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According to the Indian Penal Code, infanticide is legally defined as the killing of any child under the age of two years.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Indian Penal Code, specifically Section 315, defines infanticide as the intentional killing of an infant aged 0 to 1 year, not under the age of two years as stated in the question.
Scholarly interpretations, like that of anthropologist Barbara Miller, sometimes broaden the definition of infanticide to include non-accidental child deaths up to adolescence.
Answer: True
Explanation: Anthropologist Barbara Miller's scholarly interpretation expands the definition of infanticide to encompass non-accidental child deaths extending up to approximately age 15-16, thereby including a broader range of child mortality beyond infancy.
Neonaticide refers to the killing of a child specifically within the first 24 hours after birth.
Answer: True
Explanation: Neonaticide is precisely defined as the act of killing a newborn child within the initial 24 hours of its existence, distinguishing it as a specific subset within the broader study of infanticide.
The Indian Penal Code distinguishes infanticide from foeticide based on the age of the child killed.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Indian Penal Code differentiates infanticide from foeticide by establishing distinct legal definitions based on the developmental stage of the victim, with infanticide pertaining to the killing of an infant and foeticide relating to the termination of a fetus.
According to Section 315 of the Indian Penal Code, infanticide is defined as the intentional killing of an infant within what age range?
Answer: Up to 1 year
Explanation: Section 315 of the Indian Penal Code defines infanticide as the intentional killing of an infant within the age range of 0 to 1 year.
Which scholar broadens the definition of infanticide to include non-accidental child deaths up to age 15-16?
Answer: Barbara Miller
Explanation: Anthropologist Barbara Miller is noted for broadening the definition of infanticide to encompass non-accidental child deaths extending up to approximately age 15-16.
The term 'gendercide' specifically refers to:
Answer: The systematic killing of a particular sex.
Explanation: The term 'gendercide' specifically denotes the systematic killing of individuals belonging to a particular sex.
British officials first learned about female infanticide in India in the southern state of Kerala in 1789.
Answer: False
Explanation: British officials first became aware of female infanticide in 1789 in the Benares State, located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, not in Kerala.
Colonial officials identified female infanticide primarily among lower-caste agricultural communities in India.
Answer: False
Explanation: Colonial officials identified female infanticide primarily among various high-caste communities in northern, western, and central India, such as Rajputs and Brahmins, rather than lower-caste agricultural communities.
Modern scholars find colonial reports on female infanticide highly reliable due to the detailed, on-site investigations conducted.
Answer: False
Explanation: Contemporary scholars express significant reservations regarding the reliability of colonial reports on female infanticide, citing their often distant and contextually uninformed nature, potential biases, and the inherent difficulty in substantiating individual cases.
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 led British administrators to increase their interference in the private affairs of Indian communities, including social practices.
Answer: False
Explanation: Contrary to the assertion, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 resulted in British administrators adopting a more cautious stance, becoming more hesitant to intervene in the private affairs of Indian communities, which consequently influenced their approach to social practices.
Strangulation and suffocation were among the reported methods used for female infanticide during the colonial period.
Answer: True
Explanation: Historical accounts from the colonial period document that methods such as strangulation and suffocation were indeed among the reported means employed in the practice of female infanticide.
David Arnold described the administration of poison in infanticide as 'murder by proxy' because the mother directly administered the fatal dose.
Answer: False
Explanation: David Arnold's characterization of 'murder by proxy' in relation to poison administration refers to situations where a male perpetrator distanced himself from the direct act of administering the poison, thereby maintaining a degree of plausible deniability, rather than the mother directly administering it.
The Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1870 made the practice illegal throughout all of British India.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1870 did not apply to all of British India; its initial scope was limited to specific regions, primarily Punjab and the North-Western Provinces, although its application could be extended by the Governor-General.
Jonathan Duncan noted the practice of female infanticide among the Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat in 1789.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jonathan Duncan's observations regarding female infanticide in 1789 pertained to the Rajput clan in the Benares State, not the Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat, whose practices were noted separately in 1817.
In 1817, it was reported that entire taluks of the Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat had no surviving female children.
Answer: True
Explanation: Official reports from 1817 indicated that female infanticide among the Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat was so prevalent that entire taluks reportedly had no surviving female children.
Colonial administrators found proving infanticide cases easy, leading to widespread convictions.
