BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Lesson 7 A Child is Born Question Answers
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- A Child is Born Textbook Question and Answers
- A Child is Born Multiple Choice Questions
- A Child is Born Extract Based Questions
- A Child is Born Class 12 Summary, Explanation Notes
BSEB Class 12 English Chapter 7 A Child is Born Textbook Question and Answers
B.1.1. Read the following sentences and write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements:
i. In a traditional society, a pregnant woman has to follow the conventional procedure of childbirth.
ii. Even taboos and prohibitions help to manage anxiety.
iii. Western women suffer mostly because they have to manage everything on their own.
iv. In traditional societies, childbirth is a family affair.
v. The family support and conventional procedure lessen the mother- infant mortality.
vi. Freedom to live our own lives is more important than prenatal mortality.
vii. Western people do not think that all mothers-in-law are unjust and vindictive.
viii. Silent opposition in international conferences is not a major difficulty in the way of feminists.
ix. In many traditional societies the relation between mother and child is more important than that between husband and wife.
Answer-
i. In a traditional society, a pregnant woman has to follow the conventional procedure of childbirth. – True
ii. Even taboos and prohibitions help to manage anxiety.– True
iii. Western women suffer mostly because they have to manage everything on their own.– True
iv. In traditional societies, childbirth is a family affair.– True
v. The family support and conventional procedure lessen the mother- infant mortality.– False
vi. Freedom to live our own lives is more important than prenatal mortality.– True
vii. Western people do not think that all mothers-in-law are unjust and vindictive.– False
viii. Silent opposition in international conferences is not a major difficulty in the way of feminists. – False
ix. In many traditional societies the relation between mother and child is more important than that between husband and wife.– True
B.1. 2. Answer the following questions briefly :
1) How are the ways of managing childbirth in traditional societies useful?
Answer-
The ways of managing childbirth in traditional societies are many and varied; their usefulness stems directly from the fact that they are accepted culturally and collectively so that the mother does not have the psychic burden of reinventing the procedures.
2) A pregnant woman in a traditional society does not feel that she is alone. Why?
Answer-
A pregnant woman in a traditional society does not feel that she is alone because many of the ritual observances of pregnancy involve the participation of others who should support her, primarily her husband, then her kinsfolk and then the other members of her community. Some of these behaviours will be sensible and useful, others magical, but they will all increase her sense of security and her conviction that she is conducting the pregnancy, not that it is conducting her.
3) What is the superstition associated with acquiring new clothes and instruments for baby before the birth?
Answer-
There is an old diehard superstition that acquiring equipment and apparel for a baby before the birth is considered bad luck. This leads to a baby being born without any napkins and cribs.
4) ‘In our anxiety to avoid death we may have destroyed the significance of the experience…’ What is the ‘experience’ the writer refers to ?
Answer-
‘In our anxiety to avoid death we may have destroyed the significance of the experience…’. Here, the writer is referring to the ‘experience’ that includes giving up things which free human beings have often felt to be more important than their own survival — such as freedom to live their own lives their own way and to make individual choices in line with their own sense of values.
5) What is the ‘truism of anthropologies’ that the writer talks about?
Answer-
In many societies women still go forth from their mother’s houses at marriage to live with a mother-in-law and the wives of their husbands’ brothers.The writer talks about a ‘truism of anthropology’ that post marriage, women do not become members of their new family until they have borne a child.
6) What compels women to withdraw into silent opposition in international fora?
Answer-
One of the greatest difficulties in the way of feminists who are not chauvinistic and want to learn from women who still live within a female society is the tendency of those women to withdraw into silent opposition when participating in international fora conducted in languages which they cannot speak with fluency.
7) Why had Sudanese women officials stopped going to international conferences?
Answer-
Women officials of the Sudanese government told the writer that they had given up going to international conferences, even though the trips were a tremendous treat, because they were tired of being told about their own lives instead of being consulted.
