Contemporary Issues Affecting Adolescents — Hard

Q1. Statement A: A child who bullies others develops only short-term anger and outgrows it by adulthood. Statement B: Studies cited in the material indicate that the bully himself/herself is at higher risk of indulging in violence, substance abuse and abusive behaviour in adulthood. Which is correct?

• A. Both A and B are correct
• B. A is correct; B is incorrect
• C. A is incorrect; B is correct
• D. Both A and B are incorrect

Q2. The material cites a BBC News (2013) report from Kolkata, where four girls had pushed another girl into the school toilet and beaten her up. According to the material, this episode is best classified as

• A. A normal school discipline matter, not bullying, because girls were involved
• B. An overt, group form of bullying that warrants the teacher's immediate intervention and counselling, not dismissal
• C. Cyber bullying because the news appeared online
• D. Ragging, since it took place in higher education

Q3. A Class 5 student in a Bihar government school is found chewing tobacco (gutkha) in the lunch break. The teacher dismisses it saying, 'It is only chewing, not drinking — so it is not substance use.' In your assessment, the teacher's view is

• A. Correct,, because only alcohol and narcotics as harmful substances
• B. Incorrect — explicitly lists tobacco (including chewing products) among substances whose use, possession and consumption are illegal and harmful, and asks the teacher to ban tobacco use on the school campus
• C. Correct, since chewing tobacco is freely sold at shops
• D. Incorrect only because of the student's young age, not the substance itself

Q4. After several weeks of awareness sessions, a primary teacher still finds two students whose substance-use signs have worsened. According to the 'Role of School', the MOST appropriate next step is to

• A. Publicly shame both students in the morning assembly
• B. Suspend the two students from school without informing parents
• C. Refer the students to the school counsellor and, where needed, to professional help/centres outside the school, while informing parents sensitively
• D. Wait silently for one more year hoping the behaviour will end on its own

Q5. Assertion (A): Teenage pregnancy is rising in India even though biology curricula at secondary level cover reproduction. Reason (R): the material holds that information through textbooks alone is sufficient and no school discussion is required. Choose the correct option

• A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
• B. Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
• C. A is true; R is false
• D. Both A and R are false

Q6. Which of the following is NOT a correct description of the school's role on teenage pregnancy and STIs?

• A. Discussion of unprotected sex and its dangers must be a part of the curriculum
• B. Significance of abstinence till adulthood may be discussed
• C. Sex education and discussions on these issues are required at school
• D. The school should remain completely silent on the topic and leave it entirely to the family

Q7. A Class 5 teacher is planning a value-education session for senior primary girls and boys. From the school-role list, which TWO messages are explicitly endorsed by the material? (i) Significance of abstinence till adulthood (ii) Marriage immediately after Class 5 (iii) Open discussion of dangers of unprotected sex and STIs (iv) Complete avoidance of the topic in the classroom

• A. (i) and (iii)
• B. (ii) and (iv)
• C. (i) and (iv)
• D. (ii) and (iii)

Q8. The boxed report in the material gives a NIMHANS-based estimate. Which of the following statements taken from that report is INCORRECT?

• A. It is estimated that 15-20 lakh suicide attempts occur in India every year
• B. For every suicide committed, there are a minimum of 15-20 persons attempting suicide
• C. A NIMHANS study has found that 11% of college students and 7%-8% of high school students have attempted suicide
• D. Not a single suicide in India goes unreported to the police

Q9. The material cites NDTV (June 22, 2012) to say that India has the world's highest suicide rates in the 15-29 age group, partly because of

• A. Cold winter weather in north India
• B. Economic boom and open markets causing greater job anxiety, higher expectations and more pressure to achieve
• C. Lack of mobile phone access among the youth
• D. Strict child-labour laws in India

Q10. Ms. Anjali, a Class 5 teacher in a Delhi MCD school, has identified two students showing prolonged sadness, irritability, weight loss and falling grades. According to the school-based mental-health initiatives (Hawton et al., 2002; Bansal, Goyal & Srivastava, 2009), the BEST step is to

• A. Tell the students to 'cheer up' in the next class test
• B. Educate the whole class on mental health, screen those at risk, and help the identified students with the school counsellor — informing parents sensitively
• C. Report the students to the police as a precaution
• D. Move them to a separate, lower-track class to reduce academic pressure

Q11. Statement A: the material cites Flannery, Hussey, Biebelhausen & Weste (2006) to argue that those using drugs are more likely to commit violent acts. Statement B: The same studies indicate that the conventional 'poverty causes delinquency' explanation alone is sufficient, with no role for substance use. Which is correct?

• A. Both A and B are correct
• B. A is correct; B is incorrect — the unit explicitly contests the poverty-alone view and stresses the substance-use link
• C. A is incorrect; B is correct
• D. Both A and B are incorrect

Q12. The Riyadh Guidelines (1990), expect public education available to all young persons to develop, in addition to academic and vocational learning, which of the following?

• A. Memorisation of laws and punishments only
• B. Respect for their own culture as well as for different views and cultures, social values of the country, human rights and fundamental freedom
• C. Aggressive nationalism with intolerance for other views
• D. Solely competitive sports and physical training

Q13. The material distinguishes Internet 'addiction' from 'pathological Internet use' (Davis, 2001). Which of the following best captures the material's description of pathological Internet use?

• A. Any use of the Internet for school assignments
• B. Uncontrollable and damaging use of the Internet to the extent of addiction to specific things and activities like adult websites, dating, chatting, gambling and obsessive shopping
• C. Occasional viewing of educational videos with parental supervision
• D. Using the Internet only for sending emails to teachers

Q14. The material cites Li et al. (2011) to argue that higher behavioural and emotional school engagement significantly LOWERS the risk of substance use and delinquency. From this, the material prescribes that the school climate should be

• A. Highly competitive with rank lists displayed daily
• B. Enriched with joyful and co-operative activities rather than competitive activities, with mandatory co-curricular activities like yoga, meditation, sports, manual work, music and fine arts
• C. Limited strictly to textbook learning, with no co-curricular activity
• D. Focused only on examinations and corporal discipline

Q15. After studying the material, a primary teacher summarises its central message in one line. Which line is MOST faithful to the 'Let Us Sum Up'?

• A. Schools must wait until a contemporary issue becomes a full-blown problem and then refer the child to police
• B. The role of the school lies more in PREVENTION through counselling services, partnership with parents and community, life-skills development, and awareness campaigns — 'prevention is better than cure'
• C. Each contemporary issue should be tackled by a single specialist outside the school, with no school role
• D. Schools should focus only on academic marks and ignore mental health, substance use and delinquency