List of Important Sociology Questions and Answers

List of important sociology questions and answers. This will help you to learn about the most important sociology questions and answers which is more likely to be asked in UPSC, UGC-NET, IAS, Civil Services, eligibility tests and other competitive examinations!

1. There are two types of causal explanation namely

(a) Scientific and Historical

(b) Positive and Negative

(d) Scientific and Sociological

Ans. (a)

2. In scientific explanation attention is concentrated upon the

(a) Relation between a particular fact and a universal law

(b) Relation between observation and fact

(d) Relation between observation and particular custom

Ans. (a)

3. The notion of function has mainly been used by

(a) biological science

(b) social science

(d) literature

Ans. (a)

4. Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber were of the opinion that science of society must begin by

(a) Theorising

(b) Solving the social problem

(d) Observation

Ans. (c)

5. Who has explained Sociology as the science with the most methods and the finest results?

(a) Henry Poincare

(b) Henry Maine

(d) Herbert Spencer

Ans. (a)

6. The extreme form of functionalist approach was propagated by

(a) Malinowski

(b) A.R. Radcliffe Brown

(d) Merton

Ans. (a)

7. Who has made distinction between function and dysfunction?

(a) A.R. Radcliffe Brown

(b) R.K. Merton

(d) Malinowski

Ans. (b)

8. Which among the following statements is not correct?

(a) In past communities used to be self-sufficient, politically, socially or economically.

(b) No community can be self-sufficient these days

(d) The term community denotes almost uniformly and permanently shared lives of people over a definite range.

Ans. (a)

9. Which among the following is not true regarding association?

To constitute an association there must be

(a) A group of people

(b) These people must be organised.

(d) Associations do have inbuilt purposes

Ans. (d)

10. The social arrangement in which a group of people plans the activities which others are obliged to participate in is called

(a) informal organisation

(b) formal organisation

(d) social group

Ans. (b)

11. Modern sociological analysis of formal organisation began with the work of

(a) G. C. Homan

(b) Robert Redfield

(d) Ross

Ans. (c)

12. An act is considered legitimate or morally acceptable when it is in harmony with

(a) norms

(b) accepted values

(d) mores

Ans. (b)

13. The number of secondary kins is

(a) Sixty Nine

(b) Sixty eight

(d) Twelve

Ans. (c)

14. How many tertiary kins are there?

(a) One hundred fifty one

(b) One hundred thirty three

(d) One hundred fourty fours.

Ans. (a)

15. Levirate marriage is also called

(a) Nantra

(b) Mantra

(d) Kantra

Ans. (a)

16. No_______ relation lives in the Tharawad.

(a) Consanguineous

(b) Affinal

(d) Tertiary

Ans. (b)

17. There are two types of marriage among Muslims. Identify them.

(a) Polyandry and Polygyny

(b) Beena and Muta

(d) Monogamy and Polygamy

Ans. (b)

18. Who among the following has not said anything of kinship?

(a) Murdock

(b) Levi-Strauss

(d) Durkheim

Ans. (d)

19. When several sibs or clans combine to constitute a still wider grouping it is called

(a) Clans grouping

(b) Clan community

(d) Joint family

Ans. (c)

20. Despite interdependence between rural and urban, there are certain distinctive features which separate them from each other. Among the following which are these?

1. Size

2. Demographic Composition

3. Style of life

4. Economy

5. Social relations

Codes:

(a) 1, 2, 3

(b) 1, 5 only

(d) 3, 4, 5

Ans. (c)

21. Rural people live in settled villages. How many types of settlement patterns have been observed in rural areas mainly?