B.2.1. Read the following sentences and write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements:
i. A Sylheti woman may not visit her mother’s house during pregnancy.
ii. For Sylheti women, the whole matter of pregnancy is one of celebration.
iii. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to please gods.
iv. The songs they sing are about the lives of women in Bengal.
v. Visiting mother’s house is one of the rewards of pregnancy.
vi. In Bangladesh, Rupthoka is a kind of sweet dish.
vii. All technological changes cause social developments.
viii. Child birth in modern hospitals is more brutal.
Answer-
i. A Sylheti woman may not visit her mother’s house during pregnancy.– False
ii. For Sylheti women, the whole matter of pregnancy is one of celebration.– True
iii. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to please gods.– False
iv. The songs they sing are about the lives of women in Bengal.– True
v. Visiting mother’s house is one of the rewards of pregnancy.– True
vi. In Bangladesh, Rupthoka is a kind of sweet dish.– False
vii. All technological changes cause social developments. – True
viii. Child birth in modern hospitals is more brutal. – True
B.2.2. Complete the following sentences on the basis of the lesson:
a) The potential……… are alive in the memory of her community.
b) She will have other ………, for many of the rituals ………. of pregnancy involve the participation of the others who should support her.
c) In……….societies, except for remarkable accidents, birth is always attended.
d) The description provided by the Amnesty for Women of typical Muslim marriage was no more than a coarse……libel.
e) In many traditional societies in Africa and India, the biological family is deliberately weakened by enforced……..
Answer-
a) The potential catastrophes are alive in the memory of her community.
b) She will have other reinforcements, for many of the rituals observances of pregnancy involve the participation of the others who should support her.
c) In non-technocratic societies, except for remarkable accidents, birth is always attended.
d) The description provided by the Amnesty for Women of typical Muslim marriage was no more than a coarse ethnocentric
e) In many traditional societies in Africa and India, the biological family is deliberately weakened by enforced abstinence or actual separation of parents.
B.2. 3. Answer the following questions briefly :
1) Where do Sylheti women go to stay during the last stage of pregnancy?
Answer-
If a girl is lucky to have her parents on her side, she goes to her mother’s house for the last few months of her pregnancy and about the first three months of the baby’s life.
2) What is the reward of pregnancy for a young Sylheti woman?
Answer-
Among the rewards of pregnancy, among many others, is that the woman gets to go home to visit her mother and sisters and relive the nostalgic tone of the description.
3) How are children of the joint family in Bangladesh looked after?
Answer-
Children under the age of six are taken care of by the whole family in Bangladesh. All the children of a joint family are raised together. They are taken for a bath at the nearby pond by one of the daughter-in-laws of the family whereas the youngest daughter-in-law keeps the meal ready for the children to feast on when they come back from their bath. It is made sure that they have eaten well by another woman of the family. Children in Asia, particularly in Bangladesh do not play with toys, instead they play outdoors with natural stuff. They know how to make toys from natural objects. When it is the time of the evening, they generally get to hear fairy tales (known as Rupthoka) by aunties or probably, their favorite aunt. When the night comes, it is the mother who the child returns to. The child sleeps in her arms. In raising a child, a lot of other women of the family are involved who the child maintains a good relationship with. In the process, they come so close that it is common to call them Big Mother or Small Mother.
4) What is the worst impact of Western medicine in traditional societies?
Answer-
The impact of Western medicine in traditional societies is one of the most problematic areas of modernization. The respect for the doctors is huge and the admiration towards the extraordinary effects of modern medicine is absolute. There is so much burden on modern medicine that it results in a patient undergoing heavy and complex courses of action even when the patient’s health is not strong enough to bear them. Allopathy treatment generally requires expensive medicines, superior machinery and loads of electricity, all of which is not available in peasant communities in satisfactory quantities.
5) What is the immediate impact of poverty in medical field?
Answer-
All that stops modern technology from reaching into every hut and hovel is poverty, and it’s immediate effect is the cultural dominance of Western technology.
C.1. Long Answer Questions
- What is the role of rituals in managing childbirth in traditional societies?
