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Kerala Plus Two Sociology Exam Pattern (Important for HSSlive PDF Users)
Understanding the exact question paper structure will help you extract maximum value from HSSlive PDFs:
| Section | Question Type | Marks per Question | Number of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | Very Short Answer | 1 mark | 8 questions |
| Part B | Short Answer | 2 marks | 10 questions |
| Part C | Short Essay | 3 marks | 9 questions |
| Part D | Long Essay | 5 marks | 3 questions |
| Total | 60 marks | 30 questions |
15 Plus Two Sociology Previous Year Question Papers with Answers (HSSlive PDF Collection)
Plus Two Sociology Previous Year Question Papers with Answers (2010-2024)
1. March 2024 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: Who coined the term “sociology”? (1 mark) Answer: Auguste Comte
Question 2: Explain the concept of social stratification with reference to India’s caste system. (3 marks) Answer:
- Social stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals or groups in society.
- Key features of social stratification as seen in India’s caste system:
- Hierarchical division based on ritual purity and occupation
- Ascribed status determined by birth rather than achievement
- Endogamy (marriage within caste) maintaining boundaries
- Restrictions on social interaction and commensality
- Historical link between caste and economic opportunities
- Persistence despite modernization and legal prohibitions
Question 3: Discuss the impact of globalization on Indian society with special reference to economic, cultural, and social dimensions. (5 marks) Answer:
- Economic dimensions:
- Liberalization, privatization, and opening of markets since 1991
- Growth of service sector, especially IT and BPO industries
- Increasing income inequality between rural and urban areas
- Rise of new middle class with changed consumption patterns
- Integration into global production chains and labor markets
- Growing corporate sector and multinational presence
- Cultural dimensions:
- Hybridization of cultural practices and consumption
- Westernization of lifestyle, especially in urban areas
- Resurgence of traditional identities as counter-response
- Media globalization and its impact on local values
- Changes in family structure and intergenerational relationships
- Commodification of cultural practices and traditions
- Social dimensions:
- Changing caste dynamics in urban employment contexts
- New patterns of social mobility and status attainment
- Transformation of gender roles and family relationships
- Rise of new social movements responding to global issues
- Changing nature of community and social bonds
- Digital divide creating new forms of social exclusion
- Critical analysis:
- Uneven impacts across regions, classes, and social groups
- Simultaneous processes of homogenization and diversification
- Combination of opportunities and vulnerabilities for marginalized groups
- Tension between global integration and local identity preservation
- Emergence of hybrid forms of social organization and practice
2. March 2023 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: Define social mobility. (1 mark) Answer: Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one social position to another within a society’s stratification system, either upward, downward, or horizontally.
Question 2: Explain the functionalist perspective in sociology with examples. (2 marks) Answer:
- The functionalist perspective views society as a complex system of interrelated parts working together to maintain stability.
- Key aspects include:
- Focus on how social institutions fulfill social needs (e.g., family provides socialization)
- Analysis of manifest functions (intended) and latent functions (unintended)
- View that social phenomena persist because they serve important functions
- Example: Education functions to transmit knowledge, socialize children, and sort individuals into appropriate roles
- Example: Religion functions to provide social cohesion, meaning, and moral guidance
Question 3: Analyze the changing nature of the family system in contemporary India. (5 marks) Answer:
- Structural changes:
- Shift from joint to nuclear family structures in urban areas
- Declining family size due to falling fertility rates
- Emergence of new family forms (single-parent, dual-earner, etc.)
