Ritu underwent major stress because of her deteriorating physical health after COVID-19. She missed her classes at school and was struggling to maintain her grades. How can her classmate help better her reduce psychological distress?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → By providing her with notes and assignments from classes that she had missed
Option (1) By writing her exam for her — Incorrect. This is cheating, not support. It does not help Ritu cope with her studies and would put both of them in trouble.
Option (2) By providing her with notes and assignments from classes that she had missed — Correct. This is social support in the form of tangible support, that is, material aid such as money, goods or services. A child giving notes to a friend who was absent from school due to sickness is a typical example of it. People with high social support experience less stress and cope with it more successfully.
Option (3) By reporting it to her teacher — Incorrect. Reporting her trouble does not give Ritu anything she can use to catch up, and the teacher may already know of her illness. Her distress comes from the missed work, which this leaves untouched.
Option (4) By missing her own classes to accompany Ritu — Incorrect. This harms the classmate’s own studies and does not help Ritu with the classes she has missed.
NCERT (2025-26): “Social Support : … Social support can help to provide protection against stress. People with high levels of social support from family and friends may experience less stress when they confront a stressful experience, and they may cope with it more successfully. Social support may be in the form of tangible support or assistance involving material aid, such as money, goods, services, etc. For example, a child gives notes to her/his friend, since s/he was absent from school due to sickness. Family and friends also provide informational support about stressful events. For example, a student facing a stressful event such as a difficult board examination, if provided information by a friend who has faced a similar one, would not only be able to identify the exact procedures involved, but also it would facilitate in determining what resources and coping strategies could be useful to successfully pass the examination.…” |