Previous-year questions
Sociology Optional — PYQ Bank, Analysis & Model Answers
Every previous-year question, broken down: how to approach it, the concepts and thinkers it tests, a model answer, and the questions related to it. Search by keyword, or filter by paper and year.
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280 questions in the bank
- 'Agrarian class structure has been undergoing changes due to modern forces.' Critically examine.
- 'Educational development is the only Panacea for country's all ills and evils.' Critically examine the above statement with reference to NEP-2020.
- 'Industrial class structure is a function of social structure of Indian society.' Do you agree with this statement? Analyze.
- 'Textual perspective is important in understanding of Indian Social System.' Discuss.
- 'The transfer of land from cultivating to the non-cultivating owners is bringing about transformation in Indian society.' Justify your answer by giving suitable illustrations.
- According to you, which social reform movement has played the most effective role in uplifting the status of women? Explain.
- Are pressure groups a threat to or a necessary element of democracy? Explain with suitable illustrations.
- Bring out various factors responsible for declining of village Industries in India.
- Can Merton's reference group theory be relevant in understanding 'identity making' in digital world? Explain.
- Compare capability deprivation approach with that of social capital deprivation in understanding chronic poverty.
- Critically analyze the sociological significance of informal sector in the economy of developing societies.
- Describe the main features of Indian new middle class. How is it different from the old middle class?
- Discuss the social bases of political mobilization in Independent India. Has some change occurred in these during the last 60-70 years?
- Discuss the trend of urbanization in India. Do you think that Industrialization is the only precondition of urbanization? Give you arguments.
- Do you think that forced displacement of labourers has caused their deprivation and resultant inequalities during the recent past years? Elaborate.
- Do you think that in a society like India orthogenetic changes take place through differentiation? Do you observe continuities in the orthogenetic process ? Elaborate your answer with suitable examples.
- Do you think that law has been able to abolish child labour in India? Comment.
- Do you think that new economic reforms of British rule have disrupted the old economic system of India? Substantiate your answer with suitable examples.
- Do you think that the formal workspaces are free of gender bias? Argue your case.
- Does the structural-functionalist perspective on social stratification promote a status quo? Give reasons for your answer.
- Give an account of the recent trends of marriage in the Indian context. How are these different from traditional practices?
- Highlight the main features of historical materialism as propounded by Marx. How far is this theory relevant in understanding contemporary societies? Explain.
- How can you assess the significance of social movements in the digital era? Explain.
- How Dalit movements in India have facilitated their Identity formation? Analyze.
- How did Colonial Policies for the tribes affected their socio-economic conditions in India? Discuss.
- How do 'Civil Society Organizations' such as 'NGOs' and 'Self-Help Groups' contribute to grassroot level social changes? Discuss.
- How do theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim differ in understanding religion? Explain.
- How does Weber's Verstehen address the objectivity-subjectivity debate in sociology?
- How same sex marriages are responsible for population dynamics in India? Discuss.
- How would you appropriate to characterise G. S. Ghurye as a practitioner of 'theoretical pluralism'?
- In what respects have the constitutional provisions changed the socio-economic and political conditions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India? Critically examine.
- In what way does queer kinship challenge the traditional kinship system? Substantiate by giving illustrations.
- In what way is the scope of sociology unique? Explain.
- Is it possible to have sustainable development in India? Cite major environmental issues and suggest a few measures to achieve the sustainability.
- Is the social stratification theory gender-blind? Elucidate.
- Justify that the Indian traditions are modernizing. Also discuss its contributing factors.
- To what extent can education and skill development be an agent of social change? Critically analyze.
- What are the Indian government's schemes launched for poverty alleviation after the United Nation's Declaration of 'Sustainable Development Goals – 2015' ? Briefly describe.
- What are the major problems faced by the labour migrants while working in informal sectors of Indian States? Discuss.
- What are the Private and Public network and support systems operative in Indian society for the aged? Suggest measures to curb down the challenges before care givers of the aged.
- What do you mean by nation building? What is the role of religion in nation building? Elaborate your answer.
- What do you mean by reliability? Discuss the importance of reliability in social science research.
- What do you understand by gender-based domestic division of labour? Is it undergoing a change in the wake of increasing participation of women in formal employment? Clarify your answer with illustrations.
- What do you understand by sustainable development? Discuss the elements of sustainable development as proposed in the UNDP's Sustainable Development Goals Report-2015.
- What is a variable in social research? What are their different types? Elaborate.