- Increase in divorce rates and remarriage
- Rise of elderly living alone or in institutional settings
- Geographical dispersion of family members due to migration
- Functional changes:
- Shift from production to consumption as primary economic function
- Changing patterns of socialization with increased role of media and peers
- Reduced economic interdependence between family members
- Changing care arrangements for children and elderly
- New dynamics in decision-making with increased women’s autonomy
- Outsourcing of traditional family functions to market or state
- Relationship changes:
- More egalitarian spousal relationships, especially in urban middle class
- Changing parent-child relationships with emphasis on negotiation
- Transforming gender roles with women’s increased education and employment
- Changing marriage patterns (later age, choice marriages, inter-caste unions)
- Redefinition of filial responsibility toward aging parents
- New forms of intimacy and emotional expression
- Continuity amid change:
- Persistence of arranged marriages alongside rising choice marriages
- Continued importance of kinship networks for social security
- Enduring role of family in major life events and rituals
- Adaptation rather than abandonment of traditional values
- Regional, class, and rural-urban variations in family transformation
3. March 2022 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is meant by “cultural relativism”? (1 mark) Answer: Cultural relativism is the view that a culture should be understood in terms of its own values, norms, and practices rather than being judged by the standards of another culture.
Question 2: Explain Marx’s concept of alienation in capitalist society. (3 marks) Answer:
- Marx’s concept of alienation refers to the separation of workers from various aspects of their labor and human nature under capitalism.
- Forms of alienation include:
- Alienation from the product of labor: Workers create products that belong to capitalists, not themselves
- Alienation from the process of production: Work becomes mechanical, controlled by others
- Alienation from species-being: Creative productive activity that defines humanity becomes dehumanizing
- Alienation from other workers: Competition replaces cooperation, social relations become market relations
- Alienation from nature: Natural world becomes merely a resource to be exploited
- Consequences include psychological distress, loss of meaning, and class consciousness
Question 3: Critically examine the role of education in social change and mobility in India. (5 marks) Answer:
- Education as an agent of social change:
- Transmission of progressive values and scientific temper
- Challenging traditional hierarchies through knowledge access
- Creation of new educated elites that challenge status quo
- Providing skills needed for modernization and development
- Platform for new ideas and social movements
- Tool for empowerment of marginalized sections
- Education and social mobility:
- Pathway to formal employment and economic improvement
- Channel for status attainment across caste and class lines
- Role in creating “creamy layer” among disadvantaged groups
- Importance in affirmative action and reservation policies
- Generational mobility through educational advancement
- Regional disparities in mobility outcomes through education
- Structural limitations:
- Unequal access based on socioeconomic background
- Quality differences between public and private institutions
- Urban-rural divide in educational infrastructure
- English as gatekeeper to high-status opportunities
- Reproduction of class differences through educational practices
- Cultural capital differences affecting educational outcomes
- Contemporary issues:
- Commercialization and privatization effects on access
- Digital divide and its impact on educational opportunities
- Gender disparities in higher education and professional fields
- Recognition of alternative knowledge systems and pedagogies
- Balancing national integration with cultural diversity
- Skill-employment mismatch in changing labor markets
4. March 2021 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is meant by “ethnomethodology” in sociology? (1 mark) Answer: Ethnomethodology is an approach in sociology that studies how people make sense of their everyday world and produce social order through their interactions, focusing on the methods people use to accomplish everyday activities.
Question 2: Describe the role of religion in social integration according to Émile Durkheim. (3 marks) Answer:
- According to Durkheim, religion plays a crucial role in social integration through:
- Collective rituals that reinforce group solidarity and shared emotions
- Creation of collective conscience through common beliefs and moral codes
- Division between sacred and profane that symbolizes social order
- Provision of social control through internalized religious norms
- Collective representations that express and reinforce group identity
- Adaptive functions during social change and crisis
- Maintenance of social cohesion even in secularizing societies
Question 3: Analyze the changing occupational structure in India since independence and its sociological implications. (5 marks) Answer:
- Historical transformation:
- Shift from agricultural dominance to increasing service sector
- Decline in traditional craft occupations and rise of industrial labor
- Growth of formal employment followed by informalization trends
- Emergence of new occupational categories in IT, BPO, and allied sectors
- Changes in public sector employment after liberalization
- Rise of entrepreneurship and self-employment in urban areas
- Sectoral shifts:
- Primary sector: Declining share in GDP despite large workforce
- Secondary sector: Slower growth than expected in manufacturing
- Tertiary sector: Rapid expansion especially in urban centers
- Informal sector: Persistent and growing importance
- Knowledge economy: Creating new occupational hierarchies
- Care economy: Growing importance with demographic shifts
- Social implications:
- New patterns of social mobility across caste and class lines
- Changing relationship between education and employment
- Shifting status hierarchies with new high-prestige occupations
- Urbanization and rural-urban migration patterns
- New forms of exploitation and precarity in informal work
- Changing occupational aspirations across generations
- Challenges and contradictions:
- Jobless growth and unemployment among educated youth
- Persistence of caste-occupation linkages in rural areas
- Gender segmentation in labor markets
- Regional disparities in occupational transformation
- Skill gaps between education system and employment needs
- Balancing traditional occupations with modernization
5. March 2020 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is a “reference group”? (1 mark) Answer: A reference group is a social group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their behavior, regardless of whether they are actually members of that group.
