Contemporary Issues Affecting Adolescents — Mastery

Q1. The material cites a Times of India (24 January 2014) report from Delhi to illustrate which kind of bullying?

• A. A Class IX girl who was beaten and her clip was made on a mobile phone — combining physical bullying with the use of technology to spread the humiliation
• B. A one-time fight where no recording was made
• C. Ragging of a college fresher in a hostel
• D. Verbal teasing by parents at home

Q2. The material quotes a Times of India (16 March 2010) survey on substance use in school students. According to the figure quoted, approximately what percentage of Class XII children were found to be drinking excessively?

• A. About 10%
• B. About 25%
• C. About 45%
• D. About 80%

Q3. According to UNICEF data (2013) cited in the material, the estimated number of adolescents (10-19 years) living with HIV in India was approximately

• A. Less than 50,000
• B. About 5 lakh
• C. About 21 lakh
• D. About 1 crore

Q4. A Class 4 teacher in Lucknow tells a slow learner in front of the class — 'See how Aarav scores 90 every time; you should learn from him.' Using the depression-prevention list, which TWO instructions does this teacher violate? (i) A child may not be humiliated and his/her self-esteem may never be hurt (ii) A child may not be compared with another, a brighter one (iii) Parents may be told to set unrealistic expectations (iv) Children may be involved in tasks with encouragement

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

Q5. Juveniles are 'not punished but rehabilitated through reformation'. Which option BEST captures the unit's reasoning behind this approach?

• A. Juveniles are too dangerous to keep in society and must be jailed alongside adults
• B. Juveniles are always rich and well-connected, so punishment is impossible
• C. Minors are still developing — circumstances often shape their delinquent acts; reformation and rehabilitation, not punishment, give them a chance to re-enter society as productive citizens
• D. Punishment is uneconomical for the state, so reformation is used as a cost-saving measure

Q6. The material describes the school's role on contemporary adolescent issues as a 'TWIN' role. Which pair correctly names the two parts of this twin role?

• A. Conducting examinations and giving marks
• B. Maintaining attendance registers and timetables
• C. Building school buildings and managing fees
• D. Developing positive traits, attitudes, behaviour and values in children AND providing counselling services and partnership with parents and community for prevention

Q7. Mr. Verma, a primary teacher in Rampur, says, 'Ragging is a college problem; it has nothing to do with us in primary school.' Using the view of bullying, which of the following is the MOST appropriate response to him?

• A. He is wrong — ragging in higher education is treated as bullying that 'has emerged as a serious form of bullying'; if primary teachers do not handle small bullying complaints, the pattern carries forward and feeds into ragging later
• B. He is correct — primary schools have nothing to learn from ragging cases
• C. He is correct — only psychologists should worry about ragging at any age
• D. He is wrong only because the school inspector might ask

Q8. Priya, a Class 4 girl in Patna, suddenly shows falling grades, frequent absence and irritability. Her older brother is in Class X in the same locality. Using the substance-use AND depression sections together, which is the BEST first-line classroom-level response by Priya's teacher?

• A. Punish Priya for poor performance to make her work harder
• B. Move her to a remedial maths class and ignore the behavioural signs
• C. Suspect either substance use OR depression (the unit lists overlapping signs — irregular attendance, mood swings, falling grades), avoid humiliation, talk to her sensitively, refer to the school counsellor, and contact parents — without labelling her
• D. Wait two more terms to see if her marks improve on their own

Q9. The material cites a Times of India (4 March 2013) report that, in metropolitan cities, abortion is being used as a 'quick-fix' for teenage pregnancy. As a primary teacher in such a city, which response is MOST consistent with the prescribed school role?

• A. Stay silent — these issues belong only to private family doctors
• B. Tell girls to leave school by Class 8 so the problem does not arise
• C. Display newspaper clippings of abortion cases in the school corridor as a warning
• D. Include discussion of unprotected sex, the significance of abstinence till adulthood, and STI dangers in age-appropriate value-education sessions, and partner with parents and counsellors

Q10. The material advises teachers, in the prevention of depression, to keep children meaningfully engaged. Which classroom practice BEST reflects the material's instruction?