- What is common sense? How are common knowledge and sociology related to each other? Explain.
- What is hypothesis? Critically evaluate the significance of hypothesis in social research.
- What is kinship? Briefly explain G. P. Murdock's contribution to the study of the kinship system.
- What is positivism? Critically analyze the major arguments against it.
- What is sampling in the context of social research? Discuss different forms of sampling with their relative advantages and disadvantages.
- What is science? Do you think that the methods used in natural sciences can be applied to sociology? Give reasons for your answer.
- What is the nature of relationship between science and religion in modern society? Analyze with suitable examples.
- What is the relationship (similarities and differences) between sociology and history in terms of their area of study and methodology? Discuss.
- What would you identify as the similarities and differences in the elite theories of Mosca, Michels and Pareto? Discuss their main/crucial issues.
- Which measures would you suggest for preventing caste conflicts in India ? Justify your argument.
- Who is said to be the pioneer of village studies in India? Illustratively describe contributions of some Indian sociologists on village studies. How their approaches are distinct from each other?
- Analyse the changing nature of caste as a status group.
- Analyse the trilogy between environmental movement, development and tribal identity.
- Are slums the manifestations of industrialisation and urbanisation in India? Explain.
- Critically assess the impact of technological advancement and automation on the nature of work and employment.
- Critically examine the relevance of development planning in India.
- Critically examine the roles of science and technology in social change. What is your opinion on their increasing trend in 'online' education and teaching ?
- Critically examine the World-Systems theory of Immanuel Wallerstein in terms of development and dependency of various nations.
- Critically explain the salient features of 'alienation' as propounded by Karl Marx.
- Define the concept of 'gig' economy and discuss its impact on labour market and workers' social security net.
- Democracy needs a vibrant culture of civil society in order to strengthen its foundation of citizenship. Comment.
- Describe the differing principles of work organization in feudal and capitalist societies.
- Describe the main idea of Max Weber's book, 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism' as a critique of Marxism.
- Describe various characteristics of a 'social fact'. How is rate of suicide a social fact according to Durkheim ?
- Despite the efforts of the government, bonded labour still continues in India. Discuss.
- Differentiate between 'Western' and 'Indological' perspectives on the study of Indian society. Bring out the major aspects of G. S. Ghurye's contribution to 'Indological' approach.
- Discuss the changes taking place in the industrial class structure in India.
- Discuss the changing nature of political elites in India.
- Discuss the concept of animism and differentiate it from naturism.
- Discuss the dimensions of power in the construction and maintenance of social hierarchies in a society.
- Discuss the major challenges related to women's reproductive health in India. What measures would you suggest to overcome these challenges?
- Discuss the nature of Sociology. Highlight its relationship with Social Anthropology.
- Discuss various theories of social change. Explain the limitations of unilinear theory of social change.
- Do modernization and secularization necessarily go together ? Give your views.
- Do you think 'objectivity' is an over-hyped idea in sociological research ? Discuss the merits and demerits of non-positivist methods.
- Do you think that family bondings are being affected by the changing kinship patterns in India? Comment.
- Do you think that the constitutional provisions for women have led to their uplift? Give reasons for your answer.
- Education is a key to social development. Elucidate.
- Examine with suitable examples the recent trends in the growth of urban settlements in India.
- Explain G.H. Mead's idea of development of 'self' through the 'generalised other'.
- Highlight the major contributions of the reform movements in pre-independent India.
- How do religious communities contribute to the cultural diversity of India?
- How do you understand the phenomena of the mushrooming of sects and cults in contemporary society ? Discuss the factors responsible for the trend.
- How do you view and assess the increasing trend of digital ethnography and use of visual culture in sociological research ?
- How does a multicultural society accommodate diversities of all kinds — ethnic, linguistic and religious ? Discuss its major challenges.
- How is 'power' different from 'authority' ? Discuss various types of authorities as theorized by Max Weber.
- Identify different forms of inequalities associated with agrarian social structure in India.
- Is patriarchy a key to understanding different forms of inequalities in Indian society? Elaborate.
- Is there a connection between labour migration and informal sector? Justify your answer with reference to Indian context.
- Marriage as an institution has undergone a radical transformation from 'ritual' to 'commercial' in its outlook. Explain the factors behind this change.
- Modern families have not just become nuclear and neo-local, but also filiocentric. How do you explain this trend ?
- Sociology is the product of European enlightenment and renaissance. Critically examine this statement.
- To what extent have the legal provisions been effective in curbing violence against women in India? Give your argument.
