Three of the following persons share one kind of risk that the fourth…

Three of the following persons share one kind of risk that the fourth does not. Which person is the odd one out?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Karan, who suffered a head injury in a road accident

Option (1) Anil, whose mother and grandfather both had major depression — Incorrect. Heredity (genetic make-up) is an important risk factor for major depression. A family history of depression puts Anil at risk.

Option (2) Farah, who recently lost her job and went through a divorce — Incorrect. Negative life events, such as losing a job or the break-up of a relationship, are risk factors for depression.

Option (3) Divya, who moved to a new city and has no one to turn to — Incorrect. Lack of social support is a risk factor for depression. Divya has no one to turn to in the new city.

Option (4) Karan, who suffered a head injury in a road accident — Correct. A head injury is an organic cause of memory loss, the kind that rules out dissociative amnesia. It is not among the factors predisposing towards depression, so Karan is the odd one out.

NCERT (2026-27): “Factors Predisposing towards
Depression : Genetic make-up, or heredity is an important risk factor for major depression and other depressive disorders. Age is also a risk factor. For instance, women are particularly at risk during young adulthood, while for men the risk is highest in early middle age. Similarly gender also plays a great role in this differential risk addition. For example, women in comparison to men are more likely to report a depressive disorder. Other risk factors are experiencing negative life events and lack of social support.”

“Dissociative amnesia is characterised by extensive but selective memory loss that has no known organic cause (e.g., head injury). …”