First Phase : 50 Objective Question & Answer
- Who is the author of ‘A Child is Born’?
Answer: Germaine Greer - Germaine Greer was born in which year?
Answer: 1939 - In which country was Germaine Greer born and educated?
Answer: Australia - The essay ‘A Child is Born’ primarily discusses childbirth in which type of societies?
Answer: Traditional societies - In many societies, women leave their mother’s house after marriage to live with whom?
Answer: Mother-in-law - According to anthropologists, a woman is fully accepted in her new family only after what?
Answer: Bearing a child - What is the reward for a Sylheti woman during pregnancy?
Answer: Visiting her mother’s house for delivery - In Eastern societies, a newborn baby is treated as what by the mother?
Answer: Prince or princess - In Western societies, a baby is considered what by the mother?
Answer: An only child as a routine event - What superstition is associated with acquiring new clothes for the baby before birth?
Answer: Bad luck - Garlands of what are worn to ward off the evil eye during pregnancy?
Answer: Turmeric and garlic - In Bangladesh, what is ‘Rupthoka’?
Answer: Fairy tales told to children in the afternoon - How are children under five or six looked after in Bangladeshi joint families?
Answer: By the whole family collectively - Who bathes the children in a Bangladeshi joint family?
Answer: One daughter-in-law for all - In traditional societies, pregnancy is viewed as what?
Answer: A celebration from beginning to end - What happens after the baby is born in traditional families?
Answer: Naming ceremony with joy for the whole family - In the West, losing one’s name to become known as the ‘mother of the first-born’ is seen as what?
Answer: Outrageous - Sudanese women officials stopped attending international conferences because they felt what?
Answer: Told about their lives without being consulted - What is the cultural dominance caused by poverty in medical fields?
Answer: Western technology - Hospitals in developing countries are criticized for what?
Answer: Arrogant doctors, expensive medicines, and little regard for patient health - The essay highlights that socio-cultural practices suit the interests of whom?
Answer: Males - In traditional societies, what helps women not feel alone during pregnancy?
Answer: Joint family support - What is the psychic burden women avoid in traditional setups?
Answer: Re-inventing childbirth procedures - Memories of past risks during childbirth remain what in women’s minds?
Answer: Active - In Bangladesh, children sit together to eat after bathing where?
Answer: In the house - What is the immediate impact of poverty on medical practices?
Answer: Dominance of Western technology - The essay argues that modern hospitals display what excessively?
Answer: Shining equipment - In Eastern cultures, the whole pregnancy is a matter of what?
Answer: Celebration - What do anthropologists say about women’s acceptance post-marriage?
Answer: Only after bearing a child - Germaine Greer critiques Western views on traditional naming practices as what?
Answer: Outrageous - In joint families, childcare is a what?
Answer: Collective responsibility - What wards off evil during pregnancy in many cultures?
Answer: Turmeric and garlic garlands - The voices of warning women cannot be heard over what?
Answer: Dominant male interests - In Sylheti culture, pregnancy allows a visit to what place?
Answer: Mother’s house - Rupthoka are stories loved by children at what time?
Answer: Afternoon - Western childbirth is seen as a what event?
Answer: Routine - Traditional societies reinvent what less during childbirth?
Answer: Procedures - Poverty leads to what in healthcare?
Answer: Cultural dominance of the West - The essay is from which book or context?
Answer: Reflections on women’s experiences - In Bangladesh, one daughter-in-law handles what for all kids?
Answer: Bathing - Naming ceremony in traditional families brings what?
Answer: Joy to the whole family - Hospitals prioritize what over patient care?
Answer: Equipment display - Greer was educated in which field initially?
Answer: English literature (implied feminist perspective) - Traditional childbirth avoids what burden?
Answer: Psychic isolation - In the West, motherhood overrides what?
Answer: Woman’s individual identity - Joint families in Bangladesh promote what?
Answer: Collective child-rearing - Superstitions like new clothes before birth bring what?
Answer: Bad luck - The essay contrasts Eastern celebration with Western what?
Answer: Routineness - Overall, the chapter emphasizes preserving what in childbirth?
Answer: Cultural rituals and family support - Sudanese women felt conferences were a what?
Answer: Treat but unconsulted
Second Phase : 10 Short Questions & Answer
- Why does a Sylheti woman visit her mother’s house during pregnancy?
Answer: It is her reward after marriage, where she is warmly welcomed for the delivery. This visit provides emotional support and celebrates the impending birth in a familiar environment. - How is pregnancy viewed in traditional Eastern societies?
Answer: Pregnancy is a grand celebration from start to finish, with the mother treated like royalty. The birth brings joy to the entire family, followed by rituals like the naming ceremony. - What superstition surrounds new clothes for the baby before birth?
