Q1. [3] medium thorough-understanding
Despite the constitutional prohibition of untouchability and caste-based discrimination, caste inequalities have not completely disappeared in India. Give two specific pieces of evidence to support this statement.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:17 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Despite the constitutional prohibition of untouchability and caste-based discrimination, caste inequalities persist in India. Two specific pieces of evidence are:
- Untouchability has not ended completely — Even today, Dalits continue to face social discrimination and untouchability in practice, especially in rural areas, despite it being banned under the Constitution.
- Caste is strongly linked to economic inequality — According to the National Sample Survey, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have the highest proportion of population living below the poverty line (SC: 35.9% rural; ST: 45.8% rural), whereas upper castes have far lower poverty rates (Hindu upper castes: 11.7% rural). Upper castes remain over-represented among the urban middle classes due to centuries of accumulated educational and economic advantages.
Source: Democratic Politics II, Chapter 3 — Caste Inequalities / Caste Inequality Today
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Explanation
- This question asks for two specific pieces of evidence, so you must give two distinct, factual points — not general statements.
- Examiners reward data or examples from the textbook (poverty line table, untouchability persistence). Quoting the NSS figures adds precision and earns full marks.
- Avoid vague answers like "caste discrimination still exists" without supporting detail.
- Mention both social (untouchability) and economic (poverty data) dimensions for a well-rounded answer.