A columnist treats India's Hindu majority as one solid bloc that always acts together. Identify the division that makes this view misleading, and how it stands in India's other major religions.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Caste; it divides the other major religions too, albeit to different extent
Option (1) Caste; it divides Hindus alone, as the other major religions are homogenous — Incorrect. Caste is the right division, but it does not divide Hindus alone. All the other major religions in India are also divided by caste, so none of them is homogenous.
Option (2) Caste; it divides Hindus and Sikhs but not the other major religions — Incorrect. Caste divisions are not confined to Hindus and Sikhs. They run through all the other major religions as well.
Option (3) Caste; it divides the other major religions too, albeit to different extent — Correct. Hindus are not a homogenous group because they are divided by caste. This division runs through all the other major religions too, albeit to different extent, so treating the majority as one solid bloc is misleading.
Option (4) Caste; it divides the other major religions to the same extent as Hindus — Incorrect. The other major religions are divided by caste, but not to the same extent as Hindus. The extent of the division differs from one religion to another.
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