Answer: False
Explanation: Colonial administrators encountered considerable difficulty in substantiating infanticide cases in legal proceedings, which often precluded widespread convictions and contributed to the practice being termed a 'statistical crime' due to the challenges in proof.
In which year and location did British officials first become aware of female infanticide in India?
Answer: 1789 in the Benares State
Explanation: British officials first became aware of the practice of female infanticide in India in the year 1789, specifically within the Benares State.
Which group was identified by colonial officials as practicing female infanticide in the Benares State in 1789?
Answer: Rajputs
Explanation: Colonial officials, specifically Jonathan Duncan, identified the practice of female infanticide among members of the Rajput clan in the Benares State in 1789.
Bernard Cohn described female infanticide during the colonial period as a 'statistical crime' due to:
Answer: The difficulty of proving individual cases in court.
Explanation: Bernard Cohn characterized female infanticide during the colonial period as a 'statistical crime' due to the significant challenges administrators faced in proving individual cases in court.
How did the Indian Rebellion of 1857 affect the British approach to investigating social practices like infanticide?
Answer: It made administrators more hesitant to interfere in private affairs.
Explanation: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 led to increased hesitancy among British administrators regarding interference in the private affairs of Indian communities, which consequently impacted their investigative approach towards social practices such as infanticide.
David Arnold used the term 'murder by proxy' to describe the administration of poison in infanticide because:
Answer: The act was carried out by a third party, distancing the perpetrator.
Explanation: David Arnold employed the term 'murder by proxy' to describe the administration of poison in infanticide because it often involved a third party carrying out the act, thereby distancing the primary perpetrator and allowing them to potentially claim innocence.
The Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1870 initially applied to which regions of British India?
Answer: Punjab and the North-Western Provinces
Explanation: The Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1870 initially applied to the regions of Punjab and the North-Western Provinces within British India.
What was the reported situation among Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat in 1817 concerning female children?
Answer: No surviving female children in entire taluks.
Explanation: In 1817, reports indicated that female infanticide among the Jadeja Rajputs in Gujarat was so prevalent that entire taluks reportedly had no surviving female children.
Marvin Harris theorized that the main economic motivation for female infanticide among elite Indian groups was the desire to avoid splitting ancestral lands and the costs of dowries.
Answer: True
Explanation: Marvin Harris's economic theory posits that elite Indian groups practiced female infanticide primarily to preserve ancestral lands from division and to mitigate the substantial financial burden associated with providing dowries for daughters.
Marvin Harris linked female infanticide to population control by suggesting it was a method to increase the number of male warriors in pre-industrial societies.
Answer: False
Explanation: Marvin Harris's theory on population control linked female infanticide to the devaluation of female children and the high mortality rate among male warriors in pre-industrial societies, rather than suggesting it was a method to increase the number of male warriors.
Sociobiologists like Mildred Dickemann proposed that female infanticide aimed to maximize reproduction by favoring male offspring.
Answer: True
Explanation: Sociobiologists, including Mildred Dickemann, proposed that female infanticide was a strategy employed by elites to maximize reproductive success by prioritizing male offspring, thereby contributing to population expansion and lineage growth.
Kristen Hawkes criticized Marvin Harris's theory by arguing that increasing the female population would enhance child-bearing capacity and strengthen marriage alliances.
Answer: True
Explanation: Kristen Hawkes critiqued Marvin Harris's theories by contending that an increased female population would bolster reproductive capacity and fortify marriage alliances, challenging the notion that female infanticide was solely a population control measure.
Marvin Harris's economic theory regarding female infanticide among elite groups focused on avoiding:
Answer: Splitting ancestral lands and the costs of dowries
Explanation: Marvin Harris's economic theory posited that for elite Indian groups, female infanticide served to prevent the fragmentation of ancestral lands and to circumvent the considerable expenses associated with dowries.
According to Marvin Harris, female infanticide in pre-industrial societies functioned as a form of population control primarily because:
Answer: It reduced the overall number of children, easing resource strain.
Explanation: Marvin Harris theorized that female infanticide functioned as a population control mechanism in pre-industrial societies due to the devaluation of female children and the high mortality rate among male warriors, which collectively influenced population dynamics.
Mildred Dickemann's sociobiological theory proposed that female infanticide served to:
Answer: Maximize reproduction by favoring male offspring.
