Final answer:
The modern Hindu caste system remains a significant social structure despite being legally abolished, with deep-rooted cultural influences persisting especially in rural areas, even as urbanization and merit-based employment push for social change.
Step-by-step explanation:
The modern Hindu caste system has been subject to significant change, particularly with the involvement of various social and legal reforms. Option D is true: It remains a significant social structure despite legal reforms. The caste system in India, which has been legally abolished in most South Asian countries, still influences social dynamics, especially in rural areas. Although India's growing urbanization and the corporate employment system have introduced merit-based hiring, the grip of the caste system persists culturally, permeating aspects of traditional social roles, expectations, and interpersonal relationships.
Cultural values within the Hindu tradition have historically reinforced the roles designated by caste, promoting a belief in fate and destiny rather than individual autonomy. Despite this, in recent years, there have been movements towards social mobility with the Indian government's implementation of affirmative action plans to aid the historically disadvantaged castes and policies promoting equality.
For centuries, the system mandated that occupational and marital choices be made within one's caste. However, globalization, economic development, and legal reforms are slowly transforming this narrative, but caste-based identities and its residual effects continue to influence society.