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(1) This report presents findings from the Youth Aspirations in India Survey in which 5,764 youth between the ages of 15 and 30 were asked about their employment, education, and skilling aspirations. (2) Indian youth valued higher education. 50 percent of respondents aspire to attain a post-graduate degree, 24 percent a PhD, and 21 percent a bachelor's degree. Only 2 percent of respondents hope to attain a college or vocational diploma as their highest form of education. (3) Respondents have a strong preference for attaining higher education degrees. At the same time, there is an awareness of changing skills requirements and an interest in augmenting their skills. 76 percent of youth report being very interested in pursuing a skills development programme. 70 percent of youth identified more employment opportunities as the main motivation for wanting to pursue skills development training. (4) A study related to their job preference reveals their strong desire for job security and opportunities for career advancement. It is evident from the following data:

(5) In the context of technological adoption and digitization, jobs and tasks, along with the competencies required to execute them, are changing. 86 percent of youth feel very or moderately up to date with changes in skills requirements. Yet, 39 percent of youth feel very prepared or prepared for their ideal job, while 16 percent of youth feel either not prepared or very unprepared for their ideal job. (6) Female respondents' education and employment aspirations match, if not exceed, those of male respondents. Yet, female respondents face discriminatory biases in hiring, have less paid work experience than their male counterparts, and face greater barriers in pursuing skills development opportunities. 60 percent of female respondents, for example, report having no paid work experience, compared to 54 percent of male respondents. In addition, 15 percent of female respondents report personal biases such as marital status, gender, age, or family background as a main barrier to employment compared to 9 percent of male respondents. While more female respondents report being very interested in participating in a skills development programme, only 19 percent have enrolled in a programme, compared to 26 percent of male respondents.

Answer the following questions, based on the given passage: (i) As per the survey, Indian youth is broadly focussed on (1 mark) (A) skill development and entrepreneurship. (B) private sector jobs and technology. (C) higher education and career opportunities. (D) vocational diploma and public sector jobs. (ii) With reference to paragraph 3, what is the latest trend among Indian youth in preparing themselves for the job market? (1 mark) (iii) With reference to the table, state one reason for entrepreneurship being the last preference among Indian youth. (1 mark) (iv) Cite two evidences from the text to show that gender bias is still a hindrance in the progress of women in society. (2 marks) (v) Complete the following sentence suitably. The driving force for the Indian youth to join a skill development programme is ________. (1 mark) (vi) Paragraph 5 uses words 'competencies' and 'adoption'. Classify the following sentences which talks about 'competency' and which talks about 'adoption'. (1 mark) Sentence 1: Ria embraced new technology to gain global market for her paintings. Sentence 2: Ria displays her artistic skill through her paintings. (vii) Cite two evidences from the text to show that Indian youth is adapting itself to the needs of the job market. (2 marks) (viii) Choose the correct option: The main road blocks to employment opportunities for females are: (1 mark) (i) lack of interest (ii) marriage (iii) lack of opportunities (iv) over qualification (v) family background (A) (i) & (ii) (B) (iii) & (iv) (C) (ii), (iii) & (v) (D) (iv) & (v)