Class XII - Sociology Sample Paper - 2

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Time Allowed: 3 hours Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:

1. The question paper is divided into four sections.

2. There are 35 questions in all. All questions are compulsory.

3. Section A includes question No. 1-16. These are MCQ type questions. As per the question, there can be one answer.

4. Section B includes question No. 17-25. These are very short answer type questions carrying 2 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 30 words.

5. Section C includes question No. 26-32. These are short answer type questions carrying 4 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 80 words.

6. Section D includes question No. 33-35. These are long answer type questions carrying 6 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 200 words each.

7. Question no. 33 is to be answered with the help of the given graphics. Question no. 34 is to be answered with the help of the given passage.

Section-A

Question 1.

Assertion (A): Communalism is a significant concern in India because it has been a constant source of conflict and tension in our modern society.

Reason (R): The process of secularisation does not confine the practice of religion to the personal space and makes it a mandatory obligation in the public place.

(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false and R is true.

View Answer

Ans. (C) A is true but R is false.

Explanation: A is true but R is false; secularisation confines religion’s practice to the personal space and does not make it a mandatory obligation in the public place.

Question 2.

Which variety of demography focuses on the cause and consequences of the change in population structure?

(A) Formal demography

(B) Expanding demography

(D) Declining demography

View Answer

Ans. (C) Social demography

Question 3.

It is considered that the institution of caste, as we know it today, is a product of colonialism. Which of the following statements would substantiate the above argument?

(A) Caste identities are a product of post-independent India.

(B) Colonialism led to the nationalist movement which abolished the caste distinctions.

(C) The 1901 census collected information on caste which had a major impact on the social perception of caste leading to caste hierarchy becoming more rigid.

(D) All of the above

View Answer

Ans. (C) The 1901 census collected information on caste which had a major impact on the social perception of caste leading to caste hierarchy becoming more rigid.

Question 4.

The human population grows at a much faster rate in comparison to the food supply growth (or subsistence). Therefore, the latter cannot keep up with the former and the same would lead to poverty, starvation and conflict.

Which theory talks about the phenomenon mentioned in the above statement?

(A) Demographic transition theory

(B) Malthusian theory of population growth

(D) Zero population growth theory

View Answer

Ans. (B) Malthusian theory of population growth

Question 5.

“After India became independent, Nehru and his policy advisors embarked on a programme of planned development…From the 1950s to 1970s, a series of land reform laws were passed- at the national level and in the states which intended to bring about these changes.”

Choose the incorrect statement concerning the policy of land reforms in India.

(A) The abolition of the zamindari system strengthened the position of the actual landholders and cultivators.

(B) Tenancy abolition restructured the agrarian structure and land rights were given to the tenants.

(D) Land reforms boosted productivity but failed to reduce poverty in rural areas.

View Answer

Ans. (D) Land reforms boosted productivity but failed to reduce poverty in rural areas.

Question 6.

Article 17 of the Indian Constitution has abolished this practice.

___________ is an extremely brutal aspect of the caste system which oppresses a particular community. This community’s members are considered impure and forced to engage in degrading occupations.

Choose the correct option to fill in the blank:

(A) Disability

(B) Gender inequality

(D) Untouchability

View Answer

Ans. (D) Untouchability

Question 7.

Assertion (A): Religious reform organisations might come up as a result of modern forms of communication and ideas.

Reason (R): Modern ways of living do not necessarily lead to the decline of religion.

(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false and R is true.

View Answer

Ans. (B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Question 8.

A person was pushed out of the agrarian labour market. He came to an urban area and was employed as a construction worker. His work was to provide manual labour at the construction site. He works 18 hours a day with minimal pay and is given leftovers to eat. He will do this for the next six months before moving back to his village for the next agricultural season.

Which of the following is being talked about here?

(A) Own account labour

(B) Footloose labour

(D) Child labour

View Answer

Ans. (B) Footloose labour

Explanation: Footloose labour by Jan Breman.

Question 9.

Assertion (A): The sectors, such as defence, telecom and power, which were earlier reserved for the government to invest in, are now being opened to private companies.

Reason (R): The government has been following the liberalisation and privatisation policy since the 1990s.

(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false and R is true.

View Answer

Ans. (A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Question 10.

The nature of social relations in the rural areas changed in which ways:

(A) A decline in bonded labour

(B) Commercialisation of agriculture led to a shift in the relations between landlords and agricultural workers (from ‘patronage to exploitation’ as described by sociologist Jan Breman)

(D) Both (A) and (B)

View Answer

Ans. (D) Both (A) and (B)

Explanation: Both (A) and (B) and not (C) because after commercialisation, service in kind changed to cash.

Question 11.

There is an elaborate ____________in the process of industrialisation. Since individuals produce only a small part of a product, it is difficult for them to witness the result. Since the work is exhausting and repetitive, they tend to become ____________from the work.

