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Secondary Activities – Class 12 Geography notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 12 Geography, chapter 5. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

Secondary activities add value to natural resources by transforming raw materials into useful products. Manufacturing is the main secondary activity, ranging from household industries to large-scale industries. Industries are located on the basis of access to markets, raw materials, labour, power, transport and government policy. Industries are classified by size, inputs, output and ownership, and high-tech industries are a modern trend.

Manufacturing and location

Modern large-scale manufacturing involves specialised skills, mechanisation, technological innovation, organisational structure and uneven geographical distribution.
Location factors include access to markets and raw materials, labour supply, sources of energy, transport and communication, government policy and agglomeration economies.
Footloose industries, such as those making electronic components, can be located almost anywhere because they use light components and are not tied to raw materials.

Classification of industries

By size: household or cottage, small-scale and large-scale industries.
By inputs: agro-based, mineral-based (ferrous and non-ferrous), chemical-based, forest-based and animal-based industries; by output: basic industries (producing goods for other industries, such as iron and steel) and consumer goods industries.
By ownership: public sector, private sector, joint sector and co-operative sector; high-technology industries and industrial technopoles such as Silicon Valley and Bengaluru are recent developments.

Key terms

Manufacturing: the process of converting raw materials into finished goods
Footloose industry: an industry that is not tied to a particular location
Agglomeration economies: benefits that industries gain by locating near one another
Basic industry: an industry whose products are used to make other goods
Technopole: a planned concentration of high-tech industries and research

Important questions with answers

What are footloose industries?2 marks

Footloose industries are those that can be located in a wide variety of places because they are not dependent on any specific raw material. They use light components, produce in small quantities, employ a small labour force and are generally non-polluting, such as electronics and computer hardware industries.

How are industries classified on the basis of ownership?3 marks

Public sector industries are owned and managed by the government; private sector industries are owned by individuals or companies; joint sector industries are owned jointly by the government and private firms; and co-operative sector industries are owned and run by producers or workers, such as dairy and sugar co-operatives.

Discuss the factors that influence the location of industries.5 marks

Industries choose locations that reduce costs and increase profits, and several factors influence this choice. Access to markets is important because industries need buyers; perishable or bulky finished goods are often produced near markets. Access to raw materials matters especially when the raw material is heavy, perishable or loses weight in processing, as with sugar, iron and steel and cement. A supply of labour, whether skilled or unskilled, attracts labour-intensive industries. Sources of power are important for industries that consume much energy, such as aluminium smelting, which is located near cheap electricity. Efficient transport and communication reduce the cost of moving raw materials and finished goods. Government policy, including incentives, tax concessions and the development of industrial estates and special economic zones, can attract industries to backward regions. Agglomeration economies arise when many industries locate close together and share infrastructure, services, suppliers and skilled workers. Modern footloose and high-tech industries are less tied to raw materials and are influenced more by skilled labour, research institutions, good communications and quality of life, as seen in Bengaluru and Silicon Valley.

Quick revision

Secondary activities add value.
Location factors; footloose industries.
Classification by size, inputs, output, ownership.
High-tech industries and technopoles.

Exam tips

Make a classification tree of industries by size, input, output and ownership.
Give one Indian example for each type of industry.

Practice MCQs

Converting raw materials into finished goods is called
1. mining
2. trading
3. manufacturing
4. gathering
Show answer
Answer: (c) manufacturing. It is a secondary activity.
The cotton textile industry is an example of
1. agro-based industry
2. mineral-based industry
3. forest-based industry
4. animal-based industry
Show answer
Answer: (a) agro-based industry. Cotton is an agricultural raw material.
An industry that can be located almost anywhere is called
1. basic industry
2. heavy industry
3. footloose industry
4. cottage industry
Show answer
Answer: (c) footloose industry. It uses light components.
The iron and steel industry is a
1. consumer goods industry
2. cottage industry
3. basic industry
4. service industry
Show answer
Answer: (c) basic industry. Its products are used by other industries.
Industries owned by the government belong to the
1. private sector
2. co-operative sector
3. public sector
4. household sector
Show answer
Answer: (c) public sector. Examples include SAIL and BHEL.
Silicon Valley is an example of a
1. mining region
2. dairy belt
3. plantation
4. technopole
Show answer
Answer: (d) technopole. It concentrates high-tech industry.
Why do many industries cluster in one area
1. to avoid markets
2. because raw materials are absent
3. to gain agglomeration economies such as shared infrastructure and services
4. to reduce employment
Show answer
Answer: (c) to gain agglomeration economies such as shared infrastructure and services. Clustering lowers costs.
Which industry is usually located near its raw material because the material loses much weight in processing
1. sugar
2. software
3. garments
4. jewellery
Show answer
Answer: (a) sugar. Sugarcane must be crushed quickly and loses weight.

All chapters of Class 12 Geography

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.