Read the following passage.
Meenal is the only girl from her village who has reached High School. For this, she has to move away from her village and stay in the city. She has made a lot of friends and every time she is invited by them to attend parties, she is unable to say 'no' to them. This leaves her with less time to study, which adds to her stress level. She has been procrastinating her work and spends more time thinking that she will not be successful in life. This has increased her tension and resulted in a lack of confidence in her. Quite often she vents out her feelings of anger and frustration at her parents. Her teacher, who had been observing her, advised her to take charge of herself and seek professional help from a psychologist who uses cognitive behavioural techniques to reduce stress.
On many occasions, it became difficult for Meenal to say 'No' to her friends. Why is it important for Meenal to be assertive?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → To gain confidence and to express her opinion and emotions openly
Option (1) To gain confidence and to express her opinion and emotions openly — Correct. Assertiveness is a life skill that helps us communicate our feelings, needs, wants and thoughts with clarity and confidence. It includes the ability to say no to a request, to state an opinion without being self-conscious and to express emotions openly. An assertive person feels confident and has high self-esteem. Meenal, who cannot say ‘no’ to her friends’ invitations, needs this very skill to protect her study time and her confidence.
Option (2) To keep everyone happy in the end — Incorrect. Trying to keep everyone happy is the very reason Meenal keeps saying yes. Assertiveness means saying no when needed, even if someone is not pleased.
Option (3) To help her to make more friends and gain recognition — Incorrect. Meenal already has a lot of friends; her problem is that they take away her study time. Assertiveness is about expressing one’s own needs, not about becoming popular.
Option (4) To learn ways to communicate and know about the latest fashion — Incorrect. Assertiveness does involve good communication, but knowing the latest fashion has nothing to do with it or with Meenal’s stress.
NCERT (2025-26): “Life Skills … These life skills can be learned and even improved upon. Assertiveness, time management, rational thinking, improving relationships, self-care, and overcoming unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, procrastination, etc. are some life skills that will help to meet the challenges of life. Assertiveness : Assertiveness is a behaviour or skill that helps to communicate, clearly and confidently, our feelings, needs, wants, and thoughts. It is the ability to say no to a request, to state an opinion without being self-conscious, or to express emotions such as love, anger, etc. openly. If you are assertive, you feel confident, and have high self-esteem and a solid sense of your own identity.…” |