- Trace the social and historical origins of Dalit movements in modern India.
- Underline the role of social media in contemporary social movements and describe its challenges.
- What are pressure groups? Discuss their role in decision-making in democracy.
- What are the 'basic and irreducible' functions of the family as proposed by Talcott Parsons ? Explain.
- What are the definitional problems involved in identifying tribes in India? Discuss the main obstacles to tribal development in India.
- What are the different forms of untouchability still practised in India? Discuss with suitable illustrations.
- What do you understand by 'mixed method' ? Discuss its strengths and limitations in social research.
- What do you understand by decentralisation of power? What is its role in strengthening the roots of democracy in India? Elaborate.
- What is social mobility ? Critically examine the classification of 'closed' and 'open' models of social stratification.
- What is sustainable development? How can sustainability be achieved in India where livelihood needs conflict with environmental protection?
- What is your assessment about the recent farmers' movement in India? Elaborate.
- What, according to André Beteille, are the bases of agrarian class structure in India? Analyse.
- What, according to you, are the factors responsible for the continuance of caste system in India? Explain.
- Why is the study of marriage important in Sociology? Analyse the implications of changing marriage patterns for Indian society.
- 'The decade of 1950s was the golden period of village studies in Indian Sociology.' Explain the statement.
- Analyse the differences between the attributional and interactional approach in studying the caste system.
- Analyse the perspectives of Isolation, Assimilation and Integration in understanding the trajectories of Indian Tribal Development.
- Analyse the role of market and modern forces in understanding the changing trends in marriage systems in India.
- Analyse the sociological interconnections between Social Media and Mass Mobilization in India.
- Analyze critically David Morgan's views on family practices.
- Are Tradition and Modernity antithetical to each other ? Comment.
- Assess critically A. G. Frank's 'theory of development of underdevelopment'.
- Citing some case studies, expand the concept of 'Development-induced Displacement'.
- Contextualize Louis Dumont's concept of 'binary opposition' with reference to caste system in India.
- Critically examine the concept of Sanskritization with suitable illustrations.
- Critique the victory narratives of Green Revolution in the context of Indian society.
- Define the concepts of 'Descent' and 'Alliance'. Differentiate between North Indian and South Indian Kinship systems with examples.
- Discuss the challenges faced by the cooperative movements in India. Suggest measures to strengthen the movement at the grass-roots level.
- Discuss the main features of Land Reforms in post-independence India.
- Discuss the nature of regional variations in sex ratio in India, stating reasons thereof.
- Discuss the phenomenon of rural-urban continuum with suitable examples.
- Discuss the relationship between sociology and political science.
- Do you agree with the view of Andre Beteille that India's villages are representative of Indian society's basic civilizational values ? Present a sociological overview.
- Do you think that common sense is the starting point of social research? What are its advantages and limitations? Explain.
- Do you think that the boundary line between ethnicity and race is blurred? Justify your answer.
- Do you think that the decades of Dalit political mobilizations and movements have helped in strengthening India's democracy ? Substantiate your arguments with facts.
- Do you think that the social media has brought significant changes in the forms of protest? Argue your case.
- Does women's education help to eradicate patriarchal discriminations? Reflect with illustrations.
- Elaborate the salient features and the role of middle class in India's democracy and development.
- Examine the concept of 'Cultural Pluralism' in the context of India's Unity in Diversity.
- Examine the relevance of corporate social responsibility in a world marked by increasing environmental crises.
- Examine the role of science and technology in addressing age-old taboos and superstitions.
- Explain how economic globalization has brought changes in the patterns of employment in the 21st century.
- Explain Max Weber's theory of social stratification. How does Weber's idea of class differ from that of Marx?
- Explain the implications and the impact of globalization in situating the changing agrarian class structure in India.
- Explain the thematic linkages between 'Patriarchy' and 'Honour killing' in India, citing some recent cases.
- Highlight the differences and similarities between totemism and animism.
- Highlight the salient features of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- Highlight the significant features of A.R. Desai's 'Dialectical Perspective' to study Indian Society.
- How do you account for the increasing significance of religion in public and personal spheres in the context of secularization thesis in India ? Explain.
- How do you assess the changing patterns in kinship relations in societies today?
- How does the dramaturgical perspective enable our understanding of everyday life?
- How is civil society useful in deepening the roots of democracy?
- How is poverty a form of social exclusion? Illustrate in this connection the different dimensions of poverty and social exclusion.
