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UPSC CSE Mains 2019 — Sociology Questions with Answers
All 56 Sociology previous-year questions from UPSC CSE Mains 2019, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. Practise them as a free, timed mock test with instant scoring.
Practice Sociology as a timed test →- Q1.General Sociology
Discuss the historical antecedents of the emergence of Sociology as a discipline.
- Q2.Social Stratification & Mobility
Davis and Moore made it clear that social stratification is a functional necessity and also an unconscious device. Discuss.
- Q3.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
What is the Marxist concept of 'fetishism of commodities'?
- Q4.General Sociology
Present a sociological review on the 'new middle class'.
- Q5.Research Methods & Methodology
Explain the probability sampling strategies with examples.
- Q6.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
According to Mead, "We play a key role in our own socialization." Discuss.
- Q7.Research Methods & Methodology
Bring out the significance of Ethnography in social research.
- Q8.Work & Economic Life
What is 'reserve army of labour'? Present the position of feminist scholars on this.
- Q9.Research Methods & Methodology
Discuss the importance of interpretative understanding of social phenomena and explain its limitations.
- Q10.Religion & Society
Are all world religions patriarchal? Substantiate your answer with examples.
- Q11.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
What, according to Merton, is the difference between 'unanticipated consequences' and 'latent functions'? Give examples to elaborate.
- Q12.Social Change & Movements
Modernization presupposes class society; however caste, ethnicity and race are still predominant. Explain.
- Q13.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
Compare and contrast the contributions of Marx and Weber on social stratification in capitalist society.
- Q14.Kinship, Marriage & Family
What, according to Irawati Karve, are the major differences between North Indian and South Indian Kinship system?
- Q15.Social Stratification & Mobility
Differentiate between 'Life-chances' and 'Life-style' with suitable examples.
- Q16.Society, Culture & Institutions
Discuss the issues of access and exclusion in higher education in India.
- Q17.Science, Technology & Society
What is civil society? Present a note on civil society engagement with science and technology policy in India.
- Q18.Social Change & Movements
Critique A.G. Frank's 'development of underdevelopment'.
- Q19.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
How well do you think Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber and Marx predicted the character of Modern society? Critique.
- Q20.Social Stratification & Mobility
Why is gender a dimension of social stratification? How does gender intersect other dimensions of inequality based on caste, class, race and ethnicity?
- Q21.Work & Economic Life
What are the theoretical models of societal power? Which one of them is most applicable in advanced industrial societies?
- Q22.Society, Culture & Institutions
What is affirmative action? Substantiate theoretical positions on affirmative action with example.
- Q23.Work & Economic Life
What is 'informal labour'? Discuss the need for and challenges in regulating informal labour in the post-industrial society.
- Q24.Science, Technology & Society
Feminist scholars argue that 'New media' is masculine and hence reinforces structural hierarchies rather than reconfiguring them. Comment.
- Q25.Politics & Society
Discuss the concept of circulation of elite.
- Q26.Kinship, Marriage & Family
In the light of judicial intervention on 'Live-in relationships', discuss the future of marriage and family in India.
- Q27.Sociological Theory & Thinkers
How, according to Merton, are deviant subcultures generated?
- Q28.Society, Culture & Institutions
How is terrorism a new form of asymmetrical warfare? What are some of the challenges in trying to win the war on terrorism?
- Q29.Indian Sociology: Perspectives & Thinkers
Elaborate Srinivas's views on religion and society among the Coorgs.
- Q30.Agrarian & Rural Society
Illustrate the contribution of the Tebhaga Movement to the peasants struggle in India.
- Q31.Agrarian & Rural Society
Examine the changing initiatives of the land tenure system in India.
- Q32.Indian Sociology: Perspectives & Thinkers
Write a note on Ghurye's conception of caste in India.
- Q33.Tribal Society
Comment on the growing assertion of tribal community for autonomy in India.
- Q34.Indian Sociology: Perspectives & Thinkers
Critically examine Dube's contributions to the study of Indian villages.
- Q35.Caste System
What is caste politics? Substantiate your answer with examples of how identities are defined by caste dynamics.
- Q36.Religion & Secularism
Do you think that the Indian saints have brought about social reform and awareness in Indian society? Explain.
- Q37.Tribal Society
What is ethno-nationalism? Examine the critical factors responsible for tribal discontent in India.
- Q38.Agrarian & Rural Society
Is industrial development in India a bane or a boon to agrarian class structure? Substantiate your answer with suitable examples.
- Q39.General Sociology
Give an account of Ranajit Guha's approach in studying 'subaltern class'.
- Q40.Women & Gender
Define patriarchy. Does it have bearings on women's entitlement in Indian family system? Explain.
- Q41.Religion & Secularism
How do you understand the 'minority' question? Examine the violence and discrimination against the religious minorities in India.
- Q42.Women & Gender
What do you understand by LGBTQ? Comment on the issues concerning their marriage rights.
- Q43.General Sociology
Comment on the critical issues of commercialization of higher education in India.
- Q44.Agrarian & Rural Society
Discuss the challenges in implementing the Rural Development Programmes in India.
- Q45.Industry, Urbanisation & Labour
Elaborate urbanism as a way of life in India.
- Q46.General Sociology
Comment on the changing democratic profile of India.
- Q47.Industry, Urbanisation & Labour
Elucidate the concerns of growing urban displacement dynamics in India.
- Q48.Development, Planning & Education
Examine the importance of Development Planning in India's Mixed Economy, and analyze its problems and prospects.
- Q49.Development, Planning & Education
Highlight the main features of the 'Inter-linking of Rivers' project in India. What could be its probable advantages to Indian agriculture?
- Q50.Environment & Ecology
Has reduction of green cover affected ecological degradation leading to global warming? Elaborate your answer with illustration.
- Q51.Women & Gender
Do you think that 'demonetization' has accelerated the economic growth in India? How do you understand the informalization of labour, underemployment and gender discrimination in this context?
- Q52.Development, Planning & Education
Discuss the implications of 'Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan'. Do you think that civil society has a role to play here? Substantiate your answer with example.
- Q53.Politics, Movements & Democracy
Do you agree that social movements are caused by opportunity structures that are generated by media? Why?
- Q54.Women & Gender
Why has 'Active aging' become a glocal goal? Do you agree that the role of elderly care-giving is disproportionately gendered in developing countries? Why?
- Q55.Women & Gender
What is POSH Act? "Identification of tormentor by women at workplace does not come easily even today". Examine the statement with substantive examples from India.
- Q56.Population & Social Problems
What is 'social security'? Examine recent security measures adopted by the Government in India.
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