Question 2: Explain the concept of “sanskritization” as described by M.N. Srinivas. (2 marks) Answer:
- Sanskritization, as conceptualized by M.N. Srinivas, refers to the process by which lower castes adopt the customs, rituals, ideology, and lifestyle of upper castes, particularly Brahmins, to claim higher social status.
- Key features include:
- Adoption of vegetarianism, teetotalism, and ritual purity practices
- Imitation of upper-caste ceremonies and ritual observances
- Change in occupational patterns away from traditional caste occupations
- Emphasis on Sanskrit texts and Brahmanical traditions
- Historical mechanism of social mobility within the caste system
- Reflects aspiration for status rather than challenging hierarchical structure itself
Question 3: Discuss the impact of digital technology on contemporary social relationships with special reference to Indian society. (5 marks) Answer:
- Transformation of communication patterns:
- Shift from face-to-face to mediated interaction
- Compression of time and space in social relationships
- Emergence of virtual communities across geographical boundaries
- New forms of expression through social media platforms
- Changed dynamics of privacy and social boundaries
- Democratization of information sharing and content creation
- Impact on family relationships:
- Maintenance of transnational family ties through digital media
- Changed parent-child dynamics with digital generation gap
- New patterns of mate selection through dating apps and websites
- Transformed dynamics of authority and monitoring within families
- Digital domesticity and blurring of home-work boundaries
- Changed patterns of family time and togetherness
- Community and collective identity:
- New forms of community building around shared interests
- Digital expression of caste, religious, and linguistic identities
- Mobilization of social movements through digital platforms
- Revival of cultural practices through online documentation
- New forms of social exclusion through digital divide
- Democratization of cultural production and consumption
- Inequalities and divides:
- Urban-rural gap in digital access and literacy
- Gender disparities in technology adoption and usage
- Class-based differences in digital cultural capital
- Age-related digital divides affecting social participation
- Regional language divides in digital content
- New forms of exploitation through platform labor
- Unique Indian dimensions:
- Rapid mobile phone penetration despite infrastructural limitations
- WhatsApp as central platform for family and community communication
- Digital governance initiatives and their social impact
- Role of digital platforms in political mobilization
- Vernacularization of digital content and platforms
- Intersection of traditional hierarchies with digital opportunities
6. March 2019 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is the concept of “habitus” according to Pierre Bourdieu? (1 mark) Answer: Habitus is a system of embodied dispositions, tendencies, and inclinations that organize how individuals perceive and respond to the social world, shaped by social class, family background, and education.
