Which of the following is true for sociological sense of minority?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Members of minority should form a 'collectivity'.

Option (1) Minorities are small, but privileged group. — False. When the word minority is used without qualification, it means a group that is relatively small but also disadvantaged. A privileged small group is called a ‘privileged minority’, with the word qualified.

Option (2) Members of minority should form a 'collectivity'. — True. In sociology, a minority is more than a number. Its members form a collectivity: they have a strong sense of group solidarity, a feeling of togetherness and belonging. This is linked to disadvantage, because facing prejudice and discrimination heightens feelings of loyalty within the group.

Option (3) Extremely wealthy people are referred to as minorities. — False. Extremely wealthy people are few, but they are not usually referred to as minorities, because the term usually involves some sense of relative disadvantage.

Option (4) Groups that are minorities in statistical sense are minorities in sociological sense. — False. A statistical minority is only a small number. People who are left-handed or born on 29th February are minorities in a statistical sense, but not in the sociological sense, because they do not form a collectivity.

NCERT (2025-26): “6.3 Religion-related Issues and Identities … The notion of minority groups is widely used in sociology and is more than a merely numerical distinction – it usually involves some sense of relative disadvantage. Thus, privileged minorities such as extremely wealthy people are not usually referred to as minorities; if they are, the term is qualified in some way, as in the phrase ‘privileged minority’. When minority is used without qualification, it generally implies a relatively small but also disadvantaged group. The sociological sense of minority also implies that the members of the minority form a collectivity – that is, they have a strong sense of group solidarity, a feeling of togetherness and belonging. This is linked to disadvantage because the experience of being subjected to prejudice and discrimination usually heightens feelings of intra-group loyalty and interests (Giddens 2001:248). Thus, groups that may be minorities in a statistical sense, such as people who are left-handed or people born on 29th February, are not minorities in the sociological sense because they do not form a collectivity.”