The caste system can be understood as a combination of two sets of principles.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Difference and Separation & Wholism and Hierarchy
Option (1) Separation and Hierarchy & Difference — Incorrect. The pairs are broken up: separation belongs with difference, and wholism is left out.
Option (2) Difference and Separation & Wholism and Hierarchy — Correct. The first set: each caste is different from, and strictly separated from, every other caste, so rules on marriage, food sharing and occupation prevent mixing. The second set: these separate castes exist only in relation to a larger whole, society, and that whole is a hierarchy, with each caste given a higher or lower place.
Option (3) Difference and Separation & Hierarchy — Incorrect. The first set is right, but the second leaves out wholism: castes are ranked only because they are parts of one whole.
Option (4) Difference and Hierarchy & Separation — Incorrect. The pairs are mixed up: difference goes with separation, hierarchy with wholism, and wholism is missing.
NCERT (2025-26): “3.1 Caste and the Caste System … Theoretically, the caste system can be understood as the combination of two sets of principles, one based on difference and separation and the other on wholism and hierarchy. Each caste is supposed to be different from – and is therefore strictly separated from – every other caste. Many of the scriptural rules of caste are thus designed to prevent the mixing of castes – rules ranging from marriage, food sharing and social interaction to occupation. On the other hand, these different and separated castes do not have an individual existence – they can only exist in relation to a larger whole, the totality of society consisting of all castes. Further, this societal whole or system is a hierarchical rather than egalitarian system.…” |