Teaching Material and Aids Questions and Answers

Answer: D

She will choose video conferencing, online chat sessions, phone calls.

Synchronous communication takes place in real time, with teacher and students present at the same moment and able to respond immediately. Video conferencing, live online chat and phone calls all work this way.

Asynchronous communication lets people respond at different times: pre-recorded videos, e-mail, social media posts and blogs. Each of the other options mixes in at least one of these, so only the last option is wholly synchronous.

Answer: D

The most appropriate criterion is that the textbook should be child-oriented and devoid of any stereotypes or derogatory attitudes based on gender, caste, class and religion.

The NCF 2005 asks that textbooks be child-centred and sensitive to equity and diversity. A book that reinforces stereotypes, for example showing only women cooking or only certain communities in particular jobs, teaches prejudice alongside its content. Freedom from bias, together with a focus on the child's world, is the most important criterion.

Big, colourful pictures, simple language and an attractive appearance are desirable but secondary qualities; a well-illustrated book can still be biased or textbook-centred.

Answer: C

The community is an important resource because it provides learning opportunity in real setting.

The community offers children first-hand experience of the people, occupations, practices, plants and animals that EVS deals with. Learning from it in its real context makes concepts meaningful and connects school with life outside it, as NCF 2005 urges.

Being cheap and accessible is a convenience, not the reason it is educationally valuable. Elderly people can be a source, but not all are wise and free, and knowledge from the community should be examined critically, not accepted uncritically.

Answer: C

BALA stands for Building as Learning Aid.

BALA is an approach to designing school buildings so that the building itself becomes a teaching resource: angles marked on door swings, fractions shown in floor tiles, number lines and maps painted on floors and walls, and so on. It has been promoted in Indian schools, including through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

The other expansions, with 'Brain' or 'Braille', are invented and do not refer to any recognised programme.

Answer: C

The most effective resources are A, B and C: family members, members of the community and newspapers.

EVS links learning with children's surroundings. Family and community members bring first-hand knowledge of work, festivals, food, water and local history, and newspapers bring current events and real data into the classroom.

The classroom alone (D) cuts EVS off from the environment it is meant to study, so options built on it are weaker, and 'A and B only' leaves out newspapers.

Answer: C

The strategies are (i) and (ii).

Working in small groups removes fear and hesitation, because children try things out among a few peers before facing the whole class (i). Promoting self-confidence and positive thinking (ii) encourages them to take part and experiment. Both make children want to make puppets.

A rigidly structured environment (iii) leaves little room for the creativity puppet-making needs, and a competitive environment (iv) puts pressure on children and discourages those who fear doing badly. So every option with (iii) or (iv) is wrong.

Answer: B

The best method is a working model.

Day and night are caused by the Earth spinning on its axis, so that one half faces the Sun while the other is in darkness. A working model, such as a globe turned in front of a torch, lets Chinu see this happen and turn it himself.

Diagrams and a PowerPoint presentation show the idea on a flat surface and cannot show the rotation as clearly. Storytelling may arouse interest but does not show the cause.

Answer: B

Newspapers and magazines help learners to engage with the real world.

EVS aims to connect what children learn in school with life outside it. News reports and articles bring current events, local issues and real data, such as floods, wildlife, water shortages or festivals, into the classroom, so learners can relate concepts to what is happening around them.

Entertainment is not why they are used in EVS. Independence and competitiveness are general outcomes that reading may support, but they are not the particular reason for using newspapers in EVS. Its purpose is connection with the real world.