Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: Violence against women…
2023
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
Violence against women comes in many forms and from various sources. One that is not highlighted enough is the violence they face from their birth family or natal kin—parents, siblings or close relatives. New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation Shakti Shalini recently brought out an incisive report, Unkahi—the Unspoken, documenting the rise of violence against women from natal families during the pandemic. Normally, the natal family is the one a woman turns to for help, but during the pandemic, staying at home did not always mean staying safe for many women. A woman complaining about violence from a partner is more easily believable than one who makes such allegations against her family, conditioned as we are to the concept that elders and immediate kin offer protection and physical and emotional safety. So, to name and shame them is not easy. Shakti Shalini's study was based on women who approached the NGO for help during the pandemic and encompassed those between 18 and 27 years, with 65% belonging to the 22-27 age group. A majority belonged to the working and lower middle classes. Media reports during the pandemic highlighted increased marital violence, but single women living with natal families had similar experiences. The honorary secretary said natal-family violence is structurally based in society and needs a structural approach. Though society claims family is a cohesive unit, it must equally accept that family can be an environment of abuse for vulnerable members, especially girls and women. All women reported emotional abuse and psychological trauma. Fifteen of 20 faced physical and verbal violence, including slapping. Three reported physical abuse and one was threatened with forced marriage. In 60% of cases, both male and female relatives caused harm.
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: The majority of women in the Shakti Shalini study belonged to the working and lower middle classes.
Statement II: Women are protected in their natal families.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer: C. Statement I is true but Statement II is false — CONCEPTTo evaluate paired statements from a passage, test each statement independently against explicit evidence and the author’s overall claim. A statement…
- A.
Both Statement I and Statement II are true
- B.
Both Statement I and Statement II are false
- C.
Statement I is true but Statement II is false
- D.
Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
CONCEPT
To evaluate paired statements from a passage, test each statement independently against explicit evidence and the author’s overall claim.
A statement about reported data is supported when the passage states it directly; a broad claim is not supported when the passage supplies clear counterexamples.
APPLICATION
Statement I repeats the passage’s direct finding that a majority of the women belonged to the working and lower middle classes.
Statement II claims that women are protected in natal families, but the passage documents emotional abuse, psychological trauma, physical and verbal violence, and a threat of forced marriage within those families.
CONTRAST
Both statements true: this treats a customary belief about family protection as though it were the study’s conclusion.
Both statements false: this overlooks the passage’s explicit demographic finding.
Statement I false and Statement II true: this reverses the evidentiary status of both statements.
RESULT
Therefore, Statement I is true but Statement II is false.