- In the face of rising global climatic concerns, how do you contextualize the relevance of Chipko Movement and its Gandhian tone ? Answer analytically.
- Is reference group theory a universally applicable model? Elucidate.
- Is Weber's idea of bureaucracy a product of the historical experiences of Europe? Comment.
- What actionable measures would you suggest to curb the recurrent child labour menace in India ?
- What are new religious movements? Elaborate emphasizing their forms and orientations.
- What are the characteristics of scientific method? Do you think that scientific method in conducting sociological research is foolproof? Elaborate.
- What are the different dimensions of qualitative method? Do you think that qualitative method helps to gain a deeper sociological insight? Give reasons for your answer.
- What are the ethical issues that a researcher faces in making use of participant observation as a method of collecting data? Explain.
- What are variables? How do they facilitate research?
- What functions does religion perform in a pluralistic society?
- What is 'Ageing' ? Discuss the major problems of aged people in India.
- What is 'reverse migration' ? Discuss its features, causes and consequences in India.
- What is historical materialism? Examine its relevance in understanding contemporary societies.
- What is Taylorism? Analyze its merits and demerits.
- What is the distinctiveness of the feminist method of social research? Comment.
- What, according to Robert Michels, is the iron law of oligarchy? Do lions and foxes in Vilfredo Pareto's theory, essentially differ from each other? Substantiate.
- “Instead of promoting equality in society, the present system of education itself has contributed to increased socio-economic disparities.” Comment.
- According to Mead the idea of self develops when the individual becomes self-conscious. Explain.
- Analyse the nature of transition from ideology to identity politics in India.
- Are traditional social institutions getting weakened as agents of social change in the contemporary society ? Substantiate.
- Bring out the various issues involved in Dalit movements in India.
- Critically analyse Parsons views on society as a social system.
- Critically examine G.S. Ghurye's Indological approach to the understanding of Indian society.
- Critically examine how Durkheim and Merton explicate Anomie.
- Critically examine the dialectics between 'development and environment'.
- Critically examine the relevance of Durkheim's views on religion in contemporary society.
- Critically examine Yogendra Singh's thesis on 'Modernisation of Indian Tradition'.
- Define ethnicity. Discuss the factors responsible for the growth of ethnic movements in India.
- Delimit the scope of Sociology in relation to other social sciences.
- Discuss different forms of deprivation associated with slums.
- Discuss how 'environmentalism' can be explained with new social movements approach.
- Discuss law as an important instrument for women's empowerment.
- Discuss recent trends in the structure of migration.
- Discuss social mobility in open and closed system.
- Discuss the challenges during village studies in India.
- Discuss the changing nature of Industrial working class.
- Discuss the changing nature of structure of political elites.
- Discuss the material basis of patriarchy as an ideological system.
- Discuss the problems of religious minorities in India and suggest measures to solve them.
- Discuss the role of pressure groups in strengthening democracy.
- Discuss various theoretical perspectives on the family.
- Do you agree that the agrarian class structure in India is changing ? Justify your answer with illustrations.
- Durkheim argued that society is more than the sum of individual acts. Discuss.
- Elaborate on M.N. Srinivas's structural-functionalist approach to the study of Indian society.
- Elaborate on the changing nature of caste system with suitable illustrations.
- Elucidate the challenges of integration for tribal communities in India.
- Examine different understandings of secularisation in India.
- Examine the social background of growth of Indian nationalism.
- Examine whether rural bondage still continues to be a social reality. Give your argument.
- Explain different forms of untouchability in India.
- Explain how land reforms brought about desired agrarian transformation.
- Explain Leela Dube's concept of “Seed and Earth”.
- Explain the different types of non-probability sampling techniques. Bring out the conditions of their usage with appropriate examples.
- Explain the implications of feminization of work in the developing societies.
- How do little tradition and great tradition coexist in contemporary Indian society ?
- How do sociologists construct gender in their analysis on social inequality ?
- How do you understand the relationship between patriarchy and social development ?
- How do you view the growth of informal sector in India ?
- How does a researcher achieve objectivity in interpretative research ?
- Illustrate with examples the role of pressure groups in the formulation of social policies.
- In the context of the changing Indian society, how do you view Andre Beteille's conceptions of harmonic and disharmonic social structures ?
- Social stratification is claimed to contribute to the maintenance of social order and stability in society. Critically assess.
- Sociologists argue for democratization of science and technology for inclusive development. Comment.
- Suggest measures to minimize the influence of the researcher in the process of collecting data through focus group discussion.
