ADVERTISEMENTS:
Sociology questions and answers for upcoming MA entrance examination. This will also assist the students & aspirants of Ph.d, M.Phil, UPSC, IAS, Civil Services, Eligibility tests & UGC-SET to crack their competitive exams!
100 + Sociology Questions & Answers for MA Entrance Exams
Sociology Question # 1. For him societies were moral systems and it was pertinent to examine symbols and their meaning to people. In this he helped to direct the interest of social anthropologists into a new direction. Who was he?
(A) Radcliffe Brown
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(B) B. Malinowski
(C) Evans Pritchard
(D) M. Gluck man
Ans. (C)
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Sociology Question # 2. Which of the following assumptions would be correct from a statistical point of view?
(A) Errors of observation will have frequencies that cannot approximate the normal probability curve
(B) Linear magnitudes have measured frequencies closely following the normal probability curve.
(C) Measures of physical and mental traits cannot be accepted to follow the normal probability curve.
(D) Linear magnitudes have measured frequencies that are always skewed.
Ans. (B)
Sociology Question # 3. Consider the following statements about mechanical solidarity:
1. The social structure based on mechanical solidarity is small in size
2. The division of labour in this type of social structure is based on age and sex
ADVERTISEMENTS:
3. A keen sense of unity is found in this type of structure
4. Breaking down of mechanical solidarity has led to a breakdown in modern societies
Which of these statements is/are correct?
(A) 1 only
(B) 4 only
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 2 and 3
Ans. (B)
Sociology Question # 4. Consider the following statements:
1. Law is make, custom is a growth
2. Law needs a special agency for enforcement, custom does not
3. Law is specific, customs are not
4. Law is rigid, customs flexible
Which of these statements are correct?
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1, 2 and 3
(C) 2, 3 and 4
(D) 1, 3 and 4
Ans. (B)
Sociology Question # 5. Which of the following statements regarding social class is incorrect?
(A) There is firstly, a feeling of equality, in relation to members of one’s own class, a consciousness that one’s mode of behaviour will harmonize with the behaviour of similar standards of life.
(B) Secondly, there is a feeling of inferiority in relation to those who stand above in the social scale.
(C) Thirdly, there is the feeling of superiority to those below in the social hierarchy.
(D) None of the above
Ans. (D)
Sociology Question # 6. ________ is concrete whereas__________ is abstract.
(a) Association, community
(b) Social group, Society
(c) Community, Society
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c)
Sociology Question # 7. Who of the following has defined institution by saying that, “Institution is definite organisation pursuing some specific interest in a specific way”?
(a) R.M. Maclver
(b) Ogbum
(c) Ginsberg
(d) E. A. Ross
Ans. (a)
Sociology Question # 8. Which of the following is a characteristic of a community?
(a) No particular name
(b) Fulfillment of a particular end
(c) No contractual relation
(d) Legal status
Ans. (c)
Sociology Question # 9. One of the basic elements of community is that it is:
(a) Natural
(b) Created by an agreement
(c) Partly natural and partly created by some arrangement
(d) Neither natural nor created
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 10. Which of the following applies to Community, but not to Association?
(a) In it there is strict code of conduct
(b) Gap in conduct is filled by some well-established customs
(c) Members join it for achieving certain selfish ends
(d) In it community sentiments are weak
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 11. What is not applicable to both culture and civilisation?
(a) Both respond to each other
(b) Both influence our ethics
(c) Both are concerned with life style
(d) Both are linked with psychology
Ans. (d)
Sociology Question # 12. Anatomical differences may be associated with intelligence, culture and other qualities so that races may be divided into superior and inferior races. This view is called:
(a) Cultural superiority
(b) Racialism
(c) Genetic superiority
(d) None of the above
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 13. Who of the following believed that “all cultures go through a regular succession of stages”?
(a) Arnold J. Toynbee
(b) Oswald Spengler
(c) F.S. Chapin
(d) A. L. Kroeber
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 14. ‘Culture is the product of agro facts, artifacts, sociofacts and mentifacts’ who said this?
(a) Bidney
(b) C.H. Cooley
(c) Redcliffe Brown
(d) Sapir
Ans. (a)
Sociology Question # 15. Who said this? “In eastern India man’s status varies in inverse ratio to the width of his nose”.
