NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Chapter 13 The Value Of Work
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
The chapter’s one idea: every kind of honest work has value, even when nobody pays for it. Swami Vivekananda’s line opens the chapter — “When you are doing any work, do not think of anything beyond. Do it as worship, as the highest worship, and devote your whole life to it for the time being.” Whether a person flies an aircraft, drives a bulldozer, stitches a shirt, tills a field, cooks a family’s dinner or teaches the neighbourhood children for free, the work is worth respect. All activities fall into two groups — economic and non-economic. Page 185 defines the first: “ Economic activities are those that involve money or are performed in exchange for money or money’s worth for the parties involved.” Page 186 defines the second: “ Non-economic activities are those that do not generate inco
- Chapter opening
- Anu’s and Kabir’s story
- Classifying the same activities as economic or non-economic
- Free teaching, and the non-economic work in your own family
- Value addition
- Which activities and professions create monetary value?
- Community participation, festivals and community programmes
- The chapter in three points
- End-of-chapter exercise
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Worth remembering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic activity | An activity “that involves money or is performed in exchange for money or money’s worth for the parties involved” | Page 185 | The test is the exchange, not the effort — a pilot, a farmer, a truck driver, a factory worker |
| Non-economic activity | An activity that does “not generate income or wealth but [is] done out of feelings like gratitude, love, care and respect” | Page 186 | No money — but never “no value” |
| Money’s worth | “The monetary value that a person places on an object based on the benefit that they derive from it” | Page 185, margin | Why a payment in mangoes still counts as payment |
| Market | “A place where people engage in the exchange of goods and services” | Page 185, margin | Goods can be swapped for goods, “but in most markets these are exchanged for money” |
| Fee | “A payment made to a person or organisation in exchange for professional advice or services” | Page 185, margin | A doctor, a lawyer — and Kavya’s aunt’s weekly charge for her online classes |
| Salary | “A fixed regular payment generally paid monthly by an employer to an employee” | Page 187, margin | Geeta Aunty, Rohan, Kavya’s uncle and Kavya’s aunt all draw one |
| Wage | “A payment made by the employer to the worker for a specific period of time” | Page 189, margin | Sahil the farm labourer earns a daily wage — salary is monthly, wage is by the day or hour |
| Payment in kind | “A non-cash payment that is received for the work performed” | Page 189, margin | Sahil’s mangoes “of equal value” — goods instead of cash |
| Value addition | The increase in value at “each stage of the process of transforming something into another form” | Pages 189–190 | ₹1,000 − ₹600 = ₹400, the money value of Rajesh’s skill, time and effort |
| Sevā | Selfless service, seen “in temples, gurudwaras, mosques and churches” | Page 191 | The langar at a gurudwara “serves food to every visitor for free” |
| Swachh Bharat Abhiyan | A cleanliness mission “based on the collective efforts of all Indian citizens to keep our surroundings clean” | Page 192 | Shows what community participation can do that no single person can |
| Van Mahotsav | “The festival of forests”, celebrated “to promote awareness about the value of trees and the conservation of forests” | Pages 192–193 | “The initiative brings together members of the community for tree plantation drives” |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 183
- Anu’s and Kabir’s story — LET’S EXPLORE Page 185
- Classifying the same activities as economic or non-economic — LET’S EXPLORE Page 187
- Free teaching, and the non-economic work in your own family — THINK ABOUT IT Page 187
- Economic activities on your way to school, and how those people are paid — THINK ABOUT IT Page 189
- Value addition — In-text Question Page 190
- Which activities and professions create monetary value? — LET’S EXPLORE Page 191
- Community participation, festivals and community programmes — THINK ABOUT IT Page 193
- The chapter in three points — Before we move on… Page 193
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions, activities and projects Page 193