ÁREA DE INDIVIDUOS & SOCIEDADES NAME:

SOCIAL STUDIES
HOMEWORK DATE:

Hindu Caste System

(Read the following information and answer the questions) – TO TURN IN THE HOMEWORK,
YOU CAN PRINT ONE PIECE OF PAPER BOTH SIDES-
When they (Aryans) first arrived in India, Aryans were divided into three social classes:
Brahmins (Priests), warriors, and peasants or traders. The class that an Aryan belonged to
determine his or her role in society. Non-Aryan laborers or crafts-people (shudras) formed a
fourth group.
As the Aryans settled in India, they developed closer contacts with non-Aryans. To
regulate those contacts, the Aryans made class restrictions more rigid. Shudras were laborers
who did work that Aryans did not want to do. Varna, or skin color was a distinguishing feature of
this system. So, the four major groups came to beknown as the varnas. Later, in the 15th
century A.D., explorers from Portugal encountered this social system and called these groups
castes (kasts). As time went on, the four basic castes gradually grew more complex with
hundreds of subdivisions. People were born into their caste for life. Their caste membership
determined the work they did, the man or woman they could marry, and the people with whom
they could eat. Cleanliness and purity became all-important. Those considered the most impure
because of their work (butchers, gravediggers, collectors of trash) lived outside the caste
structure. They were known as “untouchables,” The Brahmins: The priestly class, born from the
since even their touch endangered the ritual mouth of Brahma.
purity of others. (Page 64, World History: The Kshatriyas: Warriors and rulers, senators,
Patterns of Interaction) presidents, majors, born from the arms
The Vaisyas: Farmers, merchants, lawyers,
doctors. Born from the legs
The Sudras: Unskilled workers. Born from the
feet. (artisans and laborers)
Untouchables: Those who did jobs considered
“unclean” (cremate the dead, clean latrines,
remove dead animals from the roads, sweep
gutters)
This image
displays the
origins of the Hindu Caste system. These castes
originated from Purusha, who was the first human being.
Purusha associates with the creator god Brahma.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Why was a fourth class established? 1 point
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2. In what ways did Caste reflect into people’s daily lives? 1 point
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3. Why might the caste of Brahmins (priests have been associated with the mouth? 1 point
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4. How were physical forms of work viewed by the Aryans? 1 point

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5. What do you believe are views of the Untouchable class today (is it ethical/still around?)
2 points
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6. Can one marry someone from another caste? Why? 1 point

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7. Explain YOUR view of the caste system. 3 points

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