People may damage a bus and attack its driver when the bus has ran over a child. This is an isolated incident of protest. Since it flares up and dies down it is not 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. A social movement has a general orientation or way of approaching to bring about (or to prevent) change. These defining features are not constant. They may change over the course of a social movement's life. Social movements often arise with the aim of bringing about changes on a public issue, such as ensuring the right of the tribal population to use the forests or to the right of displaced people to settlement and compensation. Think of other issues that social movement have taken up in the past and and present. While social movement seek to bring in social change, counter movements sometimes arise in defense of status quo.

Read the passage above and answer the following questions.

What are the characteristics of social movement?

A. Action mostly directed against the state
B. Shared objectives and ideologies
C. Spontaneous forms of protest
D. Sustained collective action

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

A, B and D only

The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and D only

A social movement typically involves sustained collective action over time (D), has shared objectives and ideologies among participants (B), and may involve action directed against the state but not necessarily always (A). 

C. Spontaneous forms of protest:

• The passage explicitly states that spontaneous, disorganized protests cannot be considered social movements. Social movements require sustained collective action over time, which implies a degree of organization and planning. While spontaneous protests may occur within the context of a social movement, they alone do not constitute a social movement without the broader characteristics of sustained collective action and shared objectives.