Caste System MCQ Quiz in मल्याळम - Objective Question with Answer for Caste System - സൗജന്യ PDF ഡൗൺലോഡ് ചെയ്യുക

The correct answer is - (A) - (II), (B) - (IV), (C) - (I), (D) - (III)

Key Points

• (A) Varna system - (II) Four-fold division of society
  • The Varna system is an ancient Indian social classification that divides society into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
• (B) Scheduled Castes - (IV) Recognised by Govt. of India Act, 1935
  • Scheduled Castes were officially recognized in the Government of India Act, 1935. This recognition was aimed at providing special protections and opportunities to historically disadvantaged groups.
• (C) Sanskritisation - (I) Process of adopting higher caste practices
  • Sanskritisation refers to the process whereby lower castes adopt the rituals, practices, and lifestyle of higher castes to improve their social status.
• (D) Resistance Tribes - (III) Opposed to Hindu society
  • Resistance Tribes are communities that have historically resisted assimilation into mainstream Hindu society, maintaining distinct cultural and social practices.

Additional Information

• Varna system
  • The Varna system is one of the oldest social stratification systems in the world and has significantly influenced Indian society and culture.
  • Each Varna has specific duties and responsibilities, known as Dharma.
• Scheduled Castes
  • The Constitution of India provides various safeguards to protect the rights and interests of Scheduled Castes.
  • Affirmative action policies, including reservations in education and employment, are in place to uplift these communities.
• Sanskritisation
  • This process often involves the adoption of vegetarianism, wearing sacred threads, and participating in rituals traditionally reserved for higher castes.
  • Sanskritisation can lead to social mobility for lower castes within the hierarchical structure of Indian society.
• Resistance Tribes
  • These tribes often have their own distinct languages, traditions, and governance systems.
  • Many resistance tribes live in remote and forested areas, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with nature.

The correct answer is - (A) - (IV), (B) - (III), (C) - (II), (D) - (I)

Key Points

• Rajputs - Uttar Pradesh
  • Rajputs are a dominant caste in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• Lingayats - Karnataka
  • Lingayats are a significant and influential community in Karnataka.
• Jat Sikhs - Punjab
  • Jat Sikhs form a major part of the rural population in Punjab.
• Kammas - Andhra Pradesh
  • Kammas are a prominent and influential group in Andhra Pradesh.

Additional Information

• Dominant Castes
  • Dominant castes play a crucial role in the socio-political landscape of India.
  • They often have significant influence in their respective regions, affecting local and state politics.
• Regional Distribution
  • Understanding the regional distribution of different communities helps in comprehending the socio-political dynamics of the area.
  • It also aids in the implementation of region-specific policies and development programs.

The correct answer is - Dipankar Gupta

Key Points

• Dipankar Gupta
  • Dipankar Gupta is a prominent Indian sociologist known for his work on caste, social stratification, and modernity.
  • He has challenged the traditional views of caste as a rigid and unchanging system.
  • Gupta argues that the concept of "discrete castes" is misleading and that caste identities are fluid and dynamic.
  • His work emphasizes the importance of understanding caste in the context of contemporary social and economic changes.

Additional Information

• Max Muller
  • Max Muller was a German-born philologist and Orientalist, known for his translations and interpretations of ancient Indian texts.
  • He did not specifically focus on the concept of caste in his work.
• Andre Beteille
  • Andre Beteille is an Indian sociologist who has extensively studied caste and class in India.
  • He has written on the complexities of social stratification but did not coin the term "discrete castes."
• Yogendra Singh
  • Yogendra Singh is an Indian sociologist known for his work on modernization and social change in India.
  • He has explored various aspects of Indian society, including caste, but is not specifically associated with the idea of "discrete castes."

The correct answer is Caste groups are exogamous.

