A Shirt In The Market - Class 7 Civics - Extra Questions

Why did the trader pay Swapna a low price?

The trader had lent Swapna money at the beginning of the cropping season on a condition that she would sell all her cotton to him. Thus, Swapna was in his grip. The trader took advantage of this situation and paid her a low price.


How did the system of advances snatch the freedom of the weavers?

The Indian textiles were in great demand in the European markets. As a result, the English began to make attempts to control the Indian craftspersons by appointing Indian traders as their agents. They introduced the system of advances under which the weavers had to weave cloth which was already promised to European agents. Weavers no longer had the liberty of selling their own cloth or weaving their own patterns. Instead, they had to reproduce the designs supplied to them by the company agents. This system snatched the freedom of the Indian weavers. They began to be guided by someone else.


On what condition did the trader agree to give the loan to Swapna?

He agreed to give a loan to Swapna on a condition that she would sell all her cotton to him.


How does market work move in favour of the rich and powerful? What are the ways to overcome them?

It is usually the rich and the powerful who earn the maximum profits in the market. These people have money and they own the factories, the large shops, large landholdings, etc. The poor have to depend on the rich and the powerful for various things. They have to depend on loans, for raw materials and marketing of their goods and most often for employment. This dependence makes the poor miserable. They are easily exploited in the market. They get low wages in spite of their hard labor and the rich earn huge profits at the cost of the workers. There are ways to overcome these such as forming cooperatives of producers and ensuring that laws are followed strictly.


You might have heard of cooperatives in your area. It could be in milk, provisions, paddy, etc. Find out for whose benefit they were set up?

They were set up for the benefit of those who were in want of capital.


What are the demands foreign buyers make on the garment exporters? Why do the garment exporters agree to these demands?

They demand the lowest prices from the garment exporters.
They set high standards for quality of production and timely delivery. Any defects or delay in delivery is dealt strictly.
The garment exporters agree to these demands because they are able to gain maximum profits even after that.


How do the garment exporters meet the conditions set by the foreign buyers?

The garment exporters cut costs. They get maximum work out of the workers at the lowest possible wages.


Who are involved in putting-out system? How is this system advantageous and disadvantageous for the weavers?

The persons involved in the putting-out system are weavers and merchants.
This system is advantageous for the weavers in two ways:
(a) They do not have to spend their money on the purchase of yam.
(b) They are also free from the tension of selling the finished cloth.

This system is disadvantageous for the weavers in these ways:
(a)They have to depend on the merchants for raw materials as well as markets.
(b)Under this system, the merchants become very powerful. They give orders for what is to be made and they pay a very low price for making the cloth.
(c)The weavers have no way of knowing who they are making the cloth for or at what price it will be sold.


How do weaver's cooperatives reduce the dependence of weavers on the cloth merchants?

In a cooperative people with common interests come together and work for their mutual benefit. In a weaver's cooperative, the weavers form a group and take up certain activities collectively. They get yarn from the yarn dealer and distribute it among the weavers. The cooperative also does the marketing. In this way, the role of the merchants is reduced and weavers get a fair price on the cloth that they produce by dint of their hard labour.


What do the following people do at the Erode cloth market - merchants, weavers, exporters?

Merchants - They supply cloth on order to garment manufacturers and exporters around the country. They purchase the yam and give instructions to the weavers about the kind of cloth that is to be made.
Weavers - They make cloth and bring this to the Erode cloth market for sale. They also make cloth on order from the merchant.
Exporters - They use the cloth to make shirts to export them to foreign buyers.


Class 7 Civics Extra Questions