• A. Involve children in tasks they can complete, give them genuine encouragement, recognise effort, and link to co-curricular activities like sports, music, fine arts and reading sessions
• B. Make children sit silently and copy from the board for the whole period
• C. Restrict children to homework only; co-curricular activities waste time
• D. Hold daily rank-list assemblies to push weaker children to perform

Q11. The material says the school can do which of the following to prevent juvenile delinquency among students from disadvantaged sections of society?

• A. Expel them at the slightest misbehaviour to set an example for others
• B. Refuse admission so that delinquent risk does not enter the school
• C. Provide vocational guidance and quality curriculum, develop life skills, hold co-curricular activities, give emotional support, and avoid corporal punishment
• D. Keep them in a separate, lower-tracked classroom away from the main batch

Q12. Statement A: the material says 'substance abuse and STIs are found to be positively correlated'. Statement B: This is because intravenous drug use can transmit the HI virus through shared needles, and substance use also lowers inhibitions, leading to unprotected sex. Choose the correct option

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

Q13. A Class 5 child in Rampur has lost both parents in a road accident and is now living with a distant uncle. His attendance is dropping and he has been seen with older boys who fight. Using the risk-factor list AND prevention list TOGETHER, the BEST teacher response is

• A. Use corporal punishment to discipline him before he becomes a delinquent
• B. Tell the older boys' parents that the orphan child is corrupting their sons
• C. Avoid him in class so he does not affect the other children's grades
• D. Recognise that loss of parents (orphan status), broken-family-like circumstances and poor school performance are explicit delinquency risk factors ; respond with emotional support, vocational/life-skills mentoring, co-curricular involvement, school counsellor support and parent-substitute communication — never corporal punishment

Q14. The material repeatedly returns to LIFE SKILLS as the school's central preventive instrument against ALL six issues (bullying, substance use, teenage pregnancy/STIs, depression, delinquency, compulsive Internet use). Which set of life skills does the material specifically name?

• A. Self-esteem, self-confidence, the ability for critical thinking and other life skills that help in making the right choices
• B. Typing speed, computer programming and shorthand
• C. Rote learning, dictation and copying
• D. Examination tactics and memorisation tricks

Q15. Two primary schools in Delhi have framed contrasting policies for parent-teacher meetings. School A: 'Parents must publicly read out their child's marks at every PTM; they must set a Class XII rank target by Class 5; only the top 10% will be praised.' School B: 'Parents will be told not to set unrealistic expectations, not to compare with brighter siblings; every child's effort will be recognised; the school counsellor will meet at-risk families.' Using the depression-prevention list AND'twin role', which policy is better, and why?

• A. School A — public ranking builds toughness and prevents depression
• B. Both are equally good — the unit takes no view on parental expectations
• C. School B — it aligns with explicit instructions: 'parents may be told not to have unrealistic expectations', 'a child may not be compared to a brighter one', protect self-esteem, and partner with parents and counsellors for prevention
• D. School A — because Indian middle-class culture demands high achievement

Q16. A government primary school in a low-income area of Patna wants to reduce future juvenile-delinquency risk among its Class 4 and 5 students. In your assessment, andtogether, which school-level package is MOST faithful to the material's prescription?

• A. Stop all co-curricular activities and focus only on board-pattern textbook drill
• B. Replace classroom teaching with daily police awareness drills
• C. Display a daily 'misbehaviour list' on the notice board to scare children into discipline
• D. A quality curriculum that develops academics AND life skills, mandatory co-curricular activities (sports, music, fine arts, manual work), vocational guidance especially for the disadvantaged, and emotional support without corporal punishment

Q17. Emotional support without corporal punishment is essential in handling children at risk of delinquency. Why does the unit insist on the NO-corporal-punishment rule even for serious behavioural problems?

• A. Because the unit (along with juvenile-justice philosophy) sees a juvenile as developing and reformable; corporal punishment damages self-esteem, increases aggression and contradicts the reformation-not-punishment principle
• B. Because corporal punishment is cheap and easy
• C. Because parents will sue the teacher
• D. Because corporal punishment cures depression

Q18. Drawing on Davis (2001), lists specific activities on which adolescents start spending 'most of their time' in pathological Internet use. Which set is named?

