Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Madhu is a 15-year old school dropout. She stopped going to school after failing in class VIII. Her father, a tailor, expired last year. He was suffering from Tuberculosis. This made it necessary for the children and their mother to work. Her elder brother aged 17 years works in a grocery shop and the younger one aged 14 years is engaged in chocolate packaging. Madhu and her mother roll bidis. Madhu started rolling bidis at an early age and she enjoys it as it provides her the opportunity to sit close to her mother and other women and listen to them chat. She fills tobacco into the rolled tendu leaves. She spends most of her time in this activity apart from the time spent doing household chores. Due to long hours of sitting in the same posture daily, she suffers from backache. Madhu wants to restart her schooling.
Rolling bidi for long hours in the same posture may lead to the following:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Backache
Option (1) Tuberculosis — Incorrect. Tuberculosis is the illness Madhu’s father suffered from before he died. It is an infection, not the result of sitting long hours in one posture.
Option (3) Backache — Correct. Madhu fills tobacco into rolled tendu leaves for most of the day. Due to long hours of sitting in the same posture daily, she suffers from backache.
Note: This passage comes from Box 5.7 (‘Life history of a bidi worker’) of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023; the box has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26).
NCERT (2025-26): “5.6 Home-based work … Home-based work is an important part of the economy. This includes the manufacture of lace, zari or brocade, carpets, bidis, agarbattis and many such products. This work is mainly done by women and children. An agent provides raw materials and also picks up the finished product. Home workers are paid on a piece-rate basis, depending on the number of pieces they make.…”
Box 5.7, Life history of a bidi worker (Pre-rationalised NCERT) |