(a) Seven

(b) Five

(d) Four

Ans. (d)

22. Absolute ruler, tyrant and an oppressor may be termed as

(a) Cunning

(b) Fascist

(d) Despot

Ans. (d)

23. The political system of modern society can be best described in terms of

1. Ideology

2. Structure

3. Function

4. Process

5. Basis of legitimacy

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 2, 3 and 5

Ans. (b)

24. Nesfield was of the opinion that the Indian caste system originated from

(a) different occupation

(b) racial differences

(d) brahaminical supremacy

Ans. (a)

25. The concept of ‘Dominant Caste’ was propounded by

(a) T.B. Bottomore

(b) M.N. Srinivas

(d) G.S. Ghurye

Ans. (b)

26. Who among the following had provided a classification of tribal movements in North- East India?

(a) S.M. Dubey

(b) G.S. Ghurye

(d) T.N. Madan

Ans. (a)

27. Which of these are classification of tribal movements in North-East India provided by S.M. Dubey?

1. Religious and social reform movement

2. State formation movements

3. Insurgency movements

4. Culturological movements

(a) 1 and 4

(b) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans. (d)

28. The hunting and gathering society is usually relatively small. Where do they move to?

(a) Geographical conditions are favourable

(b) Where plenty of rains

(d) Food and game are plentiful

Ans. (d)

29. ‘Arunta tribes’ of Australia were

(a) Pastoralists

(b) Horticulturalists

(d) Hunters and gatherers

Ans. (d)

30. A child is considered to be a baby between the age of

(a) 1-5 years

(b) 1-6 years

(d) 1-7 years

Ans. (a)

31. Fertility is less than______ in all societies.

(a) Mortality

(b) Birth

(d) Morbidity

Ans. (c)

32. Who made a distinction between extended and polygamous families?

(a) Bell and Vogel

(b) Park and Burgess

(d) J. Goody

Ans. (c)

33. Who wrote ‘An Essay on the History of Civil Society,’ 1767 which represents a systematic developmental sociology?

(a) John S. Mill

(b) C. Wright Mills

(d) Aristotle

Ans. (c)

34. The following cannot be located with the help of an ogive:

(a) quartile

(b) mode

(d) decile

Ans. (b)

35. Find the odd one out:

(a) percentile

(b) decile

(d) deviation

Ans. (d)

36. Which one of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?

(A) Looking glass self- Charles H. Cooley

(B) Super-ego- Alfred L. Kroeber

(D) Taking the role of the other- George H. Mead

Ans. (B)

37. Which one of the following is the correct statement?

(A) The term ‘role-distance’ as developed by Erving Goff man implies people’s ability to

(B) Say ‘no’ to what they are expected to do for others

(D) Sabotage the system in a manner so that they are not expected to perform any role

Ans. (C)

38. Who among the following observed that the democratic method is that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people “vote”?

(A) Robert A Dahl

(B) Joseph Schumpeter

(D) None of the above

Ans. (C)

39. Consider the following stages of political socialization during childhood:

1. The recognition of authority through particular individuals, such as child’s parents, the President and the policemen

2. The development of distinction between internal and external authority

3. The recognition of impersonal political institutions such as Congress, the Supreme Court and voting

4. The development of a distinction between political institutions and the persons engaged in the activities associated with those institutions

Which of these are the stages posed by ‘Easton and Dennis’?

(A) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(B) 2, 3 and 4

(D) 1 and 4

Ans. (D)

40. In which of the following statements, Durkheim has identified the indirect functions of crime?

(A) Collective sentiment against the infringement of norms

(B) Fear of punishment

(D) None of the above

Ans. (A)

41. Who has advocated that functional analysis need not be confined to society as a whole but it can be extended to an organisation, institution or group?

(A) Levi-Strauss

(B) Malinowski

(D) Merton

Ans. (C)

42. The _____________ method consists in the collection of data concerning the living and working conditions of people in a given area with a view to formulate practical social measures for their betterment and welfare.

(a) Social statistics

(b) Social survey

(d) Ideal type

Ans. (b)

43. The ______________ method is a form of qualitative analysis involving the very useful and complete observation of a person, a situation or an institution.