Explanation: Mildred Dickemann's sociobiological theory proposed that female infanticide served the purpose of maximizing reproduction by favoring male offspring, thereby contributing to population expansion and lineage growth.
Kristen Hawkes criticized sociobiological theories by questioning why:
Answer: Poorer populations did not practice male infanticide if elites sought to maximize reproduction.
Explanation: Kristen Hawkes critiqued sociobiological theories by questioning the asymmetry in infanticide practices, specifically why poorer populations, who theoretically should seek to minimize reproduction, did not engage in male infanticide if elites were practicing female infanticide to maximize reproduction.
The official reported rate of infanticide in India in 2010 was approximately 10 cases per million people.
Answer: False
Explanation: Official reports from India's National Crime Records Bureau in 2010 indicated a rate of less than one case per million people, contradicting the assertion of approximately 10 cases per million.
Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion are considered factors contributing to India's increasingly pronounced gender imbalance since the 1991 Census.
Answer: True
Explanation: The practices of female infanticide and sex-selective abortion are cited as contributing factors to a gender imbalance that has become increasingly pronounced since the 1991 Census of India.
The decennial censuses between 1881 and 1941 consistently showed a skewed sex ratio with more females than males in India.
Answer: False
Explanation: The decennial censuses conducted between 1881 and 1941 consistently indicated a skewed sex ratio characterized by a greater number of males than females, particularly in the northern and western regions of India.
South India was an exception to the colonial-era trend of excess males, reporting an excess of females, possibly due to male emigration.
Answer: True
Explanation: South India indeed presented an exception to the prevailing colonial-era trend of male excess, exhibiting a higher proportion of females, a demographic pattern scholars attribute, in part, to significant male emigration from the region.
Estimating the frequency of female infanticide is straightforward due to accurate reporting mechanisms.
Answer: False
Explanation: Estimating the frequency of female infanticide is notably complex rather than straightforward, primarily because the practice is significantly under-reported, necessitating indirect methods of analysis such as examining birth sex ratios.
A birth sex ratio significantly higher than the natural range of approximately 106 boys per 100 girls suggests potential sex-selective practices.
Answer: True
Explanation: A birth sex ratio that deviates substantially upwards from the natural baseline of approximately 106 boys per 100 girls serves as a strong indicator suggesting the prevalence of sex-selective practices, such as infanticide or abortion.
Besides India, China is the only other country known to have high sex ratios attributed partly to female infanticide.
Answer: False
Explanation: While China is frequently cited, numerous other countries, including Pakistan, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and several Southeast European nations, have also reported elevated sex ratios where female infanticide is considered a contributing factor.
The high birth sex ratio in India is attributed solely to the practice of female infanticide.
Answer: False
Explanation: The elevated birth sex ratio observed in India is understood to result from a confluence of factors, including female foeticide, under-reporting of female births, preferences for smaller families, and the practice of sex-selective termination of pregnancies, rather than being solely attributable to female infanticide.
A 2020 UNFPA report estimated that around 45.8 million girls were missing in India due to pre- and post-birth selection practices.
Answer: True
Explanation: A 2020 report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimated that approximately 45.8 million girls are 'missing' in India, a figure attributed to practices involving pre- and post-birth sex selection.
A Pew Research study estimated that between 2009 and 2019, fewer than 1 million girls were 'missing' in India due to female infanticide.
Answer: False
Explanation: A study conducted by the Pew Research Center estimated that between 2009 and 2019, the number of 'missing' girls in India due to female infanticide was at least 9 million, contradicting the claim of fewer than 1 million.
The 2011 census data indicated an improvement in the child sex ratio across India.
Answer: False
Explanation: The data from the 2011 census revealed a significant deterioration, or decline, in the child sex ratio across India, rather than an improvement.
Female infanticide was reportedly more widespread in the southern regions of India compared to the north-west during the colonial period.
Answer: False
Explanation: During the colonial period, female infanticide was reportedly more prevalent in the north-west regions of India, contrasting with the southern regions, which exhibited an excess of females.
What was the approximate official rate of infanticide reported in India in 2010?
Answer: Less than one case per million people
Explanation: According to the National Crime Records Bureau's 2010 report, the official rate of infanticide in India was less than one case per million people.
The practice of female infanticide in India is cited as a contributing factor to which demographic issue?
