There are two statements:
Statement I: The principle of caste hierarchy is inseparable from the idea that different castes form part of a larger social whole.
Statement II: Castes were theoretically expected to exist as entirely independent social units with no relationship to one another.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option 3: Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
The caste system combined separation with wholism. Castes were distinct from one another, but they were also understood as parts of a larger hierarchical social order.
Statement I: The principle of caste hierarchy is inseparable from the idea that different castes form part of a larger social whole. — Correct.
Statement II: Castes were theoretically expected to exist as entirely independent social units with no relationship to one another. — Incorrect. The notion of a caste system itself requires the existence of a larger social whole.