(a) Inverse deductive

(b) Case study

(d) Historical method

Ans. (b)

44. The variety of functionalism that views functions and an activity of an institution which satisfies the need or needs of the individual are known as:

(a) Psychological Functionalism

(b) Sociological Functionalism

(d) Structural Functionalism

Ans. (a)

45. Which of the following is not a point of similarity between human and animal society?

(a) Both want self-reservation

(b) Both wish to perpetuate

(d) Both want mental development

Ans. (d)

46. Who among the following said that “where there is life, there is society”?

(a) Maclver

(b) Kingsley Davis

(d) Max Weber

Ans. (a)

47. _______ lead sub-cultures.

(a) Universals

(b) Alternatives

(d) Culture complex

Ans. (c)

48. Muslim culture is a__________ of Indian culture.

(a) Contra culture

(b) Sub-culture

(d) None of the above

Ans. (b)

49. A group in which members are face to face with each other and have fellow feelings is called:

(a) Distinctive group

(b) Social group

(d) Primate group

Ans. (d)

50. Which of the following is not associated with primary group?

(a) Face-to-face relation

(b) Smallness of the group

(d) Existence of formal laws

Ans. (d)

51. A group in which a person is not born but in which he voluntarily moves in is known as:

(a) Genetic group

(b) Congregate group

(d) Formal group

Ans. (b)

52. Who of the following has said that, “A crowd is a gathering of considerable number of persons around a centre or point of common attraction”?

(a) Kingsley Davis

(b) Kimball Young

(d) Cooley

Ans. (b)

53. “Status is the social position that determines for its possessor apart from his personal attribute or social services, a degree of respect, prestige and influence”- this definition has been given by:

(a) Green

(b) Ginsberg

(d) Davis

Ans. (a)

54. Which statement on roles is wrong?

(a) An individual in the course of his life performs a number of different roles, successfully or simultaneously

(b) The synthesis of all the social roles that an individual has performed from birth to death constitutes his social personality

(d) Roles do not figure in the process of socialisation

Ans. (c)

55. Norms are briefly speaking:

(a) attitude towards life

(b) standards of behaviour

(d) individual approach towards social problems

Ans. (c)

56. Conformity to norms in a society can be maintained when these are:

(a) flexible but applied rigidly

(b) rigid and applied rigidly

(d) based on religion

Ans. (a)

58. Basic purpose of sanctions are:

(a) To weaken solidarity of a strong group

(b) To strengthen solidarity of a weak group

(d) To bring solidarity in a particular group

Ans. (d)

59. Which of the following is not covered under the category of formal sanction?

(a) Customs

(b) Mores

(d) Punishment

Ans. (a)

60. Socialization process in human beings takes place-

(a) during childhood

(b) during young age

(d) for the whole life

Ans. (a)

61. Who viewed expectation and inspiration as the two main bases of socialization and learning?

(a) Parsons

(b) Mead

(d) Cooley

Ans. (a)

62. “Competition performs the broad function of assigning to each individual his place in his social world. Competition is a progressive force which fulfills and does not necessarily destroy.” These are the words of-

(a) E.A. Ross

(b) Gillin and Gillin

(d) H.T. Mazumdar

Ans. (a)

63. Which among the following involves competition?

(a) Wrestling match

(b) Football match between Mohan Bagan and Modammedan Sporting Club

(d) Candidates taking the IAS examination

Ans. (d)

64. Who has written the book ‘The History of Human Marriage’?

(a) Tylor

(b) Briffault

(d) Murdock

Ans. (c)

65. Which one of the following is NOT true of origin of polyandry?

(a) the women were fewer in number

(b) the men could not afford maintaining one wife

(d) there was desire to save property from division

Ans. (c)

66. Which one of the following is NOT an important cause of the weakness of modern family?

(a) The family is not required to provide medical facilities

(b) The family is not supposed to arrange for recreation

(d) All its members try to become economically self- sufficient

Ans. (c)

