. For example, where a man sings for his own recreation, his effort does not amount to labour. But, if he sings in expectation of a reward in a theatre, his exertion is labour.
Main features of Labour as a Factor of Production The main Features of labour as a factor of production are as follows:
1. Role in production: Labour plays a very important role in production Land cannot produce by itself except when worked by men.
2. Active Factor: Land of its own cannot produce anything unless labour is applied to it. Capital is the produced means of production. Thus, labour alone is the main factor of production and the only active factor.
3. Developed and Undeveloped Countries: The Importance of labour in developed and developed countries is the same. Its importance in undeveloped countries is still greater because the future of these countries depends on the batter utilization of their man-powers resources.
4. Evidence of literacy and technical training: The supply of labour in a country depends not on the number of workers available but also on the quality of workers as judged from the level of literacy and the level of technical training attained by the people of the country.
In simple words: Labour refers to human physical or mental effort undertaken for reward. Its main features as a factor of production include its indispensable role in production, its active nature (unlike passive factors like land), its significant importance in both developed and undeveloped economies, and the quality of its supply being dependent on literacy and technical training.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked to describe labour as a factor of production, define it broadly, then elaborate on its key characteristics, such as being active, essential for activating other factors, and vital for economic development, also mentioning the impact of human capital development.

Question 4. Enumerate the characteristics of labour. What are the different kinds of labour?
Answer: Characteristics of labour: The following are the main characteristics of labour
1. Labour is indispensable for production: Production is not possible without the help of labour. Even the richest natural resources cannot produce anything without the active support of human exertion. Labour is an active factor of production. Natural resources of a country cannot produce anything without labour exerted on them.
2. Labour is inseparable from the labourer: A labourer sells his labour and not himself. In no case can we separate human effort from him.
3. Labour is perishable: Labour unsold on a particular day goes waste. If a labourer remains unemployed even for a day due to slackness of demand, strike or lockout, his labour for that day is lost to the nation. In this sense labour is perishable. Due to this peculiarity, the bargaining power of labour is very weak and this is the reason ununited labourers are exploited by employers to accept the wages they are willing to pay. This weakness of labour is removed to some extent by unions.
4. Supply of labour changes slowly: The supply of labour for a short period can neither be contracted nor expanded to meet the decreasing or increasing demand for it. For example, if the demand for engineers goes up, it will take some five years to produce a sufficient number of trained engineers to meet the growing demand. Similarly, we cannot contract the supply of engineers if their demand falls down.
5. Supply of labour does not behave like other commodities: Ordinarily, the supply of a commodity rises, when its price rise but the supply of labour does not always rise when wages rise. For example, when wages rise beyond the standard of living of workers, they will like to enjoy more leisure and the supply of labour will be contracted even when the price of labour (i.e., wages) rises. So, supply of labour does not behave like the supply of other commodities.
6. Labour is mobile but less mobile than a capital: Labour moves from places of less demand to those of more demand. For example, thousand of labourers move from villages to metropolitan cities where their demand is more than it is in their native villages. But labour is not so mobile as capital. A favourable investment condition in a country attracts capital even from foreign countries but better employment opportunities fail to attract a good number of efficient workers from abroad due to various difficulties of language, living, habits and social differences.
7. Labour can absorb capital: If more capital is invested in human beings and they are trained well, then labour quality will improve decidedly to a considerable extent. To train a good number of people we require large capital in the shape of training institutions, laboratories, laboratory equipment, buildings etc. The efficiency of the labour force so raised will depend upon the type of training received. Thus, labour absorbs capital.
8. Labour produces surplus value: Generally, a labourer produces more than is required for his self-consumption. The total value of his product is much more than the wages paid to him. Hence labour produces surplus value. This surplus is kept by the employer.
9. Labour is means and ends both: Labour is meant because it is used as a means for producing wealth. It is an end in itself because production is carried on to satisfy human wants, i.e., the wants of human labourers.
10. Labourers have not the same power of bargaining as their employers: Labourers are at a disadvantage in bargaining with their employers because their labour cannot be stored up and has to be sold at lower rates.
11. It is not easy to calculate the cost of labour: It is difficult to calculate the cost of bringing up children and the cost of training when they grow up.
12. Labourers differ inefficiency: The efficiency of all labourers is not the same. Hence, wages differ from man to man.
Kinds of Labour Labour can be classified according to the nature of work and the professional, technical training required. The following are the most important types of labour:
1. Physical and mental labour: Physical labourer requires the maximum use of muscular strength and physical energy. The labour of the farmer, the bus driver, the mason is physical, while the labour of the teacher, the engineer, the doctor and the barrister is mental. But the physical and mental labour sometimes cannot be separated from each other. There is no work which can be called purely mental or purely physical. The classification is based on the degree of the aspect used. Physical labour is universally treated as inferior to the mental labour and is paid lower wages. Mental labour is considered to be of higher status and is accordingly paid higher wages. Mental labour is done by those engaged in white-collar jobs.
2. Skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour: The second criterion for deciding the kind of labour is the degree of skill obtained by the labourer. The labour performed by one who has obtained no training in any particular trade or line is called unskilled. He changes his occupation according to the needs of the situation. The second category is that of the workers who have received no formal training in the trade or job performed by them but who have acquired enough skill to solve various problems of the trade themselves. Their labour is called semi-skilled. Lastly, there are workers who have received general education and professional training for a particular trade so that they can solve complicated problems connected with their occupation. Their labour is called skilled. Skilled and semi-skilled are terms which change according to time and place. The labour performed by an expert doctor, a good engineer or a great technologist is skilled but the labour of an overseer or a nurse is semi-skilled.
3. Productive or unproductive labour: So long as labour is paid for, it is productive. The labour which results in the creation of some utility is called productive; the labour which fails to do so is called unproductive. For example, the labour devoted to the writing of a book is productive if the book is published, and the writer receives a royalty for it; but if the book is not published, the labour involved in writing is wasted. It is unproductive. Marshall says that all labour except that which fails to promote the desired aim towards which it is directed and which therefore does not produce any utilities is productive. The older economists regarded only that labour productive which created matter. So, they regarded labour involved in agriculture and industry as productive and all other labour as unproductive. This was the view of Adam Smith. The present economists do not hold this view.
4. Professional and administrative labour: Mental labour can be either professional or administrative. The doctors, architects, professors, lawyers etc. who are engaged in mental work perform professional labour, whereas those who run and manage establishments and government departments are said to be performing administrative labour. Both these types are highly paid classes.
In simple words: Labour is indispensable for production, inseparable from the labourer, perishable, and its supply changes slowly. Unlike commodities, its supply doesn't always increase with wages, and it is less mobile than capital due to various social and cultural barriers. Labour can absorb capital through investment in training, produce surplus value, and acts as both a means and an end. Labourers often have weaker bargaining power, their cost is hard to calculate, and their efficiency varies. Kinds of labour include physical, mental, skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, productive/unproductive, and professional/administrative labour, categorized by the nature of work and required training.

🎯 Exam Tip: When listing characteristics of labour, focus on points that highlight its unique human aspects, such as inseparability, perishability, and slow supply changes, as well as its unique market behavior. For kinds, classify labour based on skill level and the nature of effort involved, and remember to distinguish between productive and unproductive labour, and professional and administrative roles.