Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
In the last fifty years, the idea of women empowerment has gone through a sea change, from a welfare-oriented approach to an equity approach. It has been understood as the process by which the powerless gain greater control over the circumstances of their lives. In practice, however, empowerment includes control over both resources and ideology. It leads to a growing intrinsic capability, greater self-confidence and an inner transformation of one’s consciousness that enables one to overcome external barriers. This view stresses two significant aspects. First, it is a power to achieve desired goals, not a power over others. Secondly, the idea of empowerment applies more to those who are powerless, irrespective of their gender, class and caste. Though the concept of empowerment is not specific to women, it is unique in that it cuts across all classes and castes and also works within families and households. Women empowerment is also defined as a change in the context of a woman’s life which increases her capacity to lead a fulfilling human life. It is reflected both in external qualities such as health, mobility, education, awareness, status in the family, participation in decision making and material security, and in internal qualities such as self-awareness and self-confidence.
Which of the following is NOT given in the passage as an external quality of women empowerment?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Self-awareness
The last line of the passage puts the qualities in two groups.
- External qualities can be seen from outside, such as health, mobility and status in the family.
- Internal qualities are inside a person’s mind. The passage names them as “internal qualities such as self-awareness and self-confidence”.
- Self-awareness means knowing one’s own feelings, strengths and needs. It is an internal quality, not an external one.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Mobility — Incorrect. True in the passage: Mobility means the freedom to move from place to place. It is the second item in the list of external qualities.
Option 2: Participation in decision making — Incorrect. True in the passage: It means having a say when choices are made. The passage lists it among the external qualities.
Option 4: Status in the family — Incorrect. True in the passage: Status means a person’s position and respect. The passage names “status in the family” as an external quality.