Ravi grew up in a Bihar town where his elders often mocked people from a neighbouring district; he now shares their views. In college he cheers loudly for his district's student group and calls students from the other district careless and rude. He feels tense and hostile, and cannot settle down, when working with them. When a friend says most of them are hardworking, Ravi names two who once missed a deadline and says that is enough for him. Some of those students, told for years that they are lazy, have stopped trying in class. When the town's mill closed, many locals blamed the few families from that district, who were too few to answer back.
Ravi cheers loudly for his own district's group and runs down the students of the other district. Identify the source of prejudice shown here.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Social identity and ingroup bias
Option (1) Scapegoating — Incorrect. Scapegoating is blaming a weak minority for the majority's own social or economic problems. Ravi's cheering is not tied to any problem or loss.
Option (2) Self-fulfilling prophecy — Incorrect. A self-fulfilling prophecy is about the target group acting in ways that confirm the prejudice. Here it is Ravi's own attitude to the two groups that is described.
Option (3) Social identity and ingroup bias — Correct. A person with a strong social identity holds a very positive attitude towards his own group and boosts it by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. Ravi's pride in his group goes with running down the other one.
Option (4) Kernel of truth concept — Incorrect. The kernel of truth idea is keeping a stereotype because a few examples seem to support it. Ravi's cheering for his group does not rest on any examples.
NCERT (2026-27): “PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION … “• A strong social identity and ingroup bias : Individuals who have a strong sense of social identity and have a very positive attitude towards their own group boost this attitude by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. These are shown as prejudices.” |