Tertiary and Quaternary Activities is an important chapter of Human Geography that explains the growing significance of the service sector in modern economies. The chapter discusses trade, transport, communication, tourism, medical tourism, outsourcing, quaternary services and quinary activities that drive economic development in the contemporary world.
This question bank contains MCQs, one-word questions, assertion and reason questions and important descriptive questions designed for effective revision and practice. The chapter is highly useful for CBSE Board Exams, CUET, UPSC, SSC, PSC, Railways and various competitive examinations because it covers modern service-based economic activities and knowledge-oriented sectors.
Source: NCERT Class 12 Geography Chapter 6 – Tertiary and Quaternary Activities.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQs)
These MCQs from Tertiary and Quaternary Activities cover services, trade, transport, communication, tourism, outsourcing, KPO, BPO, medical tourism and digital divide concepts frequently asked in examinations.
1. Tertiary activities are primarily related to:
B. Mining
C. Service sector
D. Manufacturing
2. Which of the following is a tertiary activity?
B. Trading
C. Hunting
D. Fishing
3. The output of tertiary activities is mainly measured through:
B. Tangible goods
C. Wages and salaries
D. Agricultural production
4. Which of the following is NOT directly involved in processing raw materials?
B. Mining
C. Tertiary activities
D. Agriculture
5. The main basis of tertiary activities is:
B. Factory production
C. Specialized skills and knowledge
D. Raw materials
6. Trade essentially means:
B. Buying and selling
C. Transportation
D. Farming
7. Trading centres may be divided into:
B. Rural and urban
C. Primary and secondary
D. Large and small
8. Rural marketing centres generally serve:
B. Nearby settlements
C. International markets
D. Ports
9. Weekly and bi-weekly markets are known as:
B. Chain stores
C. Periodic markets
D. Department stores
10. Urban marketing centres provide:
B. Specialized goods and services
C. Only local products
D. Mining products
11. Retail trading involves:
B. Bulk trading
C. Manufacturing
D. Transportation
12. Which is an example of non-store retail trading?
B. Mall
C. Internet selling
D. Supermarket
13. Consumer cooperatives were:
B. First transport network
C. First communication system
D. First tourism model
14. Wholesale trading mainly deals in:
B. Bulk business
C. Tourism
D. Education
15. Transport is primarily a service for:
B. Carrying people and goods
C. Mining minerals
D. Farming
16. Isochrone lines connect places having equal:
B. Population
C. Time distance
D. Production
17. A node in a transport network is:
B. A bridge
C. Meeting point of routes
D. A vehicle
18. Communication services involve transmission of:
B. Crops
C. Words, messages and ideas
D. Machinery
19. Which development has made communication largely independent of transport?
B. Mobile telephony and satellites
C. Railways
D. Waterways
20. Radio and television are known as:
B. Mass media
C. Rural media
D. Industrial media
21. Which technology has revolutionised global communication?
B. Morse Code
C. Internet
D. Postal System
22. Which of the following is a low-order service?
B. Physician
C. Grocery shop
D. Auditor
23. Mumbai’s dabbawala service serves approximately:
B. 75,000 customers
C. 1,75,000 customers
D. 2,50,000 customers
24. Tourism is travel undertaken mainly for:
B. Recreation
C. Manufacturing
D. Trade
25. Tourism accounts for approximately what percentage of total global GDP according to the chapter?
B. 20%
C. 30%
D. 40%
26. The West Coast of India is famous for:
B. Tourism
C. Manufacturing
D. Forestry
27. India emerged as a leading country in:
B. Educational tourism
C. Medical tourism
D. Mining tourism
28. Medical tourism combines:
B. Agriculture and trade
C. Medical treatment and tourism
D. Education and transport
29. Quaternary activities are mainly:
B. Manufacturing
C. Knowledge-oriented services
D. Agriculture
30. Quaternary activities involve:
B. Farming
C. Mining
D. Construction
31. More than half of workers in developed economies belong to:
B. Industrial sector
C. Knowledge sector
D. Mining sector
32. The highest level of decision-making activities are called:
B. Secondary
C. Quaternary
D. Quinary
33. Quinary activities are often referred to as:
B. Gold collar professions
C. Pink collar professions
D. Grey collar professions
34. Outsourcing means:
B. Giving work to an outside agency
C. Internal production
D. Retail selling
35. KPO stands for:
B. Knowledge Production Office
C. Knowledge Planning Organisation
D. Knowledge Process Office
36. KPO differs from BPO because it requires:
B. Highly skilled workers
C. Agricultural labourers
D. Factory workers
37. Unequal access to ICT is known as:
B. Service divide
C. Digital divide
D. Communication barrier
38. Which activity belongs to the quaternary sector?
B. Printing books
C. University teaching
D. Paper production
Looking for other chapters ?
