Social Stratification and Caste System – MCQs

1. What does social stratification refer to?
(A) Division of society into unequal layers or strata
(B) Evolution of species
(C) Types of languages spoken in society
(D) Political alliances

2. Which is NOT a basis of social stratification?
(A) Wealth
(B) Religion
(C) Height
(D) Power

3. The caste system is most commonly associated with which country?
(A) USA
(B) Japan
(C) India
(D) Brazil

4. Which term refers to movement between different social strata?
(A) Socialization
(B) Social mobility
(C) Caste rigidity
(D) Education

5. In which system is social status assigned at birth and usually permanent?
(A) Class system
(B) Caste system
(C) Meritocracy
(D) Feudalism

6. Which of the following best defines caste?
(A) Open and flexible social structure
(B) Closed social group with hereditary status and occupational specialization
(C) Temporary employment category
(D) Political party membership

7. Which sociologist is well-known for his study of caste in India?
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Max Weber
(C) M. N. Srinivas
(D) Emile Durkheim

8. The practice of endogamy means:
(A) Marrying outside one’s caste
(B) Marrying within one’s own caste or group
(C) Political campaigning
(D) Educational segregation

9. The concept of “Sanskritization” was introduced by:
(A) B.R. Ambedkar
(B) Karl Marx
(C) M. N. Srinivas
(D) Max Weber

10. Sanskritization refers to:
(A) Adopting upper-caste customs to improve social status
(B) Learning Sanskrit language
(C) Migration to urban centers
(D) Conversion to another religion

11. What is “social class”?
(A) Group based on hereditary occupation
(B) Category of people sharing similar economic position in society
(C) Ethnic community
(D) Religious sect

12. Social stratification is generally based on:
(A) Weather
(B) Income, occupation, education, and status
(C) Diet preferences
(D) Physical fitness

13. Which system allows for the most social mobility?
(A) Class system
(B) Caste system
(C) Feudal system
(D) Tribal system

14. The caste system is often linked to which religion?
(A) Islam
(B) Hinduism
(C) Christianity
(D) Buddhism

15. What is the meaning of “ascribed status”?
(A) Status achieved by personal effort
(B) Status assigned at birth
(C) Status obtained through education
(D) Status earned through wealth

16. Who are considered “Dalits” in the Indian caste system?
(A) Highest caste members
(B) Outsiders or “untouchables,” historically marginalized
(C) Middle-class workers
(D) Wealthy merchants

17. A key feature of caste system is:
(A) Fluid occupational roles
(B) Fixed hereditary occupation
(C) Individual choice in profession
(D) No social obligations

18. Which sociologist analyzed “status groups” in stratification?
(A) Max Weber
(B) Karl Marx
(C) Herbert Spencer
(D) Auguste Comte

19. Vertical mobility refers to:
(A) Movement between different jobs at the same level
(B) Movement up or down in the social hierarchy
(C) Moving to a new country
(D) Changing marital status

20. Who proposed the theory of “economic determinism” in social stratification?
(A) Emile Durkheim
(B) Karl Marx
(C) Max Weber
(D) Auguste Comte

21. Which type of mobility involves shifting from one job to another of equal rank?
(A) Upward mobility
(B) Horizontal mobility
(C) Downward mobility
(D) Class mobility

22. Which caste traditionally occupied the priestly role in Hindu society?
(A) Vaishyas
(B) Kshatriyas
(C) Brahmins
(D) Shudras

23. The division of society into classes or castes based on occupation is called:
(A) Racial segregation
(B) Occupational stratification
(C) Cultural evolution
(D) Kinship stratification

24. “Achieved status” is:
(A) Given by society at birth
(B) Earned through individual efforts, talents, or achievements
(C) Determined by physical appearance
(D) Assigned randomly

25. Which type of stratification is primarily based on wealth and income?
(A) Caste system
(B) Class system
(C) Ethnic hierarchy
(D) Patriarchal order

