Within three months, Meera moved to a new house in Bengaluru, changed her school and went through the break-up of a long friendship. She now finds it hard to manage and shows signs of stress. Which of the following best explains the cause of her stress?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Several major life events, planned and unpredicted, occurring within a short period
Option (1) Frequent daily hassles of everyday life that she has to bear alone — Incorrect. Daily hassles are the small personal stresses of daily life, such as noise, commuting or water shortage. Meera's changes are big, one-time changes in her life.
Option (2) Several major life events, planned and unpredicted, occurring within a short period — Correct. Moving house, a new school and a broken friendship are major life events. They disturb routine, and when several of them come within a short period, a person finds it hard to cope and shows symptoms of stress.
Option (3) Extreme traumatic events whose effects appear after some lapse of time — Incorrect. Traumatic events are extreme events such as a fire, a road accident, a robbery or an earthquake. A move, a new school and a break-up are not extreme events of this kind.
Option (4) A single unpredicted life event, the break-up, rather than the planned changes — Incorrect. Moving house is a planned life event, and planned events also disturb routine. Her stress comes from several events piling up together.
NCERT (2026-27): “Life Events |