Question 2: Explain the key differences between modern and traditional societies. (2 marks) Answer:
- Key differences between modern and traditional societies include:
- Social organization: Traditional societies based on kinship and community; modern societies on formal institutions and contracts
- Economic structure: Subsistence and barter economy versus industrial market economy
- Social relations: Gemeinschaft (community) in traditional versus Gesellschaft (association) in modern
- Value systems: Sacred, collective values in traditional versus secular, individualistic values in modern
- Knowledge systems: Traditional knowledge based on customs versus scientific, rational knowledge in modern
- Social mobility: Ascribed status in traditional versus achieved status in modern
Question 3: Analyze how caste system has changed in contemporary India, discussing both continuity and change. (5 marks) Answer:
- Structural changes:
- Shift from ritual hierarchy to political and economic competition
- Transformation from interdependent jajmani system to market relations
- Emergence of caste associations and interest groups
- Rise of dominant castes in rural power structures
- Democratization of caste through electoral politics
- Urbanization weakening traditional caste restrictions
- New forms of caste consciousness:
- Politicization through caste-based parties and vote banks
- Caste as interest group rather than ritual category
- Horizontal consolidation across jati lines (Dalit identity, OBC category)
- New ideologies of caste equality and dignity
- Reservation politics and affirmative action debates
- Use of caste networks in modern economic contexts
- Areas of continuity:
- Persistence of endogamy and marriage patterns
- Continued correlation between caste and class position
- Rural areas maintaining stronger caste boundaries
- Reproduction of caste identity in new contexts
- Caste-based discrimination in urban anonymous settings
- Continued ritual observances in modified forms
- Regional variations:
- Different trajectories of caste politics in North vs. South India
- Varying patterns of land reform and agrarian relations
- Different histories of anti-caste movements
- Variations in implementation of reservation policies
- Urban-rural differences in caste transformation
- Religious community differences in caste practice
- Contemporary dynamics:
- Dalit assertion and identity politics
- Middle-class reproduction of caste through new mechanisms
- Intersection of caste with gender, class, and religion
- New forms of caste-based networking in business and professions
- Digital expression and contestation of caste identities
- Transnational dimensions of caste politics and identity
7. March 2018 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is meant by “social control”? (1 mark) Answer: Social control refers to the various methods, both formal and informal, that society uses to regulate human behavior and ensure conformity to social norms, rules, and laws.
Question 2: Explain Max Weber’s concept of bureaucracy and its key characteristics. (3 marks) Answer:
- Weber’s concept of bureaucracy refers to a rational-legal form of organization characterized by:
- Hierarchical structure with clear lines of authority
- Division of labor with specialized roles based on expertise
- Written rules and regulations governing operations
- Impersonal application of rules without favoritism
- Employment based on technical qualifications
- Separation of official duties from private life
- Career advancement based on merit and seniority
- Record-keeping and documentation of administrative actions
- Weber viewed bureaucracy as the most efficient form of organization in modern society, though he warned about its potential to become an “iron cage” limiting individual freedom.
Question 3: Critically examine the changing nature of tribal communities in India and the challenges they face in the contemporary context. (5 marks) Answer:
- Historical transformations:
- Colonial impact through classification, forest laws, and administration
- Post-independence integration policies and tribal development
- Impact of planned development and displacement
- Shift from isolation to increased interaction with mainstream
- Changing resource relationships through environmental policies
- Religious and cultural influences changing traditional practices
- Economic changes:
- Transition from subsistence to market integration
- Loss of traditional livelihoods and resource access
- Migration patterns and new forms of labor participation
- Impact of mining, industrialization, and development projects
- New forms of exploitation and dispossession
- Changing patterns of land ownership and use
- Cultural transformations:
- Language loss and cultural homogenization pressures
- Educational integration and its effects on traditional knowledge
- Religious conversion and changing belief systems
- Commercialization of tribal art and cultural expressions
- Revival movements and cultural assertion
- Media representation and identity formation
- Political dimensions:
- Formation of tribal states and autonomous regions
- Implementation challenges of Fifth and Sixth Schedules
- Tribal social movements and resistance struggles
- PESA Act and Forest Rights Act implementation
- Varying patterns of political inclusion and exclusion
- Leadership changes and new forms of representation
- Contemporary challenges:
- Balancing development with cultural autonomy
- Environmental degradation and resource conflicts
- Educational access while preserving cultural knowledge
- Health disparities and access to services
- Internal stratification within tribal communities
- Representation in policy-making and governance
8. March 2017 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is participant observation in sociological research? (1 mark) Answer: Participant observation is a qualitative research method where the researcher participates in the activities, rituals, and interactions of the group being studied while also maintaining the role of observer to collect data.
