UGC NET/JRF EXAM, January-2025 WOMEN’S STUDIES

Total Questions: 100

91. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

Universal Basic Income (UBI) ensures minimum income for all citizens, regardless of employment status, aiming to reduce poverty, promote social justice, and enhance economic autonomy.

Grounded in universality and unconditionality, UBI streamlines welfare delivery through digital infrastructure while fostering labour market flexibility.

Critics argue that UBI may reduce work incentives and strain fiscal resources, but evidence suggests these concerns are often exaggerated, particularly with moderate UBI levels recognizing non-wage contributions like caregiving.

In India, UBI's feasibility is strengthened by the JAM (Jan-Dhan-Adhar-Mobile) frame work, enabling scalable and efficient implementation. However, a key challenge is avoiding duplication with existing welfare programs.

UBI's universality complements targeted cash transfers, such as schemes for women in West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra and Karnataka, which empower vulnerable groups like mothers and womenled households.

Integrating UBI with targeted initiatives can combat poverty and gender inequality, advancing a more inclusive and equitable society.

Integrating UBI with targeted initiatives can combat.

Correct Answer: 1. Poverty and gender inequality
Solution:

he passage explicitly states that integrating UBI with targeted initiatives (such as those in West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Karnataka) can combat poverty and gender inequality.

These schemes empower mothers and womenled households, addressing vulnerability and promoting inclusion.

By combining universal income support with gender-focused policies, the goal is to build a more inclusive and equitable society.

92. Which of the following is true about the goals of UBI?

Correct Answer: D. Women were excluded from Stridhana 4. UBI enhances economic autonomy
Solution:

The passage mentions that UBI ensures minimum income, promotes social justice, and enhances economic autonomy, regardless of employment.

It allows individuals, particularly those outside the formal wage sector (like caregivers), to gain financial independence, thus strengthening autonomy in economic decision-making.

93. Standard criticism against UBI is:

Correct Answer: 3. Strains Fiscal resources
Solution:

One of the standard criticisms mentioned in the passage is that UBI may strain fiscal resources and reduce work incentives.

However, the passage counters that such concerns are exaggerated, especially when moderate levels of UBI are implemented.

Thus, while it's a frequent critique, the policy's supporters argue it's financially manageable with proper design.

94. Universal Basic Income (UBI) ensures a minimum income for:

Correct Answer: 2. All citizens regardless of employment status
Solution:

The definition of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the passage is clear: it ensures minimum income for all citizens, regardless of employment status.

This means no conditions or eligibility restrictions based on job, caste, or class.
The principle of universality is foundational to UBI, making it different from targeted welfare programs.

95. How UBI streamlines welfare delivery?

Correct Answer: 3. Through digital infrastructure of JAM
Solution:

The passage emphasizes that UBI streamlines welfare delivery through India's JAM trinity - Jan-Dhan accounts, Aadhaar identification, and Mobile connectivity.

This digital infrastructure supports efficient, transparent, and scalable implementation, ensuring direct benefit transfers to citizens without leakages.

The JAM framework plays a critical enabling role in making UBI operationally feasible.

96. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

The Mirabal Sisters - Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa - are national figures of the Dominican Republic, celebrated for their defiance against the brutal dictorship of Rafal Trujilla.

Growing up in a comfortable family, the sisters became active in the resistance after Minerva's confrontation with Trujilla at a party in 1949. Despite facing arrests and repression, including Minerva's law degree being denied, the sisters along with their husbands, continued their opposition to the regime.

In 1959, they formed the "Fourteenth of June Movement" after a failed invasion attempt by exiled Dominicans. Their activism intensified despite imprisonment, leading to Trujilla ordering their deaths on 25th November 1960.

The sisters were ambushed, killed and their deaths staged as a car accident. Their martyrdom galvanised resistance, hastening Trujilla's downfall and he was assassinated in May 1961.

Afterward their surviving sister, Dede dedicated herself to raising their children and preserving their legacy. In 1999, the U.N declared 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, inspired by the Mirabal sisters' sacrifice. Their legacy continues to inspire global efforts for women's rights and freedom.

What significant action did the U.N. take in honour of the Mirabal sisters? 

Correct Answer: 2. Declared 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women
Solution:

The United Nations, in 1999, officially declared 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in honour of the Mirabal Sisters.

• The date commemorates their assassination on 25th November 1960, which was ordered by dictator Rafael Trujillo.

• Their murder, under the guise of a staged car accident, became a symbol of resistance and sacrifice.

• The day is now observed globally to raise awareness and demand action to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

97. How did the martyrdom of the Mirbal sisters contribute to the downfall of Trujilla's regime?

Correct Answer: 4. It intensified resistance, increasing opposition to the regime both locally and internationally
Solution:

he martyrdom of the Mirabal sisters in 1960 had a profound impact on the Dominican Republic's political landscape.

• Their brutal killings drew widespread condemnation, not only within the country but also internationally.

• Their deaths galvanized popular resistance, uniting previously fragmented opposition forces and eroding Trujillo's legitimacy.

• The heightened opposition and moral outrage played a key role in hastening the dictator's assassination in May 1961, marking the downfall of his regime.

98. When were Mirabal sisters killed and what directly contributed to the fall of the Trujilla regime?

Correct Answer: 3. 1960 and The Murder of Mirabal sisters
Solution:

The Mirabal sisters were murdered on 25th November 1960, as ordered by Trujillo's regime.

Their assassination was a direct catalyst that mobilized the Dominican public and international community against Trujillo.

Their martyrdom exposed the brutality of the regime and triggered a chain of events leading to Trujillo's assassination in May 1961, only six months later.

While earlier acts like Minerva's confrontation (1949) were important, it was their murder that proved pivotal in toppling the regime.

99. Why did Minerva Mirabal become target of Rafael Trujilla?

Correct Answer: 1. She opposed his dictatorship and confronted him
Solution:

Minerva Mirabal became a target of dictator Rafael Trujillo because she was openly defiant of his authoritarian rule.

• Her public confrontation with Trujillo at a party in 1949 marked the beginning of her active resistance.

• As a law student and politically aware woman, she refused his advances and challenged his authority, which led to state retaliation, including denial of her law degree.

• Her actions symbolized female defiance in a patriarchal dictatorship, making her a direct threat to Trujillo's control.

100. What was the name of the resistance movement formed by Mirabal sisters?

Correct Answer: 2. Fourteenth of June Movement
Solution:

In 1959, the Mirabal sisters formed the "Fourteenth of June Movement" (Movimiento 14 de Junio) in the Dominican Republic.

• It was named after the failed invasion attempt on 14th June 1959 by exiled Dominicans attempting to overthrow Trujillo.

• The group focused on underground resistance, political awareness, and organizing antidictatorship activities.

• The sisters played a crucial role, and Minerva was a key figure in leading the movement.

• Their involvement in this movement eventually led to their imprisonment and assassination, further elevating their legacy as national heroines.