Answer: Acquiring new clothes or items before birth is considered bad luck, inviting the evil eye. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are used instead to protect the mother and child. - Why did Sudanese women stop attending international conferences?
Answer: Though seen as a treat, they felt lectured about their lives without consultation. They resented being passive recipients of advice on their own experiences. - How are young children cared for in Bangladeshi joint families?
Answer: Children under five or six are looked after collectively by the family. One daughter-in-law bathes them all at the pond, and they eat together, fostering unity. - What is ‘Rupthoka’ in Bangladesh?
Answer: Rupthoka refers to fairy tales told to children in the afternoon. These stories entertain and bond the family, especially during relaxed times. - In the West, how is a woman’s identity affected post-childbirth?
Answer: She often loses her name and is known only as the ‘mother of the first-born,’ which the West views as outrageous. This erases her individual identity in favor of motherhood. - What psychic burden do traditional women avoid during pregnancy?
Answer: They avoid re-inventing procedures alone, thanks to joint family support. Past risks remain in memory, but shared experiences ease the isolation. - What criticism does Greer level at modern hospitals?
Answer: Hospitals are arrogant with expensive medicines and shiny equipment, showing little regard for patient health. Poverty amplifies Western cultural dominance in care. - Why is a newborn treated as a prince/princess in Eastern cultures?
Answer: Unlike the West’s routine view, Eastern families celebrate the baby with rituals and joy. This honors the miracle of life and strengthens family bonds.
Third Phase : 10 Long Answer Questions
- Describe the celebration of pregnancy and birth in traditional societies as per Greer.
Answer: In traditional societies, pregnancy is a joyous celebration from conception, with the mother pampered and protected through rituals like wearing turmeric garlands to ward off evil. The Sylheti woman’s visit to her mother’s house is a cherished reward, providing comfort and familiarity. Upon birth, the entire family rejoices, holding a naming ceremony that reinforces community ties. Unlike Western routineness, this process avoids isolation, with joint families sharing the load. - Explain the role of joint families in child-rearing in Bangladesh.
Answer: In Bangladeshi joint families, child-rearing is a shared responsibility, preventing any single person from feeling overwhelmed. Children under six are bathed collectively at the pond by one daughter-in-law and fed together, promoting equality and bonding. This system extends to storytelling like Rupthoka in afternoons, enriching emotional growth. Greer notes it eases the mother’s load post-birth, turning potential isolation into communal support. - How does poverty impact medical practices in developing countries?
Answer: Poverty invites Western technological dominance in healthcare, making hospitals arrogant with costly, shiny equipment over genuine care. Greer criticizes how poor nations adopt expensive Western models, ignoring local needs and cultural sensitivities. This leads to exploitation, where patients suffer from unaffordable medicines and indifferent doctors. - Discuss Greer’s critique of socio-cultural practices around women and childbirth.
Answer: Greer argues these practices are designed for male interests, compelling women to bear children for family acceptance post-marriage. In traditions, a woman isn’t fully integrated until motherhood, losing her name to it—a Western outrage. Yet, Eastern celebrations mitigate isolation through rituals and support, unlike Western individualism. - Why is the naming ceremony significant in traditional families?
Answer: The naming ceremony post-birth symbolizes the child’s official welcome into the family and society, turning a private event into communal celebration. It reinforces bonds, with joy shared across generations, unlike Western privacy. - How do superstitions play a role in traditional pregnancy care?
Answer: Superstitions like avoiding new baby items pre-birth or wearing turmeric-garlic garlands protect against bad luck and the evil eye, blending faith with practical care. These beliefs, rooted in collective wisdom, ease anxieties in joint families. Greer notes they suit male-dominated structures but provide psychological comfort, reducing isolation. - Elaborate on the Sudanese women’s perspective in the essay.
Answer: Sudanese women viewed international conferences as treats but boycotted them for being patronizing, dictating their lives without input. This reflects broader frustration with Western feminism ignoring local contexts. - What message does Greer convey about women’s voices in socio-cultural norms?
Answer: Greer warns that women’s cautionary voices are drowned by dominant male or Western interests, perpetuating unequal norms around birth. In traditions, rituals empower through community but enforce motherhood for acceptance. Poverty silences them further via imposed technologies. She advocates amplifying these voices for true reform, balancing preservation with empowerment. The essay urges societies to consult women, transforming childbirth from obligation to celebrated choice. - How does the essay highlight the joys and burdens of traditional motherhood?
Answer: Traditional motherhood brings joys like family-wide celebrations, rituals, and shared care, making birth a triumphant event. Burdens include patriarchal pressures for quick conception and identity loss to motherhood. Greer contrasts this with Western isolation, where medical advances don’t ease emotional loads. Joint families mitigate burdens via collective support, but modernization erodes this. The essay celebrates cultural richness while critiquing inequities, urging preservation of supportive elements for holistic women’s experiences.