67. Which one of the following is NOT a disadvantage of joint family system?

(a) It encourages idleness

(b) It stands in the way of development

(d) It makes leisure difficult

Ans. (d)

68. Kinship system has been affected by industrialization because:

(a) bonds of family are weakening

(b) joint family system is breaking

(d) migration at national and international level has become easy and popular

Ans. (d)

69. One of the factors which has effected kinship more these days is:

(a) economic pattern

(b) residence

(d) culture

Ans. (b)

70. Who wrote the book, ‘Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte’?

(a) Lenin

(b) Engels

(d) Marx

Ans. (d)

71. Jajmani relations are ____________.

(a) temporary

(b) permanent

(d) dependent on Jajman’s will

Ans. (b)

72. The system of marriage in which woman marries all the brothers of her husband is called:

(a) non fraternal marriage

(b) adelphic marriage

(d) monogamous marriage

Ans. (b)

73. Which one of the following is not true of the tribal economy?

(a) superstitions play no part in it

(b) there is no complex economic system

(d) not many small scale industries are in existence

Ans. (a)

74. Industrial system is distinguished from the previous system on the basis of-

(a) availability of means of production

(b) availability of means of distribution

(d) application of mechanical power to work machines

Ans. (d)

75. The Heresy theory believes-

(a) man is a corporate being

(b) man is an individualistic being

(d) man’s behaviour is not a process of calculated self- interest

Ans. (b)

76. The expression ‘water for life’, best explains the importance of water for agricultural purposes. From which of the following named sources water has contributed to the development of civilization and culture?

(a) The immense irrigation schemes

(b) The large reservoirs made by man

(d) A network of wells and canals

Ans. (c)

77. Mark out among the following the common factor which characterizes all the cities-

(a) Majority of the occupants are engaged in activities other than agriculture

(b) Majority of occupants are engaged in government service

(d) Majority of occupants are engaged in industry

Ans. (a)

78. Early marriage is associated with

(a) high fertility

(b) high fecundity

(d) low fertility

Ans. a

79. Which of the following statements about Malthus’ theory of population is false?

(a) Malthus has talked of preventive checks and positive checks

(b) Malthus placed emphasis on the limitation of the supply of land

(d) Population is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence

Ans. c

80. Who has described four types of social movements namely Tranformative, Reformative Redemptive and Alternative movements?

(a) Touraive

(b) Smelser

(d) M.SA Rao.

Ans.(b)

81. Which explains the process of westernization in India?

(a) Ethnocentrism

(b) Reference group

(d) Assimilation

Ans.(b)

82. Sanskritization stand for –

(a) Learning Sanskrit in the traditional Pathshala system

(b) Teaching Sanskrit

(d) Imposition of Brahmanical practices

Ans.(c)

83. Which one of the following statements best explains the arguments of the feminist movement?

1. Women live longer than men

2. Gender inequality is rooted in Patriarchy

3. Only men are responsible for gender inequality

4. Participatory parenthood promotes gender equality.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Ans.(c)

84. “Socio cultural phenomena are always recurrent and the process of social change is essentially cyclical”. Which of the following combination represents this view?

(a) Marx, Lenin and Durkheim

(b) Malinowski, Brown, Parsons and Merton

(d) Sorokin, Spengler, and Tonybee

Ans.(d)

85. Who among the following has analysed the stages of social evolution as simple, compound, double compound and trebly compound?

