An institution distinct to India historically tied every person to an occupation by birth and enforced discrimination against those born into particular groups. Its practices of discrimination are described as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative
Option (1) Humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative — Correct. The institution is the caste system, which tied people to an occupation by birth. Its practices of discrimination are humiliating (they lower a person's dignity), exclusionary (they shut people out) and exploitative (they take unfair gain from the labour of the lower castes).
Option (2) Humiliating, ritualistic and hereditary — Incorrect. Humiliating is one of the three words. Ritualistic and hereditary describe features of the caste system itself, such as ritual rank and membership by birth.
Option (3) Hierarchical, exclusionary and occupational — Incorrect. Exclusionary is one of the three words. Hierarchical and occupational describe the structure of the caste system, which ranked people and tied them to occupations.
Option (4) Ritualistic, hereditary and exploitative — Incorrect. Exploitative is one of the three words. Ritualistic and hereditary are features of caste as an institution, so this set carries two wrong words.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Caste System as a Discriminatory System |