Categorised Questions for Sociology Optional Paper-1(2015-19)
Paper - 1
·
Research Methods and Analysis
· Social Change in Modern Society
Sociology - The Discipline
Q. Discuss the
historical antecedents of the emergence of Sociology as a discipline. 10 Marks/2019
Q. The focal point of sociology rests on interaction. How do you distinguish it
from common sense? 10 Marks/2018
Q. The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and
the relationship between the two in a society.” – C.W. Mills. Explain 20 Marks/2018
Q. Explain how sociology has emerged as a distinct discipline based on
rationality and scientific tamper. 10
Marks/2017
Q. Discuss the changing equation of discipline of sociology with other social
sciences. 20 Marks/2017
Q. "Sociology is pre-eminently study of modern societies"
Discuss. 10 Marks/2016
Q. Is sociology common sense? Give reasons in support of your argument. 10 Marks/2016
Q. How had Enlightenment contributed to the emergence of sociology? 10 Marks/2015
Sociology as Science
Q. Is non-positivistic methodology scientific? Illustrate. 20 Marks/2018
Q. Does scientific method make Sociology a Science? Illustrate your answer with
Durkheim's method. 10 Marks/2018
Q. Explain with examples, the explanatory and exploratory designs of social
research. 10 Marks/2018
Q. Examine ethno methodological and phenomenological perspective as critique of
positivism. 10 Marks/2017
Q. Examine the basic postulates of positivism and post-positivism. 20 Marks/2017
Q. Elaborate the main tenets of interpretative perspective in sociology. 10 Marks/2017
Q. What is “value-free sociology”? Clarify. 10 Marks/2016
Q. Describe the basic postulates of scientific method. How far are these
followed in sociological research? 10 Marks/2016
Q. Is Sociology a Science? Give reasons for your answer. 10 Marks/2015
Q. Discuss the relevance of historical method in the study of society? 10 Marks/2015
Q. “Non-positivistic methodology is essential for understanding human
behaviour.” Discuss. 20 Marks/2015
Research Methods and
Analysis
Q. Explain the probability sampling strategies with
examples. 10 Marks/2019
Q. Bring out the significance of Ethnography in social research. 20 Marks/2019
Q. Distinguish between qualitative techniques of data collection
with suitable examples from Indian society. 10 Marks/2018
Q. Illustrate with example the significance of variable in sociology
research. 10 Marks/2017
Q. Examine epistemological foundation of qualitative methods of social
research. 10 Marks/2017
Q. How can one resolve the issue of reliability and validity in the context of
sociological research on inequality? 10 Marks/2017
Q. Analyze the importance of qualitative method in social research. 10 Marks/2016
Q. "Hypothesis is a statement of the relationship between two or more
variables" Elucidate by giving example of poverty and illiteracy. 10 Marks/2016
Q. "Participant observation is the most effective tool for collecting
facts" Comment. 20 Marks/2016
Q. What are variables? Discuss their role in experimental research. 10 Marks/2015
Q. Examine the problems of maintaining objectivity and value neutrality in
social science research. 20 Marks/2015
Q. Why is random sampling said to have more reliability and validity in
research? 20 Marks/2015
Sociological Thinkers
Karl Marx
Q. What is the Marxist concept of ‘fetishism of
commodities’? 10 Marks/2019
Q. According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential
and what does he suggest to change this? 20 Marks/2018
Q. Analyse Marxian conception of historical materialism as a critique of
Hegelian dialectics. 20 Marks/2017
Q. Evaluate Marx's ideas on mode of production. 10 Marks/2016
Emile Durkheim
Q. How well do you think Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber and Marx
predicted the character of Modern society? Critique. 10 Marks/2019
Q. Explain Durkheim's basic arguments on suicide. Can you analyse high suicide
rates of contemporary Indian society with Durkheim's theory? 20 Marks/2018
Q. In what way did Durkheim perceive religion as functional to society? 10 Marks/2018
Q. Discuss distinct sociological method adopted by Emile Durkheim in his study
of ‘suicide’. 20 Marks/2017
Q. Elaborate the views of Durkheim on “The Elementary Forms of Religious
Life”. 10 Marks/2015
Max Weber
Q. Discuss the importance of interpretative understanding of
social phenomena and explain its limitations. 20 Marks/2019
Q. Distinguish between fact and value in Weber's Protestant Ethic and
Spirit of Capitalism. 10 Marks/2018
Q. Examine Max Weber's method of maintaining objectivity in social
research. 20 Marks/2016
Q. Which concepts did Weber use to analyse the forms of legitimate
domination? 10 Marks/2015
Q. Discuss the role of Calvinist ethic in the development of
Capitalism. 20 Marks/2015
Talcott Parsons
Q. How can Parsons' AGIL framework be used to analyse key
problems is a society? Discuss. 20 Marks/2018
Q. Critically analyse Talcott Parsons conception of pattern variable’. 10 Marks/2017
Q. Describe the functional prerequisites of social system as given by Talcott
Parsons. Examine in the context of a university as a social system. 20 marks/2016
