In a coastal district, two groups became active in the same decade. The first gathered around a respected teacher who urged its members to give up costly rituals and drinking, and to change the way they lived and thought in their own homes. The second was formed by citizens' forums and lawyers, who drafted petitions, met legislators and campaigned for a new law that would let ordinary people see government files. Both groups held public meetings in many towns over several years and drew support from people of different backgrounds.
The type of movement to which the second group in the passage belongs is one that:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → strives to change existing arrangements through gradual, incremental steps
Option (1) strives to change existing arrangements through gradual, incremental steps — Correct. The second group works for a new law that would let people see government files, like the Right to Information campaign. Such reformist movements change existing arrangements through gradual, incremental steps: petitions, meetings with legislators and new laws.
Option (2) aims to change the personal consciousness and actions of its members — Incorrect. This describes a redemptive movement, which works on the inner change of its own members. That fits the first group in the passage. The second group asks the state for a new law, a step in public arrangements.
Option (3) moves from a phase of mass protest to a more institutionalised form — Incorrect. This describes a stage in the life cycle of a movement, when it becomes more institutionalised after mass protest. Any type of movement may go through it, so it cannot tell what type the second group is.
Option (4) functions within the frame of a political party to reorganise power — Incorrect. Working within the frame of political parties to reorganise power marks the old social movements, such as the national movement led by the Indian National Congress. The second group is made of citizens' forums and lawyers, and its aim is one new law.
NCERT (2026-27): “Reformist, Redemptive, Revolutionary |