Question 2: Explain the concept of social exclusion and its dimensions in Indian society. (2 marks) Answer:
- Social exclusion refers to the processes by which individuals or groups are systematically denied full participation in society.
- Dimensions in Indian society include:
- Caste-based exclusion through untouchability practices and discrimination
- Religious minorities facing discrimination in housing, employment, and civic life
- Gender-based exclusion limiting women’s access to resources and opportunities
- Tribal communities experiencing marginalization from mainstream development
- Economic exclusion through poverty and lack of access to basic services
- Spatial exclusion in segregated neighborhoods and settlements
Question 3: Analyze the causes and consequences of communalism in contemporary India. (5 marks) Answer:
- Historical and political causes:
- Colonial legacy of divide and rule policies
- Partition trauma and continued Indo-Pak tensions
- Political mobilization using religious identity
- Competing narratives of nationhood and citizenship
- Use of religious symbols and institutions for political gains
- Demographic anxieties and perceptions of threat
- Socioeconomic factors:
- Competition for limited resources and opportunities
- Economic insecurities channeled through religious identities
- Uneven development creating conditions for identity-based mobilization
- Class interests masked as communal interests
- Urban migration leading to competition in cities
- Changes in traditional occupation patterns
- Cultural dimensions:
- Contested interpretations of historical events and figures
- Media representation reinforcing stereotypes
- Educational content reflecting majoritarian biases
- Popular culture representations of religious communities
- Control over public spaces and cultural expression
- Competing claims over cultural heritage
- Manifestations and consequences:
- Communal violence and riots disrupting social harmony
- Social segregation in housing and everyday interactions
- Psychological impact through fear and insecurity
- Economic consequences through disrupted livelihoods
- Political polarization along religious lines
- International relations affected by domestic communal politics
- Counter-currents and reconciliation:
- Syncretic traditions and shared cultural practices
- Civil society initiatives for peace and harmony
- Constitutional values of secularism and pluralism
- Legal protections against communal discrimination
- Everyday coexistence despite political tensions
- Interfaith dialogue and cooperation initiatives
9. March 2016 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is meant by “primary group”? (1 mark) Answer: A primary group is characterized by intimate face-to-face association and cooperation, featuring strong emotional bonds, personal knowledge, and lasting relationships, such as family, close friends, and peer groups.
Question 2: Discuss Karl Marx’s theory of class conflict and its relevance in understanding contemporary society. (3 marks) Answer:
- Marx’s theory of class conflict posits that society is divided into classes based on their relationship to means of production:
- Bourgeoisie (capitalists) own means of production
- Proletariat (workers) sell their labor power
- Fundamental conflict arises from exploitation of workers
- Class consciousness emerges as workers recognize shared interests
- Class struggle is the motor of historical change
- Revolution occurs when contradictions of capitalism intensify
- Contemporary relevance:
- Explains growing wealth inequality globally
- Helps understand labor conflicts and unionization
- Illuminates globalization as extending capitalist relations
- Explains outsourcing and exploitation of workers in developing countries
- Relevant to understanding economic crises and precarious employment
- Needs modification to account for middle classes and new forms of labor
Question 3: Examine the changing patterns of marriage and divorce in contemporary India. (5 marks) Answer:
- Changing marriage patterns:
- Shift from child marriage to adult marriage with rising age
- Emergence of love marriages alongside arranged marriages
- Increase in self-arranged marriages with parental approval
- Rise in inter-caste and inter-religious marriages in urban areas
- New matchmaking technologies (matrimonial websites, apps)
- Changing criteria for spouse selection emphasizing compatibility
- Regional variations in marriage transformation patterns
- Divorce trends:
- Increasing divorce rates, especially in urban areas
- Legal reforms making divorce more accessible
- Reduced stigma for divorced individuals, particularly women
- Changed expectations regarding marital satisfaction
- Economic independence enabling exit from unhappy marriages
