Class 7 Civics Chapter 5 Question Answers - Women Change the World

Q1. Mention any two stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do.
Ans: Stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do are:

• Many people believe that women make better nurses because they are more patient and gentle.
• It is believed that science requires a technical mind and girls and women are not capable of dealing with technical things.

Q2. What are some of the pressures that boys experience?
Ans: Some of the pressures that boys experience are:

• Boys at an early age are encouraged not to cry in front of others.
• They are also teased and bullied if they do not behave like other boys.
• Boys are pressurised to think about getting a job that will pay a good salary.

Q3. Why does government of India conduct census every 10 years?
Ans: India has a census every 10 years, which counts the whole population of the country. It also gathers detailed information about the people living in India – their age, schooling, what work they do, and so on. We use this information to measure many things, like the number of literate people, and the ratio of men and women.

Q4. What is Sultana’s Dream about?
Ans: This story imagined a woman called Sultana who reaches a place called Ladyland. Ladyland is a place where women had the freedom to study, work, and create inventions like controlling rain from the clouds and flying air cars. In this Ladyland, the men had been sent into seclusion – their aggressive guns and other weapons of war defeated by the brain-power of women.

Q5. List one reason why learning the alphabet was so important to women like Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya?
Ans: Learning the alphabet was so important to women like Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya because alphabet is the building block of literacy. After learning that, they were able to put an impact on the societies by writing stories, letters, and autobiographies.

Q6. What do you understand Women’s Movement?
Ans: Women and girls now have the right to study and go to school. There are other spheres – like legal reform, violence and health – where the situation of women and girls has improved. These changes have not happened automatically. Women individually and collectively have struggled to bring about these changes. This struggle is known as the Women’s Movement.

Q7. Who set up a mission in Khedgaon near Pune in 1898? What was the mission about? How did the mission help the women?
Ans: Ramabai set up a Mission in Khedgaon near Pune in 1898, where widows and poor women were encouraged not only to become literate but to be independent. They were taught a variety of skills from carpentry to running a printing press, skills that are not usually taught to girls even today. Ramabai’s Mission is still active today.

Q8. “Rashsundari Devi was not a superstitious woman”. Discuss.
Ans: Rashsundari Devi was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was believed that if a woman learnt to read and write, she would bring bad luck to her husband and become a widow. She was not superstitious, so she took this belief as false and taught herself how to read and write in secret, well after her marriage. At the age of 60, she wrote her autobiography in Bangla.

Q9. Mention the changes that occurred with emergence of new ideas about education and learning in 19th century?
Ans:  In the nineteenth century, many new ideas about education and learning emerged. Schools became more common and communities that had never learnt reading and writing started sending their children to school. But there was a lot of opposition to educating girls even then. Yet many women and men made efforts to open schools for girls. Women struggled to learn to read and write.

Q10. How do you think stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, affect women’s right to equality?
Ans: Stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, affect women’s right to equality:

• Many girls do not get the same support that boys do to study and train to become doctors and engineers.
• In most families, once girls finish school, they are encouraged by their families to see marriage as their main aim in life.

Q11. Why was Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain stopped from learning Bangla and English? How did she learn these languages?
Ans: She was stopped from learning Bangla and English. In those days, English was seen as a language that would expose girls to new ideas, which people thought were not correct for them. Therefore, it was mostly boys who were taught English. Rokeya learnt to read and write Bangla and English with the support of her elder brother and an elder sister.

Q12. Write short note about Rashsundari Devi and her contribution to society in improving women situation.
Ans: Rashsundari Devi was born in West Bengal, some 200 years ago. At the age of 60, she wrote her autobiography in Bangla. Her book titled Amar Jiban is the first known autobiography written by an Indian woman. Rashsundari Devi was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was believed that if a woman learnt to read and write, she would bring bad luck to her husband and become a widow. Despite this, she taught herself how to read and write in secret, well after her marriage.