International Trade
Transport and Communication
Secondary Activities
Primary Activities
Human Development
The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth
Human Geography: Nature and Scope
ONE-WORD / VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
-
Which sector are tertiary activities related to?
Answer: Service Sector | Page Reference: 45 -
What is the commercial output of tertiary activities called?
Answer: Services | Page Reference: 45 -
What are towns and cities engaged in buying and selling called?
Answer: Trading Centres | Page Reference: 47 -
What are weekly or bi-weekly rural markets called?
Answer: Periodic Markets | Page Reference: 47 -
What type of trading sells goods directly to consumers?
Answer: Retail Trading | Page Reference: 47 -
What type of trading deals in bulk business?
Answer: Wholesale Trading | Page Reference: 48 -
What line joins places with equal travel time?
Answer: Isochrone | Page Reference: 48 -
What is the meeting point of transport routes called?
Answer: Node | Page Reference: 48 -
What is a road joining two nodes called?
Answer: Link | Page Reference: 48 -
Which communication technology revolutionized global communication?
Answer: Internet | Page Reference: 49 -
What are radio and television collectively called?
Answer: Mass Media | Page Reference: 49 -
Name the famous lunch delivery service of Mumbai.
Answer: Dabbawala Service | Page Reference: 49 -
What is travel for recreation called?
Answer: Tourism | Page Reference: 50 -
What type of tourism combines treatment and travel?
Answer: Medical Tourism | Page Reference: 51 -
What sector deals with information and knowledge services?
Answer: Quaternary Sector | Page Reference: 51 -
Which sector involves top-level decision making?
Answer: Quinary Sector | Page Reference: 51 -
What are quinary professionals often called?
Answer: Gold Collar Professionals | Page Reference: 51 -
What is transferring work to an outside agency called?
Answer: Outsourcing | Page Reference: 52 -
What is outsourcing to overseas locations called?
Answer: Offshoring | Page Reference: 52 -
What does KPO stand for?
Answer: Knowledge Processing Outsourcing | Page Reference: 51 -
What does BPO stand for?
Answer: Business Process Outsourcing | Page Reference: 51 -
What term describes unequal ICT access?
Answer: Digital Divide | Page Reference: 52
ASSERTION AND REASON QUESTIONS
Question 1
Assertion (A): Tertiary activities are service-oriented activities.
Reason (R): They involve the provision of services rather than production of goods.
Question 2
Assertion (A): Skilled labour is important in tertiary activities.
Reason (R): Service sector depends on expertise and training.
Question 3
Assertion (A): Trade is a tertiary activity.
Reason (R): It involves buying and selling goods produced elsewhere.
Question 4
Assertion (A): Rural marketing centres are highly specialized.
Reason (R): They mainly serve nearby rural settlements.
Question 5
Assertion (A): Periodic markets operate daily.
Reason (R): They are organized at weekly or bi-weekly intervals.
Question 6
Assertion (A): Retail trading directly serves consumers.
Reason (R): Goods are sold directly to end users.
Question 7
Assertion (A): Wholesale trading generally deals in bulk.
Reason (R): It operates through intermediary merchants.
Question 8
Assertion (A): Transport increases the value of goods.
Reason (R): It assists production, distribution and consumption.
Question 9
Assertion (A): Radio and television are forms of mass media.
Reason (R): They communicate information to large audiences.
Question 10
Assertion (A): The internet revolutionized communication.
Reason (R): It enables global communication networks.
Question 11
Assertion (A): Tourism is the world’s largest tertiary activity.
Reason (R): It generates huge employment and revenue.
Question 12
Assertion (A): India is a leading destination for medical tourism.
Reason (R): It offers world-class medical facilities.
Question 13
Assertion (A): Quaternary activities are knowledge-oriented.
Reason (R): They involve information generation and dissemination.
