Odisha BSE HSC Social Science flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Chauri Chaura incident

In February 1922 a mob burned a police station in Gorakhpur district, killing policemen; Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement because of the violence.

Dandi March

Gandhi walked about 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi in March–April 1930 and made salt, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement against the salt tax.

Purna Swaraj resolution

Passed at the Lahore session of the Congress in December 1929 under Jawaharlal Nehru; it demanded complete independence and fixed 26 January 1930 as the first Independence Day.

Government of India Act 1935

British law that abolished dyarchy in provinces, granted provincial autonomy, set up a federal structure and provided for a Reserve Bank of India; basis for later Indian Constitution.

Partition of Bengal

Division of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon, which sparked the Swadeshi and Boycott movements; the partition was reversed in 1911 after widespread protest.

Odisha province formation

Odisha became a separate province on 1 April 1936 under the Government of India Act 1935, the first Indian province formed on a linguistic basis.

Article 32

Right to Constitutional Remedies; it lets a citizen move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Ambedkar called it the heart and soul of the Constitution.

Directive Principles

Guidelines in Part IV (Articles 36–51) directing the state toward welfare goals such as equal pay and free education; they are not enforceable in courts.

Money Bill

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing or the Consolidated Fund; it can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha with the President's recommendation, and the Rajya Sabha cannot amend it.

73rd Amendment

1992 constitutional amendment giving Panchayati Raj constitutional status; it mandates a three-tier system, five-year terms and one-third reservation for women.

Election Commission of India

Constitutional body under Article 324 that conducts elections to Parliament, State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President; it does not conduct panchayat elections.

Rajya Sabha composition

Upper house with a maximum of 250 members: up to 238 elected by State and UT legislators and 12 nominated by the President for contributions to literature, science, art or public service.

Anti-defection law

Tenth Schedule provision under which an elected member who voluntarily leaves a party or defies its whip loses membership of the House.

Federal features of Constitution

Written constitution, division of powers with Union, State and Concurrent Lists, bicameralism, independent judiciary and dual polity; India is called a quasi-federal state.

Chilika Lake

Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon, on Odisha's east coast; famous for migratory birds, Irrawaddy dolphins and fisheries, connected to the Bay of Bengal.

Mahanadi river

Odisha's longest river, rising in Chhattisgarh; its Hirakud Dam near Sambalpur is one of the longest earthen dams in the world and controls floods.

Similipal Biosphere Reserve

Protected forest area in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, known for tigers, elephants and the melanistic tiger; declared a biosphere reserve and part of Project Tiger.

Tropic of Cancer in India

The 23°30'N latitude passes through eight Indian states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.

Black soil

Also called regur or cotton soil; formed from lava, rich in iron and magnesium, moisture-retentive, and best suited to cotton in the Deccan plateau.

Laterite soil

Leached soil formed in heavy-rainfall areas; low in nitrogen and lime, rich in iron and aluminium, used for tea, coffee, cashew and rubber with fertilisers.

Southwest monsoon

Seasonal wind from the Indian Ocean arriving about June, splitting into the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal branches; it brings most of India's annual rainfall.

Contour lines

Map lines joining points of equal elevation; closely spaced lines show a steep slope, widely spaced lines a gentle slope, and closed loops a hill or depression.

GDP and GNP

GDP is the value of goods and services produced within a country's borders; GNP adds net factor income from abroad to GDP.

Price elasticity of demand

Percentage change in quantity demanded divided by percentage change in price; demand is elastic when the value exceeds one and inelastic when below one.

Disguised unemployment

A situation where more workers are engaged in a job than needed, common in Indian family farms, so removing some workers does not reduce output.

Repo rate

Rate at which the RBI lends short-term funds to commercial banks; raising it reduces money supply and helps control inflation.

CRR and SLR

Cash Reserve Ratio is the share of deposits banks keep with the RBI; Statutory Liquidity Ratio is the share held in approved securities; both control credit.

Inflation effects

A sustained rise in price level; it hurts fixed-income earners and creditors, benefits debtors, and reduces the purchasing power of money.

Primary sector

Economic activities that directly use natural resources, such as agriculture, fishing, mining and forestry; it employs the largest share of India's workforce.

Human Development Index

Composite index of life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and per capita income, used to compare countries' development.

Satyashodhak Samaj

Society founded by Jyotiba Phule in 1873 in Maharashtra to fight caste oppression and promote education for lower castes and women.

Lucknow Pact 1916

Agreement between the Congress and the Muslim League on separate electorates and representation, marking unity between Moderates and Extremists during the First World War.