26. Caste discrimination was officially outlawed in India by which legal document?
(A) Indian Penal Code
(B) Indian Constitution
(C) Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(D) Hindu Religious Act

27. The varna system consists of how many main groups?
(A) Two
(B) Three
(C) Four
(D) Six

28. Which group was historically considered outside of the four varna?
(A) Brahmins
(B) Vaishyas
(C) Kshatriyas
(D) Dalits

29. The term for local sub-divisions within a caste is:
(A) Varna
(B) Jati
(C) Clan
(D) Tribe

30. Karl Marx primarily viewed class in terms of:
(A) Religious status
(B) Ownership of means of production
(C) Political power
(D) Gender identity

31. What type of social stratification did Max Weber emphasize in addition to economic class?
(A) Racial groups
(B) Status and party (power)
(C) Gender
(D) Kinship

32. Which of the following describes “downward mobility”?
(A) Rising in wealth or prestige
(B) Moving from a higher to a lower social position
(C) Staying at the same level
(D) Moving geographically

33. Caste endogamy helps maintain:
(A) Open societies
(B) Rigid group boundaries
(C) Random marriages
(D) Political equality

34. Occupations considered impure or polluting were historically assigned to:
(A) Kshatriyas
(B) Vaishyas
(C) Dalits
(D) Brahmins

35. Who introduced the concept of “dominant caste”?
(A) M. N. Srinivas
(B) Max Weber
(C) Herbert Spencer
(D) Pierre Bourdieu

36. Which form of mobility describes a son of a farmer becoming a doctor?
(A) Horizontal mobility
(B) Intergenerational mobility
(C) Downward mobility
(D) Caste rigidity

37. Closed stratification system refers to:
(A) Merit-based hierarchy
(B) Fluid occupational roles
(C) Fixed roles with little or no mobility
(D) Educational inequality

38. In India, caste identity is often reinforced by:
(A) Urbanization
(B) Endogamy and occupational specialization
(C) Constitutional rights
(D) Mass media

39. Scheduled Castes in India are protected by:
(A) Hindu scriptures
(B) Affirmative action policies
(C) International law only
(D) Caste councils

40. The system of social stratification that was dominant in medieval Europe is called:
(A) Caste
(B) Feudal system
(C) Industrial capitalism
(D) Meritocracy

41. Social closure refers to:
(A) Excluding outsiders from certain privileges or statuses
(B) Closing educational institutions
(C) Ending religious festivals
(D) Judicial punishment

42. Which of the following sociologists analyzed the caste system through the lens of class conflict?
(A) Emile Durkheim
(B) Karl Marx
(C) Herbert Spencer
(D) Clifford Geertz

43. Which sociologist emphasized the cultural dimensions of caste beyond just economics?
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Max Weber
(C) E. E. Evans-Pritchard
(D) James Frazer

44. Affirmative action policies in India are also called:
(A) Fundamental rights
(B) Reservations
(C) Family laws
(D) Tax incentives

45. The idea that social stratification is necessary for society’s smooth functioning is a feature of:
(A) Conflict theory
(B) Functionalist theory
(C) Symbolic interactionism
(D) Feminist theory

46. The Varna considered warriors and rulers is:
(A) Brahmins
(B) Kshatriyas
(C) Vaishyas
(D) Shudras

47. Class stratification is based on:
(A) Kinship ties
(B) Economic factors such as income and wealth
(C) Religious leadership
(D) Political party membership

48. Intergenerational mobility compares the social status of:
(A) Friends
(B) Individuals in one generation to their parents
(C) Siblings
(D) Spouses

49. The practice of “untouchability” was formally abolished in India by:
(A) Indian Constitution (1950)
(B) British Parliament
(C) Islamic Law
(D) International Treaty

50. Social stratification can be described as:
(A) Temporary divisions
(B) Permanent hierarchical organization of society into groups with unequal access to resources
(C) Personal preference for social groups
(D) Random social change