Choose the incorrect statement in the context of caste system in India?

Castes are supposed to be complementary and competing groups

The correct answer is Option 2: castes are supposed to be complementary and competing groups

The traditional caste system viewed different castes as complementary and non-competing groups. Each caste was assigned a specific place and function in society, and these roles were not meant to be replaced or competed for by other castes. The word "competing" makes Option 2 incorrect.

Option 1: Castes are unequal to each other in ritual terms. Correct. The caste system was characterised by ritual inequality, with castes occupying different positions in the hierarchy based on the concepts of purity and pollution.

Option 2: Castes are supposed to be complementary and competing groups. Incorrect. Castes are complementary and non-competing groups. Each caste has its own place and traditional function within society. Replacing "non-competing" with "competing" completely changes the meaning, making this statement incorrect.

Option 3: caste functioned as social division of labour. Correct. The caste system functioned as a social division of labour because occupations were traditionally linked with caste. However, unlike a modern division of labour, it did not allow occupational mobility in principle.

NCERT: Finally, castes are not only unequal to each other in ritual terms, they are also supposed to be complementary and non-competing groups. In other words, each caste has its own place in the system which cannot be taken by any other caste. Since caste is also linked with occupation, the system functions as the social division of labour, except that, in principle, it allows no mobility."