Q. How is social equilibrium maintained in Parsonian framework? 20 marks/2015
Robert K. Merton
Q. What, according to Merton, is the difference between
‘unanticipated consequences’ and ‘latent functions’? Give examples to
elaborate. 10 Marks/2019
Q. How, according to Merton, are deviant subcultures generated? 20 Marks/2019
Q. What is the difference between anomie in Merton and Durkheim? Explain. 10 Marks/2018
Q. Analyze the manifest and latent functions of security of the tenure of
bureaucrats in the light of Merton's theory. 20 marks/2016
Q. “Anomie is rooted in social structure.” Explain with reference to R.K.
Merton’s contribution. 10 marks/2015
Mead
Q. According to Mead, “We play a key role in our own
socialization.” 20 Marks/2019
Q. Do you think T and Me are central terms in Mead's work. 10 Marks/2018
Q. “Self and society are twin-born” Examine the statement of Mead. 10 Marks/2015
Stratification and
Mobility
Q.Davis and Moore made it clear that social stratification is a
functional necessity and also an unconscious device. Discuss. 10 Marks/2019
Q.Present a sociological review on the ‘new middle class’. 10 Marks/2019
Q.Modernization presupposes class society; however caste, ethnicity and race
are still predominant. Explain. 20 Marks/2019
Q.Compare and Contrast the contributions of Marx and Weber on social
stratification in capitalist society. 20 Marks/2019
Q.Differentiate between ‘Life-chances’ and ‘Life-style’ with suitable
examples. 10 Marks/2019
Q.Why is gender a dimension of social stratification? How does gender intersect
other dimensions of inequality based on caste, class, race and ethnicity? 20 Marks/2019
Q.What is affirmative action? Substantiate theoretical positions on affirmative
actions with example. 10 Marks/2019
Q.What is the difference between natural and social inequality examples from
caste and class dimensions.10 Marks/2018
Q.Evaluate if social stratification is functional for society.10 Marks/2018
Q.In social mobility possible in closed systems of stratification? Illustrate
from research work.10 Marks/2018
Q.Can we equate ‘poverty’ with ‘poor living’? Elaborate your answer.10 Marks/2017
Q.What is Weberian critique of Marxist notion of social stratification.20 Marks/2017
Q.Examine gender. Ethnicity and race as major dimensions of social
stratification.20 Marks/2017
Q."Vertical mobility brings structural change even in a closed social
system." Comment.10 Marks/2016
Q.Elucidate the basic premises of Davis' structural-functional theory of social
stratification. How far is it relevant in understanding contemporary Indian
society? 20 marks/2016
Q.Discuss the relationship between poverty and social exclusion. 10 marks/2016
Q.“No society can either be absolutely open or absolutely closed.”
comment. 10 marks/2015
Q.Differentiate between Marxian and Weberian theories of Social stratification.20 marks/2015
Works and Economic Life
Q.What is ‘reserve army of labour’? Present the position of
feminist scholars on this. 10 Marks/2019
Q.What is ‘informal labour’? Discuss the need for and challenges in regulating
informal labour in the post-industrial society. 20 Marks/2019
Q.Discuss the nature of social organization of work in capitalist society with
reference to the Limits of the working day.20 Marks/2018
Q.What is labour commitment? Discuss it with reference to studies of
manufacturing industry.20 Marks/2018
Q.What do you understand by informalisation of labour ‘? Write your answer with
special reference to India.10 Marks/2017
Q.Trace the changing nature of organisation of work in capitalist society over
the years.20 Marks/2017
Q.Describe the nature of social organization of work in industrial society.10 Marks/2016
Q."Globalization has pushed the labour into informal organization of
work." Substantiate your answer with suitable examples. 20 marks/2016
Q.Distinguish between the social organization of work in feudal society and in
capitalist society.10 Marks/2015
Q.The increasing importance of the tertiary sector has weakened the formal organization of work in recent times. Examine the statement. 20 marks/2015
Politics and Society
Q.What is civil society? Present a note on civil society
engagement with science and technology policy in India. 10 Marks/2019
Q.What are the theoretical models of societal power? Which one of them is most
applicable in advanced industrial societies? 20 Marks/2019
Q.Discuss the concept of circulation of elite. 10 Marks/2019
Q.How is terrorism a new form of asymmetrical warfare? What are
some of the challenges in trying to win the war on terrorism? 10 Marks/2019
Q.What, according to Pareto, are the basic characteristics of elites?
