Which theory states that societies are at different stages on the roa…

The correct answer is Option (1) → Modernisation theory

Option (1) Modernisation theory — Correct. By the mid-20th century, under the influence of modernisation theory, industrialisation came to be seen as inevitable and positive. The theory argues that societies are at different stages on the road to modernisation, but they are all heading in the same direction, and modern society, for these theorists, is represented by the West. The convergence thesis of the modernisation theorist Clark Kerr carries the same idea: an industrialised India would come to share more features with China or the United States than with its own past.

Note: The lines on modernisation theory, in the section ‘Images of Industrial Society’ of the chapter ‘Change and Development in Industrial Society’, were there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. This portion has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter and its activity on the convergence thesis of the modernisation theorist Clark Kerr are still there.