In the modern Hindu caste system, what remains the basis for caste distinctions?

• A. Ritual purity alone
• B. The concepts of purity and pollution
• C. Occupational specialization
• D. Geographic origin

Answer: (B)

The enduring basis for caste distinctions in modern Hindu society is the ideas of purity and pollution. These notions govern everyday social boundaries—who can touch whom, who can share a meal with whom, who can enter temples or participate in certain rites, and who can marry within or outside a group. Even as formal occupational roles or legal classifications have changed, the moral logic of purity versus impurity continues to structure interactions and maintain hierarchy. Occupational specialization played a historical role, but it is the purity-pollution framework that remains the more persistent teller of caste boundaries. Geographic origin does not determine caste in this framework.