UN Conference on Race and Caste

CAT 2001 Slot 1 · VARC · Hard · Reading Comprehension

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Passage / data set

The Union Government's present position vis-a-vis the upcoming United Nations conference on racial and related discrimination world-wide seems to be the following: discuss race please, not caste; caste is our very own and not at all as bad as you think. The gross hypocrisy of that position has been lucidly underscored by Kancha Ilaiah. Explicitly, the world community is to be cheated out of considering the matter on the technicality that caste is not, as a concept, tantamount to a racial category. Internally, however, allowing the issue to be put on agenda at the said conference would, we are patriotically admonished, damage the country's image. Somehow, India's virtual beliefs elbow out concrete actualities.

As to the technicality about whether or not caste is admissible into an agenda about race, a reputed sociologist has recently argued that where race is a 'biological' category caste is a 'social' one... If it is agreed that the entire race of homo sapiens derived from an originary black African female (called 'Eve'), then one is hard put to understand how ontological distinctions are to be drawn either between races or castes.

Question 1 of 2

When the author writes 'globalising our social inequities', the reference is to:

  1. A.

    going beyond an internal deliberation on social inequity.

  2. B.

    dealing with internal poverty through the economic benefits of globalisation.

  3. C.

    going beyond an internal delimitation of social inequity.

  4. D.

    achieving disadvantaged people's empowerment, globally.

Answer

A

Explanation

The author contrasts globalising markets with opening internal social issues (caste discrimination) to international/global scrutiny and debate.

Question 2 of 2

According to the author, 'inverted representations as balm for the forsaken':

  1. A.

    is good for the forsaken and often deployed in human histories.

  2. B.

    is good for the forsaken, but not often deployed historically for the oppressed.

  3. C.

    occurs often as a means of keeping people oppressed.

  4. D.

    occurs often to invert the status quo.

Answer

C

Explanation

Inverted representations act as an ideological myth/balm that maintains the status quo, effectively perpetuating oppression.

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