_________ is the ability to put up with a situation in which individu…

The correct answer is Option (3) → Competition tolerance

Individuals differ in how they react to crowding, and two kinds of tolerance explain these differences: crowding tolerance and competition tolerance.

Option (1) Crowding tolerance — Incorrect. Crowding tolerance is the ability to mentally deal with a high density or crowded environment, such as a crowded residence; people who grew up in a large family in a small house develop more of it. It is about living with many people around, not about competing with them for resources.

Option (2) Environment tolerance — Incorrect. There is no such term; the two kinds of tolerance named in connection with crowding are crowding tolerance and competition tolerance.

Option (3) Competition tolerance — Correct. Competition tolerance is the ability to put up with a situation in which individuals would have to compete with many others for even basic resources, including physical space. A crowded setting raises the competition for resources, so the reaction to it is influenced by this tolerance.

Option (4) Pollution tolerance — Incorrect. There is no such term. Pollution of air, water or by noise is a separate kind of environmental stress; it has nothing to do with competing for resources.

Note 1: Competition tolerance was there in the chapter ‘Psychology and Life’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2022, and is not there in the NCERT book (2025-26).

Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 27-05-2023 (Slot 1).