Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Dominant Caste ?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → They draw economic power from their employment in government jobs

Option (1) They draw economic power from their employment in government jobs — Not a characteristic of dominant castes (Correct). Dominant castes drew their economic power from land, not from government jobs. They were the castes that were granted land rights by the partial land reforms after Independence, and once they got these rights they acquired considerable economic power.

Option (2) Their social status is relatively higher in caste hierarchy — A characteristic of dominant castes (Incorrect). They were intermediate castes, placed above the lower castes, including the ‘untouchable’ castes, on whose labour they depended for tilling the land.

Option (3) These castes have large population — A characteristic of dominant castes (Incorrect). The term refers to castes which had a large population and were granted land rights.

Option (4) They enjoy political power — A characteristic of dominant castes (Incorrect). Their large numbers gave them political power in the era of electoral democracy based on universal adult franchise, and they played a decisive role in regional politics.

NCERT (2025-26): “Caste in the Present … ‘Dominant caste’ is a term used to refer to those castes which had a large population and were granted landrights by the partial land reforms effected after Independence. The land reforms took away rights from the erstwhile claimants, the upper castes who were ‘absentee landlords’ in the sense that they played no part in the agricultural economy other than claiming their rent. They frequently did not live in the village either, but were based in towns and cities. These land rights now came to be vested in the next layer of claimants, those who were involved in the management of agriculture but were not themselves the cultivators. These intermediate castes in turn depended on the labour of the lower castes including specially the ‘untouchable’ castes for tilling and tending the land. However, once they got land rights, they acquired considerable economic power. Their large numbers also gave them political power in the era of electoral democracy based on universal adult franchise. Thus, these intermediate castes became the ‘dominant’ castes in the country side and played a decisive role in regional politics and the agrarian economy.…”