Answer-
A ritual approach to pregnancy which hems the pregnant woman about with taboos and prohibitions helps make the anxiety manageable. A woman who observes all the prohibitions and carries out all the rites will be actively involved in holding the unknown at bay. She will have other reinforcements, for many of the ritual observances of pregnancy involve the participation of others who should support her, primarily her husband, then her kinsfolk and then the other members of her community. This makes sure that she is never alone. Some of these behaviours will be sensible and useful, others magical, but they will all increase her sense of security and her conviction that she is conducting the pregnancy, not that it is conducting her.
- Experience of childbirth is very significant. But modern technology has deprived the potential mother of this significant experience. How?
Answer-
The experience of childbirth is significant. In traditional societies, a pregnant woman has reinforcements, for many of the ritual observances of pregnancy involve the participation of others who should support her, primarily her husband, then her kinsfolk and then the other members of her community. This makes sure that she is never alone. Childbirth is celebrated with naming ceremonies which includes lots of laughter and singing.
On the other hand, modern societies require chromium plated technologies, expensive drugs and continuous electricity. In big hospitals, doctors and nurses do not bother themselves by catering to the screaming and groaning of pregnant women. They primarily work towards maintaining their sophisticated equipment. Hence, this results in childbirth being converted to a personal disaster from a climactic personal experience.
- Describe the western interpretation of a bride’s longing for a child in a traditional society.
Answer-
In many societies women still go forth from their mother’s houses at marriage to live with a mother-in-law and the wives of their husbands’ brothers. It is a truism of anthropology that such women do not become members of their new family until they have borne a child. If we consider that in such societies the marriage was quite likely to have been arranged, it is understandable that the bride too longs for the child who will stand in the same intimate relationship to her as she with her own mother. The western interpretation of such mores is that they are backward, cruel and wrong; it is assumed that the sexual relations between the spouses are perfunctory and exploitative and that all mothers-in-law are unjust and vindictive.
- How do languages come in the way of a better understanding of the women’s problems?
Answer-
Women who are feminists and dont think anyone is superior, generally face the obstacle of having to resort to silent conflict in international conferences due to language barriers even though they want to learn from women living in female-centric societies. The author shares that one of the women officials of Sudanese government told her that they have lost their hope from international exchanges because they were sick of being dictated instead of being asked, despite the trips being a great treat.
Similarly, in large and sophisticated hospitals, women tend to get ignored as they speak languages that are not understandable by nurses or doctors.
- Describe the rewards of pregnancy as experienced by Sylheti women.
Answer-
As described by a Sylheti woman, if a girl is lucky enough to have her parents by her side, she goes to her mother’s house for the last few months of her pregnancy and about the first three months of the baby’s life. There she gets a lot of love and care. She is asked, “What would you like to eat? What do you fancy?” All the time she is looked after. The whole matter of pregnancy is one of celebration. When the baby is born it is an occasion of joy for the whole family.
The naming ceremony is lovely. It is held when the boy is seven days old. A new dress is brought for it and a new sari for the mother. There is feasting and singing until late at night. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to ward off evil spirits. That’s when the name is chosen. There are so many jokes, so much laughter. People look so funny eating pan and singing. The men don’t take much part. They may come and have a look at the baby, but the singing, the gathering together at night — it is all women.
- Does the writer want to say that the use of western medicine in childbirth is producing horrible results? Do you agree with her views?
Answer-
From this excerpt, the writer surely is in awe of the traditional ways of childbirth. She seems to admire the ritual aspects associated with it and how it involves the woman’s family to be with her, especially her family. In these societies, childbirth is celebrated and naming ceremonies are held which involves people coming together to sing, eat and laugh. After being born, the baby is taken care of by the whole family. However, on the other hand, in her opinion, modern societies require chromium plated technologies, expensive drugs and continuous electricity. In big hospitals, doctors and nurses do not bother themselves by catering to the screaming and groaning of pregnant women. They primarily work towards maintaining their sophisticated equipment. Hence, this results in childbirth being converted to a personal disaster from a climactic personal experience.
