Question

The action or practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer is known as...................

• A. Jhuming
• B. Transhumance
• C. Animal Husbandary
• D. Swidden Method

Hint:

Think of Gujjar and Bakarwal herders moving between hills and plains with the seasons.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question describes a way of life in which herders take animals up to the mountains in summer and down to the plains in winter. We need the correct term for it.

Step 2: Recall the term:
This seasonal movement of herds between pastures at different heights is called transhumance. Gujjars, Bakarwals and Bhotias in the Himalayas are well known examples.

Step 3: Check option 1:
Jhuming is shifting cultivation practised in the hills of Northeast India. It is about growing crops after clearing forest, not about moving animals. So it is wrong.

Step 4: Check option 2:
Transhumance matches every part of the description: livestock, seasonal cycle, lowlands in winter and highlands in summer. So it is correct.

Step 5: Check option 3:
Animal husbandry is the general care and breeding of animals. It does not mean seasonal movement between grazing grounds, so it is too broad and wrong.

Step 6: Check option 4:
The swidden method is another name for slash and burn farming, which is a crop growing method. It does not involve herd movement, so it is wrong.

Final Answer:
The seasonal movement of herds between highland and lowland pastures is transhumance, option 2.
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