(A) solidarity, linked

(B) deconstruction, detached

(D) division of labour, diverge

View Answer

Ans. (C) division of labour, alienation

Explanation: Division of labour, alienation. Marx called this situation alienation when people don’t enjoy work.

Question 12.

The policy of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation (LPG) has had a huge impact on agriculture. Which of the following is not a reason for this impact?

(A) Indian markets have now been opened to imports.

(B) Globalisation of agriculture

(D) Institution of state ceasing to exercise any control over agriculture.

View Answer

Ans. (D) Institution of state ceasing to exercise any control over agriculture.

Question 13.

Assertion (A): Each caste occupies a particular rank in the hierarchy of the caste system but all castes are equal. Reason (R): This hierarchy is based on the notions of purity and pollution.

(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

(B) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

(D) A is false and R is true.

View Answer

Ans. (D) A is false and R is true.

Explanation: A is false but R is true; Each caste occupies a particular rank in the hierarchy of the caste system and hence, all the castes are not considered to be equal.

Question 14.

Which of the following is not correct about social exclusion?

(A) It is accidental and not systematic.

(B) Social exclusion does not allow individuals to access opportunities available to everybody else.

(D) (B) and (C)

View Answer

Ans. (A) It is accidental and not systematic.

Question 15.

Which of the examples given below shows that British colonialism still exists in contemporary India?

(A) Indian parliamentary and legal system

(B) Existence of neck-ties in school uniforms

(D) All of the above

View Answer

Ans. (D) All of the above

Question 16.

The regime which was run by Benito Mussolini in Italy is an example of ____________

(A) Democracy

(B) Authoritarianism

(D) Republicanism

View Answer

Ans. (B) Authoritarianism

Section-B

Question 17.

“Many of the great works of sociology were written at a time when industrialisation was new and machinery was assuming great importance. Thinkers like Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim associated several social features with industry.”

Based on the given passage, answer the following question.

Which social features were associated with the industrial areas by the above-mentioned sociologists?

View Answer

Ans. The social features to be associated with industrial areas: are urbanisation, loss of face-to-face relationships, substitution of personal relationships with anonymous professional relationships, detailed division of labour, and alienation.

“In India, in 2018-19, nearly 43% were employed in the primary sector (agriculture and mining), 17% in the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction and utilities), and 32% in the tertiary sector (trade, transport, financial services, etc.).”

Based on the above passage, answer the following question.

What, according to you, is the experience of industrialisation in India and how is it similar or different to the Western model of industrialisation?

View Answer

Ans. The experience of industrialisation in India is different in comparison to the Western model. In the latter, the majority of the people are employed in the service sector whereas, in India, the majority of the people are employed in the primary sector.

Question 18.

Which are the two different terms, in Indian languages, used to refer to the institutional arrangement of caste?

View Answer

Ans. The two different terms, in Indian languages, which are used to refer to the institutional arrangement of caste are varna and jati.

Question 19.

Using an example, show how regionalism and pluralism are linked.

View Answer

Ans. Yes, regionalism and pluralism are linked. In the context of India, regionalism is located in India’s plurality of cultures, languages and religions, and is encouraged by the geographical concentration of these identity markers in particular regions.

Question 20.

Give two examples of matrilineal societies in India.

View Answer

Ans. Two examples of matrilineal societies in India are – the Khasis of Meghalaya and the Nairs of Kerela.

Question 21.

According to various studies, unlike the death rate, the birth rate has not registered a sharp fall. What are the reasons for the same? Give reasons for your answer.

View Answer

Ans. This is because the birth rate is considered to be a socio-cultural phenomenon that does not change as quickly as the death rate. By and large, increased levels of prosperity exert a strong downward pull on the birth rate.

Question 22.

Affirmative action to compensate for historical caste discrimination is considered to be one of the most important steps towards the empowerment of marginalised communities. What do you understand by the term affirmative action?

View Answer

Ans. Affirmative action refers to an action or a policy which aims towards benefiting the historically marginalised sections of society. An example of the same is the reservation policy.

Question 23.

“Famines were also a major and recurring source of increased mortality…scholars like Amartya Sen and others have shown, that famines were not necessarily due to fall in foodgrains production; they were also caused by a ‘failure of entitlements’, or the inability of people to buy or otherwise obtain food.”

How is famine related to accessibility and affordability issues? Give one initiative by the state that is implemented to deal with the problem of starvation in rural areas.

View Answer

Ans. Economists have shown that famines have not always occurred because of the fall in food grain production. These also occur when people cannot obtain (accessibility) food or buy food (affordability). An initiative to deal with the problem of starvation in rural areas is the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act).

Question 24.