- Regional and religious variations in divorce acceptance
- New patterns of post-divorce relationships and remarriage
- Contributing factors:
- Women’s education and workforce participation
- Urbanization and migration weakening traditional controls
- Legal reforms in marriage and divorce laws
- Media influence on expectations and aspirations
- Individualism replacing collective family decisions
- Changing gender roles and expectations in marriage
- Economic pressures and changing family structures
- Class and regional variations:
- Urban-rural divide in marriage and divorce patterns
- Middle-class leading many transformative trends
- Religious community differences in marriage practices
- Regional variations in kinship systems affecting marriage
- Educational differences impacting marital expectations
- North-South differences in kinship and gender relations
- Continuity amid change:
- Enduring importance of family involvement in marriage
- Continued preference for endogamy along caste/community lines
- Persistence of dowry in modified forms
- Marriage remaining nearly universal despite later age
- Continued stigma around divorce in many communities
- Adaptation rather than abandonment of traditional values
10. March 2015 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is meant by “social movement”? (1 mark) Answer: A social movement is a collective, organized effort by a significant group of people to bring about or resist social change, typically outside established institutional channels.
Question 2: Explain the concept of patriarchy and its manifestations in Indian society. (2 marks) Answer:
- Patriarchy refers to a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.
- Manifestations in Indian society include:
- Male control over property and inheritance despite legal reforms
- Gender division of labor with women’s work undervalued
- Son preference and skewed sex ratios in many regions
- Restrictions on women’s mobility and autonomy
- Control over women’s sexuality and reproductive choices
- Male dominance in political representation and leadership
- Symbolic practices reinforcing female subordination
Question 3: Analyze the role of kinship system in Indian society and how it has changed in the contemporary context. (5 marks) Answer:
- Traditional functions of kinship:
- Economic cooperation and resource sharing
- Social security and support in times of need
- Identity formation and belonging
- Marriage regulation through rules of endogamy and exogamy
- Inheritance and property transmission
- Ritual obligations and ceremonial roles
- Political alliances and conflict resolution
- Regional diversity of kinship systems:
- North Indian patrilineal, patrilocal systems
- South Indian emphasis on cross-cousin marriages
- Matrilineal traditions in Kerala and Northeast
- Tribal kinship patterns with distinct features
- Varying rules of marriage alliance and exchange
- Different terminological systems reflecting social relations
- Contemporary transformations:
- Nuclear family emergence while maintaining extended kinship ties
- Geographic dispersion through migration and urbanization
- New technologies maintaining kinship connections over distance
- Changed economic basis of kinship with decline of family occupations
- Legal reforms in inheritance and marriage affecting kinship
- New forms of fictive kinship in urban contexts
- Modified ritual practices while maintaining kinship ceremonies
- Areas of persistence:
- Continued importance of kinship in life cycle rituals
- Kinship networks providing social capital in new contexts
- Marriage preferences still influenced by kinship considerations
- Care for elderly remaining primarily family responsibility
- Kinship terminology adapting rather than disappearing
- Emotional and social support functions continuing
- Contemporary challenges:
- Balancing individualism with kinship obligations
- Adapting kinship roles to dual-career families
- Negotiating intergenerational relationships with changing values
- Legal-customary contradictions in family matters
- Urban housing not designed for extended kinship living
- Transnational kinship maintenance in global diaspora
11. March 2014 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is the sociological meaning of “status”? (1 mark) Answer: Status in sociology refers to a social position that an individual occupies within a social hierarchy, carrying specific rights, duties, expectations, and lifestyle patterns that are socially defined.
Question 2: Explain the concept of socialization and its importance in society. (3 marks) Answer:
- Socialization is the lifelong process through which individuals learn culture, develop a sense of self, and become functioning members of society.
