Q.What is a non-economic activity? Give an example.

Not everything a person does is aimed at earning money — some activities are done purely out of feeling or duty.

A non-economic activity is any human activity carried out without a monetary motive. Instead, the person performing it is driven by love, affection, sympathy, religious belief, patriotism, social duty, or simple personal pleasure. Because there is no price or income attached to the activity, its value cannot be counted in a country's national income even though it may have great emotional or social importance. Examples that Andhra Pradesh Intermediate commerce students commonly cite include a mother cooking food for her family, a student donating blood at a camp, a person offering prayers, a citizen taking part in a village cleaning drive, or someone gardening purely as a hobby. Such activities are excluded from the study of business, profession and employment precisely because they lack the earning motive that defines an economic activity.

A frequent error is assuming an activity is non-economic simply because no cash changes hands in that instant, ignoring that the underlying motive (not the presence of cash) is what decides the classification. Students should also avoid vague examples like "helping someone" without specifying the motive of love, duty or sympathy behind it.