Answer: An increasingly pronounced gender imbalance favoring males
Explanation: The practice of female infanticide, alongside sex-selective abortion, is identified as a significant contributing factor to the increasingly pronounced gender imbalance favoring males observed in India since the 1991 Census.
Which region in India was noted for having an excess of females during the colonial period censuses?
Answer: South India
Explanation: During the colonial period censuses, South India was noted as an exception, reporting an excess of females, which scholars partially attribute to male emigration from the region.
The natural sex ratio at birth is generally considered to be around:
Answer: 106 boys per 100 girls
Explanation: The natural sex ratio at birth is generally understood to be approximately 106 boys for every 100 girls.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a country reporting high sex ratios attributed partly to female infanticide?
Answer: Brazil
Explanation: While China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and several Southeast European nations are mentioned as countries with high sex ratios partly attributed to female infanticide, Brazil is not listed among them in the provided source material.
Besides female foeticide and sex-selective abortion, what other factor contributes to India's high birth sex ratio according to the source?
Answer: Under-reporting of female births
Explanation: In addition to female foeticide and sex-selective abortion, the source indicates that the under-reporting of female births is another factor contributing to India's high birth sex ratio.
What did the 2020 UNFPA report estimate regarding the number of 'missing' girls in India?
Answer: Approximately 45.8 million
Explanation: The 2020 UNFPA report estimated that approximately 45.8 million girls are 'missing' in India as a result of pre- and post-birth selection practices.
How did the practice of female infanticide vary regionally in India during the colonial period?
Answer: Most common in the North-West, with the South showing an excess of females.
Explanation: During the colonial period, the practice of female infanticide varied regionally, being most widespread in the north-west regions, while the southern region notably reported an excess of females, potentially linked to male emigration.
What is the primary challenge in obtaining accurate data on female infanticide?
Answer: Under-reporting and secrecy of the practice
Explanation: The primary challenge in acquiring accurate data on female infanticide stems from the practice's inherently secretive and under-reported nature.
Which of the following is a consequence of the high birth sex ratio in India?
Answer: A demographic shortfall of women
Explanation: A significant consequence of the high birth sex ratio in India is a demographic shortfall of women, resulting from the persistent imbalance favoring male births.
What did the Pew Research Center estimate about the number of 'missing' girls in India between 2009 and 2019?
Answer: At least 9 million
Explanation: Between 2009 and 2019, a study by the Pew Research Center estimated that at least 9 million girls were 'missing' in India, attributed to the practice of female infanticide.
Famines in India sometimes led desperate parents to sell children or resort to infanticide to afford food.
Answer: True
Explanation: Historical accounts confirm that during periods of severe famine in India, impoverished parents were driven to extreme measures, including the sale or infanticide of children, as a means to secure sustenance for the family.
Mara Hvistendahl's research linked increased female infanticide to the taxation policies of the East India Company.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mara Hvistendahl's research proposed a correlation between female infanticide and the taxation policies implemented by the East India Company.
Extreme poverty is cited as a reason for female infanticide, as families may lack the resources to raise a child.
Answer: True
Explanation: Extreme poverty is frequently cited as a significant contributing factor to female infanticide, particularly when families face severe resource constraints that impede their capacity to raise children.
The dowry system in India is linked to female infanticide because families desire to give larger dowries for sons.
Answer: False
Explanation: The dowry system is linked to female infanticide not because families desire to give larger dowries for sons, but rather due to the profound fear and social pressure associated with the inability to provide an adequate dowry for daughters, leading to their elimination.
Mental health issues like postpartum depression can be contributing factors to female infanticide.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mental health conditions, including postpartum depression, alongside other psychosocial stressors such as relationship difficulties and lack of social support, are recognized as potential contributing factors to the incidence of female infanticide.
Malnutrition adversely affects male infants more than female infants in India, contributing to lower female mortality rates.
Answer: False
Explanation: Contrary to the statement, malnutrition, particularly micronutrient deficiencies, disproportionately affects female infants in India, contributing to elevated mortality rates among them compared to male infants.
Elisabeth Bumiller characterized female infanticide as a deliberate act by 'monsters' in her book about women in India.
Answer: False
Explanation: Elisabeth Bumiller, in her book concerning women in India, characterized female infanticide not as the act of 'monsters,' but rather as a desperate 'last resort' adopted by impoverished women acting under perceived familial necessity.
