A Shirt in the Market — Class 7 Social Science

Take a timed mock test to prepare for your exams.

Chapter Mock Test

Total Marks:40
Duration:45 min
Total Questions:20
Difficulty:Mixed

Test Structure

  • Section A: 10 MCQs (1 mark each)
  • Section B: 6 Short Answer (3 marks each)
  • Section C: 2 Long Answer (5 marks each)

Before taking the test

  • Know the complete market chain: Cotton Farmer → Trader → Ginning → Spinning → Weaving → Garment Factory → Exporter → Foreign Brand
  • Cotton farmers: small land, loans from traders, forced to sell at low prices, debt trap
  • Manufacturing stages: Ginning (remove seeds) → Spinning (make yarn) → Weaving (make cloth) → Garment making (stitch shirts)
  • Putting-out system: merchants give materials to home workers for low wages; merchant controls and profits
  • Garment workers: 12-15 hour days, low wages, no security, no benefits, no overtime pay
  • Foreign brand earns MOST profit; cotton farmer and garment worker earn LEAST
  • Inequality: farmers and workers have no bargaining power; brands and traders control pricing
  • Government role: MSP for crops, minimum wages, labour laws, fair trade practices
  • Compare with Chapter 7: local inequality (Markets Around Us) vs global inequality (A Shirt in the Market)
  • Key message: those who do the hardest work earn the least; those who control brands earn the most

Key Concepts to Remember

Market Chain

Farmer → Trader → Ginning → Spinning → Weaving → Garment Factory → Exporter → Foreign Brand. Price increases at each stage.

Profit Distribution

Farmer: 3-5% (least) | Worker: 2-3% | Exporter: 20-27% | Foreign Brand: 60-67% (most)

Putting-out System

Merchant gives materials → Home worker produces → Merchant collects and sells → Worker gets low wages, merchant gets profit

Government Protection

MSP (fair price for farmers) + Minimum Wages (protect workers) + Labour Laws (working conditions) = Reducing inequality