I do not completely agree with her opinion because of the fact that modern medicine has reduced both infant and mother mortality rates. People in big cities regularly visit hospitals and doctors to get their check-ups done throughout their pregnancy. I believe that even though traditional methods of childbirth are widely accepted, it comes with a lot of risk – both in the lives of the mother and the baby. Hence, western advancements in technology have proved themselves more useful over time and more and more people are shiting towards it.
- What could be the worse fates than death for a pregnant woman?
Answer-
Childbirth is considered auspicious and is generally celebrated. However, if we turn birth from a climactic personal experience into a personal disaster, it matters little that the result is more likely to be a live child. Women will not long continue to offer up their bodies and minds to such brutality, especially if there is no one at home to welcome the child, to praise the mother for her courage and to help her raise it. They know that death attends too frequently in the traditional birthplace, but they also know that there are worse fates than death.
- What are the problems of a modern woman in matters of pregnancy and childbirth?
Answer-
Modern women have a lot of facilities and perks in comparison to those available in traditional societies.Despite multiple perks, they even face a few difficulties due to modernisation. Firstly, the families have shifted from being joint to nuclear and since everyone is occupied in their own lives, women have less people around them to make them feel secure and help them implement reinforcements. People nowadays have forgotten about traditions and hence, the ritual observances that help bring down the anxiety index are rarely followed. Moreover, post childbirth, there is hardly anyone else to take care of them and help raise them unlike joint families. Hence, in some ways, modernisation has made things difficult for pregnancy.
C. 3. COMPOSITION
Write a paragraph of about 100 words on each of the following:
1 Rituals: their value in our cultural life
Answer-
In the true sense, ritual means right action, and any action done rightly, with wisdom and compassion, is a ritual. We cannot avoid action as long as we live. For action not to bind us, it must be a ritual not in the personal sense but as a means of connecting with cosmic beings and its movement. Rituals play an important role in the cultural society and play a significant role in the way we live our lives. They give us a feeling of security and loyalty towards a certain group. They are also a main part of religion, and that is where they are commonly found.
- Family is the hub of our social life
Answer-
Families form an integral part of one’s life. It is considered to be a child’s first school. A person’s basic values in communication and interaction comes from its family. In joint families, a child is taken care of more by other aunts more than its mother. He/She gets to play with siblings and go to school with them. It reduces the chances of children feeling lonely. A person can have innumerable friends but family makes the hub of one’s social life. All families are unique and different but they have one thing in common, which is love.
D. WORD STUDY
D.1. Dictionary Use
Ex. 1. Correct the spelling of the following words:
| anjeety | usefullness | bahaviars | acquintance | neccesarily |
| secratariet | techanological | comunities | sofisticated | equippment |
Answer-
Anjeety- anxiety
Usefullness- usefulness
Bahaviars- behaviors
Acquintance- acquaintance
Neccesarily- necessarily
Secratariet- secretariat
Techanological- technological
Comunities- communities
Sofisticated- sophicticated
Equippment- equipment
D.2. Word-formation
Read the following sentence carefully:
‘… a ritual approach to pregnancy helps make the anxiety manageable.’
The word ‘manageable’ is made of ‘manage’ (v) and ‘able’ (suffix)
Add suffix ‘-able’ to the following words and fill in the blanks with the new words to complete the sentences (in some cases the final ‘e’ is to be dropped).
| work | knowledge | consider | understand |
| accept | agree | use | deplore |
i. We did not find Varsha’s proposal…………….
ii. Safdar has already spent ……… amount in the repairing work.
iii. The act of violence is quite…………….
iv. The refills are not ……………..
v. Everyone found his behaviour quite ……………..
……………… knowledge of a car cannot make you a good mechanic.
vii. Nikhat is quite ……………….. ; you can seek advice from her.
viii. Since he has been iII for a long period, his irritating nature is quite………..
Answer-
i. We did not find Varsha’s proposal acceptable.
ii. Safdar has already spent considerable amount in the repairing work.
iii. The act of violence is quite deplorable.
iv. The refills are not usable.
v. Everyone found his behaviour quite agreeable.
vi. Workable knowledge of a car cannot make you a good mechanic.
vii. Nikhat is quite knowledgeable; you can seek advice from her.
viii. Since he has been iII for a long period, his irritating nature is quite understandable.
