UPSC Mains 2019 Sociology Optional Paper I questions

27 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2019. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All Sociology Optional PYQs

1. Arts Discuss the historical antecedents of the emergence of Sociology as a discipline.

   10 marks

2. Davis and Moore made it clear that social stratification is a functional. necessity and also an unconscious device. Discuss.

   10 marks

3. What is the Marxist concept of 'fetishism of commodities'?

   10 marks

4. Present a sociological review on the 'new middle-class'.

   10 marks

5. Explain the probability sampling strategies with examples.

   10 marks

6. According to Mead, "We play a key role in our own socialisation."; Explain.

   20 marks

7. Bring out the significance of Ethnography in social research.

   20 marks

8. What is 'reserve army of labour'? Present the position of feminist scholars on this.

   10 marks

9. Discuss the importance of interpretative understanding of social phenomena and explain its limitations.

   20 marks

10. Are all world religions patriarchal? Substantiate your answer with examples.

    20 marks

11. What, according to Merton, is the difference between 'unanticipated consequences' and 'latent functions'? Give examples to elaborate.

    10 marks

12. Modernisation presupposes class society; however caste, ethnicity and race are still predominant. Explain.

    20 marks

13. Compare and contrast the contributions of Marx and Weber on social stratification in capitalist society.

    20 marks

14. What, according to Irawati Karve, are the major differences between North Indian and South Indian Kinship systems?

    10 marks

15. Differentiate between 'Life-chances' and Life-style' with suitable examples.

    10 marks

16. Discuss the issues of access and exclusion in higher education in India.

    10 marks

17. What is civil society? Present a note on civil society engagement with science and technology policy in India.

    10 marks

18. How well do you think Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber and Marx predicted the character of modern society? Critique.

    10 marks

19. Why is gender a dimension of social stratification? How does gender intersect other dimensions of inequality based on caste, class, race and ethnicity?

    20 marks

20. What are the theoretical models of societal power? Which one of them is most applicable in advanced industrial societies?

    20 marks

21. What is affirmative action? Substantiate theoretical positions on affirmative actions with examples.

    10 marks

22. What is 'informal labour'? Discuss the need for and challenges in regulating informal labour in the post-industrial society.

    20 marks

23. Feminist scholars argue that 'New media' is masculine and hence reinforces structural hierarchies rather than reconfiguring them. Comment.

    20 marks

24. Discuss the concept of circulation of elite.

    10 marks

25. In the light of judicial intervention on 'Live-in relationships', discuss the future of marriage and family in India.

    20 marks

26. How, according to Merton, are deviant subcultures generated?

    20 marks

27. How is terrorism a new form of asymmetrical warfare? What are some of the challenges in trying to win the war on terrorism?

    10 marks