• A. School project research and library reference work
• B. Reading school textbooks online
• C. Adult websites containing porn, dating and chatting, gambling and obsessive shopping
• D. Sending homework emails to teachers

Q19. Ms. Kavita's Class 5 students have started spending breaks staring at their parents' smartphones. Following the prescription on compulsive Internet/mobile use, which classroom-level intervention is MOST consistent with the material?

• A. Confiscate every phone with corporal punishment
• B. Allow free phone use in class so that the novelty wears off
• C. Ignore the problem until parents complain
• D. Develop students' hobbies and engage them in sports and other physical activities, encourage co-curricular interests like music, fine arts and reading sessions, and communicate the harms of prolonged smart-phone use to parents

Q20. The material lists a specific set of MANDATORY co-curricular activities that develop physical and mental health and relieve stress in adolescents. Which set is named?

• A. Yoga, meditation, sports, manual work, vocational education, music and other fine arts, and reading sessions
• B. Daily rank tests and timed memorisation drills
• C. Only mathematics and science clubs
• D. Daily prayer assembly alone

Q21. The school's preventive work on contemporary adolescent issues CANNOT succeed without

• A. An expensive new building and computer lab
• B. A change in the national curriculum
• C. Active partnership with parents and the community, including awareness campaigns and counselling services
• D. Daily inspections by senior police officers

Q22. The material lists 'bullying including cyber bullying' as one of the linked factors leading to adolescent depression, and notes that the bullied child develops 'low self-esteem, anxiety, depression... suicidal tendencies'. What cross-topic pathway does the material thereby establish?

• A. Bullying has no measurable connection to depression or suicide
• B. The bully, not the bullied, becomes depressed
• C. Only family-related risk factors matter for depression; bullying does not
• D. Bullying (T1) is a leading PSYCHOSOCIAL risk factor for adolescent depression (T4), which in turn is one of the strongest predictors of suicide attempts — making a teacher's response to bullying complaints (no dismissal, no retaliation, counselling) a direct upstream depression-prevention measure

Q23. The material cites Flannery, Hussey, Biebelhausen & Weste (2006) to argue that drug users are more likely to commit violent acts, and lists substance use as a depression-risk factor. Statement A and Statement B follow. A: Substance use (T2), juvenile delinquency (T5) and depression (T4) are MUTUALLY REINFORCING, so a single integrated school-prevention plan (life skills + counselling + co-curricular + parent-community partnership) is more effective than separate vertical programmes. B: Each issue must be tackled in a separate silo with no overlap, since the material treats them as unrelated. Which is correct?

• A. A is correct; B is incorrect — itself establishes the overlap and asks for integrated prevention
• B. Both A and B are correct
• C. A is incorrect; B is correct
• D. Both A and B are incorrect

Q24. A CTET-aspiring teacher who will teach Classes 1-5 asks: 'the material is mostly about adolescence. Why should a PRIMARY teacher (ages 6-11) study it at all?' Which response is MOST faithful to the material and to the national curriculum framework's continuity principle?

• A. Primary teachers can ignore it — these issues only matter from Class 9 onwards
• B. Primary teachers must teach about narcotics in detail in Class 1
• C. Many of these issues (bullying, mobile-phone overuse, family stress, early substance contact through gutkha or cough syrup) START in late primary; the unit's prevention approach — life skills, self-esteem, joyful co-operative climate, no corporal punishment, parent partnership — is exactly what primary teachers can practise to lay the groundwork BEFORE adolescence
• D. Primary teachers should focus only on alphabet and arithmetic, and leave all behaviour to parents

Q25. The material cites two definitional sources on addiction: the WHO report (1964) and Davey & Davey (2014). How do their contributions compare in the material's argument?

• A. Both define addiction only as substance-based; behavioural addiction is rejected
• B. WHO (1964) and Davey (2014) jointly define addiction as 'dependence and continuous use... for relief, comfort or stimulation, with cravings when absent'; Davey & Davey (2014) extend this further to behavioural addictions like mobile phone addiction — together they justify treating compulsive Internet/mobile use as a contemporary issue at par with alcohol or drug addiction
• C. WHO addresses only adults; Davey addresses only children — so they cannot be combined
• D. Davey (2014) contradicts WHO and the unit therefore rejects both

Q26. A primary teacher has only 30 minutes per week for a 'value-and-life-skills' period in Class 5. In your assessment, which ONE focus would give the BEST simultaneous prevention against ALL six contemporary issues (bullying, substance use, teenage pregnancy/STIs, depression, delinquency, compulsive Internet use)?