- Types of socialization:
- Primary socialization: Occurs in childhood mainly through family
- Secondary socialization: Through formal institutions like schools
- Anticipatory socialization: Preparation for future roles
- Re-socialization: Learning new values replacing old ones
- Importance in society:
- Transmits culture across generations
- Teaches social norms, values, and expected behaviors
- Develops individual identity and self-concept
- Creates social cohesion and continuity
- Enables social control through internalized norms
- Prepares individuals for social roles and responsibilities
- Facilitates both social stability and managed change
Question 3: Critically examine the impact of liberalization and globalization on Indian agriculture and rural society. (5 marks) Answer:
- Agricultural policy changes:
- Reduction in subsidies and price supports
- Opening of agricultural markets to global competition
- Shift toward cash crops and export-oriented farming
- Reduced public investment in agricultural infrastructure
- Introduction of corporate contract farming
- Changing role of traditional institutions like mandis
- Intellectual property rights affecting seeds and farming practices
- Economic impacts:
- Increased farmer vulnerability to market fluctuations
- Growing indebtedness among farming communities
- Widening regional disparities in agricultural development
- New opportunities for commercial and export farming
- Changing cropping patterns based on market demand
- Increased costs of inputs like seeds and fertilizers
- Emergence of new agricultural value chains
- Social transformations:
- Changing land relations and ownership patterns
- New forms of rural stratification and inequality
- Increased rural-urban migration and occupational diversification
- Changing caste dynamics in agrarian relations
- Transformation of traditional patron-client relationships
- New gender dynamics with male outmigration
- Changing consumption patterns and aspirations
- Agrarian distress:
- Farmer suicides highlighting rural crisis
- Food security concerns with changing crop patterns
- Environmental degradation from intensive farming
- Loss of agricultural biodiversity
- Declining sustainability of small and marginal farming
- Emergence of farmers’ movements and resistance
- Adaptive responses:
- Rise of farmers’ collectives and producer companies
- Organic and sustainable farming initiatives
- Non-farm diversification strategies
- New rural enterprises leveraging technology
- Social movements demanding policy changes
- Revival of traditional knowledge and seed saving
- New forms of rural-urban linkages and networks
12. March 2013 Sociology Question Paper with Answers
Question 1: What is a “joint family”? (1 mark) Answer: A joint family is an extended family arrangement where multiple generations live together under one roof, share a common kitchen, property, and finances, with authority usually vested in the eldest male member.
Question 2: Discuss the functionalist theory of religion as proposed by Emile Durkheim. (2 marks) Answer:
- Durkheim’s functionalist theory of religion emphasizes its social functions:
- Social cohesion through shared beliefs and collective rituals
- Social control by sanctifying norms and moral codes
- Meaning provision during life crises and transitions
- Distinction between sacred and profane reflecting social distinctions
- Collective effervescence fostering group solidarity
- Creation of collective consciousness through shared religious experiences
- Adaptation and continuity during social change
Question 3: Analyze the changing status and role of women in Indian society since independence. (5 marks) Answer:
- Legal and constitutional changes:
- Constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination
- Progressive legislation on marriage, inheritance, and domestic violence
- Reservation policies in local governance (Panchayati Raj)
- Laws against gender-specific crimes and discrimination
- Evolution from welfare to empowerment approach in policy
- Judicial interventions expanding women’s rights
- Educational transformation:
- Dramatic increase in female literacy since independence
- Narrowing gender gap in school enrollment
- Growing presence in higher education
- Persistent challenges in rural and marginalized communities
- Quality and content issues reinforcing gender stereotypes
- New opportunities through digital and distance learning
- Economic participation:
- Increased labor force participation in formal and informal sectors
- Entry into previously male-dominated professions
- Continued concentration in feminized occupations
- Persistent wage gaps and glass ceilings
- Growing entrepreneurship among women
- Recognition of unpaid domestic labor as economic contribution
- Self-help groups and microfinance initiatives
- Family and household changes:
- Greater decision-making voice in family matters
- Delayed marriage and declining