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English activity XII

The document discusses the importance of women's education and empowerment in society, highlighting that their participation is essential for addressing social, economic, and political issues. It notes that despite constitutional rights, women face significant barriers due to traditions and lack of literacy, which hinder their progress. The passage also mentions the positive impact of the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993 on women's political empowerment and emphasizes the need for educational reform to promote gender equality.

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25 views

English activity XII

The document discusses the importance of women's education and empowerment in society, highlighting that their participation is essential for addressing social, economic, and political issues. It notes that despite constitutional rights, women face significant barriers due to traditions and lack of literacy, which hinder their progress. The passage also mentions the positive impact of the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993 on women's political empowerment and emphasizes the need for educational reform to promote gender equality.

Uploaded by

sohail.abbasi.33382
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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O.

Z ACADEMY
ENGLISH ACTIVITY

Question 1.
Read the passage given below and
answer the questions that follows:
1. Today’s woman is a highly self-directed person, alive to the sense of her dignity and the
importance of her functions in the private domestic domain and the public domain of the world
of work. Women are rational in approach, careful in handling situations and want to do things as
best as possible. The Fourth World Conference of Women held in Beijing in September 1995 had
emphasized that no enduring solution of society’s most threatening social, economic, and
political problems could be found without the participation and empowerment of the women.
The 1995 World Summit for Social Development had also emphasized the pivotal role of women
in eradicating poverty and mending the social fabric.
2. The Constitution of India had conferred on women equal rights and opportunities political,
social, educational and of employment with men. Because of oppressive traditions, superstitions,
exploitation and corruption, a majority of women are not allowed to enjoy the rights and
opportunities, bestowed on them. One of the major reasons for this state of affairs is the lack of
literacy and awareness among women. Education is the main instrument through which we can
narrow down the prevailing inequality and accelerate the process of economic and political
change in the status of women.
3. The role of women in a society is very important. Women’s education is the key to a better life
in the future. A recent World Bank study says that educating girls is not a charity, it is good
economics and if developing nations are to eradicate poverty, they must educate the girls. The
report says that the economic and social returns on investment in education of the girls
considerably affect the human development index of the nation. Society would progress only if
the status of women is respected and the presence of an educated woman in the family would
ensure education of the family itself. Education and empowerment of women are closely related.
4. Women’s education has not received due care and attention from the planners and
policymakers. The National Commission for Women has rightly pointed out that even after 50
years of independence, women continue to be treated as the single largest group of backward
citizens of India. The role of women in overall development has not been fully understood nor
has it been given its full weight in the struggle to eliminate poverty, hunger, injustice, and
inequality at the national level. Even when we are at the threshold of the 21st century, our society
still discriminates against women in matters of their rights and privileges and prevents them from
participating in the process of national and societal progress. Various Committees and
Commissions have been constituted before and after the independence to evaluate the progress in
women’s education and to suggest ways and means to enhance the status of women. The female
literacy rate has gone up in the 20th century from 0.6 per cent in 1901 to 39.29 per cent in 1991
but India still possesses the largest number of illiterate women in the world. The female literacy
index for the year 1991 shows that there are eight States which fall below the national average.
The most populous States of the country, UP, MP, Bihar and Rajasthan fall in the category of
most backward States as far as female literacy is concerned.
5. The prevailing cultural norms of gender behaviour and the perceived domestic and
reproductive roles of women tend to affect the education of girls. Negative attitude towards
sending girls to schools, restrictions on their mobility, early marriage, poverty, and illiteracy of
parents affect the girl’s participation in education.
6. Women’s political empowerment got a big boost with the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993 which
gave them 30 per cent reservation in Village Panchayats, Block Simitis and Zila Parishads
throughout the country. The National Commission for Women was also set up in 1992 to act as a
lobby for women’s issues.
7. The educational system is the only institution which can counteract the deep foundations of
inequality of the sexes that are built in the minds of people through the socialization process.
Education is the most important instrument of human resource development. The educational
system should be used to revolutionize traditional attitudes and inculcate new values of equality.

(i) Mention any two attributes of a modern woman. (2 Marks)


(ii) Why are women’s participation and empowerment considered necessary? (2 Marks)
(iii) Which factors adversely affect the education of girls? (1 Mark)
(iv) What benefits did the women get with the enactment of the Panchayati Raj Act of
1993? (1 Mark)
(v) By what process can we remove the sense of inequality of sexes from the minds of the
people? (1 Mark)
(vi) Pick out words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(3 Marks)
(a) cruel and unfair (para 2)
(b) remove (para 3)
(c) full of people (para 4)

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