Which of the following functions of the family is determined by lineage structure?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Rules of inheritance
Option (1) Rules of authority — Incorrect. Authority decides who holds power in the family: in a patriarchal family the men exercise authority and dominance, in a matriarchal one the women. This is about power, not the line of descent.
Option (2) Rules of residence — Incorrect. Residence decides where a newly married couple lives: with the woman’s parents (matrilocal) or the man’s parents (patrilocal).
Option (3) Rules of inheritance — Correct. Lineage is the line of descent, matrilineal or patrilineal, and it decides inheritance: matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter, patrilineal ones from father to son.
Option (4) Rules of marriage — Incorrect. Rules of marriage decide whom one may marry, for example only within one’s own group (endogamy). They govern the choice of partner, not who receives the family’s property.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Diverse Forms of the Family … Studies have shown how diverse family forms are found in different societies. With regard to the rule of residence, some societies are matrilocal in their marriage and family customs while others are patrilocal. In the first case, the newly married couple stays with the woman’s parents, whereas in the second case the couple lives with the man’s parents. With regard to the rules of inheritance, matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter while patrilineal societies do so from father to son.…” |