(a) Risely
(b) Ghurye
(c) M.N. Srinivas
(d) Hutton
Ans. (a)
Sociology Question # 16. When the individual or group compares himself or itself with the other individual or group, this is called:
(a) Imitation
(b) Reference group behaviour
(c) Identification
(d) Acculturation
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 17. The groups, formed by sociologists and statisticians instead of the members themselves are called:
(a) Spatial groups
(b) Congregate groups
(c) Statistical groups
(d) Involuntary groups
Ans. (c)
Sociology Question # 18. Which theory starts with the idea that every individual wants to live in group and thus does not wish to “displease his group leaders?
(a) Freudian Theory
(b) Trotter Theory
(c) McDougal Ps Theory
(d) Multiple Factors Theory
Ans. (b)
Sociology Question # 19. Common interest groups is one in which-
(a) Momentary curiosity becomes common
(b) Common curiosity becomes momentary
(c) Curiosity becomes of long duration
(d) Curiosity and interests clash
Ans. (a)
Sociology Question # 20. Members of a crowd come together to achieve:
(a) Temporary but common purpose
(b) Common and lasting purpose
(c) Durable purpose with fore-sight
(d) Neither common nor durable purpose
Ans. (a)
21. Author of the book The Study of Man was-
(a) Maclver
(b) Tylor
(c) Ralph Linton
(d) Kingsley Davis
Ans. (c)
22. _________ places the right persons in the right place in a society.
(a) Achieved status
(b) Ascribed status
(c) Competition
(d) None of the above
Ans. (a)
23. Sibling rivalry is a major example of____________ .
(a) Status comparison
(b) Internalized status
(c) Perceived status
(d) Status-set
Ans. (a)
24. Pick up one of the following as a factor in role differentiation-
(a) Illiteracy
(b) Sense of hatred
(c) Geography
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c)
25. Shamsher Singh belongs to fighting tribe of the North West frontier. This is an example of ____________.
(a) Achieved status
(b) Functional status
(c) Formal status
(d) Ascribed status
Ans. (d)
26. Which one of the following can be treated as a sanction against a deviant person?
(a) Imprisonment
(b) Punishment
(c) Elevation in a social function
(d) Social boycott
Ans. (a)
27. In our modern Indian society which one is considered as a deviant behaviour?
(a) favouring of child marriage
(b) favouring of widow remarriage
(c) propagating of inter caste marriage
(d) propagating of five year plans
Ans. (a)
28. Anomie means:
(a) normlessness
(b) norm strictness
(c) norm laxity
(d) norm consciousness
Ans. (d)
29. According to modern thinking a person with a deviant behaviour-
(a) should be socially boycotted
(b) should be severely punished
(c) should be treated as a lunatic
(d) should be convinced about observance of social norms
Ans. (b)
30. Deviant behaviour is found more in a:
(a) slow changing society
(b) rapidly changing society
(c) stagnant society
(d) a society which is not in touch which other societies
Ans. (b)
31. Physical theory about social deviant behaviour believes that deviant behaviour is due to:
(a) certain types of defects in the body
(b) social pressures on the group leaders
(c) social rigidity and caste attitude
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c)
32. Which of the following is true of competition?
(a) It is not a continuous process
(b) It is personal
(c) It is impersonal
(d) For this deliberate efforts are needed
Ans. (c)
33. Competition when used in an unfair manner-
(a) Can have disintegrating effect
(b) Can eliminate monopoly conditions
(c) Avoids social conflicts
(d) Checks exploitation of the weak by the rich
Ans. (a)
34. Which one of the following is not the function of competition?
(a) It has provided a stimulus to technological innovations
(b) It is responsible for providing stimulus to organisational innovations
(c) It creates desire to excel over others
(d) It is directly concerned with the individuals
Ans. (d)
35. Which one of the following is true of competition?
(a) It helps in improving efficiency
(b) It stands in the way of an individual’s progress
(c) It checks an individual’s social movements
(d) It diffuses the concept of nature and functions of individuals in society
Ans. (a)
36. Which one of the following is covered under the category of nature of competition?
(a) It is an impersonal action and a continuous process
(b) It is found only in complex societies
(c) It is not universal
(d) It is found in selected communities and classes
Ans. (a)
37. In developing countries like India marriage is considered as-
(a) a friendship
(b) a religious institution
(c) more friendship and less religious institution
(d) more religious institution and less friendship
Ans. (b)
