Class 12 Sociology — Important Questions Bank
1-Mark Questions
1. Who coined the term "Sanskritisation"? Answer: M.N. Srinivas 2. What is the Chipko movement? Answer: Environmental movement in 1970s where villagers hugged trees to prevent felling 3. Define vote bank. Answer: A group of voters who consistently vote for one party based on caste, religion, or community loyalty 4. What is the digital divide? Answer: Inequality in access to digital technology between social groups (rich-poor, urban-rural) 5. Define social stratification. Answer: Hierarchical ranking of people in society based on wealth, power, status, or caste 6. Expand MGNREGA. Answer: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 7. What is an NGO? Answer: Non-Governmental Organisation — voluntary, non-profit organisation working for social development 8. Define cultural lag. Answer: W.F. Ogburn's concept — material culture changes faster than non-material culture 9. What is Westernisation? Answer: Process of adopting Western values, dress, food, education, and lifestyle 10. Who wrote "Social Change in Modern India"? Answer: M.N. Srinivas 11. What is industrialisation? Answer: Shift from agrarian to industrial economy, factory-based production 12. Define informal economy. Answer: Unregulated, unregistered economic activities outside government taxation and protection 13. Who proposed the "sociological imagination"? Answer: C. Wright Mills 14. What is the Narmada Bachao Andolan? Answer: Environmental/social movement against Sardar Sarovar Dam displacing tribals 15. Define secularisation. Answer: Declining influence of religion in public and political life
3-Mark Questions
1. Distinguish between Sanskritisation and Westernisation.
- Sanskritisation: Lower castes adopt upper-caste (Brahmin, Kshatriya) customs, rituals, diet, lifestyle to gain higher status. Example: vegetarianism, wearing sacred thread.
- Westernisation: All castes adopt Western culture — English education, technology, democratic values. Example: adopting nuclear family, professional clothing.
- Sanskritisation = internal mobility within tradition; Westernisation = external cultural influence.
2. Explain the types of social movements.
- Reform movements: Seek partial change within existing system. Example: women's rights movement.
- Revolutionary movements: Seek total transformation of society. Example: communist revolutions.
- Reactionary/conservative movements: Resist change. Example: religious fundamentalist movements.
- New social movements: Identity-based, post-1970s. Example: environmentalism, feminist movements.
3. What is the role of caste in Indian politics?
- Caste groups vote as blocs — vote bank politics
- Political parties form alliances based on caste arithmetic
- Reservations (SC/ST/OBC) make caste a political issue
- Identity politics — caste associations lobby for community interests
- Ambivalent effect: mobilises marginalised groups but reinforces divisions
4. Explain the impact of the internet on Indian society.
- Increased access to information and education (e-learning)
- Economic opportunities (gig economy, freelancing)
- Social media — citizen journalism, political participation
- Digital divide — excludes rural poor
- Misinformation and fake news as threats
- Privacy and surveillance concerns
5. What is cultural change? Give two examples from India.
- Cultural change: alteration in values, beliefs, customs, and social practices over time
- Example 1: Decline of joint family, rise of nuclear family — urbanisation driven
- Example 2: Women's entry into workforce and public life — education + feminist movement
6. Explain Karl Polanyi's concept of market as a social institution.
- Polanyi argued markets are not natural or self-regulating — they are embedded in society
- Economic activities are shaped by social norms, power, culture, and politics
- Historically, markets were controlled by communities
- Capitalist markets disembedded economy — treated land, labour, money as commodities
- Resistance to commodification = social protection movements (trade unions, welfare state)
5-Mark Questions
1. Discuss the Chipko and Narmada Bachao Andolan as examples of environmental movements.
Answer outline:
- Environmental movements = social movements to protect nature and displaced communities
- Chipko (1973, Uttarakhand): Women embraced trees to stop logging. Led by Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunderlal Bahuguna. Spread to other states. Led to Forest Conservation Act 1980.
- Narmada Bachao Andolan: Against Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River. Medha Patkar led. 3+ lakh tribal/rural displaced. Supreme Court battles. Global attention.
- Both show intersection of ecology, development, displacement, and human rights.
- Implication: Development must not sacrifice marginalised communities.
2. Explain M.N. Srinivas's contribution to Indian sociology.
Answer outline:
- First major Indian sociologist to study Indian society from within (village studies)
- Coined Sanskritisation: upward mobility by adopting upper-caste rituals
- Coined Dominant caste: numerically, economically, ritually powerful caste in a region
- Coined Westernisation: impact of British rule on Indian lifestyle
- Studied Rampura village (Karnataka) — field work method
- Significance: Moved beyond colonial/Orientalist sociological frameworks
3. Discuss the role of NGOs in India's development.
Answer outline:
- NGOs = Non-profit voluntary organisations working for social causes
- Types: Service NGOs (health, education), Advocacy NGOs (rights), Research NGOs
- Examples: SEWA (women workers, Gujarat), CRY (children), Pratham (education), HelpAge India
- Roles: Filling gaps in state services, grassroots mobilisation, policy advocacy, emergency relief
- Challenges: Funding dependence, accountability, FCRA restrictions
- Impact: Microfinance (Grameen Bank model), SHGs (self-help groups) for women's empowerment
4. What is globalisation? Discuss its positive and negative impacts on Indian society.
Answer outline:
- Globalisation = integration of economies, cultures, and peoples worldwide through trade, technology, migration
- India's 1991 LPG reforms (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) — key turning point
- Positive: IT growth, consumer choice, foreign investment, women in workforce
- Negative: Widening inequality, farm distress, cultural homogenisation, informal worker vulnerability
- Social impact: Rising aspirations, changing family patterns, new middle class
- Challenge: Benefits unevenly distributed — urban vs rural, educated vs uneducated
5. Explain the features and significance of the women's movement in India.
Answer outline:
- Phases: Colonial era (widow remarriage, education) → Post-independence (legal rights) → 1970s (autonomous feminist movement) → Contemporary (digital feminism, #MeToo)
- Key issues: Domestic violence, rape laws, property rights, workplace harassment, personal laws
- Key victories: Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, 73rd Amendment (33% seats in panchayats), Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, Triple Talaq ban
- Organisations: SEWA, Stree Sangam, AIDWA, Jagori
- Current: Gender pay gap, safety, political representation remain challenges
10-Mark Essay Questions
1. Analyse the relationship between caste and class in Indian society.
Outline: Caste = ritual hierarchy; Class = economic hierarchy. Traditionally overlapping — Brahmin = high caste + high status. Post-independence: Education and reservations allowed class mobility across caste. Urban India: Class becoming more important. Rural India: Caste still determines land, power. Dominant caste = class power (Jats, Patidars). Ambedkar vs Gandhi debate. Reservation as affirmative action. Contemporary intersectionality.
2. Discuss the impact of mass media on Indian democracy and society.
Outline: Mass media = fourth pillar of democracy. Roles: inform, educate, entertain, watchdog. Print media — regional language newspapers democratised information. TV — reach to rural areas. Social media — citizen journalism, political mobilisation (AAP, Modi). Problems: Paid news, media bias, corporate ownership, communal content, fake news. Digital divide excludes poor. Need for media literacy and press freedom.
3. Explain the process of social change in post-independence India with examples.
Outline: Social change = alteration in social structure, culture, institutions. Forces: Constitutional changes (rights, reservations), Planned development (Five-Year Plans), Urbanisation and migration, Education expansion, Green Revolution, Globalisation. Examples: Decline of feudalism, women's education, Dalit assertion, middle class growth, rural transformation (MGNREGA). Remaining challenges: Poverty, caste discrimination, gender inequality, regional imbalance.