“The Right to Information Act 2005 is a law enacted by the Parliament of India giving Indians access to government records. Under the terms of the Act, any person may request information from a “public authority” (a body of government or instrumentality of State) which is expected to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.”

Read the passage and show how does RTI Act 2005 empower the citizens of India.

View Answer

Ans. RTI Act 2005 empowers citizens by granting them a right to ask for accountability and transparency from the state. Under this Act, citizens can request any information (as defined in the act) from a “public authority”.

State two examples of movements from history which followed syncretism. What kind of violence in India can be reduced by adopting syncretic traditions? Give a reason for your answer.

View Answer

Ans. Two examples of movements from history are the Bhakti movement and the Sufi movement. Communalism can be reduced by adopting syncretic traditions.

Question 25.

In what ways does the system of contract farming provide financial security to farmers but it can also lead to increased insecurity amongst them?

View Answer

Ans. In contract farming, the farmer gets into a contract with a company which decides the crop to be grown. The company provides the farmer with seeds, capital and other inputs and guarantees the farmer that it will purchase that crop from them.

Section-C

Question 26.

What kind of modernity is the following?

They (upper caste founders of various organisations and conferences) pretend to be modernists as long as they are in the service of the British Government. The moment they retire and claim their pensions, they get into their Brahmanical ‘touch-me-not-attire’…

Jotiba Phule’s letter to the conference of Marathi Authors

How does this anecdote help us understand the growth of modernisation in India?

View Answer

Ans. Yes, the anecdote helps us understand the growth of modernisation in India. It shows how people in Indian society, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, wanted to be modern. The processes of modernisation and secularisation were linked. It was assumed that modern ways of living would lead to a decline of religious ways (as was in the West) but that did not happen in the case of India. Since the caste system operated within a religious framework in traditional India, the caste hierarchy and identity were not impacted by modernity.

Question 27.

Which social issues have been taken up by social movements over time? Elaborate.

View Answer

Ans. Various social issues have been taken up by different social movements over time such as:

(i) Dalit movements: These deal with the social issue of exploitation, oppression of Dalits and the issue of untouchability.

(ii) Workers’ movements: These deal with the exploitation of workers working in an industry and casual workers concerning low wages, and long working hours.

(iii) Women’s movements: Different movements by social reformers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to deal with the social evils of sati pratha, child marriage, and a ban on widow remarriage.

Why is the surge of social movements in India in the 1970s attributed to people’s growing dissatisfaction with Parliamentary democracy?

View Answer

Ans. Political scientist Rajni Kothari explains that this was a consequence of the taking over of the state institutions by the elite which made the marginalised sections feel that their voices could not be effectively heard. Individuals left out by formal political institutions join social movements or non-party political formations to put pressure on the state from the outside.

Question 28.

“The ‘demographic dividend’ results from an increase in the proportion of workers relative to non-workers in the population… But this potential can be converted into actual growth only if the rise in the working age group is accompanied by increasing levels of education and employment.”

Using an example, show how a change in the age structure alone cannot assure any development.

View Answer

Ans. A change in the age structure of a population or something as advantageous as a ‘demographic dividend’ (the benefit from the larger proportion of workers relative to non-workers) can assure development only when the workers are properly skilled and can contribute to economic growth. Any country can only reap the benefits of demographic dividend by increasing the productivity of the working age group through increased education and employment. Currently, India has this opportunity through demographic dividend since it is one of the youngest countries in the world.

Question 29.

“The City by Daya Pawar

One day someone digs up a twentieth-century city

and ends on this observation.

Here’s an interesting inscription:

This water tap is open to all castes and religions.

What could it have meant:

That this society was divided?

That some were high while others were low?

Well, all right, then this city deserved burying- Why did they call it the machine age?

Seems like the Stone Age in the twentieth century.”

There is a need to give importance to ‘social’ in inequality and exclusion. Explain this statement.

View Answer

Ans. Inequality and exclusion are social, when they are not about individuals but about groups. These are social also because they are systematic and structured. Also, they are social in the sense that they are not economic, as they are usually considered to be but there is a link between social and economic inequality and exclusion. For instance, Dalits as a community (or a social group) have been historically excluded from public places and opportunities. The access to social resources has also not been equal for them.

Question 30.

“We, therefore, need to shift from this impressionistic view to a clearer understanding of colonialism as a structure and system. Colonialism brought into being new political, economic and social structural changes.”

How were these changes brought in by colonialism? Give reasons for your answer.

View Answer

Ans. All the economic policies of the Britishers were geared towards the strengthening and expansion of British capitalism. It exploited the natural resources and labour of the people, brought in the Forests Acts, and meddled with the manufacturing sector. Politically, it annexed territories and changed the laws of the land. Laws like the Regulating Act of 1793, the Indian Councils Act of 1909, the GOI Act of 1935 and so forth. The two most important social structural changes introduced by the Britishers were industrialisation and urbanisation.