- The difference between information and data in social science is subtle. Comment.
- Trace the trajectory of development perspectives on social change.
- What are the shortfalls of positivist philosophy that gave rise to the non-positivist methods of studying social reality ?
- What aspects of 'Enlightenment' do you think paved way for the emergence of sociology ? Elaborate.
- What characterizes degradation of work in capitalist society according to Marx ?
- What is reliability ? Explain the different tests available to social science researcher to establish reliability.
- What role do co-operatives play in poverty alleviation in rural India ?
- Write a note on global trends of secularization.
- Analyze the idea of developmental planning in India.
- Caste system studies in India have been dominated by the “book-view” initially. How did the entry of “field-view” bring about a balance in the study of Indian caste system? Discuss.
- Caste-like formations are present in Non-Hindu religious communities as well. Discuss with examples.
- Comment on the role of co-operatives in rural development.
- Critically compare the views of E.B. Tylor and Max Muller on Religion.
- Critically examine briefly the phrase “Little Republics” as used to denote India's villages.
- Critically examine Max Weber's theory of Social Stratification.
- Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario.
- Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx.
- Critically examine the relevance of Vilfredo Pareto's theory of Circulation of Elites in the present scenario.
- Describe the role of Science and Technology in enabling us to face the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Discuss different forms of kinship system in India.
- Discuss in detail the major contribution of Prof. Yogendra Singh in theorizing India's modernization.
- Discuss the challenges involved in collecting data through census method.
- Discuss the changing dimensions of family structure in urban India.
- Discuss the changing nature of kinship relations in the contemporary world.
- Discuss the main features of the debate between G. S. Ghurye and V. Elwin on tribal development.
- Discuss the role of social media in communal polarisation. Suggest ways to combat it.
- Discuss the role of technology in agrarian change in India.
- Discuss the salient features of 'new middle class' in India.
- Do you agree with Max Weber's idea that bureaucracy has the potential to become an iron cage? Justify your answer.
- Do you think ethnomethodology helps us in getting reliable and valid data? Justify your answer.
- Do you think Talcott Parsons gave an adequate theory of social change? Justify your answer.
- Does “economic empowerment” automatically bring about “substantive empowerment” for women? Briefly describe the main issues in women empowerment in India.
- Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate your answer with relevant examples.
- Elucidate the main problems and challenges faced by the migrant labourers in the recent 'Lockdown period'.
- Europe was the first and the only place where modernity emerged. Comment.
- Examine the factors responsible for the rural unrest in contemporary India.
- Explain how political parties and pressure groups are dialectically related to each other in terms of achieving their goals.
- Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context.
- Explain the concept of social mobility. Describe with suitable illustrations how education and social mobility are related to each other.
- Explain the emerging challenges in establishing gender equality in the informal sector.
- Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations.
- Explain the sociological significance of the New Education Policy and its thrust on vocationalization and skill development.
- Explain whether Durkheim's theory of Division of Labour is relevant in the present day context.
- From the viewpoint of growing importance of multidisciplinarity, how do you relate sociology to other social sciences?
- Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present day context.
- Highlight the roles and functions of civil society in a democratic system.
- How do qualitative and quantitative methods supplement each other in sociological enquiry?
- How far are sociologists justified in using positivist approach to understand social reality? Explain with suitable illustrations.
- How has the idea of 'Work From Home' forced us to redefine the formal and informal organisation of work?
- How is sociology related to common sense?
- Is 'ageing' an emerging issue in Indian society? Discuss the major problems of the old age people in India.
- Is Indian society moving from “Hierarchy” towards “differentiation”? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
- Is social democracy a precondition for political democracy? Comment.
- Rising 'ethnocentricism' is leading to conflict in our society. Assess this statement with appropriate reasons.
- The problem of displacement is inherent in the idea of development. Analyze the statement critically.
- Underline the socio-cultural factors responsible for India's skewed sex-ratio.
- Urban settlements in India tend to replicate its rural caste-kinship imprints. Discuss the main reasons.
- Urban slums are sites of social exclusion – explain.
- What are the sociological reasons and implication of “reverse migration” during the recent pandemic in India?
- What are the various forms of untouchability in India? Critically examine.
- What does Dr. B. R. Ambedkar mean by the concept of “Annihilation of caste”?
- What is cult? Explain the growth of cults in the contemporary world.
- What is identity politics? Discuss the main trends in Dalit movements in India.
- With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as propounded by R.K. Merton.