A dowry is:

• A. A tax paid to the state.
• B. A payment of money or goods from the family of a bride to the groom's father.
• C. A dowel used in construction.
• D. A ceremonial blessing given by a priest.

Answer: (B)

Dowry is a cultural practice in which wealth, property, or goods are transferred from the bride’s family to the groom’s family as part of the marriage arrangement. This question tests you on knowing that specific meaning. The description that matches a dowry is a payment of money or goods from the family of a bride to the groom's father, reflecting how the transfer is tied to marriage. It’s not a tax to the state, not a construction dowel, and not a priest’s blessing, so those options don’t fit the concept of a dowry. In practice, dowries have varied roles across societies, sometimes linked to security for wives or to social status, and they contrast with bride-price in which the groom’s side provides payment to the bride’s family.