Read the passage and answer the question that follow :
Namita is studying in London. Being an Indian she faces a variety of discriminatory behavior on an everyday basis. For instance, Namita had an Economics examination in the morning. While she was revising her notes outside the exam hall one of her classmates, Jessica commented that, "You are from a country of snake charmers, I do not think advanced Economics concepts are your cup of tea". Namita felt bad and started to think it over. Although she was prepared well for her exam but due to nervousness, she was not able to perform well in the exam and failed. Seeing her result, other students started to call her "Know Nothing Namita". Some students started bullying other Indian students also without provocation. This instance led the students of other nationalities to believe that there must be some truth in what everyone says about Indians.
In the above passage, Namita failed due to nervousness arising from Jessica's comment, thus strengthening the existing prejudice. This is an example of ________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-fulfilling
Option (1) Kernel of truth — Incorrect. This is why other people keep a stereotype: they think there must be some truth in what everyone says about the group. In the question, the point is what Namita herself did and how it worked on the prejudice.
Option (2) Self-fulfilling — Correct. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, the group that is the target of prejudice behaves in ways that confirm the negative expectations and so strengthens the existing prejudice. Jessica’s comment that Economics was not Namita’s ‘cup of tea’ made her nervous; she failed, and her failure seemed to prove the prejudice true.
Option (3) Scapegoating — Incorrect. Scapegoating means the majority group blames a weak minority group for its own problems. Nobody in the passage blames Indians for their own troubles.
Option (4) Diffusion of responsibility — Incorrect. When many people are present, each person feels less responsible because the responsibility seems shared by all; so a bystander in a crowd may not help a person in need, and a member of a team may put in less effort. It has nothing to do with Namita’s failure confirming a prejudice.
Note: The concept in Option (4), ‘diffusion of responsibility’, was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023, and is not there in the NCERT book (2025-26).
NCERT (2025-26): “Prejudice and Discrimination … Scapegoating : This is a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own social, economic or political problems. The minority is too weak or too small in number to defend itself against such accusations. Scapegoating is a group-based way of expressing frustration, and it often results in negative attitudes or prejudice against the weaker group. Kernel of truth concept : Sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that, after all, there must be some truth, or ‘kernel of truth’ in what everyone says about the other group. Even a few examples are sufficient to support the ‘kernel of truth’ idea. Self-fulfilling prophecy : In some cases, the group that is the target of prejudice is itself responsible for continuing the prejudice. The target group may behave in ways that justify the prejudice, that is, confirm the negative expectations. For example, if the target group is described as ‘dependent’ and therefore unable to make progress, the members of this target group may actually behave in a way that proves this description to be true. In this way, they strengthen the existing prejudice.” |