Prelims 1996 · archive
EasyIn the context of Indian society, which one of the following terms does not belong to the category of other three?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Kosa
Kula, vamsa and gotra all describe kinship: household, lineage and clan descent. Kosa means treasury (or sheath), which is about wealth and not kin.
- ✓ (c) Kosa means treasury, one of the seven limbs of the state in ancient Indian political thought, so it is the odd one out.
- ✗ (a) Kula is the household bound by kinship.
- ✗ (b) Vamsa means lineage or dynasty.
- ✗ (d) Gotra is a patrilineal clan traced to a common ancestor, traditionally a Vedic sage.
Remember · Kula, vamsa and gotra are kinship terms; kosa is treasury.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “During the later Vedic period, the term kula came to denote a household comprising several members bound by kinship. The concept of gotra referred to a patrilineal lineage or clan traced to a common ancestor”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1996, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1996: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·