(a) L. H Morgan

(b) E. B Tylor

(d) H. Spencer

Ans.(d)

86. __________ refers to a movement into a particular area

(a) Out-migration

(b) In-migration

(d) Emigration

Ans. b

87. Which one of the following is NOT correct

(a) taboo on association of males and females

(b) taboos on social inter-course

(d) taboos against meeting of husband and wife

Ans. d

88. Human population can

(a) exist apart from cultural interaction

(b) exist apart from social interaction

(d) not exist apart from socio-cultural interaction

Ans. d

89. According to the theory of social capillarity people in the cities produce less children because:

(a) they are faced with space problem

(b) they cannot properly educate them

(d) there are social cleavages

Ans. c

90. Which one of the following is NOT true of village community in India?

(a) The people are conservative

(b) The villagers are custom ridden

(d) The villagers have come out of the clutches of moneylenders

Ans. (d)

91. Which one of the following did not play an important role in the growth of village community in the very beginning?

(a) Land

(b) Water resources

(d) Religion

Ans. (d)

92. In India in the past, one of the characteristics of the village was that:

(a) it too much depended on outside assistance

(b) it was a self-sufficient unit

(d) the people had desire to cooperate with other villages.

Ans. (b)

93. Which one of the following is NOT true of the marriage system in villages of India?

(a) Old family status is given great weightage

(b) Child marriage is on the increase

(d) Education of the couple is being given due weightage

Ans. (b)

94.__________ is a process, a movement of population from rural areas of agricultural activity to city areas of manufacturing and service activities.

(a) Modernization

(b) Urbanization

(d) Urbanism

Ans. (b)

95. Who gave the ‘central place theory’ on the process of urbanisation?

(a) Maclver

(b) Walter Christaller

(d) Iban Khaldan

Ans. (b)

96. Who defines region, “as an area within which the people and the different constituent communities are conspicuously more interdependent than they are with people of other areas”?

(a) Lundberg

(b) Maclver

(d) H.T. Majumdar

Ans. (a)

97. Mark out the correct statement.

(a) Cities display a large degree of uniformity all over the country

(b) City is a multifunctional unit, with only one function fully developed

(d) City is a homogeneous place

Ans. (c)

98. Which of the following features is not common in a town and a city?

(a) Multiplicity of functions

(b) Quick means of transport

(d) Majority of occupants are engaged in nonagricultural activities

Ans. (c)

99. By lower hunter economy which was supposed to be prevailing in primitive times, we mean an economy in which there was-

(a) direct utilisation of products of nature

(b) direct utilisation of natural products without alteration

(d) indirect utilisation of nature’s products and that too with alterations

Ans. (b)

100. In a complex society, which one of the following is NOT a characteristic of economy?

(a) It is linked with other nations of the world

(b) It revolves round profits

(d) It is impersonal in many ways

Ans. (c)

101. Pick out one of the following which does not hold good in the case of new industrialism-

(a) health conditions of the people improved

(b) life expectancy increased

(d) quality and quantity of diet increased

Ans. (d)

102. In the primitive days trade was carried on with the help of:

(a) coins

(b) currency

(d) exchange of women

Ans. (c)

103. Effect of new industrialism was that the rate of-

(a) production of only consumer goods increased

(b) production of only producer goods increased

(d) both producer and consumer goods increased

Ans. (d)

104. In simple economy which of the following did not fit in?

(a) There was identification of labour with his work

(b) There was no competition in marketing

(d) There was no mass production

Ans. (c)

105. Which one of the following is NOT true about new industrialisation?

(a) Effect of production was neutralised by increased population

(b) There was unbalanced distribution of wealth

(d) Majority of the people got associated with the means of production

Ans. (d)

106. Lower hunter implies several things. Which of the following is NOT covered by that?

(a) absence of tools

(b) possession of goods to be consumed

(d) absence of making tools and instruments

Ans. (d)

107. Which one of the following was NOT true of new industrialism’?

(a) there was considerable extension in fine arts

(b) generous endowments were made to, the centres to learning

(d) illiteracy disappeared

Ans. (c)

108. Under state capitalism it is believed that the labour-

(a) is source of all economic values

(b) has less important role in industry than the capital

(d) none of the above

Ans. (a)

109. Which one of the following was NOT true of craft guilds?

(a) These avoided market competitions

(b) These arranged economic fairs

(d) These encouraged competition with market guilds

Ans. (d)

