Meena's grandparents were not allowed to draw water from the village well because of their caste. Today Meena studies in a government college, where a fixed share of admissions in each course is kept for students from groups in the Schedules, equal to their share in the population. At a college meeting, a speaker refers to her community by a name that the community and its leaders chose for themselves in place of the older caste names, which many still use as forms of abuse.
In Indian languages, what does the name the speaker uses for Meena's community literally mean?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Downtrodden, a name conveying the sense of an oppressed people
Option (1) Children of God, a name meant to counter the charge of caste names — Incorrect. 'Children of God' is the meaning of 'Harijan', a term Mahatma Gandhi popularised. The community in the passage did not choose that name.
Option (2) Scheduled, a name for groups recognised for special treatment — Incorrect. 'Scheduled' comes from the Schedules, the official list of castes and tribes drawn up by the British Indian government in 1935. It is a label given by the state, and the speaker uses a name the community chose for itself.
Option (3) Empowered, a name echoing Dr. Ambedkar's movement for empowerment — Incorrect. The term resonates with Dr. Ambedkar's movement for empowerment. But its literal meaning is not 'empowered'.
Option (4) Downtrodden, a name conveying the sense of an oppressed people — Correct. The name the community and its leaders chose is Dalit. In Indian languages it literally means 'downtrodden' and conveys the sense of an oppressed people.
NCERT (2026-27): “Exercise for Tables 1 and 2 … |