Question 31.

“Different kinds of changes were brought about by the initiative of the green revolution in the regions where it was implemented.” Elaborate.

View Answer

Ans. The Green Revolution brought significant changes in the areas that it was introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. It led to the modernisation of agriculture which led to the increase in the productivity of agriculture because of the new technology. There were also certain negative social effects brought about by this.

Green Revolution led to the commercialisation of agriculture and benefitted primarily the medium and large farmers. It increased inequalities in the rural areas. The introduction of machinery led to the displacement of service caste groups.

Question 32.

The national unity may suffer severely if the rights of different groups are not respected. Explain with a suitable example.

View Answer

Ans. If the rights of different groups are not respected, it can lead the national unity to suffer. To attain national unity, states try the policy of assimilation. This and other policies outrightly suppress the ethnic, religious, linguistic, etc., identities of the citizens or ignore these identities in the political domain. Historically, in India, one can witness how this has led to dissatisfaction among the citizens and subsequent protests by them. One example of the same is the protest that led to the creation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1953.

Section-D

Question 33.

Based on the given graphic, answer the following questions.

“Establishing Dalit literature as a separate entity on its own has been a long and difficult task. While the prejudiced class never wanted their stories of oppression, survival and rebellion to come out, a certain section of the progressive force was …”

Based on this data, answer the following questions.

(A) Has the growth of Dalit literature helped the Dalit movement?

View Answer

Ans. Yes, Dalit literature has helped the growth of the Dalit movement. This has provided their movement, a place in the public sphere. It provides a space for the Dalit writers to write their own stories of oppression and exclusion. Dalit writers share their experiences and their struggles for dignity and identity which help the other Dalit people to gain a Dalit consciousness and fight for their rights. Dalit literature calls for social and cultural revolt. They bring in systemic and structural inequalities faced by Dalits. Dalit writers have informed the struggles of Dalit people in the present times.

(B) State the names of four works within Dalit literature.

View Answer

Ans. Dalit authors like Jotiba Phule (Gulamgin), and B.R. Ambedkar (Annihilation of caste and Buddha or Karl Marx) gained importance during the national freedom movement. In contemporary times, Anand Teltumbde’s work (Caste: Past, Present and Future) is of importance.

View Answer

Ans. Dalit movements have put forward the struggles of Dalit people to be de-stigmatised and for their recognition as fellow beings. These movements have made the people aware of the exclusion faced by the Dalits on an everyday basis. It is because of these movements that different stakeholders have taken affirmative action to improve the condition of the Dalits in our society.

Question 34.

“An average work day has 10-12 hours and it is not uncommon for employees to stay overnight in the office when faced with a project deadline. Long working hours are central to the industry’s ‘work culture’…engineers have to put in extra hours and days to meet the deadlines. Extended working hours are legitimised by the common management practice of ‘flexi-time’…”

(Carol Upadhya, Forthcoming)

Based on the given passage, answer the following questions.

(A) What is a ‘knowledge economy’?

View Answer

Ans. The knowledge economy refers to the growth of the IT sector in the sector in India.

(B) Based on your reading of the passage, identify the problems faced by the employees of the knowledge economy. How are the long working hours changing the family structure of an urban family?

Would you call the phenomenon described in the passage given above as ‘time slavery? Give reasons for your answer.

View Answer

Ans. The problems faced by the employees of the knowledge economy are:

(i) strict deadlines

(ii) long working hours and extension of working hours

(iii) work pressure

(iv) demanding social relationships in the workplace

(v) Deskilling workers (Sociologist Harry Braverman uses this term)

(vi) peer pressure

The long working hours are leading to the reappearance of the phenomenon of joint families in urban areas. Since both parents are working, grandparents are roped in to help with the children. Yes, it can be called ‘time slavery because the working culture of the industry mentioned in the passage is such that engineers have to put in extra hours and days to meet the deadline.

Question 35.

What are the defining features of the institution of caste which is considered to be uniquely associated with the Indian society?

View Answer

Ans. The institution of caste is said to be uniquely associated with Indian society because although social arrangements of this kind exist across the world, the exact form of caste system that exists in India is found in India only.

The defining features of caste are:

(i) Caste is ascribed as it is defined by birth. It is not a matter of choice.

(ii) There are restrictions on commensality. A person from a higher caste does not share food and water with a person from a lower caste.

(iii) Caste groups are endogamous as in people are allowed to marry only within their caste group.

(iv) There is a hierarchy of rank and status in the caste system.

(v) Castes have segmental organisation i.e.; castes are divided into sub-castes.

(vi) Certain occupations have been linked to certain castes traditionally.

Class XII – Sociology Sample Paper – 2