110. The system of industrialism is distinguished from the previous system on the basis of-

(a) adaptation of new inventions

(b) employment of number of people

(d) marketing of the goods produced

Ans. (c)

111. New industrialism had several characteristics, which one of the following was NOT one of those?

(a) workers were divorced from possession of the capital

(b) workers had no share in the management

(d) workers were identified with the goods produced

Ans. (d)

112. Which of the following has been called as the twin brother of industrialism?

(a) marketing

(b) consumption

(d) none of these

Ans. (c)

113. Every manor in the past:

(a) was almost a self-contained economic unit

(b) depended on other manors for everything

(d) was linked with other manors in social life

Ans. (a)

114. Which one of the following does not apply to new industrialism?

(a) There was concentration of wealth

(b) There was increased unemployment

(d) There was environmental pollution

Ans. (c)

115. In a complex society which one of the following is NOT a characteristic of the economy?

(a) It absolutely undermines labour

(b) It gives the highest priority to capital

(d) It is competitive in nature

Ans. (a)

116. Guild system in the past had several characteristics. Which one of the following was NOT true of the system?

(a) These were association of people engaged in the same occupation

(b) The members of the guild lived at the same place

(d) Guilds in the past did not exist

Ans. (c)

117. Which of the following does not hold good in the case of state capitalism?

(a) It keeps resources in the hands of the State

(b) State concentrates all political power in its own hands

(d) It seeks profits as, a way of commanding all other institutions

Ans. (d)

118. Guilds disintegrated due to several reasons. Which one of the following was NOT an important cause of disintegration?

(a) These had become largely monopolistic

(b) These competed with each other

(d) These were dominated by hard task masters

Ans. (c)

119. Which one was NOT true of craft guilds of the simple economy days?

(a) These looked after the interests of the trade

(b) These defended themselves from the merchant guilds

(d) These helped in regulating the prices

Ans. (c)

120. Pick up one of the following which does not hold good in the case of new industrialism:

(a) there was considerable economic stability

(b) there were trade fluctuations

(d) there was waste of raw material

Ans. (a)

121. Which one of the following is NOT true of the functions of the guilds?

(a) These performed religious and political functions

(b) These had nothing to do with religious and political functions

(d) These were often instrumental in making laws

Ans. (b)

122. Which one of the following was NOT the characteristic of merchant guilds?

(a) These promoted economic interest of the merchants

(b) These tried to keep monopoly of the trade

(d) These ensured that activities of the guilds were confined to the village

Ans. (d)

123. Which one of the following was NOT the characteristic of new industrialism?

(a) Personal relationship was not possible even in small group

(b) Joint stock company system came into operation

(d) There was division between capital and management

Ans. (a)

124. According to Marxian philosophy in the industry the labour accepts less wages because:

(a) he has left his home

(b) he has no capacity to produce

(d) he knows that his labour cannot be preserved

Ans. (d)

125. In complex economy of today the welfare of the workers is:

(a) completely ignored

(b) partly taken care of

(d) none of the above is true

Ans. (b)

126. To which of the following linguistic groups do Kols and Munder tribes fall?

(a) Austro-Asiatic

(b) Dravidians

(d) Chinese

Ans. (a)

127. Santhal and Oraon tribes practice marriage by:

(a) service

(b) elopement

(d) intrusion

Ans. (d)

128. Which one of the following is NOT one of the chief characteristics of tribe?

(a) People live on a common territory

(b) Members have a sense of unity

(d) It has no specific political organisation

Ans. (d)

129. Which one of the following is NOT an objective of tribal dormitory?

(a) To organise young boys and girls

(b) To serve as recreational houses

(d) To make them economically self-sufficient

Ans. (d)

130. Which one of the following is NOT a point of similarity between a tribe and a horde?

(a) Both are professionally close to each other

(b) In both head of the family enjoys considerable respect

(d) Both need equal amount of protection

Ans. (d)