Key Points

• The features of the caste system in India are:
  •  Hereditary 
    • The caste status of an individual is determined strictly by his heredity, i.e. the caste into which one is born. 
  • Endogamous
    • Its endogamous character strictly prohibits inter-caste marriages. Hence, caste groups are exogamous is not a feature of caste system in India.
  •  Restricted Food Habits
    • ​Higher castes try maintaining their traditional purity by different food habits.
      • Brahmins will only take ‘Satwil’ or ‘Pure’ food.
      • Kshtriya and Vaishya will take ‘Royal’ food.
      • A Shudra takes ‘Tamsi’ food.
  • Each individual caste has its own laws which govern food habits.

 Important Points

• The other features of the caste system in India are:
  • Hierarchal:
    • The caste system has a hierarchy of superiors and inferiors.
    • Hindu caste hierarchy states, The highest position is held by Brahmin, followed by Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.
  • Fixed Occupations:
    • The occupation in the caste system, which evolved from the Varna system, is definite.
    • A son of a blacksmith pursues the occupation of his trade, a son of a carpenter becomes a carpenter, and so forth.
    • People from many castes have lost their jobs due to the expansion of industries and have switched to farming or other occupations.

• Untouchability:
  • Shudra and outcasts are regarded as untouchables in the Indian caste system.
• Reinforcement by Religious Beliefs:
  • Religious beliefs have played an important role in making the caste system inevitable.
• Absence of Vertical Mobility:
  • In a caste system, there is no mobility movement of its members, up or down, the social status ladder. A person’s status at birth is his life time status.

The correct answer is Rajani Kothari.

Key Points

• Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life, ritual status in a hierarchy and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions.
• According to Rajani Kothari, caste has three aspects:
  • secular (relevance of caste in politics in terms of the relations within and between castes)
  • integrative (caste being relevant to politics through differentiation and integration)
  • ideological (which is heightened by its value structure)
• Rajani Kothari studied the relationship between caste and politics as a relationship for the specific purpose of organising public activity.
• These three aspects-secular, integrative and ideological work together.

 Thus, we can say that the three aspects of caste- secular, ideological, and integrative was classified by Rajani Kothari.

The correct answer is - Dipankar Gupta

Key Points

• Dipankar Gupta
  • Dipankar Gupta is a prominent Indian sociologist known for his work on caste, social stratification, and modernity.
  • He has challenged the traditional views of caste as a rigid and unchanging system.
  • Gupta argues that the concept of "discrete castes" is misleading and that caste identities are fluid and dynamic.
  • His work emphasizes the importance of understanding caste in the context of contemporary social and economic changes.

Additional Information

• Max Muller
  • Max Muller was a German-born philologist and Orientalist, known for his translations and interpretations of ancient Indian texts.
  • He did not specifically focus on the concept of caste in his work.
• Andre Beteille
  • Andre Beteille is an Indian sociologist who has extensively studied caste and class in India.
  • He has written on the complexities of social stratification but did not coin the term "discrete castes."
• Yogendra Singh
  • Yogendra Singh is an Indian sociologist known for his work on modernization and social change in India.
  • He has explored various aspects of Indian society, including caste, but is not specifically associated with the idea of "discrete castes."

The correct answer is - Abbe Dubois

Key Points

• Abbe Dubois
  • He wrote the book titled 'Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies'.
  • This work is still valuable to scholars of India for its detailed account of Hindu society and traditions.
  • He was one of the first to study the caste system and the inter-relations between different castes in India.

Additional Information

• Francis Buchanan
  • He was a Scottish physician and geographer known for his geographical and cultural surveys of India.
  • He did not write the book 'Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies'.
• Cohn
  • Bernard S. Cohn was an American anthropologist and scholar of British colonialism in India.
  • He made significant contributions to the understanding of colonial India but did not author the book in question.
• Sir Herbert Risely
  • He was a British ethnographer and colonial administrator known for his work on the Indian caste system.
  • He authored 'The Tribes and Castes of Bengal' but not 'Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies'.