Rekha, a young woman in a small town, chooses her own spouse instead of letting her family elders decide. Identify the kind of change this reflects and how such changes come about.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A change in family norms; such changes are not so easy to bring about
Option (1) A change in the line of descent; such changes come about easily with education — Incorrect. Line of descent means whether a family is matrilineal or patrilineal, that is, through which parent descent is traced. Choosing a spouse leaves the line of descent as it was, and such change is also hard to bring about.
Option (2) A change in family norms; such changes come about easily with education — Incorrect. Rekha's choice is a change in family norms, so the first half fits. The second half fails: such changes are hard to bring about, and they are often resisted violently.
Option (3) A change in family norms; such changes are not so easy to bring about — Correct. Young people choosing their spouses instead of letting elders decide is a change purposely brought about in family norms and values. Such changes are not so easy to bring about.
Option (4) A change in the line of descent; such changes are not so easy to bring about — Incorrect. The second half is right, since such changes are hard to bring about. The first half fails: choosing one's spouse changes norms about marriage and leaves the line of descent through the mother or the father as it was.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.3 Family and Kinship … “It is evident from the kind of changes that take place that not only have family structures changed, but cultural ideas, norms and values also change. These changes are however not so easy to bring about. Both history and contemporary times suggest that often change in family and marriage norms are resisted violently. …” |