Identify the correct statements:
A. Polygyny was the practice of a man having several wives.
B. Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit/caste/clan etc.
C. Polyandry is the practice of a woman having several husbands.
D. Exogamy refers to marriage sometime inside and sometime outside or both.
E. 'Kanyadana' in marriage was an important religious duty of the father.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B, C, E only
A. Polygyny was the practice of a man having several wives. Correct statement. This is how the term is defined: polygyny is the practice of a man having several wives.
B. Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit/caste/clan etc. Correct statement. Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit – a kin group, a caste, or a group living in the same locality.
C. Polyandry is the practice of a woman having several husbands. Correct statement. Polyandry is the practice of a woman having several husbands, the reverse of polygyny.
D. Exogamy refers to marriage sometime inside and sometime outside or both. Incorrect statement. Exogamy (literally, marrying outside) refers to marriage outside the unit only. Marrying daughters into families outside the kin was considered desirable under this system.
E. ‘Kanyadana’ in marriage was an important religious duty of the father. Correct statement. The rules of exogamy gave rise to the belief that kanyadana, or the gift of a daughter in marriage, was an important religious duty of the father.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 Rules of marriage … While sons were important for the continuity of the patrilineage, daughters were viewed rather differently within this framework. They had no claims to the resources of the household. At the same time, marrying them into families outside the kin was considered desirable. This system, called exogamy (literally, marrying outside), meant that the lives of young girls and women belonging to families that claimed high status were often carefully regulated to ensure that they were married at the ‘right’ time and to the ‘right’ person. This gave rise to the belief that kanyadana or the gift of a daughter in marriage was an important religious duty of the father.… …Endogamy refers to marriage within a unit – this could be a kin group, caste, or a group living in the same locality. Exogamy refers to marriage outside the unit. Polygyny is the practice of a man having several wives. Polyandry is the practice of a woman having several husbands.” |