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Q41
(IAS/1996)
History & Culture › Ancient India › Ancient social structure
Answer Verified
In the context of ancient Indian society, which one of the following terms does not belong to the category of the other three ?
Result
Your answer:
—
·
Correct:
C
Explanation
Kosa is the odd term out because it does not refer to kinship or lineage. Sanskrit sources show that kula denotes a family unit and vamsha (vamsa) denotes lineage or descent, both kinship-related concepts [1]. Gotra likewise refers to a descent group or clan traced to a common ancestor and functions as a rule for exogamy, marking members of the same ancestral line [2]. By contrast, kosa refers to a treasury (and in lexical contexts a lexicon), i.e., an economic/lexical term rather than a social/kinship category; thus it does not belong with the other three family-lineage terms .
Sources
- [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Kinship, Caste and Class > Terms for family and kin > p. 55
- [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > Social Organization > p. 29
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