Question 14
Assertion (A): Quinary activities involve high-level decision making.
Reason (R): They are performed by senior executives and policymakers.
Question 15
Assertion (A): KPO and BPO are identical.
Reason (R): KPO requires highly skilled workers unlike BPO.
IMPORTANT EXAM-BASED CONCEPT QUESTIONS
- Define tertiary activities and explain their characteristics. (Page Reference: 45)
- Differentiate between secondary and tertiary activities. (Page Reference: 45)
- Explain the importance of skilled manpower in the service sector. (Page Reference: 45)
- Discuss the major types of tertiary activities. (Page Reference: 45-47)
- Explain the role of trade and commerce in economic development. (Page Reference: 47)
- Differentiate between rural and urban marketing centres. (Page Reference: 47)
- Explain the significance of periodic markets in rural areas. (Page Reference: 47)
- Differentiate between retail trading and wholesale trading. (Page Reference: 47-48)
- Explain the role of consumer cooperatives, departmental stores and chain stores. (Page Reference: 48)
- Define transport and discuss its importance. (Page Reference: 48)
- Explain network and accessibility in transportation. (Page Reference: 48)
- Discuss the factors affecting transport routes. (Page Reference: 48)
- Explain the importance of communication services. (Page Reference: 48-49)
- Discuss the impact of telecommunications on society. (Page Reference: 49)
- Explain the role of radio, television and internet in communication. (Page Reference: 49)
- Differentiate between low-order and high-order services. (Page Reference: 49)
- Explain the significance of tourism in economic development. (Page Reference: 50)
- Discuss the major tourist attractions of the world. (Page Reference: 50)
- Explain the concept and advantages of medical tourism. (Page Reference: 50-51)
- Define quaternary activities and discuss their importance. (Page Reference: 51)
- Explain the concept of the knowledge sector. (Page Reference: 51)
- Differentiate between quaternary and quinary activities. (Page Reference: 51)
- What is outsourcing? Discuss its advantages. (Page Reference: 51-52)
- Explain the difference between KPO and BPO. (Page Reference: 51)
- What is offshoring? Explain with examples. (Page Reference: 52)
- Discuss the causes and consequences of digital divide. (Page Reference: 52)
- Explain how ICT has transformed the modern economy. (Page Reference: 52)
DATA, FACTS AND EXAM FACTS
-
Tourism provides approximately 250 million registered jobs worldwide.
Page Reference: 50 -
Tourism contributes around 40% of total GDP according to the chapter.
Page Reference: 50 -
About 55,000 patients from the USA visited India in 2005 for treatment.
Page Reference: 50 -
Mumbai’s dabbawala service serves around 1,75,000 customers.
Page Reference: 49 -
More than half of workers in developed countries belong to the knowledge sector.
Page Reference: 51 -
India, China, Eastern Europe, Israel, Philippines and Costa Rica are major outsourcing destinations.
Page Reference: 51
DIRECT NCERT BOOK-BACK QUESTIONS
- Explain retail trading service. (Page Reference: 53)
- Describe quaternary services. (Page Reference: 53)
- Name the fast emerging countries of medical tourism in the world. (Page Reference: 53)
- What is digital divide? (Page Reference: 53)
- Discuss the significance and growth of the service sector in modern economic development. (Page Reference: 53)
- Explain in detail the significance of transport and communication services. (Page Reference: 53)
VERY IMPORTANT REVISION POINTS
- Tertiary activities belong to the service sector.
- Services depend on specialized skills, knowledge and training.
- Trade involves buying and selling goods.
- Trading centres are classified into rural and urban marketing centres.
- Retail trading sells directly to consumers.
- Wholesale trading deals in bulk business.
- Transport enhances the value of goods.
- Isochrones connect places with equal travel time.
- Communication includes transmission of messages, facts and ideas.
- Internet has revolutionized global communication.
- Radio and television are forms of mass media.
- Tourism is among the largest tertiary activities in the world.
- India is a leading destination for medical tourism.
- Quaternary activities are knowledge-based activities.
- Quinary activities involve top-level decision making.
- Quinary professionals are called gold collar professionals.
- Outsourcing reduces costs and improves efficiency.
- KPO requires highly skilled workers and knowledge-intensive work.
- Digital divide refers to unequal access to ICT facilities.
- Developed countries generally have better digital connectivity than developing countries.