A boycott is a refusal to buy from, use or deal with a person, a company or an organisation, as a way of protesting against something it has done. Which of the following situations is the best example of a boycott?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Angry that a restaurant has been dumping its waste into the colony lake, the residents of the colony decide to stop eating there until it stops the dumping.
A boycott has two parts: people refuse to buy from, use or deal with someone, and they do it as a protest against something that person or organisation has done.
In Option (4) the residents stop eating at the restaurant because it is dumping waste into the lake. Both parts are present.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Neha stops buying chips from the corner shop because she has decided to eat healthier food. — Incorrect. Neha stops for her own health, not to protest against anything the shop has done.
Option (2) The residents of a colony write a letter of complaint to a restaurant about its waste but go on eating there as before. — Incorrect. The residents protest, but there is no refusal: they keep eating at the restaurant.
Option (3) The residents of a colony stop visiting a restaurant after it closes down for good. — Incorrect. The residents have no choice, since the restaurant has closed; it is not a protest.