Question : Discuss Von Thunen's model of agricultural land use and examine if the model is applicable to India.
(1994)
Answer : An attempt to analyse the locational pattern of agriculuture was first proposed by J.H. Von Thunen. In his work 'Der Isolierte Staat' in 1826, his model adopted a partial equilibrium approach designed to explain the type of agriculture production that would be best carried out at a given location i.e. it is deterministic and normative.
Presumptions: Thunen's main aim was to show how and why agricultural land use varies with distance from the market. His model ....
Question : Discuss the relevance of Von Thunen’s model on agricultural location in the contemporary context.
(2015)
Answer : Von Thunen was a German economist and practicing farmer. He attempted the theory building to interpret the location characteristic of land use pattern. he made certain presumptions in this regard—
Based on these assumptions Von Thumen build his model, in present day context, nature of isotropic plain, transportation links, static nature of commodity are changing. farmer’s behavior ....
Question : Discuss the approaches to the study of behavioral geography.
(2015)
Answer : The Behaviouralism was introduced in 1960s primarily as a reaction to the
Quantitative Revolution. It rejected the postulates that ‘Man is always economic, rational and scientific’ and that ‘Earth’s surface is isotropic’. The approach considers two types of environment- real and perceived.
The ‘Real environment’ is always the same but the ‘Perceived environment’ varies from people to people. Hence a better understanding of man-environment relationship can be made by studying the perceived environment.
The salient features are ....
Question : Explain the necessary conditions of takeoff and subsequent stages of development of a nation as propounded by Rostow.
(2014)
Answer : The “Take-off” Stage: This is the crucial stage which covers a relatively brief period of two to three decades in which the economy transforms itself in such a way that economic growth subsequently takes place more or less automatically. The term “take-off “ implies three things :
First the proportion of investment to national income must rise from 5% to 10% and more so as to outstrip the likely population growth; secondly, the period must be ....
Question : Critically analyse application of models in geography.
(2014)
Answer : For understanding and explaining complex geographical phenomena, models are of great importance. Modelling has, however, been criticized on many counts. Critical views on modelling vary from those which accept modelling but criticize the way in which modelling is done to those which reject modelling as a worthwhile activity in geography.
In the exercise of modelling, the modeller may simplify the complexities of geographical realities too much or too little. Over simplification may mislead students and generate ....
Question : Discuss the views of von Thunen on agricultural location.
(2008)
Answer : The agricultural locational theory was developed by J. H. von Thunen (Germany) in 1926. His model was based on the data collected from his estate,Mecklenberg near Rostock and was rooted in the ideas from the Classical Economic Theory.
The main aim of his study was to explain the variation in the prices of the agricultural products and variations in agricultural land use pattern with distance from the market.
His theory was based on following two postulates:
Postulate1: The ....
Question : Dualism in Geography.
(2007)
Answer : The dualism in geography is as old as geography as a discipline itself. Though its perspectives have been changing over the years but dualism has not. The dualism is also known as dichotomy. In the delineation of the sphere of geography and the methodology to be adopted for its study, there has existed and still exist significant dualism and dichotomies such as systematic versus regional geography, physical versus human geography, deterministic versus possibilitic geography etc.
During ....
Question : Give an account of the functional basis of central place hierarchy.
(2007)
Answer : The central place theory was given by Christaller with a view to analyse the spatial organisation and sequential, hierarchal and orderly distribution of different settlements in a given landscape. It seeks to orgnise the hierarchy of both the urban and rural settlements.
The central place theory advocates that services centres and settlements providing one or more services tend to be located in the centre of the area served. As stated ....
Question : Discuss Weber’s theory of Industrial location, and asses its relevance in the present day context.
(2005)
Answer : Weber’s theory is based on the ‘least cost principle’ which is used to account for location of manufacturing industry. Weber’sapproach is deterministic and normative.
Weber aims to explain the location of industrial activity in terms of three economic factors:
His explanation is based on finding the least cost point for production.
Assumptions: The main assumptions are as follows:
Question : To what extent are the heartland and rimland theories helpful in understanding the world political situation today? Express your opinion clearly.
(2004)
Answer : The geographic relationship of politics in this world, having the popular nomenclature of Geopolitical World Views, have been a subject of continuing interest among scholars. While scholars of the earlier generation had been attempting to explain the pattern of political structure in the world in terms of local and regional variations in environmental conditions, the new thinkers like Mackinder and Spykman, attempted to describe and explain world political patterns in terms of spatial models of ....
Question : Critically examine the stages of Economic Growth Model propounded by Rostov. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
(2003)
Answer : The classic example of a historical model that states that the development history of the west will be repeated in the under developed world is contained in American economic historian W.W. Rostov’s model of stages of economic growth, subtitled ‘A non-communist Manifesto’. Rostov’s desire was to rebut the Communist Menifesto of 1848, written by Marx and Engels.
Rostov postulated a five stage sequence of economic and social development, through which he argued all societies may pass. ....
Question : To what extent do the regional patterns of economic development and human development in the world correspond with each other? Highlight situations of departure, in particular.
(2002)
Answer : Since the advent of human on the planet earth, they have been lying to improve their economic lot with their socio-cultural and technological tools. From wild nuts and fruits to chicken-Biryani, from mud hutments to multistoried airconditional building. But, such development shows a lopsided character and many flock of people and regions have fallen short of even fulfilling their basic needs.
Such disparity in ....
Question : Bring out the main points of difference between the central place theories of Christaller and Losch.
(2002)
Answer : Central place theory is a normative deductive theory based on certain simplifying assumptions. It is concerned with the discovery of order in size and spacing of population cluster and settlements in the landscape.
It envisages a hierarchical structure of settlement with seven or more levels in a meso region with a metropolitan city at its apex.
It was propounded by Christaller in 1933. This theory is based on two fundamental principles—Principle of centralisation and Principle of hierarchy ....
Question : Discuss the concept and application of system analysis in Human Geography.
(2001)
Answer : A system consists of a set of entities with specification of relationships between them and their environment. The study of system, therefore, appears to be associated with the study of complex structures. Geographers have used forms of systems concepts, since the dawn of the subject. However, no methods and techniques had been developed to enable the analysis of complex system in an accurate way before Second World War when systems concepts were invoked in descriptive ....
Question : Examine the theories about population control and explain the relative merits of these theories in limiting population growth.
(1995)
Answer : Though the history of vague thinking on population resource nexus dates back to the days of Plato, yet Thomas Robert Malthus was the first person to systematize information regarding this matter. He undoubtedly was the first scholar to propound a population theory based on his natural law.
Malthusian Theory of Population Growth: Malthus published 'An Essay on Principle of Population' in 1798 and it is to his ideas that the subsequent thinking on the economic approach ....