D.3. Word-meaning
Ex 1. Fill in the blanks with suitable phrases given in the box
| At bay | at the expense of | in order to | in response to |
| to ward off | look after | take care of | look at |
a) Pragya’s fever was not severe; but it was the doctor’s assurance which kept her fear………
b) It is not proper to ask others to …….. your new born babies.
c) This time team India played seriously …… to win the match.
d) Development of a nation can never be achieved …….. common people’s aspirations.
e) Many women and children joined the freedom struggle movement……… Gandhiji’s call.
f) The teacher infused confidence in the children…………..their fear of darkness.
g) Everyone admiringly……………..the paintings.
h) The new gardener……………the plants with great affection.
Answer-
a) Pragya’s fever was not severe; but it was the doctor’s assurance which kept her fear at bay.
b) It is not proper to ask others to take care of your new born babies.
c) This time team India played seriously in order to win the match.
d) Development of a nation can never be achieved at the expense of common people’s aspirations.
e) Many women and children joined the freedom struggle movement in response to Gandhiji’s call.
f) The teacher infused confidence in the children to ward off their fear of darkness.
g) Everyone admiringly looked at the paintings.
h) The new gardener looks after the plants with great affection.
E. GRAMMAR
Ex.1. Read the following sentences, taken from the lesson, carefully:
a) In many traditional societies the relationship between mother and child is more important.
b) ‘… a number of social usages may stress the child’s relationship with the rest of his kin group…’
In each sentence, the word ‘relationship’ is followed by a different preposition, i.e. ‘between’, and ‘with’ to convey different meanings.
Read the text to find out appropriate prepositions and fill in the blanks to complete the sentences:
a) All the members……………..family participate …………the function.
b) The scientists were actively involved…………holding the natural calamities…………bay.
c) Pregnant women are advised to cling …………. a proper diet habit.
d) The nurses were quite cooperative ………… breast feeding.
e) Modern obstetric is responsible…………the decrease………………….maternal mortality…………the past century.
f) The west thinks that ………………many traditional societies, the relations………….spouses are exploitative.
Answer-
a) All the members of family participate in the function.
b) The scientists were actively involved in holding the natural calamities at
c) Pregnant women are advised to cling to a proper diet habit.
d) The nurses were quite cooperative about breast feeding.
e) Modern obstetric is responsible for the decrease in maternal mortality in the past century.
f) The west thinks that in many traditional societies, the relations between spouses are exploitative.
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BSEB Class 12 English Chapter 7 A Child is Born Extra Question and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- What helps pregnant women in traditional societies manage their anxiety?
- Medical technology
- Rituals and taboos
- Isolation from the community
- Psychological counseling
Ans: B. Rituals and taboos
- In traditional societies, what is the purpose of involving the husband and community during pregnancy?
- To ensure the child is named properly
- To increase the mother’s sense of security
- To supervise the pregnancy scientifically
- To restrict the mother’s activities
Ans: B. To increase the mother’s sense of security
- What remains of traditional pregnancy practices in modern societies?
- Superstitions like avoiding baby equipment before birth
- Complete adherence to ancient rituals
- Total rejection of traditional practices
- A reliance on extended family for childbirth
Ans: A. Superstitions like avoiding baby equipment before birth
- Why did the graduate mother discharge herself and her baby from the hospital?
- Due to refusal to allow breastfeeding
- Because of complications during delivery
- Lack of proper medical care
- Objections to hospital fees
Ans: A. Due to refusal to allow breastfeeding
- What criticism is made about Western hospitals catering to black patients?
- They lack modern equipment
- They overvalue natural childbirth methods
- Birth is treated as an impersonal, technical process
- They exclude male participation in childbirth
Ans: C. Birth is treated as an impersonal, technical process
- What does the excerpt suggest about traditional versus modern childbirth practices?
