Deep inequities on the basis of caste and other castelike distinctions meant that the cultivators were a highly heterogeneous group. Despite the abundance of cultivable land, certain caste groups were assigned menial tasks and thus relegated to poverty. Though there was no census at that time, the little data that we have suggest that such groups comprised a large section of the village population, had the least resources and were constrained by their position in the caste hierarchy, much like the Dalits of modern India.
The left-out lines then give an example from Muslim communities. Which group of menials was housed outside the boundaries of the village?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Halalkhoran
Option (1) Mallahzadas — Incorrect. The mallahzadas, literally sons of boatmen, lived in Bihar and were comparable to slaves. They are a separate example of low status from the same passage.
Option (2) Sadgops — Incorrect. The Sadgops were an intermediate pastoral caste of the eastern regions that acquired the status of peasants. They rose in the hierarchy, so they were not village menials kept outside.
Option (3) Halalkhoran — Correct. The <strong>halalkhoran (scavengers)</strong> were menials in Muslim communities who were <strong>housed outside the boundaries of the village</strong>.
Option (4) Majur — Incorrect. No menial group called majur is described for Muslim communities; the group housed outside the village boundaries was the halalkhoran.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 Caste and the rural milieu … “communities too. In Muslim communities menials like the halalkhoran (scavengers) were housed outside the boundaries of the village; similarly the mallahzadas (literally, sons of boatmen) in Bihar were comparable to slaves.” |