Unit-2 : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 53
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Main Course Book (MCB) Chapter 7
Q1 : Working in pairs, answer the following questions:
1. Name two states with the lowest female literacy.
2. Name two states with the highest female literacy.
3. Name two states that rank second in female literacy.
Answer :
1. Bihar and Jharkhand are two states with the lowest female literacy.
2. Kerala and Mizoram are two states with the highest female literacy.
3. Delhi and Goa are the two states that rank second in the female literacy.
Q2 : What do you think are the causes for female illiteracy in India?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Answer :
This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, some pointers for discussion have been provided for your reference.
A few of the causes for female illiteracy in India are:
Patriarchal nature of the Indian society
Conservative attitude of parents towards modernity
Partisan attitude towards the male child and undervaluing the female child
Q3 : On the basis of your reading of the story and the discussion between the girls in the following picture, have a whole class discussion on-The Need to Recognize and Empower the Girl Child
- Save us. We have a dream too.
- The hardest profession to take in life is being a girl child!
- A whole range of discriminatory practices including female foeticide, female infanticide, son idolisation, early marriage and dowry have buried the future of the girl child
- A little amount of care, a handful of warmth and a heart full of love for a girl child can make a big difference.
- Did you know that every year 12 million girls are born in the country but unfortunately only 1/3 of those survive? Some are killed in the womb, some at the time of birth, some die due to ill health and some due to poor nutritional status.
- Why do people discriminate against us for nutrition and even education?
Answer :
This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, some pointers for discussion have been provided for your reference.
- Need for compulsory education of girls on a primary level;
- Discouraging female infanticide and pre-birth sex determination.
- Making girls worth earning their own livelihood before they get married.
- Reducing discrimination between boys and girls by various means like media, awareness campaigns, pamphlets, etc.
- Healthcare and other facilities should be taken care of, etc.
Q4 : On the occasion of Women’s Day, your school Literary Club organizes a Speech Competition on the topic – “Empowering the Girl Child is the Best Way to Empower the Nation”. On the basis of the input given above and your own ideas, draft the speech.
Answer :
This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, some pointers for discussion have been provided for your reference.
Importance of a girl child in present day society
A boy taught is an individual benefit while educating a girl benefits the entire family;
- Reasons and causes of injustice
- Affirmative action in the issue of justice;
- Initiation against brutalities done to girl child;
- Promoting awareness about financial independence among females;
- Awareness campaigns, rallies and programmes to put boys and girls on the same platform;
- Need for compulsory education of girls on a primary level;
- Healthcare and other facilities should be taken care of, etc.
Q5 : Did you note that in spite of the Government’s initiatives and provisions made for the girl child, the statistics shown in the enrolment position of girls in primary and upper primary are not very encouraging. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily, expressing your concern about the issue and the need to work on a war footing to counter the problem of poor enrolment of girls.
Answer :
This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, a sample solution has been provided for your reference.
Date: 21 March, 2011
The Editor,
The Times of India,
7, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi, Delhi- 110002
Dear Editor,
Subject: Poor Enrolment of Girls in Primary and Upper Primary School
By writing to the Times of India, I would like to inform your readers about the state of female literacy in India. India is a country where the majority of its population is below the age of 35. It is a country of young people. Consequently, education is a service which can play a big role in cultivating the youth of the nation.
Unfortunately, a lot of gender disparity exists in our country. The birth of a male child is celebrated with aplomb while the birth of a female child is lamented. The statistics reveal that out of the total number of children enrolled in schools in the year 1999-2000, only 43.6% girls were enrolled in primary school and 40.4% were enrolled in upper primary school. In the year 2004-2005, only 46.7% girls were enrolled in primary school and 44.43% were enrolled in upper primary school. These figures go to show that female literacy has a long way to go in India.
It is imperative that the government takes steps to ensure better participation of the female child in education. It is also important to change conservative social attitudes towards the girl child’s education. Like Jawaharlal Nehru once said – “By educating a woman, you are educating an entire family.”
Yours sincerely,
XYZ
Kendriya Vidyalaya,
New Friends Colony,
New Delhi,
Delhi 110023