- Traditional practices are always harmful
- Modern practices prioritize efficiency over personal experience
- Both approaches are equally beneficial
- Western practices are universally preferred
Ans: B. Modern practices prioritize efficiency over personal experience
- How is the relationship between mother and child viewed in traditional societies?
- Less important than the relationship with the father
- More significant than the marital relationship
- Equal to the child’s relationship with the community
- Dominated by external societal pressures
Ans: B. More significant than the marital relationship
- In traditional African and Indian societies, why is the biological family weakened?
- To strengthen the extended family bond
- To discourage large families
- To avoid conflicts between spouses
- To emphasize religious practices
Ans: A. To strengthen the extended family bond
- What does the naming ceremony in Sylheti culture signify?
- The superiority of male children
- The integration of the child into the community
- The end of maternal responsibilities
- The importance of literacy in naming practices
Ans: B. The integration of the child into the community
- What challenges do women from traditional societies face in international conferences?
- Language barriers and cultural misunderstanding
- Lack of interest in international issues
- Dominance by male participants
- Inability to finance their participation
Ans: A. Language barriers and cultural misunderstanding
- Why do peasant communities resist Western medical practices?
- They cannot afford the technology
- They value pride and dignity in childbirth over mere survival
- They distrust all modern practices
- They are unaware of Western medicine’s benefits
Ans: B. They value pride and dignity in childbirth over mere survival
- What does the excerpt imply about technological intervention in childbirth?
- It should replace traditional methods entirely
- It should be resisted completely
- It is always superior to traditional practices
- It can sometimes strip childbirth of its emotional significance
Ans: D. It can sometimes strip childbirth of its emotional significance
- How are young children cared for in traditional Bangladesh families?
- Primarily by their mothers
- By the entire extended family
- Exclusively by hired caregivers
- Through individual education programs
Ans: B. By the entire extended family
- Why do some women return to their mother’s home during pregnancy in Sylheti culture?
- To receive love and care
- To avoid societal judgment
- To save hospital expenses
- To arrange the baby’s naming ceremony
Ans: A. To receive love and care
- What is a key feature of peasant communities regarding childbirth?
- They rely heavily on Western doctors
- They prioritize the communal significance of childbirth
- They encourage isolation of the mother
- They adopt modern equipment despite the cost
Ans: B. They prioritize the communal significance of childbirth
- What prevents widespread access to Western medical practices in peasant communities?
- Cultural resistance
- High cost and poverty
- Religious prohibitions
- Lack of awareness
Ans: B. High cost and poverty
- How does the excerpt view modern obstetrics’ impact on mortality rates?
- It has no effect
- It has worsened mortality rates
- It has reduced both maternal and infant mortality
- It is irrelevant in traditional societies
Ans: C. It has reduced both maternal and infant mortality
- What is the significance of “Big Mother” and “Small Mother” in traditional families?
- They show respect for older women
- They indicate close bonds with children beyond the biological mother
- They reflect societal hierarchy
- They denote birth order
Ans: B. They indicate close bonds with children beyond the biological mother
- What is a recurring theme in the excerpt?
- The universality of modern medicine
- The clash between traditional values and modernization
- The rejection of rituals in childbirth
- The uniformity of child-rearing practices worldwide
Ans: B. The clash between traditional values and modernization
- What does the excerpt ultimately advocate regarding childbirth practices?
- A balance between traditional and modern practices
- Full adoption of Western medical techniques
- Rejection of all traditional childbirth practices
- The return to community-based childbirth
Ans: A. A balance between traditional and modern practices
Extract Based Questions
A. The ways of managing childbirth in traditional societies are many and varied; their usefulness stems directly from the fact that they are accepted culturally and collectively so that the mother does not have the psychic burden of reinventing the procedures. Even though the potential catastrophes are alive in the memory of her community and the index of anxiety high, a ritual approach to pregnancy which hems the pregnant woman about with taboos and prohibitions helps make the anxiety manageable. A woman who observes all the prohibitions and carries out all the rites will be actively involved in holding the unknown at bay. She will have other reinforcements, for many of the ritual observances of pregnancy involve the participation of others who should support her, primarily her husband, then her kinsfolk and then the other members of her community.
