People may damage a bus and attack its driver when the bus has hit someone on the road. This is an isolated incident of protest. Since it flares up and dies down immediately, it is not a social movement. A social movement requires ______ over time.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Sustained Collective Action
Option (2) Sustained Collective Action — Correct. A social movement requires sustained collective action over time, often directed against the state, with some organisation, leadership and shared objectives. An attack on a bus flares up and dies down, so it does not last long enough to be a movement.
Note: The example of the people who damage a bus and attack its driver, at the start of the section ‘Features of a Social Movement’ in the chapter ‘Social Movements’, was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. These lines have been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter and the sentence on sustained collective action are still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “8.1 Features of a Social Movement … A social movement requires sustained collective action over time. Such action is often directed against the state and takes the form of demanding changes in state policy or practice. Spontaneous, disorganised protest cannot be called a social movement either. Collective action must be marked by some degree of organisation. This organisation may include a leadership and a structure that defines how members relate to each other, make decisions and carry them out. Those participating in a social movement also have shared objectives and ideologies.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “8.1 Features of a Social Movement … People may damage a bus and attack its driver when the bus has run over a child. This is an isolated incident of protest. Since it flares up and dies down it is not a social movement.…” |