NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 13 MCQs – The Value of Work

Economic activities involve money or something with monetary value in exchange. Examples include selling goods, earning wages and receiving professional fees. The chapter distinguishes these from unpaid activities carried out for care, affection or service.

A parent cooking for the family without payment is classified here as non-economic. It is done out of care rather than to earn income. The chapter stresses that such work still has great value in people’s lives.

A fee is money paid for professional advice or services. The chapter gives doctors and lawyers as examples. This payment makes their paid professional work an economic activity, even when the service also benefits people greatly.

A salary is a fixed regular payment, generally made monthly by an employer to an employee. The chapter uses several salaried workers as examples. Their work is classified as economic because they receive payment for their services.

Geeta Aunty serves the country and receives a salary. The chapter explains that her work is therefore an economic activity as well as public service. Useful or meaningful work can still be paid work.

Rohan works for a software company and receives a salary. This is his economic activity. The chapter also describes his unpaid weekend teaching, showing that one person can perform both economic and non-economic activities.

Rohan volunteers to teach computer skills without receiving payment. The chapter classifies this as a non-economic activity because it is service rather than income-earning work. The teaching still contributes useful skills to the community.

Kabir’s grandfather provided free geography classes to neighbourhood children. Since he volunteered without payment, the chapter treats this teaching as non-economic. The example shows that knowledge and time can be shared for others’ benefit.

Anu’s parents run a shop selling uniforms and other ready-made clothes. Selling these goods involves money and is an economic activity. The story also includes voluntary work, allowing students to compare different activities within the same family.

Anu’s mother contributes to a voluntary group that teaches stitching to women. This activity supports learning within the community. The chapter contrasts such unpaid service with the income-earning work she also does in the family shop.

Kavya’s uncle is a technician who operates a bulldozer for a construction company. He receives a monthly salary. His work on construction projects is one of the chapter’s examples of economic activities and their payments.

Kavya’s aunt works at the village post office and receives a monthly salary. She also earns a fee from online classes. The chapter uses these activities to illustrate different ways people receive payment for work.

Kavya’s aunt charges a weekly fee for online classes that help students prepare for examinations. Since payment is involved, this teaching is an economic activity. Its classification differs from the voluntary teaching described elsewhere in the chapter.

Payment to a worker for a specific period of work
Explanation: A wage is payment made by an employer to a worker for a specific period of work. Sahil earns a daily wage in the chapter. This is one way people are compensated for economic activities.

Payment in kind is a non-cash payment for work performed. The chapter’s example is Sahil receiving part of his payment as mangoes of equal value. Goods can therefore compensate work as well as money.

Value addition occurs when work transforms something into a more valuable form. The chapter uses wood made into furniture as an example. The worker’s skill, time and effort contribute to the value of the finished product.

Rajesh buys wood for ₹600 and makes a chair that he sells for ₹1,000. The example connects raw material with skilled work. It is used to explain how turning wood into furniture adds monetary value.

Subtracting the ₹600 cost of wood from the ₹1,000 selling price gives ₹400. The chapter uses this simple comparison to illustrate the value associated with the carpenter’s skill, time and effort in making the chair.

A langar is a community kitchen at a gurudwara that serves visitors food free of charge. The chapter presents it as an example of selfless service. Its value lies in helping people without expecting payment.

Van Mahotsav, the festival of forests, promotes awareness of trees and forest conservation. Community members take part in tree-planting drives. The chapter uses it to show how collective participation can contribute to environmental well-being.

The nature of payment matters in the chapter’s classification. Teaching for a fee earns income and is economic. Voluntary teaching without payment is non-economic, even though both activities provide useful learning and may involve similar skills.

Goods received in return for work can be payment in kind. The chapter’s mango example shows that economic activity is not limited to cash payments. What matters is the exchange of work for money or money’s worth.

The chapter clearly separates monetary payment from the wider value of work. Caring for a grandparent may be unpaid, but it supports comfort, relationships and well-being. Non-economic activities can make an important contribution to daily life.

The table is useful because the carpenter applies skill, time and effort to the raw wood. This transformation illustrates value addition. The chapter explains the same principle through Rajesh’s conversion of purchased wood into a chair.

The chapter uses ₹400 to illustrate value associated with the carpenter’s work. It also mentions tools and other materials without detailing all costs. The subtraction alone therefore does not provide a complete calculation of final profit.

The chapter includes cooking for one’s family among non-economic activities when it is done without payment. The work provides food and care. Its contribution remains important even though it is not an income-earning transaction.

Both situations involve preparing food, but the restaurant cook receives a salary for the work. Under the chapter’s distinction, that makes it an economic activity. Unpaid family cooking is classified differently while still having real value.

People contribute effort without seeking payment. Cleaner surroundings benefit many residents, showing the social value of non-economic work beyond a single household.

The stories show people doing paid jobs as well as voluntary or family tasks. Classification applies to the activity, not permanently to the person. Someone may earn income during work hours and provide unpaid care later.

The chapter asks students to consider people decorating and sharing food during festivals. These unpaid contributions support cooperation and community life. Their value comes from participation, relationships and shared well-being rather than only from money.