Women Change the World
Answer the following questions:
1. When we think of a farmer we only think of a man. Why?
It is because a major portion of the agricultural work is done by man. Women only
assist them.
2. Why was Ramabai given the title ‘Pandita’?
It was because she could read and write Sanskrit. It was a remarkable achievement as
women were not allowed such knowledge in those days.
3. How did women support men in the pottery trade?
They collected the mud and prepared the earth for the pots.
4. Mention any one stereotype about what women can or cannot do?
Women can be good teachers but they are incapable of dealing with technical things.
5. How did Laxmi Lakra break the stereotype that only men could be engine drivers?
She became the first woman engine driver for Northern Railways.
6. What changes came to be seen with the emergence of new ideas about education
and learning in the 19th century?
Schools became more common and communities that had never learnt reading and
writing started sending their children to school.
7. Who was Rashsundari Devi? What did she write in her autobiography?
Rashsundari Devi was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family in west Bengal. She
wrote about her everyday life experiences in her autobiography.
8. What did Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain do for the girls?
She started a school for girls in Kolkata which is functioning even today.
9. Mention any two reasons why many girls do not continue their education.
Poverty and discrimination are the two major reasons why many girls do not continue
their education.
10. What is the purpose of conducting a census every 10 years?
Census is held every 10 years to count the whole population of the country. It also
gathers detailed information about the people living in India—their age, schooling, what
work they do, and so on.
11. What is meant by the Women’s Movement?
Women as a whole struggled for a long to bring out all-round improvement in
women’s condition. This is known as the Women’s Movement.
12. What happened to Satyarani’s daughter?
Satyarani’s daughter was murdered for Dowry.
13. What are the various means to spread awareness among the common mass?
Street plays, songs, and public meetings.
14. When is International Women’s Day celebrated?
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March every year.
15. How do you think stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, affect
women’s right to equality?
Because they are termed weak and incapable of doing strong work. It is because of this
reason that women are called inferior to men. They are paid fewer salaries/ wages than
their men counterparts.
16. List one reason why learning the alphabet was so important to women like
Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai, and Rokeya.
Learning the alphabet was so important to these women because only after that they
became able to write stories, letters, and autobiographies which described their own
experiences of inequality.
17. “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an
education”. Re-read the last paragraph on page 62 and explain why this statement is
not true.
There are no facilities in rural areas, especially in Adivasi areas.
Not even proper schools.
No teacher in the schools on regular basis.
No schools near their homes.
No transport facilities if the schools are far away.
Families too poor to afford schooling expenses.
Discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion or sex.
Preference for boys for education and not girls.
