Identify the key characteristic of social stratification from the lis…

Identify the key characteristic of social stratification from the list given below:

A. It is social and not individual in character
B. Social stratification persists through ideologies and practices
C. It persists over generations
D. It is natural
E. It is not natural

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B, C only

A. It is social and not individual in character Correct. Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not merely a function of individual differences. It is a society-wide system that distributes resources unequally among categories of people, regardless of their innate abilities.

B. Social stratification persists through ideologies and practices Correct. Stratification is supported by patterns of belief, or ideology. No system of inequality lasts unless it is widely seen as fair or inevitable; the caste system, for example, is justified by the opposition of purity and pollution.

C. It persists over generations Correct. Stratification persists over generations because it is linked to the family and to inheritance: children assume the social positions of their parents, and endogamy keeps caste lines from blurring.

D. It is natural Incorrect. Social inequality is not the outcome of innate or ‘natural’ differences between people; it is produced by the society in which they live.

E. It is not natural True, but not one of the three key principles (Incorrect). The statement is true in itself, as statement D shows. But the question asks for the key characteristics, and these are the three principles that explain stratification: A, B and C.

Note: Option (2) also has only true statements but leaves out A, the first principle.

NCERT (2025-26): “Social Inequality … However, by and large, social inequality is not the outcome of innate or ‘natural’ differences between people, but is produced by the society in which they live. 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. A person’s social position is ascribed. That is, children assume the social positions of their parents. Within the caste system, birth dictates occupational opportunities. The ascribed aspect of social inequality is reinforced by the practice of endogamy. That is, marriage is usually restricted to members of the same caste, ruling out the potential for blurring caste lines through inter-caste marriage. 72
3. Social stratification is supported by patterns of belief, or ideology. No system of social stratification is likely to persist over generations unless it is widely viewed as being either fair or inevitable.…”