• A. Daily mathematics drill for 30 minutes
• B. Building self-esteem, self-confidence and critical-thinking skills through joyful co-operative activities (group projects, role-plays, sports, reading, music) — the same life skills the unit names as protective across every contemporary issue
• C. Daily corporal-punishment 'discipline drill' for 30 minutes
• D. Daily silent reading of newspaper crime sections to scare students

Q27. The material lists cyber bullying inside the bullying section, inside the depression risk-factor list, and treats compulsive Internet use as a separate contemporary issue . What does this triple-listing tell a CTET aspirant about the material's INTEGRATED view?

• A. It is a printing error — the unit means them to be independent
• B. Cyber bullying sits at the intersection of T1 (bullying), T6 (compulsive Internet use) and T4 (depression). The unit's prescribed response — life skills, school counsellor, parent partnership, joyful co-operative climate, never dismiss complaint — therefore addresses all three issues at once
• C. Cyber bullying is only a media problem, with no link to bullying or depression
• D. The unit treats cyber bullying only as compulsive Internet use, not as bullying

Q28. A Class 5 teacher wants to translate the Riyadh Guidelines (1990) into the daily life of her primary classroom., which set of classroom practices is MOST consistent with the Guidelines' three core principles (public education for all, respect for one's own and other cultures, social values + human rights + fundamental freedoms)?

• A. Inclusion of every child without discrimination, age-appropriate discussion of human rights and fundamental duties, respectful exposure to children's own and other cultures, joyful co-operative learning over competition, vocational/life-skill enrichment, and no corporal punishment
• B. Punish any child who comes from a different cultural background, to bring uniformity
• C. Refuse admission to disadvantaged children to maintain a 'good' rank list
• D. Teach only academic content; cultures, rights and duties are outside the school's scope

Q29. Two state-level mental-health frameworks for school children in India are being compared. Framework P: 'Once a year, every Class 5 child fills a mental-health screening form; high-risk children are quietly referred to the school counsellor; teachers are trained NOT to humiliate, NOT to compare with brighter children, and to involve every child in tasks with encouragement; parents are sensitised against unrealistic expectations.' Framework Q: 'Mental health is a private family matter; schools should never screen, never refer, never train teachers, and never speak to parents about it.' In your assessment, which framework is better and why?

• A. Framework Q — privacy outweighs prevention
• B. Framework P — it mirrors school-based mental-health initiatives (Hawton et al., 2002; Bansal, Goyal & Srivastava, 2009): educate the class, screen for risk, help with the school counsellor; do not hurt self-esteem; do not compare; involve in tasks; partner with parents — exactly the unit's prescription. Q reproduces the cultural silence that the unit critiques as stigma
• C. Both are equally acceptable
• D. Framework Q — because Indian families prefer total silence on the topic

Q30. A panel discussion is held on 'What is the school's place in handling contemporary issues affecting adolescents?' Speaker X: 'Schools should focus only on academics. Mental health, substance use, sex education, delinquency and Internet addiction are matters for the police, doctors and family — not teachers. Every contemporary issue should be EXTERNALISED.' Speaker Y: 'The school's role is a TWIN role: it develops positive traits, attitudes, behaviour and values (especially life skills, self-esteem, critical thinking) AND it provides counselling, partners with parents and the community, and runs joyful co-operative co-curricular activities. Prevention is better than cure.' In your assessment, which speaker is correct and on what evidence?

• A. Speaker X — externalisation is the unit's recommendation
• B. Speaker Y — explicitly calls the school's role a TWIN role (positive-trait development AND counselling/partnership), and closes with 'prevention is better than cure'; the cited research (Li et al., 2011; Hawton et al., 2002; Davey & Davey, 2014; Flannery et al., 2006) all places the school at the centre of prevention
• C. Both speakers are correct in their own way
• D. Neither — the unit takes no position on the school's role