Q1. Why are traditional childbirth practices considered useful in traditional societies?
Ans: They are culturally and collectively accepted, which prevents the mother from having the psychic burden of reinventing the procedures.
Q2. What is the purpose of the taboos and prohibitions surrounding pregnancy in traditional societies?
Ans: They help make the anxiety of potential catastrophes more manageable for the pregnant woman.
Q3. How does a pregnant woman actively engage with the unknown during pregnancy in traditional societies?
Ans: By observing prohibitions and performing rites, she actively participates in holding the unknown at bay.
Q4. Who are the primary participants supporting a pregnant woman during rituals in traditional societies?
Ans: Her husband, her kinsfolk, and other members of her community.
Q5. What role do rituals play in the experience of pregnancy for a woman in traditional societies?
Ans: Rituals provide reinforcement and involve community participation, reducing her anxiety and supporting her.
B. In many societies women still go forth from their mother’s houses at marriage to live with a mother-in-law and the wives of their husbands’ brothers. It is a truism of anthropology that such women do not become members of their new family until they have borne a child. If we consider that in such societies the marriage was quite likely to have been arranged, it is understandable that the bride too longs for the child who will stand in the same intimate relationship to her as she with her own mother. The western interpretation of such mores is that they are backward, cruel and wrong; it is assumed that the sexual relations between the spouses are perfunctory and exploitative and that all mothers-in-law are unjust and vindictive.
Q1. What is a common practice for women in many societies after marriage?
Ans: Women often leave their mother’s house to live with a mother-in-law and the wives of their husband’s brothers.
Q2. When do women in these societies typically become members of their new family?
Ans: They are considered members of their new family only after bearing a child.
Q3. Why might a bride in such societies long for a child?
Ans: The child creates an intimate relationship with her, similar to the bond she has with her own mother.
Q4. How is this cultural practice often interpreted in Western societies?
Ans: Western societies often view it as backward, cruel, and wrong.
Q5. What assumptions does the Western interpretation make about such marriages and families?
Ans: It assumes that sexual relations between spouses are perfunctory and exploitative, and that mothers-in-law are unjust and vindictive.
C. A number of social usages may stress the child’s relationship with the rest of his kin-group at the expense of that with his parents. His aunts and uncles may be permitted greater physical intimacy with him in public than his parents. In many traditional societies in Africa and India the biological family is deliberately weakened, by enforced abstinence or actual separation of parents, in order to strengthen the extended family – thus children are not born at the whim of the parents, but in response to a broader pressure from the whole group.
The woman who satisfies the longings of her peers by producing the child they are all anxious to see, finds her achievement celebrated in ways that dramatise her success.
Q1. How might a child’s relationship with the kin-group be emphasized over their relationship with parents?
Ans: Aunts and uncles may have greater physical intimacy with the child in public than the parents.
Q2. What is a common practice in traditional societies in Africa and India to strengthen the extended family?
Ans: The biological family is deliberately weakened through enforced abstinence or actual separation of parents.
Q3. Why are children not born at the whim of the parents in these societies?
Ans: Children are born in response to broader pressures from the extended family or group.
Q4. What happens when a woman satisfies her peers’ longing for a child?
Ans: Her achievement is celebrated in ways that dramatize her success.
Q5. What role does the extended family play in childbirth in traditional societies?
Ans: The extended family exerts pressure and shares in the celebration of childbirth, highlighting its collective importance.
