Course Of Action
Choose practical feasible actions.
Course Of Action
Course of Action
What you'll learn
- Course of action questions ask: "What practical step should follow this situation?"
- Choose actions that are feasible, relevant, and address the problem — not extreme or unrelated.
- To reject actions that are harsh, illegal, or ignore root cause.
- Class 5 reasoning for decision-making and problem-solving items.
NCERT / CBSE link
Looking Around 5, Chapter 16 (Who Will Do This Work?) and CBSE reasoning ask what practical action follows a social problem — same skill as course-of-action questions.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Feasible vs impractical
Verbal: Good action directly helps the situation and can realistically be done.
Symbolic: Problem P → Action A reduces P.
| Situation | Good action | Poor action |
|---|---|---|
| Water logging in school lane | Report to municipal ward; temporary drainage | Cancel school forever |
| Library books torn | Repair rules; gentle handling workshop | Burn old books |
| Low attendance in rain | Remind raincoats; safe transport info | Punish all students |
Tests: Is it legal? Fair? Related?
Level 2 — Two actions format (intro)
Verbal: Exam may ask: both I and II follow, only I, only II, neither.
Real-life: Playground litter → bins + awareness talk ✓; expel all students ✗.
| Action quality | Mark |
|---|---|
| Solves cause | ✓ |
| Symptom only but helpful short-term | Maybe ✓ |
| Unrelated punishment | ✗ |
| Impossible / absurd | ✗ |
Worked example
Statement: Many students forget homework. Proposed actions: (I) Maintain homework diary check. (II) Expel forgetful students.
Step 1 — I addresses habit with structured reminder — feasible ✓
Step 2 — II extreme, unrelated to learning — reject ✗
Answer: Only I is appropriate.
Village well dry in summer. Action: (I) Deepen well with permission (II) Waste water on road
Step 1 — I targets water supply — relevant ✓
Step 2 — II wastes water — harmful ✗
Answer: I only.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pick harsh punishment | Sounds "strict" | Prefer constructive steps |
| Both actions always | Pattern guess | Evaluate each separately |
| Ignore feasibility | Fantasy solutions | Real school/home context |
| Action repeats statement | No new step | Must be doable measure |
Quick check
- Flooded classroom after rain — one sensible action?
- Bad road to school — action vs no action example.
- Why is "close the school permanently" usually wrong?
- Stretch: Two actions for "students weak in mental math" — write one good, one bad.
Revision tip: When reading news about a problem, think of one child-friendly action a school could take — practise course-of-action thinking.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Course of Action.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
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