It is striking that the lowest child sex ratios are found in the most prosperous regions of India. According to the Economic Survey for a recent year, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are having high per capita income and the child sex ratio of these states is still low. … Recently, the Government of India has introduced the programme, 'Beti-Bachao, Beti-Padhao'. It can prove to be an important policy to increase the child sex ratio in the country.
The passage leaves out its opening line, in which the regional pattern of low child sex ratios seems to support an argument. Which argument is it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → That sonograms are misused to identify and selectively abort female foetuses
Option (1) That severe neglect of girl babies in infancy leads to higher death rates — Incorrect. Neglect of girl babies in infancy is a real cause of the falling child sex ratio. The pattern of low ratios in rich states is not offered to back it.
Option (2) That female infanticide has been known to exist in many regions of India — Incorrect. Female infanticide has been known in many regions. The pattern in the passage is about prosperous states, and it backs the point on modern techniques used to know the baby's sex.
Option (3) That maternal mortality caused the worsening of the sex ratio over time — Incorrect. Maternal mortality has been coming down in India, so it cannot explain the worsening sex ratio. No regional pattern is given in its support.
Option (4) That sonograms are misused to identify and selectively abort female foetuses — Correct. The sonogram, made to find disorders in the foetus, is misused to identify and selectively abort female foetuses. Such tests need money, so the lowest child sex ratios in the most prosperous regions support this argument.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.4 The Declining Sex-ratio in India … “The regional pattern of low child sex ratios seems to support this argument. It is striking that the lowest child sex ratios are found in the most prosperous regions of India. According to the Economic Survey for a recent year, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are having high per capita income and the child sex ratio of these states is still low. So the problem of selective abortions is not due to poverty or ignorance or lack of resources.” |