D. The naming ceremony is lovely. It is held when the boy is seven days old. A new dress is brought for it and a new sari for the mother. There is feasting and singing until late at night. The women and girls gather and sing songs. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to ward off evil spirits. That’s when the name is chosen … The ceremony is held for the birth of a boy or a girl. Of course it is considered better to have a boy, but the birth of a girl is celebrated with the same joy by the women in the family. We sit together eating pan and singing. Some of us might be young unmarried girls, others aged ladies of forty or fifty. There are so many jokes, so much laughter. People look so funny eating pan and singing. The men don’t take much part. They may come and have a look at the baby, but the singing, the gathering together at night — it is all women. The songs are simple songs which are rarely written down. They are about the lives of women in Bengal. (Wilson, Amrit, Finding a Voice : Asian Women in Britain (London, 1978) p. 22)
Among the rewards of pregnancy in this case, as in many others, is that the woman gets to go home to visit her mother and sisters; the nostalgic tone of the description, which is clearly tinged with rose, may be the product of the contrast that this young woman finds in England.
Q1. When is the naming ceremony held, and what special preparations are made for it?
Ans: The naming ceremony is held when the boy is seven days old, and a new dress is brought for the baby and a new sari for the mother.
Q2. How is the naming ceremony celebrated, and who participates actively?
Ans: The ceremony involves feasting, singing, and gathering of women and girls, who sing songs, share jokes, and eat pan together.
Q3. What protective measures are part of the ceremony?
Ans: Garlands of turmeric and garlic are worn to ward off evil spirits.
Q4. How are boys and girls differently regarded in this cultural context during the naming ceremony?
Ans: While having a boy is considered better, the birth of a girl is celebrated with the same joy by the women in the family.
Q5 Why might the description of the ceremony have a nostalgic tone?
Ans: The nostalgia may stem from the young woman contrasting the vibrant cultural practices in Bengal with her experiences in England.
E. All technological change causes social problems; the impact of Western medicine in traditional societies is one of the most problematic areas of modernization. The prestige of the white-coats is enormous, the respect for their miraculous hypodermics total. The pressure of expectation makes for aggressive and dramatic procedures even when the health status of the patients is too poor to withstand them. Allopathic doctors in peasant communities are dependent upon expensive drugs, sparkling equipment and lots of electricity, most of which they have not got in sufficient quantity.
Q1. What is one of the most problematic areas of modernization caused by technological change?
Ans: The impact of Western medicine in traditional societies.
Q2. What are allopathic doctors in peasant communities dependent on?
Ans: They rely on expensive drugs, advanced equipment, and lots of electricity, which are often insufficiently available.
Q3. What symbolizes Western medicine’s influence in traditional societies?
Ans: Hospitals, described as temples of the “Western religion,” symbolize this influence.
Q4. What challenge arises from the pressure of expectations in Western medical practices in traditional societies?
Ans: It leads to aggressive and dramatic procedures, which can be risky for patients with poor health.
Q5. How is Western medicine perceived in traditional societies?
Ans: Western medicine is highly prestigious, and there is immense respect for its practices
F. If we turn birth from a climactic personal experience into a personal disaster, it matters little that the result is more likely to be a live child. Women will not long continue to offer up their bodies and minds to such brutality, especially if there is no one at home to welcome the child, to praise the mother for her courage and to help her raise it. In fact peasant communities are more levelheaded and sceptical of us and our methods than we realise and they have resisted the intrusion of our chromium plated technology more successfully than we like to think. They know that death attends too frequently in the traditional birthplace, but they also know that there are worse fates than death. Nevertheless, all that stops our technology from reaching into every hut and hovel is poverty: the cultural hegemony of Western technology is total.
Q1. What concern is raised about turning birth into a personal disaster?
Ans: Women may resist such brutality, even if it results in a higher likelihood of a live child, especially without support or recognition at home.
Q2. How do peasant communities view Western medical methods?
Ans: They are levelheaded, skeptical, and resistant to the intrusion of chromium-plated technology.
Q3. What do peasant communities understand about traditional childbirth?
Ans: They know that death occurs frequently in traditional birthplaces but believe there are worse fates than death.
Q4. What primarily limits the reach of Western technology into peasant communities?
Ans: Poverty is the main factor that prevents Western technology from penetrating every hut and hovel.
Q5. What is said about the cultural influence of Western technology in peasant societies?
Ans: The cultural hegemony of Western technology is described as total, despite its limited physical reach due to poverty.