38. Which is NOT true of non-fraternal polygamy?
(a) In it the biological basis of fatherhood is not important
(b) Parents of new born baby are elected
(c) New born baby is supposed to be the son of the eldest brother
(d) When wife is staying with one husband, others will not visit her
Ans. (c)
39. In fraternal polyandry, woman is treated as the wife-
(a) of the eldest brother only
(b) of all the brothers but son is that of the eldest brother
(c) of all the brothers and son is supposed to be of all
(d) that of the eldest brother but son of all in the family
Ans. (b)
40. In a non-fraternal polyandry woman is:
(a) allowed to have only one husband
(b) allowed to have more than one husband but all should be brothers
(c) allowed to have more than one husband but all can live together
(d) permitted to have more than one husband who may or may not live at one place
Ans. (d)
41. Which one of the following is NOT true of monogamy?
(a) It did not give birth to jealousies among women
(b) It did not divide the love of the husband
(c) It was a stable form of marriage
(d) The number of the women as compared with the men was much lesser
Ans. (d)
42. “Family is a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood or adoption; constituting a single household, interacting and intercommunicating with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister creating a common culture.”
This definition of family is attributed to:
(a) Cicero
(b) St. Augustine
(c) Burgess and Locke
(d) Plato
Ans. (c)
43. Family is “a system of relationship existing between parents and children” according to-
(a) Elliot and Merrill
(b) Clare
(c) Ginsberg
(d) Tonnies
Ans. (d)
44. Family is, “the biological social unit composed of husband, wife and children,” was said by-
(a) Elliot and Merrill
(b) Johnson
(c) Holmes
(d) Maclver
Ans. (a)
45. “The family then, is made up of individuals, but it is also part of the larger social network. Thus, we are all under the constant supervision of our kin, who feel free to criticize, suggest, order, cajole, praise or threaten, so that we will carry out our role obligations” has been observed by-
(a) William J. Goode
(b) Bottomore
(c) J.H. Abraham
(d) Robin Fox
Ans. (a)
46. Which one of the following is a concrete suggestion for reducing instability of modern family?
(a) Marriage should be kept as a social arrangement only
(b) Members should not be allowed to waste – time in discussions
(c) Areas of arrangement should be widened
(d) Younger members should be kept away from hard realities of life
Ans. (c)
47. The primitive kinship system is a ________ system.
(a) narrow range
(b) broad range
(c) flexible
(d) limited
Ans. (b)
48. Kinship terms have been broadly divided in to ____________.
(a) expressive and expansive
(b) latent and manifest
(c) classificatory and descriptive
(d) classificatory and exploratory
Ans. (c)
49. System under which husband is made to lead the life of an invalid along with his wife whenever she gives birth to a child is known as:
(a) couvade
(b) Amitate
(c) takanonymy
(d) avoidance
Ans. (a)
50. Which one of the following falls under the category of tertiary kinship?
(a) Father of the daughter-in-law
(b) Father of the wife
(c) Father of the mother
(d) Father of the uncle
Ans. (a)
51. ______ is the rule by which the married couple go to live with a brother of the groom’s mother.
(a) Matrilocal residence
(b) Neolocal residence
(c) Avunculocal residence
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c)
52. The system under which various kins are included in one category and all are referred to by the same term is known as:
(a) classificatory system
(b) descriptive system
(c) biological system
(d) none of the above
Ans. (a)
53. The bond between the spouses and their relatives on the either side is called-
(a) kinship
(b) affinal kinship
(c) ritual kinship
(d) primary kinship
Ans. (b)
54.___________ believed Couvade to be a cementing bond of married life and a social mechanism signed to secure paternal affection.
(a) Redeliffe Brown
(b) Malinowski
(c) Durkheim
(d) Frazer
Ans. (b)
55. Tylor who has given one of the earliest explanations of ‘avoidance’, relates son-in-law and mother-in-law avoidance causally to __________.
(a) patriliny
(b) matrilocal residence
(c) avunculocal residence
(d) amitate
Ans. (b)
56. About consangunial and affinal relatives who of the following have said that “the composition of these groups depends upon the prevailing rules of descent”?