Micronutrient deficiencies contribute to higher mortality rates among female infants in India.
Answer: True
Explanation: Micronutrient deficiencies, a form of malnutrition, demonstrably contribute to elevated mortality rates among female infants in India.
Which of the following is NOT listed as a proposed cause for female infanticide in India?
Answer: Lack of adequate sex education
Explanation: While poverty, the dowry system, and maternal postpartum depression are cited as proposed causes for female infanticide, the lack of adequate sex education is not mentioned in the provided source material as a contributing factor.
During 19th and early 20th century famines in India, infanticide sometimes occurred as parents resorted to:
Answer: Selling children or committing infanticide to buy food
Explanation: During the severe famines of the 19th and early 20th centuries in India, desperate parents sometimes resorted to selling their children or committing infanticide as a means to acquire food for survival.
Mara Hvistendahl's research suggested a correlation between female infanticide and which colonial policy?
Answer: Taxation policies of the East India Company
Explanation: Mara Hvistendahl's research proposed a correlation between female infanticide and the taxation policies implemented by the East India Company.
Elisabeth Bumiller characterized female infanticide in her book as:
Answer: A last resort for impoverished families.
Explanation: Elisabeth Bumiller characterized female infanticide in her book as a 'last resort' for impoverished and uneducated women facing difficult circumstances.
The 'Girl Child Protection Scheme' launched in 1991 provided immediate cash incentives to rural families for having daughters.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Girl Child Protection Scheme' launched in 1991 did not provide immediate cash incentives; rather, it functioned as a long-term financial incentive program requiring specific obligations, such as maternal sterilization, in exchange for state investment in the daughter's future.
The 'baby cradle scheme' allowed anonymous surrender of infants for adoption, aiming to reduce infanticide.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'baby cradle scheme' was indeed implemented to facilitate the anonymous surrender of infants for adoption, thereby aiming to provide a safer alternative and potentially reduce instances of infanticide.
Human rights groups criticized the 'baby cradle scheme' for potentially encouraging child abandonment.
Answer: True
Explanation: Human rights organizations voiced concerns that the 'baby cradle scheme,' despite its life-saving intentions, might inadvertently encourage child abandonment and perpetuate the societal devaluation of female children.
The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative was launched in response to the declining child sex ratio observed after the 2011 census.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative was indeed launched as a direct response to the alarming decline in the child sex ratio revealed by the 2011 census data.
The DCAF referred to the demographic shortfall of women as a 'gender equality crisis' in its 2005 report.
Answer: False
Explanation: In its 2005 report, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) characterized the demographic shortfall of women not as a 'gender equality crisis,' but rather as a 'secret genocide'.
The documentary 'It's a Girl: The Three Deadliest Words in the World' focuses on female infanticide in China and India.
Answer: True
Explanation: The documentary titled 'It's a Girl: The Three Deadliest Words in the World' indeed concentrates its examination on the pervasive issue of female infanticide, with particular emphasis on its occurrence in both China and India.
The documentary 'Gift of A Girl Female Infanticide' received an award from the Association for Asian Studies.
Answer: True
Explanation: The documentary 'Gift of A Girl Female Infanticide,' which investigated the prevalence and eradication efforts concerning the practice, was indeed honored with an award from the Association for Asian Studies.
The stated goal of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative is to promote male education.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative's primary objective is to combat gender discrimination and ensure the survival, protection, and education of girls, not to promote male education.
The 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative's primary goal is to:
Answer: Combat gender discrimination and ensure girls' survival and education
Explanation: The primary objective of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative is to combat gender discrimination and ensure the survival, protection, and education of girls.
The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) referred to the demographic shortfall of women as:
Answer: A secret genocide
Explanation: In its 2005 report, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) referred to the demographic shortfall of women as a 'secret genocide'.
The 'baby cradle scheme' was criticized by human rights groups for potentially:
Answer: Encouraging child abandonment
Explanation: Human rights groups criticized the 'baby cradle scheme' for its potential to encourage child abandonment, alongside reinforcing the societal devaluation of women.
The 'Girl Child Protection Scheme' (1991) aimed to provide what for daughters?
Answer: Long-term financial incentives and state investment
Explanation: The 'Girl Child Protection Scheme' (1991) aimed to provide long-term financial incentives and state investment for daughters, contingent upon families meeting specific obligations.