The membership of which type of identity is considered as purely accidental?

Both 1 and 2

The correct answer is option 4: Both 1 and 2

Option 1: Ascriptive identity — Correct. Ascriptive identities are based on birth and belonging rather than personal achievements or choices. The membership of such identities is described as accidental because individuals do not choose their family, caste, religion, language group or community into which they are born.

Option 2: Community Identity — Correct. Community identity is an example of an ascriptive identity. It is based on belonging to a particular community, and individuals acquire this membership by birth rather than by qualification or achievement.

Option 3: Achieved identity — Incorrect. Achieved identities are developed through personal effort, skills, qualifications and accomplishments. They are not accidental.

NCERT:  Community identity is based on birth and ‘belonging’ rather than on some form of acquired qualifications or ‘accomplishment’. It is what we ‘are’ rather than what we have ‘become’. We don’t have to do anything to be born into a community – in fact, no one has any choice about which family or community or country they are born into. These kinds of identities are called ‘ascriptive’ – that is, they are determined by the birth and do not involve any choice on the part of the individuals concerned. It is an odd fact of social life that people feel a deep sense of security and satisfaction in belonging to communities in which their membership is entirely accidental. We often identify so strongly with communities we have done noting to ‘deserve’ - passed no exam, demonstrated no skill or competence... This is very unlike belonging to, say, a profession or team. Doctors or architects have to pass exams and demonstrate their competence. Even in sports, a certain level of skill and performance are a necessary pre-condition for membership in a team. But our membership in our families or religious or regional communities is without preconditions, and yet it is total. In fact, most ascriptive identities are very hard to shake off; even if we choose to disown them, others may continue to identify us by those very markers of belonging.