Characterized by Change of Ideals, Sanskritization Traditionally Denoted the Process

Reading Passage Question

Characterized by change of ideals, Sanskritization traditionally denoted the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy sought upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper castes. It became an inevitable feature of those castes that experienced a vast gap between their ritual and politico-economic positions. Such castes enjoyed a high level of political and economic power. Accordingly, economic elevation was not a sought- after goal through Sanskritization. Infact, sometimes a group could start by acquiring political power, which led to economic betterment and Sanskritization.

Although there is no unanimity on whether it has been a major process of cultural change in Indian history, it has occurred in almost every part of the Indian subcontinent. However, the nature of the process is by no means uniform as the cultural norms or customs being imitated may vary from Sanskrit or Hindu traditional forms to tribal and even the Islamic patterns. Also, with the passage of time, the boundaries of the definition have blurred and today Sanskritization is no longer limited to the changes in the customs, rituals and ideology and way of life of a caste placed lower in the caste hierarchy; it has now begun to stand for cross imitation of customs and way of life among different social groups. In essence, Sanskritization is only an illustration of the operation of the ‘reference group’ process. A reference group is a group that is used as a standard to evaluate one’s rituals, attitudes, customs etc. As long as the caste has prestige in the social groups, it serves as a model. Accordingly, a ruling group or caste will also serve as a model if it commands prestige in the society.

“Characterized by change of ideals, Sanskritization traditionally denoted the process” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 4 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1. The author is primarily concerned with

1. To trace the development of a process across various sects of a religion
2. To mitigate potential criticism for a process by presenting a liberal perspective on it
3. To define a process by tracing its development over time
4. To define a process of social, cultural and political change by discussing its features
5. To enlist the basic features of a process

Question 2. Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

1. A group that has prestige and dominance in the society but ranks lower than the highest group in the hierarchical order will quite likely not be a reference group.
2. Although upward social mobility could result out of Sanskritization, economic elevation could not.
3. An affluent caste that enjoyed limited ritual position was extremely likely to experience Sanskritization.
4. Even though Sanskritization could involve emulation of tribal or Islamic patterns, it now normally involves adopting the ideologies of the dominant Hindu caste, which is not necessarily the highest ranking caste.
5. There is no one opinion on the ability of Sanskritization to act as a major process of social change.

Question 3. Which of the following most aptly describes the function of the first paragraph?

1. To describe a rigid concept that has become more accepted over time
2. To introduce a process within a specific context
3. To define a process that was more politically motivated than economically
4. To introduce a phenomenon by discussing its limitations
5. To present a social scenario that accentuated hierarchical differences

Question 4. In the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned?

1. Sanskritization was an unavoidable feature of castes that faced a huge gap between their ritual and politico-economic positions.
2. The nature of Sanskritization is not the same everywhere.
3. Sanskritization now represents emulation of customs etc. across social groups.
4. Sanskritization has occurred in most of the Indian subcontinent.
5. A ruling group is synonymous with a reference group.

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