Arrange the following groups in an ascending order in terms of their…

The correct answer is Option (4) → B, D, C, A

Note 1: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key, which accepts both Option (2) and Option (4). However, as per the NCERT pie diagram of how the value of a finished bidi is distributed, none of the given options appears to be correct, as explained below.

(C) Contractor — the smallest share, only a thin sliver of the pie.

(B) Worker — a much larger slice than the contractor’s, though the bidi worker rolls every bidi by hand.

(D) Distributor — a slice close in size to the worker’s.

(A) Manufacturer — the largest share. The manufacturer gets the maximum amount because of the image of the brand, showing the power of images.

So the correct order begins with the contractor and ends with the manufacturer. Options (2) and (4), which NTA accepted, both begin with the worker, and no option begins with the contractor.

Note 2: The pie diagram on how the value of a finished bidi is distributed, in the section ‘Home-based Work’ of the chapter ‘Change and Development in Industrial Society’, was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. It has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter and its account of how bidis are made are still there.