Class 12 Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies Mock Test (CBSE)

Topics in Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies

• The critical edition of the Mahabharata
• Kinship and marriage: many rules and varied practices
• Social differences: within and beyond the framework of caste
• Beyond birth: resources and status
• Explaining social differences: a social contract
• Handling texts: historians and the Mahabharata

Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies practice questions with answers

1. Q1Multiple choice·1 mark
   According to the Manusmriti, what was the prescribed rule for the division of paternal estate after the death of the parents?

   1. (a)Equal division among sons, with a special share for the eldest
   2. (b)Equal distribution among all children regardless of gender
   3. (c)Division solely among the daughters as stridhana
   4. (d)Exclusive inheritance by the youngest son
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (a)+1

   Answer: (a)
2. Q2Multiple choice·1 mark
   In which Buddhist text is the evolutionary myth of a social contract explaining the origin of social differences and kingship found?

   1. (a)Sutta Pitaka
   2. (b)Vinaya Pitaka
   3. (c)Manusmriti
   4. (d)Arthashastra
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Correct option: (a)+1

   Answer: (a)
3. Q3Short answer·2 marks
   How do historians broadly classify the contents of the epic Mahabharata? Briefly mention the nature of each category.
   Show answer and step marks

   1. Historians classify the contents of the Mahabharata under two broad heads: narrative and didactic.+1
   2. The narrative sections contain stories.+0.5
   3. The didactic sections contain prescriptions about social norms and conduct.+0.5

   Answer: Narrative (sections containing stories) and didactic (sections containing prescriptions about social norms).
4. Q4Short answer·3 marks
   Examine the rules of marriage regarding 'gotra' and 'exogamy' as laid down in the Brahmanical texts during early societies.
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   1. Brahmanical texts (the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras) held marriage outside the kin group (exogamy) to be the desirable form, especially for daughters given away through kanyadana.+1
   2. From about 1000 BCE people, especially Brahmanas, were classified into gotras, each named after a Vedic seer whose descendants its members were thought to be.+0.5
   3. Rule 1: members of the same gotra could not marry each other.+0.5
   4. Rule 2: a woman gave up her father's gotra on marriage and took her husband's.+0.5
   5. These rules were not universal: names of Satavahana queens (e.g. Gotami, Vasithi) show they kept their fathers' gotras, and some belonged to the same gotra as their husbands, an example of endogamy also seen among communities of south India.+0.5

   Answer: Brahmanical texts favoured exogamy; members of the same gotra could not marry, and a woman took her husband's gotra on marriage. Satavahana queens who kept their fathers' gotras, some of the same gotra as their husbands, show these rules were not always followed.
5. Q5Short answer·3 marks
   Explain the main features of the project of preparing the 'Critical Edition of the Mahabharata'. How did historians compare verses from different manuscripts?
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   1. The project began in 1919 under V.S. Sukthankar; a team of scholars collected Sanskrit manuscripts of the epic, written in a variety of scripts, from different parts of the country.+1
   2. They compared verses from each manuscript and selected those that appeared common to most versions, publishing them in several volumes running to over 13,000 pages.+1
   3. The project showed several common elements in the Sanskrit versions found all over the subcontinent, and also enormous regional variations in how the text was transmitted, which were recorded in footnotes and appendices.+1

   Answer: Begun in 1919 under V.S. Sukthankar, scholars collected Sanskrit manuscripts from across India, compared their verses and selected those common to most versions (published in over 13,000 pages); they found common elements everywhere and enormous regional variations, recorded in footnotes and appendices.

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