Ravi grew up in a Bihar town where his elders often mocked people from a neighbouring district; he now shares their views. In college he cheers loudly for his district's student group and calls students from the other district careless and rude. He feels tense and hostile, and cannot settle down, when working with them. When a friend says most of them are hardworking, Ravi names two who once missed a deadline and says that is enough for him. Some of those students, told for years that they are lazy, have stopped trying in class. When the town's mill closed, many locals blamed the few families from that district, who were too few to answer back.
After the mill closed, the locals put the loss on the few families from the other district. The locals' reaction is known as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Scapegoating
Option (1) Kernel of truth concept — Incorrect. The kernel of truth idea is holding a stereotype because a few examples seem to prove it. The locals are not pointing to examples; they are blaming the families for a loss.
Option (2) Self-fulfilling prophecy — Incorrect. In a self-fulfilling prophecy the target group behaves so as to confirm the prejudice. The families did nothing here; the locals acted against them.
Option (3) Social identity and ingroup bias — Incorrect. Ingroup bias is boosting a positive view of one's own group by holding negative views of others. The deciding point here is blame for an economic problem.
Option (4) Scapegoating — Correct. In scapegoating the majority group blames a minority outgroup for its own economic problems. The few families were too small in number to defend themselves, which fits the idea.
NCERT (2026-27): “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 groupbased way of expressing frustration, and it often results in negative attitudes or prejudice against the weaker group.” |