In physical-racial terms, tribes are classified as which of the categories?
(A) Austric
(B) Negrito
(C) Dravidian
(D) Tibeto-Burman
(E) Mongoloid
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (B), (C) and (E) only
Tribes are classified in two separate ways: by language into four groups (Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric and Tibeto-Burman), and in physical-racial terms under the Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian and Aryan categories.
(A) Austric Incorrect. Austric is a language group, one of the two spoken mainly by tribals, not a physical-racial category.
(B) Negrito Correct. Negrito is one of the physical-racial categories of tribes.
(C) Dravidian Correct. Dravidian appears in both lists: it is a language group and also a physical-racial category, shared with the rest of the population of India.
(D) Tibeto-Burman Incorrect. Tibeto-Burman too is a language group; tribals account for over 80% of its speakers.
(E) Mongoloid Correct. Mongoloid is one of the physical-racial categories under which tribes are classified.
NCERT (2025-26): “3.2 Tribal Communities … In terms of language, tribes are categorised into four categories. Two of them, Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, are shared by the rest of the Indian population as well, and tribes account for only about 1% of the former and about 3% of the latter. The other two language groups, the Austric and Tibeto-Burman, are primarily spoken by tribals, who account for all of the first and over 80% of the second group. In physical-racial terms, tribes are classified under the Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian and Aryan categories. The last two are again shared with the rest of the population of India.…” |