Which one of the following word does not refer to Dalit identity?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Twice-born

Option (1) Political assertion — Refers to Dalit identity (Incorrect). The term Dalit is linked with assertion: the Dalit Panthers used it to assert their identity as part of their struggle for rights and dignity, and it resonates with the movement for empowerment led by Dr. Ambedkar.

Option (2) Poverty — Refers to Dalit identity (Incorrect). Untouchability is almost always associated with economic exploitation: forced, unpaid or under-paid labour and the confiscation of property. Poverty is therefore part of the Dalit experience.

Option (3) Socially Oppressed — Refers to Dalit identity (Incorrect). In Indian languages the term Dalit literally means ‘downtrodden’ and conveys the sense of an oppressed people.

Option (4) Twice-born — Does not refer to Dalit identity (Correct). ‘Twice-born’ (dwija) is the name of the high castes, whose customs and style of life lower castes copy in Sanskritisation. It describes the top of the caste order, the opposite of the Dalit position.

NCERT (2025-26): “2.3 Different Kinds of Social Change … The term sanskritisation was coined by M.N. Srinivas. It may be briefly defined as the process by which a ‘low’ caste or tribe or other group takes over the customs, ritual, beliefs, ideology and style of life of a high and, in particular, a ‘twice-born (dwija) caste’. The impact of Sanskritisation is many-sided. Its influence can be seen in language, literature, ideology, music, dance, drama, style of life and ritual. It is primarily a process that takes place within the Hindu space though Srinivas argued that it was visible even in sects and religious groups outside Hinduism.…”

“However, the ex-untouchable communities and their leaders have coined another term, ‘Dalit’, which is now the generally accepted term for referring to these groups. In Indian languages, the term Dalit literally means ‘downtrodden’ and conveys the sense of an oppressed people. Though it was neither coined by Dr. Ambedkar nor frequently used by him, the term certainly resonates with his philosophy and the movement for empowerment that he led. It received wide currency during the caste riots in Mumbai in the early 1970s. The Dalit Panthers, a radical group that emerged in western India during that time, used the term to assert their identity as part of their struggle for rights and dignity.”