Discuss. 10 Marks/2018
Q.Discuss the changing interface between state and civil society in
post-independent India.10 Marks/2017
Q.Examine the dynamics of pressure group in multi-party political system.10 Marks/2017
Q.Discuss the importance of power elite' in democracy.10 Marks/2016
Q.“Ideology is crucial for social transformation in a democracy.” Discuss.10 Marks/2015
Q.Explain the conditions under which a collective action transforms into a
social movement.20 Marks/2015
Q.Caste ideology appears to have strengthened democracy. Comment.10 Marks/2015
Q.“Globalization involves deterritorialization .” Examine with reference to the
nation-state.”20 Marks/2015
Religion and Society
Q.Are all world religions patriarchal? Substantiate your answer
with examples. 20 Marks/2019
Q.Discuss the challenges thrown by religious revivalism to a secular
nation-state.10 Marks/2018
Q.What is sects? Discuss their role in multi-religious societies with empirical
examples.20 Marks/2018
Q.Give an assessment of Durkheimian notion of ‘scared’ and ‘profane’ in
sociology of religion. 10 Marks/2017
Q.Problematise the concept if secularism in the present context.10 Marks/2017
Q.Elaborate on various types of religious practices prevalent in India society.10 Marks/2017
Q.Is religion playing an important role in increasing fundamentalism? Give
reasons for your answer.10 Marks/2016
Q.How is Durkheim's theory of religion different from Max Weber's theory of
religion? 20 marks/2016
Q."Religious pluralism is the order of present-day societies."
Explain by giving suitable examples. 20 marks/2016
Q.Distinguish between sects and cults with illustrations.10 Marks/2015
Q.Define Secularisation. What are its major dimensions in the modern world?20 Marks/2015
Systems of Kinship
Q.What, according to Irawati Karve, are the Major difference
between North Indian and South Indian Kinship system? 10 Marks/2019
Q.In the light of judicial intervention on ‘Live-in relationships’, discuss the
future of marriage and family in India. 20 Marks/2019
Q.What are the new forms of family in developed societies? Discuss.10 Marks/2018
Q.Define patriarchy. How does patriarchy manifest in
interpersonal relations?20 Marks/2018
Q.Distinguish between family and household with reference to the
concept of development of the household.20 Marks/2018
Q.Examine ‘patriarchal bargain‘as gendered division of work in
contemporary India.10 Marks/2017
Q.Examine the relationship between the contemporary trends in
marriage and changing from of family.20 Marks/2017
Q.Discuss the regional variations of kinship system in Indian
society.20 Marks/2017
Q.To what extent is patriarchy a cause for the problems of
women? Discuss.10 Marks/2016
Q.Discuss the contemporary trends in family as a response to
social change in modern society. 20 marks/2016
Q.Distinguish between family and household as sociological
concepts. 10 marks/2016
Q.Is male authority absent in matrilineal society?
Discuss. 10 marks/2015
Q.How do the rules of descent and alliance in kinship differ from each other? Illustrate. 10 marks/2015
Social Change in Modern
Society
Social Movements
Q.Are social movements primordial in means and progressive in
agenda? Explain.10 Marks/2018
Q.What is new in ‘new social movement‘? Elaborate your answer
with special reference to India.20 Marks/2017
Q.Examine the role of protest movements in changing the status
of Dalits in India. 10 marks/2016
Q.To what extent revolution replaces the existing order of
society? Discuss. 10 marks/2016
Education
System & Social change
Q.Discuss the issues of access and exclusion in higher education
in India. 10 Marks/2019
Q.Schooling does not ensure upward mobility of all members of
this society. Discuss with reference in class societies. 20 Marks/2018
Q."Education is a major source of social mobility in
contemporary society." Explain. 20 marks/2016
Q.“Education helps in perpetuating social and economic
inequalities.” Critically examine the statement. 20 marks/2015
Science
and Technology
Q.Critically analyse the role of science and technology in
bringing about social change.20 marks/2017
Social
change in Modern Society and Development
Q.Critique A.G. Frank’s ‘development of underdevelopment’. 10 Marks/2019
Q.Feminist scholars argue that ‘New media’ is masculine and
hence reinforces structural hierarchies rather than reconfiguring them.
Comment. 20 Marks/2019
Q.Does collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism
coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss.20 Marks/2018
Q.Is the theory of cultural lag valid in present times? Discuss.10 Marks/2018
Q.Assess the role of mass media as an agent of social change.10 Marks/2017
Q.Examine any two theories of social change in detail society.20 Marks/2017
Q.“Social conflict is both a cause and a consequence of social
change”. Explain.10 Marks/2016
Q."Social change can be brought about through
development." Illustrate from the contemporary situation of India”. 20 marks/2016
Q.Explain the relevance of the idea of ‘cultural lag’ in
understanding social change.10 Marks/2015
Q.Examine the dialectical relation between tradition and
modernity in the study of social change. 20 marks/2015
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