Prelims 2022 · Q93
MediumWhich one of the following statements about Sangam literature in ancient South India is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.
The Sangam texts knew the four-fold varna scheme: the Tolkappiyam speaks of a four-fold division of society, though it ties the groups to occupation. The other statements claim the poems lack material life or warriors, which is the opposite of what the poems show.
- ✓ (b) NCERT notes that Sangam literature such as the Tolkappiyam refers to a four-fold division of society and names groups such as Arasar (kings), Vanigar (traders) and Velar (farmers), along with Antanar (brahmanas).
- ✗ (a) The poems are full of everyday life. The Pattinappalai, for example, describes a prosperous, trade-oriented society of merchants, salt-makers, fishermen, artisans and agriculturists.
- ✗ (c) Sangam poems were composed by bards who sang the praise of chiefs, and they list warriors among the groups of society, so warriors and their conduct are not missing.
Remember · Sangam poems know varna, but link it to occupation: Arasar (kings), Vanigar (traders), Velar (farmers), Antanar (brahmanas).
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “Sangam literature like the Tolkappiyam refers to four-fold division of society and mentions different groups such as Arasar (kings), Vanigar (traders/ merchants), and Velar (farmers).”
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “the Pattinappalai describes a prosperous, dynamic, trade-oriented society where different occupational groups such as merchants, salt-makers, fishermen, artisans, agriculturists, and warriors, interacted actively.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 3 “Amongst other things, the chiefs were patrons of bards and poets who sang their praise.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·