Which of the following statements are true about social stratificatio…

Which of the following statements are true about social stratification?

(A) Social stratification persists over generations.

(B) Social stratification refers to a system by which categories of people in a society are ranked in a hierarchy.

(D) Social stratification is based on the principle of equality

Choose correct answer from options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (C) only

(A) Social stratification persists over generations. Correct. Stratification is tied to the family and to the inheritance of social resources from one generation to the next. A person’s social position is ascribed: children take on the social positions of their parents.

(B) Social stratification refers to a system by which categories of people in a society are ranked in a hierarchy. Correct. This is the definition of the term. The hierarchy then shapes people’s identity and experiences, their relations with others and their access to resources and opportunities.

(C) Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a function of individual differences. Correct. It is a society-wide system that distributes social resources unequally among categories of people, regardless of their innate abilities. Inequality of this kind is produced by society, not by natural differences between persons.

(D) Social stratification is based on the principle of equality Incorrect. Stratification is a system of inequality: it ranks people higher and lower. It is kept going by ideologies such as purity and pollution in the caste system, which make the inequality look fair or inevitable.

NCERT (2025-26): “Social Inequality … Sociologists use the term social stratification to refer to a system by which categories of people in a society are ranked in a hierarchy. This hierarchy then shapes people’s identity and experiences, their relations with others, as well as their access to resources and opportunities. Three key principles help explain social stratification:

1. Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a function of individual differences. Social stratification is a society-wide system that unequally distributes social resources among categories of people. In the most technologically primitive societies – hunting and gathering societies, for instance – little was produced so only rudimentary social stratification could exist. In more technologically advanced societies where people produce a surplus over and above their basic needs, however, social resources are unequally distributed to various social categories regardless of people’s innate individual abilities.
2. Social stratification persists over generations. It is closely linked to the family and to the inheritance of social resources from one generation to the next.…”