Q13. Though literacy rates have increased since independence then what is the major concern?
Ans: According to the 1961 census, about 40 per cent of all boys and men were literate compared to just 15 per cent of all girls and women. In the most recent census of 2001, these figures have grown to 76 per cent for boys and men, and 54 per cent for girls and women. This means that the proportion of both men and women who are now able to read and have at least some amount of schooling has increased. But, the concern is that, the percentage of the male group is still higher than the female group. The gap has not gone away.

Q14. Write brief note about Ramabai?
Ans: 

• Ramabai championed the cause of women’s education. She never went to school but learnt to read and write from her parents.
• She was given the title ‘Pandita’ because she could read and write Sanskrit, a remarkable achievement as women then were not allowed such knowledge.
• She went on to set up a Mission in Khedgaon near Pune in 1898, where widows and poor women were encouraged not only to become literate but to be independent.

Q15. Give a brief life sketch of Laxmi Lakra?
Ans: 

• Laxmi Lakra is from a poor tribal family in Jharkhand. She is the first woman engine driver for Northern Railways.
• Laxmi studied in a government school. She studied hard and did well and then went on to get a diploma in electronics.
• She then took the railway board exam and passed it on her first attempt. In this way she broke the stereotype that engine drivers could be men only.
• Laxmi says, “I love challenges and the moment somebody says it is not for girls, I make sure I go ahead and do it.” Laxmi has had to do this several times in her life – when she wanted to take electronics; when she rode motorcycles at the polytechnic; and when she decided to become an engine driver.

Q16. Why do you think that the percentage of Adivasi girls and boys leaving school is higher than that of any other group?
Ans: There are several reasons why children from Dalit and Adivasi and communities leave school.

• In many parts of the country, especially in rural and poor areas, there may not even be proper schools nor teachers who teach on a regular basis.
• If a school is not close to people’s homes, and there is no transport like buses or vans, parents may not be willing to send their girls to school.
• Many families are too poor and unable to bear the cost of educating all their children. Boys may get preference in this situation.
• Many children also leave school because they are discriminated against by their teacher and classmates.

Q17. “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an education.” Re-read the last paragraph on page 62 and explain why this statement is not true.
Ans: Poor girls do not drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an education. They leave the school because of the following reasons:

• In many parts of the country, especially in rural and poor areas, there may not even be proper schools nor teachers who teach on a regular basis.
• If a school is not close to people’s homes, and there is no transport like buses or vans, parents may not be willing to send their girls to school.
• Many families are too poor and unable to bear the cost of educating all their children. Boys may get preference in this situation.
• Many children also leave school because they are discriminated against by their teacher and classmates.

Q18. Can you describe two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used to raise issues? If you had to organise a struggle against stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, what method would you employ from the ones that you have read about? Why would you choose this particular method?
Ans: Two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used to raise issues were:

• Campaigning: Campaigning is mobilizing public concern in order to achieve a social, political or commercial aim. Campaigns to fight discrimination and violence against women are an important part of the women’s movement. Campaigns have also led to new laws being passed.
• Protesting: It means expressing an objection to what someone has said or done. The women’s movement raises its voice when violations against women take place or for example, when a law or policy acts against their interests. Public rallies and demonstrations are a very powerful way of drawing attention to injustices.

If I had to organise struggle against stereotypes,  about what women can or cannot do, I would like to employ campaigning method as what pressure cannot do, awareness about the issue can do effectively.

Q19. Explain the term Stereotype, Discrimination, Violation and Sexual harassment.
Ans: 

• Stereotype: When we believe that people belonging to particular groups based on religion, wealth, language are bound to have certain fixed characteristics or can only do a certain type of work, we create a stereotype. For example, boys and girls are made to take certain subjects not because he or she has an aptitude for it, but because they are either boys or girls. Stereotypes prevent us from looking at people as unique individuals.
• Discrimination: When we do not treat people equally or with respect we are indulging in discrimination. It happens when people or organisations act on their prejudices. Discrimination usually takes place when we treat someone differently or make a distinction.
• Violation: When someone forcefully breaks the law or a rule or openly shows disrespect, we can say that he or she has committed a violation.
• Sexual harassment: This refers to physical or verbal behaviour that is of a sexual nature and against the wishes of a woman.