SOCIOLOGY
PAPER I- 1980
1. Distinguish
between formal and informal structures of organizations and show how some of
the problems of formal organizations can be better understood in forms of this
distinction.
Or
Define ‘social
stratification’ and critically examine the view that Marx has “oversimplified
the structure of satisfaction by reducing it to one factor, control of the
means of production”.
Section
A
2. What
do you mean by functionalism? Explain Merton’s paradigm of functional analysis.
Does it satisfy the requirements of a rigorous theory?
3. In
what ways is organic solidarity different from mechanical solidarity? Does
organic division of labour lead to greater efficiency? Illustrate your view
with examples.
4. Examine
Pareto’s analysis of the circulation of elites. It is valid for the modern
industrial societies?
5. Distinguish
among power, prestige and authority. What are the different ways in which an
authority may gain legitimacy? Why does a changing society face crises of
legitimacy?
Section
B
6. Bring
out the relationship between technological development and changes in family
and kinship. How do you account for the different types of kinship system in
the U.S. and Japan which are similar with regard to technological development?
7. Define
and elaborate social fact and social action as the subject matter of sociology.
What are the problems which such a subject matter posses for its scientific
study? Can it be studied scientifically at all?
8. Distinguish
between observation and interviewing as techniques of data collection. Under
what contexts may their use be recommended? Bring out their merits and demerits
as regards their objectivity and validity.
9. Write
short notes on any two of the following:
(a) Religion as a force
both for integration and conflict within society.
(b) Dialectics of change
as applied to the Indian society.
(c) Changes in the
society at large and role conflict within the family.
(d) The significance of
the combination of induction and deduction in scientific method.
SOCIOLOGY
PAPER II-1980
1. What
argument are adduced by some authors to assert that the caste system is
peculiar only to India, and by some others to show that it is a universal
phenomenon observable in other parts of the world as well?
Or
Some
authors maintain that the caste system contributes to solidarity and harmony in
society, whereas some other think that it is an exploitative system. What are
the grounds for such divergent views?
Section
A
2. Analyse
the interrelationships among the joint family, the caste system and the village
community in the traditional Indian society and show how they were supported by
the peculiar economic organization and the value system.
3. Describe
the traditional modes of adaptation and mobility in tribe and caste in India and bring out the significant changes in these process since independence.
4. Traditionally,
marriage in the Father-right societies in India was not merely a union between
man and woman, but a permanent transfer of a woman from the family of her
parents into that of her husband. What customs and practices in marriage and
family can you adduce to substantiate this observation?
5. There
are tendencies in some parts of the country, on the part of the native people
of a region to discriminate against the immigrants. Analyse the economic,
demographic and socio-cultural factors which may give rise to the politics of
nativism.
Section
B
6. Examine
India’s claim to be a secular state and society. Does the concept of secular
state as understood in India lead to the spread of secularism in society as a
scientific concept.
7. Give
a brief account of the major social reform movements in the 19th and
20th century India. How and why can they be regarded fundamentally
different from such movements in the past.
8. Explain
why it is not urbanization alone, but urbanization combined with industrialization,
which is responsible for far-reaching changes in society.
9. Write
short notes on any two of the following:
(a) Varna and
Jati.
(b) Growing economic
disparities despite development planning.
(c) Slow progress of
Scheduled caste despite Protective Discrimination.
(d) Whether the status of
women in India is due to their inherent qualities or to social arrangements.
