<span>c. The decline of Mughal power allowed the East India Company to expand its trading operations across the region.</span>
Correct answer: C) seclusionist
Details:
Writing for <em>Ranker, </em>Danielle Ownbey notes: "The Amish live a secluded life away from other Americans (known to them as the English). Because of this seclusion, the average person knows very few facts about the inner workings of the Amish religion and culture."
Your question mentioned the role of the Supreme Court in protecting the rights of the Amish to follow their own beliefs and practices. An example would be the case, <em>Wisconsin v. Jonas Yoder </em>(1972), in which the decision of the Supreme Court was that a state could not compel education past 8th grade for Amish children. The case revolved around some Amish families who would not send their children to New Glarus High School in Wisconsin. County court held the parents responsible (represented by Jonas Yoder, one of the Amish fathers). However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and then the US Supreme Court found in favor of Yoder and the Amish families. The parents' right to freedom of religion was seen as a stronger concern than the state's interest in educating children. An interesting fact about the <em>Wisconsin v. Yoder </em>case is that the Amish typically would not go to court to settle a dispute, because that would be a move beyond what their religious beliefs would allow. But a Lutheran minister named William Lindholm took up their cause for the sake of protecting religious freedom as a primary right. Lindholm established the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom.
The Varna system in Dharma-shastras divides society into four varnas (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras). Those who fall out of this system because of their grievous sins are ostracised as outcastes (untouchables) and considered outside the varna system. The system which divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, but here it means duty) is generally accepted to be more than 3,000 years old.
How did caste come about?
Manusmriti , widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born, "acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society".
The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma's head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma's feet and did all the menial jobs.
The main castes were further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on their specific occupation.
Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots - the Dalits or the untouchables.
How does caste work?
For centuries, caste has dictated almost every aspect of Hindu religious and social life, with each group occupying a specific place in this complex hierarchy.
Rural communities have long been arranged on the basis of castes - the upper and lower castes almost always lived in segregated colonies, the water wells were not shared, Brahmins would not accept food or drink from the Shudras, and one could marry only within one's caste.
National and State goverment
