Gender Issues in Education — Hard

Q1. A teacher writes four statements on the board and asks the class to mark each as 'SEX' or 'GENDER'. Which combination is FULLY correct? (i) Girls are soft-mannered and obedient. (ii) The presence of a uterus in females. (iii) Boys are bold and aggressive. (iv) Voice pitch becomes lower in males at puberty.

• A. (i) sex, (ii) gender, (iii) sex, (iv) gender
• B. (i) gender, (ii) sex, (iii) gender, (iv) sex
• C. (i) sex, (ii) sex, (iii) gender, (iv) gender
• D. All four are sex attributes.

Q2. A class 4 textbook chapter on 'Great Indians' shows ten men as scientists, soldiers and leaders, and two women — both as a mother and a nurse. This textbook design is best criticised on the ground that it

• A. treats sex as a biological fact, which it is not
• B. supplies girls and boys with role models that reinforce traditional gender stereotypes
• C. is an example of gender sensitivity built into the curriculum
• D. promotes gender-neutral language in the classroom

Q3. Read these two statements and choose the correct option. Assertion (A): Before puberty, there is no visible physical difference between boys and girls except their genitals. Reason (R): Therefore, all the role differences we see in 6-year-olds — what they play, how they sit, what they wear — are biologically determined.

• 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 but (R) is false.
• D. Both (A) and (R) are false.

Q4. A class 3 teacher in Rampur asks four boys to lift the heavy bench and four girls to wipe and dust it. She believes she is being 'practical' and 'caring'. Regarding the role of a teacher in a gender-fair classroom, this practice is

• A. good practice — boys are physically stronger and girls are neater
• B. good practice — it teaches life skills to both sexes
• C. problematic — it assigns tasks on gender lines and reinforces stereotypes in the children watching her
• D. neutral — task assignment in primary classes has no effect on gender attitudes

Q5. During a classroom discussion in a primary school in Bihar, the teacher often turns to the boys first and waits longer for their answers. To the girls she nods and moves on. CTET PYQ 2019 (Paper I, Dec) calls this an example of

• A. Gender identity
• B. Gender bias
• C. Gender constancy
• D. Gender relevance

Q6. An office dismisses a female teacher when she informs the principal that she is pregnant. The principal openly says, 'a pregnant woman cannot run a class properly.' This is BEST classified as

• A. indirect gender discrimination, because pregnancy is biological
• B. direct gender discrimination, because the sex of the worker is the explicit reason for the action
• C. gender sensitivity, because the school is protecting her
• D. neither discrimination nor sensitivity — a routine HR decision

Q7. The National Policy of Education, 1986, observed that

• A. the Indian educational system has eliminated all gender bias since Independence
• B. gender stereotypes in society and in the school system together result in 'cumulative distortion' to the disadvantage of girls
• C. the share of women in the workforce had crossed 75% by 1986
• D. biological differences are the main reason for girls' lower enrolment

Q8. A figure describes a 'vicious cycle' that keeps girls in a disadvantaged position. Which sequence correctly captures the cycle?

• A. Good education → high workforce participation → economic independence → equal status
• B. Early marriage → early pregnancy → poor health → low education → economic dependence → early marriage of daughters
• C. Patriarchy → mother-daughter conflict → adolescent rebellion → educational equality
• D. Religion → migration → urbanisation → workforce participation

Q9. Read the two statements and choose the correct option. Statement I: More than half of Indian women (around 61%) have no schooling at all. Statement II: In India, the female infant mortality rate is lower than the male infant mortality rate because girls are biologically stronger.

• A. Both statements are correct.
• B. Statement I is correct; Statement II is incorrect.
• C. Statement I is incorrect; Statement II is correct.
• D. Both statements are incorrect.

Q10. Recent curriculum efforts include stories where women are shown going on adventures and men are shown doing household work. CTET PYQ 2019 (Paper II, Dec) asks: this conscious effort is important because

• A. it aims to strengthen gender bias
• B. it aims to eliminate gender stereotyping
• C. it aims to encourage gender constancy
• D. it aims to increase gender discrimination

Q11. CTET PYQ 2021 (Paper II, Jan) asks: an effective classroom strategy to REDUCE gender stereotyping and broaden developmental possibilities for ALL sexes is

• A. to reinforce biological differences among the sexes
• B. to reinforce gender roles as portrayed in society
• C. forming same-sex ability groupings
• D. forming mixed-sex activity groups and promoting discussion

Q12. Which of the following statements about sex and gender, taken together, are CORRECT? (i) Sex is the same across all cultures and historical times. (ii) Gender is the same across all cultures and historical times. (iii) Sex is hierarchical; gender is non-hierarchical. (iv) Gender is hierarchical; sex is non-hierarchical.

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

Q13. Several sources of gender discrimination operate in a child's life. Which of the following is NOT such a source?

• A. Family and school
• B. Government policies and religion
• C. Curriculum and textbooks
• D. Biological differences between XX and XY chromosomes

Q14. After getting hurt during a play activity, Rohan started crying. His father responded, 'Don't behave like girls, boys don't cry.' CTET PYQ 2021 (Paper I, Jan) asks: this statement by the father

• A. reflects gender stereotype
• B. challenges gender stereotype
• C. reduces gender bias
• D. promotes gender equality

Q15. A class 5 teacher in Rampur plans four classroom changes. Which one is NOT in line with the advice on building a gender-fair classroom?

• A. She rotates the post of class monitor between boys and girls every week.
• B. She replaces 'Postman' with 'Post-person' and 'Manpower' with 'Human power' in her speech.
• C. She holds boys and girls to different academic expectations, asking less of girls so they don't feel pressured.
• D. She invites a female engineer and a male nurse to speak at the school assembly.