What does Kabir's membership of the state team depend on, unlike his…

Kabir grew up in a Malayalam-speaking Christian family in a fishing village in Kerala. At nineteen he joined the state football team and moved to the capital, where his teammates come from many districts, faiths and languages. He trains every morning with the squad. In the village he still belongs to his family, his parish and his language community, and he travels home for every festival, as he has done since childhood.

What does Kabir's membership of the state team depend on, unlike his membership of his village community?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A certain level of skill and performance as a pre-condition

Option (1) A certain level of skill and performance as a pre-condition — Correct. Team membership is earned. A team takes only players who show a certain level of skill and performance. Kabir's village belonging asked nothing of him; it came with birth.

Option (2) Passing qualifying examinations set by a professional body — Incorrect. Qualifying exams are the entry condition for professions, such as doctors or architects. A football team picks its players on the skill they show in play.

Option (3) Equal commitment and loyalty to a shared team identity — Incorrect. Equal commitment and loyalty describe ascriptive identities: people are loyal to their own community. It is a feature of community feeling, so it belongs to Kabir's village side.

Option (4) An accidental belonging that others continue to recognise — Incorrect. Accidental belonging that others keep recognising is the mark of an ascriptive identity, like Kabir's village ties. It describes his community membership, the opposite side of the contrast.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 The Importance of Community Identity …
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. …”

What does Kabir's membership of the state team depend on, unlike his membership of his village community?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → A certain level of skill and performance as a pre-condition