Important Questions CBSE Class 10th : Social Science Year 2009 (Solved)
(Consumer Awareness)

Question .1. What is ‘consumer exploitation’?
Answer : When a shopkeeper or a producer cheats a consumer by giving him poor quality or adulterated goods or charge more price for a commodity or a service, it is called consumer exploitation.

Question .2. When is the ‘World Consumers Rights Day’ celebrated?
Answer : March 15.

Question .3. Mention an organizations which provide certification of standardization in India.
Answer :
(i) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
(ii) AGMARK.
Question .4. Why was ‘Consumer Protection Act 1986’ enacted?
Answer : For the protection of the consumers from unscrupulous producers and dishonest traders.

Question .5. State the organization that sets international food standards.
Answer : Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Question .6. State the organization that sets standards of products at the international level.
Answer : International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

Question .7. Mention the factors which cause exploitation of consumer.
Answer :Factors causing exploitation of consumers are:
(i) Limited information to the consumer about a product.
(ii) Limited supplies of goods to increase price.
(iii) Limited competition and possibility of manipulating prices.
(iv) Low literacy of consumers.

Question .8. What is the need for consumer awareness?
Answer :
The need of consumer awareness is due to:
(i) Selfishness of manufacturers and traders can go to any extent.
(ii) Some unscrupulous traders began to play with the health of the nation by indulging in adulteration of edible oils, milk, butter, ghee, spurious medicine, etc.

Question .9. What is adulteration?
Answer : When some foreign substance, injurious to health, is mixed with any good or natural product, is called adulteration. This is a crime against humanity.

Question .10. Name the consumer courts at the district, state and national levels.
Answer : (i) At the district level – the District forum.
(ii) At the state level – the State Consumer Commission.
(iii) At the national level – the National Consumer Commission.

Question .11. State the role of Public Distribution System.
Answer : PDS ensures the availability of essential commodities like wheat, rice, sugar, edible oils and kerosene etc. The need of PDS was felt to check the force of supply and demand.PDS is also expected to strengthen measures to prevent hoarding, blackmarketing and overcharging by traders.

Question .12. Enumerate the measures to protect the rights of the consumers.
Answer : (i) Legislative measures,
(ii) Administrative measures,
(iii) Technical measures.

Question .13. State the various ways in which a consumer is exploited by manufacturer and traders.
Answer : The main way of exploitation of consumers are :-
(i) Adulteration – Mixing or substituting undesirable materials in food causing heavy loss of money and spoilage of health.
(ii) False claim – Sellers make false claim about the quality of the product through advertisement.
(iii) Under measurement – Sellers generally under-measure the goods and charge actual price. 
(iv) Hoarding and black marketing – Essential commodities are hoarded by the traders to create artificial crisis and sell them at higher price.
(v) Substandard goods – In order to make more profit, sellers usually sells inferior quality of goods.
(vi) High Price – Traders dealing necessities generally charge arbitrary prices.
(vii) Duplicate Articles – In the name of genuine goods, duplicate items are sold. 
(viii) Lack of safety devices – Locally produced electronic appliances lack the inbuilt safeguards due to which consumers are harmed.

Question .14. State and explain the various rights of consumers.
Answer :Right of consumers as provided by the Act :-
(i) The right of safety – Electrical goods and pressure cookers can cause serious injury due to manufacturing defects in them. There is also a risk to life. Thus consumers have the right to be protected against this type of danger.
(ii) The right of choose – Manufacturer use aggressive selling techniques to sell a particular product and do not give consumers chance to choose from the alternative product available. Thus consumer should always be given chance to choose.
(iii) Right to be informed – All information about the product, its ingredients, date of manufacturing, precaution of use etc. should be given to the consumers.
(iv) Right to seek redressal – When consumer is cheated or exploited, they have a right to get their claims settled against
manufacturer.
(v) Right to be heard – The consumers must be assured that the complaints or grievances regarding a product or service will be considered.
(vi) Right to consumer education – Consumers should be protected against frauds by educating them about the right and the remedies available.

Question .15. What are the duties that consumers must fulfill to secure the right.
Answer : Duties of consumers :-
(i) Consumers should be more alert and questioning about the price and quality of goods and services.
(ii) Consumers must be assured to get a fair deal.
(iii) To organize together as consumers to develop the strength and influence to promote and protect their interests.
(iv) To purchase ISI or AGMARK marked products.
(v) To ask for the cash memo.
(vi) To complain for genuine grievances.
(vii) Consumer should know their right and must exercise them. available.

Question .16. To protect the interests of the consumers, the government adopted three strategies – legislative, administrative and technical. What do you mean by these strategies?
Answer : (i) Legislative measure includes enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
(ii) Administrative measure includes distribution of essential commodities through Public Distribution System (PDS).
(iii) Technical measure consists of standardization of products. The products with ISI mark are popular. BIS caters to the
industrial and consumer goods. AGMARK is for agricultural products.

Question .17. What is legislation concerning consumer rights?
Answer : Government has enacted the Consumer Protection Act 1986 to provide for the establishment of Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies at District, State and National levels for the protection and promotion of consumer interests and to redress their grievances in a speedy, simple and inexpensive way. The agencies has to dispose off each and every complain within three months.At the district level, it is called ‘District forum’. At the state level, it is called ‘State Forum’. At national level, it is called ‘National Consumer Commission’, which is the apex court under the Act. It function at Delhi.These courts look into grievances and complaints of the consumers against the traders and manufacturers and provide the necessary relief and compensation to the consumers.