Arrange the following inter personal physical distance in the increas…

Arrange the following inter personal physical distance in the increasing sequence.

A. Social distance

B. Intimate distance

C. Personal distance

D. Public distance

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

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

Edward Hall, an anthropologist, described four kinds of interpersonal physical distance, depending on the situation:

(B) Intimate distance — up to 18 inches, kept when talking privately to someone or with a very close friend or relative.
(C) Personal distance — 18 inches to 4 feet, kept in a one-to-one interaction with a close friend, or with someone not very close in a work setting.
(A) Social distance — 4 to 10 feet, kept when the interaction is formal and not close.
(D) Public distance — 10 feet to infinity, kept in a formal setting with a large number of persons, such as an audience and a speaker.

Note 1: Hall’s four kinds of interpersonal physical distance were there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023 (chapter ‘Psychology and Life’), and are not there in the NCERT book (2025-26).

Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 23-06-2023 (Slot 3).

NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “Crowding … Edward Hall, an anthropologist, mentioned four kinds of interpersonal physical distance, depending on the situation:

Intimate distance (upto 18 inches) : The distance you maintain when you are talking privately to someone, or interacting with a very close friend or relative.
Personal distance (18 inches to 4 feet) : The distance you maintain when you are interacting one-to-one with a close friend, relative, or even with someone not very close to you in a work setting or other social situation.
Social distance (4 to 10 feet) : The distance you maintain when the interaction is formal, and not close.
Public distance (10 feet to infinity) : The distance you maintain in a formal setting, where there is a large number of persons. For example, the distance of an audience from a public speaker, or a teacher in a classroom.…”