Assertion (A): Some communities were characterised as `martial races', some others as effeminate or cowardly, yet others as untrustworthy. Reason (R): Stereotypes are fixed and inflexible characterisations of a group of people.
Assertion (A): Some communities were characterised as `martial races', some others as effeminate or cowardly, yet others as untrustworthy. Reason (R): Stereotypes are fixed and inflexible characterisations of a group of people.
Options
The correct option is (A): Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Why: Colonial administrators genuinely labelled communities as 'martial races', 'effeminate', 'cowardly' or 'untrustworthy' (used, for instance, in selective army recruitment). This labelling is a textbook example of stereotyping — and R correctly defines what a stereotype is: a fixed, rigid characterisation applied to an entire group regardless of individual variation. R therefore directly explains why A's examples count as stereotypes.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for correctly selecting option (A).
Hint
Check if R's definition of 'stereotype' is exactly what makes A's colonial labels count as stereotyping.
Quick Oral Answer
Yes — the colonial labelling of communities as martial, cowardly or untrustworthy is a real example of stereotyping, and the reason correctly defines a stereotype as a fixed, inflexible label applied to a whole group, so option (A) is correct.
Analysis & Explanation
This question checks whether the student can connect a concrete historical example (A) to its underlying sociological concept/definition (R).
Concept: The NCERT chapter explains how colonial rulers, needing to categorise and govern a vast, unfamiliar population, generalised entire communities into rigid labels — 'martial races' like Sikhs, Gorkhas and Rajputs were preferentially recruited into the army, while other groups were dismissed as unfit, cowardly or untrustworthy.
Why R explains A: Stereotypes, by definition, are inflexible and applied uniformly to a whole group without regard to individual differences. The examples in A — labelling entire communities by a single trait — are precisely what R defines as a stereotype. Hence R is not just true, it is the reason A's examples qualify as stereotyping.
Distractor check: Option (B) would apply only if R were true but unrelated to why A happened — but here R is exactly the defining concept behind A, so (B) is wrong. Options (C) and (D) are wrong because both statements are factually accurate as per the NCERT narrative.
Common Mistakes
- 1Picking (B) by assuming R is 'just a definition' and definitions can never 'explain' an example — but here the definition is precisely why the example qualifies as what it is.
- 2Not recognising 'martial races' as a real colonial-era classification used for selective army recruitment, and instead treating it as an unrelated random label.
- 3Confusing stereotype (fixed, generalized label) with genuine documented difference between communities.
Interesting Facts
The British colonial army's 'Martial Races' theory, formalised after the 1857 revolt, led to disproportionate recruitment from Punjab, Nepal (Gorkhas) and parts of North India, while excluding communities from Bengal and South India labelled as 'non-martial'.
This colonial classification had lasting effects on regional recruitment patterns in the Indian Army even after Independence.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'martial races' theory in colonial India?
It was a colonial-era classification that labelled certain communities (like Sikhs, Gorkhas, Rajputs) as inherently warlike and suitable for army service, while others were dismissed as unfit, cowardly or untrustworthy — a form of institutionalised stereotyping used to shape recruitment policy.
How is a stereotype different from a genuine social observation?
A stereotype is rigid and applied to an entire group without exception or evidence, ignoring individual and internal diversity, whereas a genuine social observation is based on evidence, allows exceptions, and is open to revision.