A closed stratification system traditionally found in India.

A closed stratification system traditionally found in India.

• A. Slavery
• B. Caste
• C. Traditional societies
• D. Power

Answer: (B)

This item is about a socially rigid system where a person’s place in society is fixed by birth and becomes extremely hard to change. In India's historical context, this is the caste system—a hereditary, endogamous hierarchy where people are born into a caste, carry out designated occupations, and follow rules about whom they may marry. Mobility between ranks is highly limited, and social status is tied to notions of ritual purity and birthright, shaping daily life from work to social interactions. That makes the caste concept the best fit here, because it specifically describes a closed, birth-based system of stratification tied to occupation and social roles. Other options don’t fit as precisely: slavery refers to ownership of people and broader forms of coercion, not a structured, birth-based social order; traditional societies is a broad label that doesn’t pin down the India-specific mechanism; power describes who holds authority rather than the organized, hereditary ranking of all members of society by birth.

This item is about a socially rigid system where a person’s place in society is fixed by birth and becomes extremely hard to change. In India's historical context, this is the caste system—a hereditary, endogamous hierarchy where people are born into a caste, carry out designated occupations, and follow rules about whom they may marry. Mobility between ranks is highly limited, and social status is tied to notions of ritual purity and birthright, shaping daily life from work to social interactions.

That makes the caste concept the best fit here, because it specifically describes a closed, birth-based system of stratification tied to occupation and social roles. Other options don’t fit as precisely: slavery refers to ownership of people and broader forms of coercion, not a structured, birth-based social order; traditional societies is a broad label that doesn’t pin down the India-specific mechanism; power describes who holds authority rather than the organized, hereditary ranking of all members of society by birth.