Ravi, a Class XII student in a village in Bihar, keeps a diary. He notes that over three generations, families of several castes have given up meat and taken up new rituals at home, and that many young people now wear jeans and use English words in daily talk. He also writes about a group of women who, for ten years, have held meetings, petitioned officials and marched to demand that liquor shops near the village school be closed. His teacher asks him to sort these entries using sociological concepts.
How should Ravi classify the women's ten-year effort to close the liquor shops?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → As a social movement, as it is directed towards specific goals
Option (1) As a social movement, as it is directed towards specific goals — Correct. The women met, petitioned and marched for ten years to get the liquor shops closed. A specific goal and long, continuous effort are the marks of a social movement.
Option (2) As social change, as it is continuous and ongoing — Incorrect. Being continuous and ongoing describes social change, which has no fixed goal. The women's effort aims at one specific demand, so it is a social movement.
Option (3) As social change, as it is the sum of countless collective actions — Incorrect. The sum of countless actions across time and space describes broad social change. The women's campaign is one planned effort by a group for a specific goal.
Option (4) As a social movement, as it is the sum of countless collective actions — Incorrect. The label is right but the reason is wrong. The sum of countless collective actions describes social change. A social movement is marked by specific goals and long, continuous effort.
NCERT (2026-27): “Distinguishing Social Change and Social Movements |