Women Change the World

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                        i.        In most families, once girls finish school, they are encouraged by their families to see marriage as their main aim in life.

                       ii.        Ramabai was given the title ‘Pandita’.

                      iii.        Women wrote stories, letters and autobiographies describing their own experiences of inequality.

                      iv.        Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain wrote a remarkable story titled Sultana’s Dream in 1905.

                       v.        Public rallies and demonstrations are a very powerful way of drawing attention to injustices.

Q2. True/False

                       i.        Laxmi Lakra is from a poor tribal family in Madhya Pradesh. False

                      ii.        Many women and men made efforts to open schools for girls. True

                     iii.        In 1910, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain started a school for girls in Kolkata, and to this day, the school is still functioning. True

                     iv.        Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was born into a poor family who owned no land. False

Q3. Who wrote Amar Jiban?

Ans. Rashsundari Devi wrote Amar Jiban.

Q4. Why was Satyarani's daughter murdered?

Ans. Satyarani's daughter was murdered for dowry.

Q5. Who was Satyarani?

Ans. Satyarani was an active member of the anti-dowry movement.

Q6. When is International Women's Day celebrated?

Ans. On 8 March, International Women’s Day is celebrated.

Q7. What agricultural work women do?

Ans.  Their work includes planting, weeding, harvesting and threshing.

Q8. What percentage of women in India engaged in agricultural work?

Ans. 83.6 per cent of working women in India is engaged in agricultural work.

Q9. What are the various means of raising awareness among the people?

Ans. Message can be spread through street plays, songs and public meetings.

Q10. How did Laxmi Lakra break the stereotype that only men could be engine drivers?

Ans. She became the first woman engine driver for Northern Railways.

Q11.Which is the first known autobiography written by an Indian woman?

Ans. Amar Jiban is the first known autobiography written by an Indian woman.

Q12. What led some women to question the situation of women in society?

Ans. Learning to read and write led some women to question the situation of women in society.

Q13. Who is Laxmi Lakra?

Ans. Laxmi Lakra is a young tribal woman from Jharkhand who has become the first woman train driver with Northern Railway.

Q14. What do women do on international women's day?

Ans. On 8 March, International Women’s Day women all over the world come together to celebrate and renew their struggles.

Q15. Why it is believed that women make better nurses?

Ans. People believe that women make better nurses because they are more patient and gentle. This is linked to women’s roles within the family.

Q16. How did Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain learn to read and write Bangla and English?

Ans. Rokeya learnt to read and write Bangla and English with the support of her elder brother and an elder sister.

Q17. “When we think of a farmer we only think of a man.” Explain why?

Ans.  When we think of a farmer we only think of a man because major portion of agricultural work is done by man such as ploughing, running machinery etc.

Q18. Why do many girls drop out of school?

Ans. A large numbers of girls attend school in India today. Despite this, there continue to be many girls who leave school for reasons of poverty, inadequate schooling facilities and discrimination.

Q19. Why was Ramabai given the title ‘Pandita’?

Ans. She was given the title ‘Pandita’ because she could read and write Sanskrit, a remarkable achievement as women then were not allowed such knowledge.