CBSE exam controversy: CBSE drops 'gender stereotyping' question from Class 10 English paper

Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE on Monday announced that the board has dropped controversial 'gender stereotyping passage' from Class 10 English paper amid outrage. Students will be given full marks for that question. The CBSE, in a statement, said the passage is "not in accordance with the guidelines" and the passage and questions accompanying it have been dropped.

The comprehension passage in the CBSE class 10 English question paper had sparked a controversy for allegedly promoting "gender stereotyping" and supporting "regressive notions" prompting the board to refer the matter to subject expert.

In the Class 10 exam conducted on Saturday, the English question paper carried a comprehension passage with sentences like "emancipation of women destroyed the parent's authority over the children" and "it was only by accepting her husband's way that a mother could gain obedience over the younger ones", among others.

The passage in CBSE's English exam that irked controversy was: "In twentieth-century children became fewer and feminist revolt was the result...Father's word had no longer the authority of holy writ..."

"Married women now retained their identity and some pursued separate careers," it further read, and concluded with "emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent's authority over children."

"In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline," it added.

Following the passage, one of the objective-type questions asked was whether the writer “seems to be a male chauvinist pig (sic) or an arrogant person.” While the regressive notions in the passage prompted many students to select that option, the marking scheme released by the CBSE later said the correct answer was that the writer “takes a light-hearted approach to life.”

The questions that followed the passage were asked in a convoluted manner that a student had to spend at least 10-15 minutes to understand them.

The four titles offered to children in one of the questions for the passage spiked the row further. The options included: Who is responsible for indiscipline among children?, Collapse of discipline at home, place of children and servants at home, child psychology. 

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