(a) H.M.Johnson
(b) Merton
(c) Ginsberg
(d) Merill
Ans. (a)
57. Which one of the following is NOT the main cause of social disorganisation?
(a) War
(b) Cumulative crisis
(c) Natural calamities
(d) Absence of social tensions
Ans. (d)
58. Which one of the following is NOT true about social problems?
(a) Social harmony is disturbed
(b) Hostility and suspicion is created
(c) There is large scale social dissatisfaction
(e) It is permanent in nature and character
Ans. (d)
59. Which one of the following is NOT the main cause of social disorganisation?
(a) Division of labour
(b) Prolonged period of peace
(c) Absence of controls
(d) Cultural lag
Ans. (c)
60. Which one of the following does NOT apply to social disorganisation?
(a) Ostentation is replaced by sincerity
(b) Social interests are subordinated by individuality
(c) There is conflict of more
(d) There is conflict among different parts of society
Ans. (a)
61. Which one of the following is the main cause of social disorganisation?
(a) Industrialisation
(b) Breaking up of joint family system
(c) Change in religious feelings of the people
(d) Change in political system
Ans. (a)
62. In post agrarian society:
(a) feudal lord and the king worked in close cooperation with each other
(b) king and the lords were hostile to each other
(c) feudal lords and cultivators had friendly ties
(d) feudal lords looked after the needs of the consumers
Ans. (b)
63. In post agrarian society the trend is:
(a) for strengthening joint family system
(b) for having single family system
(c) for maintaining status quo
(d) for discouraging single family system
Ans. (b)
64. Under feudal system the land was cultivated by:
(a) feudal lord himself
(b) the family of the lord
(c) by the agents of the lord
(d) the tenants and subtenants
Ans. (d)
65. In an industry, worker-
(a) was associated with the produce
(b) and his produce were closely identified
(c) was given prominence
(d) brand was popularised in the market
Ans. (d)
66. In the industrial society, as regards women, which one of the following was NOT true?
(a) These were the devotees of men
(b) These became earning partners of man
(c) These started working in the offices and factories
(d) Their duties and responsibilities very much increased
Ans. (a)
67. In the primitive society man invented weapons and tools for-
(a) satisfying his hunger
(b) killing the animals because of hunting habits
(c) protecting his family from the wild animals
(d) for the sake of curiosity
Ans. (a)
68. Domestication of some animals-
(a) came after the hunting stage of development
(b) came before the hunting stage of development
(c) was the development in the agricultural stage
(d) was abandoned during the pastoral stage
Ans. (a)
69. In the beginning the domestication of-
(a) small animals came into practice
(b) big animals came into practice
(c) dangerous animals came into practice
(d) big cats came into practice
Ans. (d)
70. Which of the following is NOT an essential characteristic of property?
(a) Possession or ownership
(b) Social sanction
(c) Rights and duties regarding, ownership
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)
71. 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
(c) and capital have almost equal role in industry
(d) none of the above
Ans. (a)
72. In traditional family the head of the family used to be one who was-
(a) the eldest person in the family
(b) the eldest person in the village
(c) the wisest member of the family
(d) the wisest person of the village
Ans. (a)
73. The system in which one husband could marry one wife but married relations were not definite was known as-
(a) syndas
(b) orientation
(c) procreation
(d) none of these
Ans. (a)
74. In our times the family system is under heavy strains because of:
(a) urbanisation
(b) democracy
(c) small family size
(d) religious in toleration
Ans. (a)
75. Family system in which sex relationship was not definite was known as:
(a) matrilineal
(b) patronymic
(c) punaduant
(d) patrilineal
Ans. (c)
76. Out of the following whose name is associated with polygamy theory about the origin of family?
(a) Sir Henry Maine
(b) Herbert
(c) Kingsley Davis
(d) Burgess
Ans. (d)
77. In______, each individual automatically becomes a member of any consanguineal kin-group to which his father belongs, but not of those to which his mother belongs.
(a) Patrilineal descent
(b) Patrilocal residence
(c) Bilateral descent
(d) Double descent
Ans. (a)
78. Clan is basically an_________ group.
(a) exogamous
(b) endogamous
(c) indivisible
(d) none of the above
Ans. (a)
79. Those kin who are related to each other directly through descent are called-
(a) agnatic kin
(b) collateral kin
(c) lineal kin
(d) none of the above
Ans. (c)
80. The most important consanguined kin-group associated with unilinear rules of descent are-
(a) lineages and clans
(b) moieties and Phratries
(c) clan
(d) sections
Ans. (a)
81. In______, ego joins the consanguineal kin groups or groups of his mother but not those of his father.
(a) Patrilineal descent
(b) Matrilineal descent
(c) Matrilocal residence
(d) Unilateral descent
Ans. (b)
82. Which one of the following factors does not count much in social status?
(a) Occupation of a person
(b) Social needs of person
(c) Availability of personnel in the society for particular occupations
(d) Availability of natural resources to the society
Ans. (d)
83. ____________ refers to the rules and prescriptions about intercaste relations, particularly to eating and drinking of water.
