UGC-NET (NTA) Human Rights and Duties, SEPTEMBER-2024

Total Questions: 100

91. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on it:

Development is typically associated with the overall wealth of states and is often linked to indicators such as 'growth', 'per capita income' and 'balance of payments' etc.
The particular indicators of this types of development are intended to measure the overall wealth of states, not the well-being of their citizens. The measurement of human well-being is a relatively new phenomenon in the economics and human rights literature.
Human development is thus defined as enlarging people's choices, chief among these being the ability to lead a long and healthy life, be educated and to enjoy a decent standard of living.
The first human development report noted that although income helps to formulate human choices it is merely a 'means' and not an 'end'. It distinguished between two sides of human development: 'The formation of human capabilities such as improved health or knowledge and the use that people make of their capabilities, for work or leisure.'
It identified three key indicators that may be used to measure human development, namely longevity, knowledge and decent living standards.
What should be considered the real wealth of a nation? 

Correct Answer: 4. People's well-being
Solution:

The passage clearly distinguishes between the wealth of a state (as indicated by GDP, per capita income, etc.) and the well-being of its citizens. It stresses that while traditional measures focus on economic wealth, true development must be assessed by the well-being of the people, including health, education, and decent living standards.
The real wealth of a nation, therefore, lies in the capabilities and well-being of its citizens, not in financial accumulation or GDP figures alone.

92. What is traditionally considered the 'essence of development'?

Correct Answer: 2. Wealth of States
Solution:

According to the passage, development has traditionally been equated with indicators such as 'growth', 'per capita income', and 'balance of payments', which are all measures of a nation's economic wealth.
This implies that in conventional economic discourse, the "essence of development" has long been viewed as the wealth of states, rather than the human-centric approach adopted in modern human development theories.

93. What is human development?

Correct Answer: 2. Enhancing people's choices
Solution:

The passage defines human development as "enlarging people's choices", particularly emphasizing their ability to lead a healthy life, gain education, and enjoy a decent standard of living. These enhanced choices are seen as ends in themselves, unlike income, which is merely a means to achieving such outcomes.
Therefore, human development is not just about income generation, but rather about the expansion of individual freedoms and opportunities.

94. What are key indicators, used to measure human development?

Correct Answer: 4. Health, education, and living standards
Solution:

The passage identifies three key indicators for measuring human development:
• Longevity (which reflects health),
• Knowledge (linked to education), and
• Decent living standards (economic and social well-being)
These components align with the Human Development Index (HDI), which was developed by the UNDP and uses health (life expectancy), education (mean and expected years of schooling), and standard of living (GNI per capita) as key parameters.

95. What are the two-sides of human development?

Correct Answer: 3. Formation of human capabilities and use of capabilities
Solution:

The passage from the first Human Development Report explains that human development has two sides:
• One is the formation of human capabilities, such as health and knowledge. • The other is the use of those capabilities, in both work and leisure.
This approach highlights that development should focus not only on equipping people with skills and capacities but also on creating an environment where they can effectively utilize their potential. Therefore, Option 3 is the most accurate.

96. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on it:

As a body of thought, ecofeminism embodies different strands of arguments. In patriarchal thought, women are identified being closer to nature and men as being closer to culture.
Nature is seen inferior to culture, hence women are seen inferior to men. The idea that women are seen as closer to nature than men was initially introduced by Shreey Ortner though Ynestra King and Carolyn Merchant argue that the nature-culture dichotomy is a false one being a patriarchal ideological construct used to maintain gender hierarchy. But they accept the view that women are ideologically construed as closer to nature because of their biology.
Social anthropologists believe that nature-culture divide is not universal across all cultures, while Ariel Kay Salleh believes in women's consciousness in biology and in nature.
Vandana Shiva notes that destruction of nature becomes destruction of women's source for staying alive as third world women are dependent on nature for drawing substance for themselves, their families, and their societies.
The violence against women and nature are linked ideologically as well as materially.
Who held the view that nature-culture dichotomy is a false one? 

Correct Answer: 2. Carolyn Merchant
Solution:

Carolyn Merchant, along with Ynestra King, hoids the view that the nature-culture dichotomy is a false one. According to the passage, both scholars argue that this dichotomy is a patriarchal ideological construct, deliberately created to maintain gender hierarchy.
They reject the assumption that women are naturally aligned with nature in any inherent sense but acknowledge that patriarchal ideologies have constructed this connection to reinforce male dominance.
Thus, they critique this binary opposition as socially and ideologically manufactured rather than biologically determined.

97. Which of following maintains the view that violence against women and nature are linked not just ideological but also materially?

Correct Answer: 4. Vandana Shiva
Solution:

Vandana Shiva strongly emphasizes that violence against women and nature is interconnected not just ideologically but also materially. The passage states that, for thirdworld women, nature is a direct source of survival, as it provides food, fuel, and medicine.
When nature is exploited or destroyed, it directly impacts women's livelihoods, health, and autonomy. Hence, the material connection is not abstract but one of real-life survival, linking ecological degradation with gender-based injustice and structural inequality.

98. Which of the following statements reflects patriarchal thinking?

Correct Answer: 3. Nature is inferior to culture
Solution:

Patriarchal thinking constructs a hierarchy where culture (associated with men) is viewed as superior, and nature (associated with women) as inferior. The passage explains that in this worldview, women are identified as being closer to nature, and men as closer to culture.
Since nature is seen as inferior, by extension, women are also considered inferior. This mindset upholds gender inequality by assigning greater value to male-associated traits and spheres.
Thus, Option 3 accurately reflects the essence of patriarchal ideology as discussed in the passage.

99. Which school of thought considers that nature-culture divide is not universal across all cultures?

Correct Answer: 3. Social anthropological thought
Solution:

The passage clearly mentions that social anthropologists do not accept the universality of the nature-culture divide. Instead, they argue that such divisions are not present across all cultures, suggesting that it is a social construct rather than a natural or global truth.
This view challenges the binary division propagated by patriarchal ideologies and opens space for cultural diversity in gender and environmental perceptions, making Option 3 the correct match.

100. Whose work projects women's consciousness in biology and nature?

Correct Answer: 4. Ariel Kay Salleh
Solution:

Ariel Kay Salleh is credited in the passage with highlighting the connection between women's consciousness, biology, and nature. She does not merely critique the patriarchal construction of women's proximity to nature but also embraces it as a source of knowledge and identity.
Her work emphasizes that women's lived experiences - especially in terms of reproduction, caregiving, and ecological responsibility - create a unique awareness or consciousness tied to both biology and the natural world, giving ecological feminism a more embodied and experiential grounding.