Question

Which of the following is a major difference between the social structure of Han China and that of Classical India?
A .The Han dynasty believed that all citizens should strive for upward social mobility while India only stressed mobility for the poor
B. In India, social mobility was based on education while in China, social mobility was based on wealth
C. In China, women were considered to be high on the social status ladder while in India, all women were at the bottom
D. The social hierarchy in India was completely eliminated during the Classical era while Classical China retained its social hierarchy
E. In Indian society, higher social status was awarded to merchants than in China

Answer 1

Hint:We will discuss the Han dynasty of China and classical India. The two cities were colonized by British. British exported tea from China to all other countries and silk and cotton products from India to other countries.

Complete answer:
Let us discuss the similarities between the Han dynasty and India. Both of them fall under pressure due to local invasions and political corruption. Both of them had weak , minor rulers. They had Agriculture based economics. Male was the head of the family which is considered as the Patriarchal. They are well connected with land and sea for trade. The society was divided into several categories based on social hierarchy. Both of them considered women as inferior.
Let us discuss the similarities. The Han dynasty had the social bureaucracy whereas classical India had regionalism. Mandarin was the standard language of the Han dynasty. Sanskrit was considered as the elite language in classical India. In the Han dynasty , the top of the society was occupied by bureaucrats whereas in India , the caste system was followed and Hindu priests were considered as the top of the order. Merchants had the highest value in India than the Han dynasty. Anyone with education can climb the social ladder in the Han dynasty but in India there were a lot of limitations.

Hence, the correct answer is option (E).

Note:Both China and India , got freedom from British. China became a developed country whereas India is still a developing country. Modern China and India had several changes in both cultures and society.