(a) Prohibition
(b) Commensality
(c) Regulations
(d) Prescriptions
Ans. (a)
84. Alienation for Marx is a/an ______________.
(a) objective condition
(b) subjective condition
(c) individual condition
(d) class condition
Ans. (a)
85. Status groups, according to Weber are identified by-
(a) education
(b) occupation
(c) styles of life
(d) family background
Ans. (c)
86. According to Marx, when a class becomes aware of its interests and organizes itself, it becomes a-
(a) class in itself
(b) revolutionary class
(c) class for itself
(d) bourgeoisie
Ans. (c)
87. Which one of the following is NOT true of tribal economy?
(a) There is very little use of coins
(b) Foodgrains are the main source of exchange
(c) There are no large scale industries
(d) There are regular markets for the disposal of produce.
88. Which of the following is NOT an important factor responsible for promotion of assimilation?
(a) Toleration
(b) Close social contacts
(c) Cultural similarity
(d) Economic inequality
Ans. (d)
89. Which one of the following is NOT the main cause of weakness of dormitories among the tribals these days?
(a) Due to spread of education
(b) Due to attitude of Christian missionaries
(c) On account of influence of city life
(d) On account of political instability in the area.
Ans. (d)
90. Which one of the following is an important hindrance in the process of tribal assimilation?
(a) Good nature of immigrants
(b) Better occupational skill of immigrants
(c) High number of immigrants
(d) Influence of city life
Ans. (d)
91. Main occupation of Birhor and Kharia tribes is:
(a) food gathering
(b) cattle rearing
(c) cultivation
(d) cottage industries
Ans. (a)
92. Which of the following statements is true?
(a) Economy refers to an attempt to secure the maximum satisfaction possible through adapting limited means to unlimited ends in an organized manner
(b) Money as a measurement of value is not as widely used in primitive society as in modern society
(c) The profit motive is generally, absent in tribal economies
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)
93. Mark the incorrect statement out of the following-
(a) Corporate form of business organisation is one of the most important of the largest business group
(b) Division of labour leads to dependence of one country on another
(c) There is no risk of unemployment in the division of labour
(d) There is a problem of distribution of the goods produced in the system of division of labour
Ans. (c)
94. In __________ society, the notion of property is closely related to display an expenditure of wealth rather than to its accumulation.
(a) Primitive
(b) Modern
(c) Communist
(d) Industrial
Ans. (a)
95. “Property consists of the rights and duties of one person or group as against all other persons and groups with respect to some scarce goods,” this definition has been given by-
(a) Davis
(b) Durkheim
(c) Park Burgess
(d) A. Heinman
Ans. (a)
96. A corporate form of business organisation is one in which-
(a) the capital is supplied by a number of persons who are its shareholders
(b) the capital is supplied by certain private corporations
(c) the capital is issued by the local municipal corporations
(d) the capital is issued by public corporations
Ans. (a)
97. Which among the following was NOT the imperial city of the mughals?
(a) Delhi
(b) Shahjahanabad
(c) Agra
(d) Fatehpur Sikri
Ans. (a)
98. Among the following characteristics of rural community, which do you think is NOT applicable to the urban community?
(a) The sense of group responsibility
(b) Folk ways and traditional mores control most of the behaviour
(c) Customs dominate the social life
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)
99. Which characteristic of urban community among the following is different from that of the rural community?
(a) Social control through specialized agencies
(b) Life is regulated most by the State
(c) The anonymous character of city dweller
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)
100. Which among the following is NOT a feature of a town?
(a) Political, cultural and economic influence over surrounding farmland
(b) Town fulfills all the service functions of the city
(c) Towns display a large degree of uniformity all over the country
(d) A highly complex differentiation of both men and their institutions
Ans. (c)
101. Which one of the following is NOT a salient feature of the family?
(a) It is a nucleus of all social activities
(b) It is only a closed group
(c) In it all work in the spirit of give and take
(d) It is an open group
Ans. (d)