Sociology: CBSE Sample Question Paper (2020-21) - 1 | CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Humanities - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Class - XII
Sociology
TIME: 3 Hrs.
M.M: 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 objective type questions.
4. Section B includes question No. 17-25. These are very short answer type questions carrying 2 marks each. Answers 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. Answers to each question should not exceed 80 words. Question no. 26 and 27 are case based questions with 4 parts each carrying 1 mark, making the questions of 4 marks each.
6. Section D includes question No. 33-35. They are long answer type questions carrying 6 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 200 words each. Question No 35 is to be answered with the help of the passage given.

Q.1. ____________, is one of the foremost rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
(a) Social movement
(b) Universal Adult Franchise
(c) Social change
(d) Confrontation
Ans. b

Q.2. Often________ and income inequality overlap, for example, in the domination of upper caste men in well-paying professions like medicine, law or journalism. Women often get paid less than men for similar work.
Ans. Social inequality

Q.3. “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. This poem was written by____________________.
Ans. Daya Pawar

Q.4. Mark the statement as true or false. The hierarchical ordering of castes is based on the distinction between purity and rituals.
Ans. False. The hierarchical ordering of castes is based on the distinction between purity and pollution.

OR
Towards the end of the colonial period, the administration also took an interest in the welfare of the downtrodden castes, referred to as the_____________ at that time.
(a) Social classes
(b) Progressive castes
(c) Dominant castes
(d) Depressed classes
Ans. d

Q.5. “Malthus’s theory of population growth outlined in his Essay on Population (1798) – was a rather pessimistic one. He suggested that human populations tend to grow at a much faster rate than the rate at which the means of human subsistence (specially food, but also clothing and other agriculture-based products) can grow. Choose the incorrect statement about Malthusian Theory of population growth.
(a) Humanity is condemned to live in poverty because population growth will always be taken over by industrial growth.
(b) Population rises in geometric progression and agricultural production can only grow in arithmetic progression.
(c) Positive checks to population growth were inevitable.
(d) Humanity has only a limited ability to voluntarily reduce the growth of its population.
Ans. a

Q.6. “The word caste refers to a broad institutional arrangement that in Indian languages is referred to by two terms varna and jati. Which of the following is not a feature of jati?
(a) It refers to species or kinds of anything.
(b) It refers to the institution of caste.
(c) It refers to colour.
(d) It is referred as caste in English.
Ans. c

Q.7. “The _____________ movement expressed the resentment of hill villagers against a distant government in the plains that seemed indifferent and hostile to their concerns about ecology.
Ans. Chipko

Q.8. Mark the statement as true or false.
Industrialisation involves a detailed division of labour.
Ans. True

Q.9. Mark the statement as true or false.
Most ascriptive identities are very easy to shake off.
Ans. False, hard.

Q.10. Patterns of unequal access of social resources are commonly called as________________.
Ans. Social inequality

Q.11. ___________ is the systematic study of population.
Ans. Demography

OR
The systematic collection of data on people based on enumeration is known as ____________.
Ans. census or survey

Q.12. A continuous dialogue, negotiation and even struggle against significant others (those directly involved in our lives) like our parents, family, kin group and our community. The process is known as:
(a) Achieved identity
(b) socialisation
(c) nation state
(d) dual citizenship
Ans. b

Q.13. “The differently abled are not ʻdisabledʼ only because they are physically or mentally ʻimpairedʼ but also because society is built in a manner that does not cater to their needs..ʼ Which of the following is not a common feature central to the public perception of disability?
(a) It is understood as non-biological
(b) Disabled is seen as a victim
(c) The very idea suggests that they are in need of help
(d) The problems confronted are taken for granted as originated due to disability
Ans. a

Q.14 Correct the given statement. Discrimination refers to fictitiousbehavior towards another group or individual.
Ans. Discrimination refers to actual behaviour towards another group or individual.

Q.15. The social reform movements which emerged in India in the 19th century arose to the challenges that rural Indian society faced. Mark the statement as true or false.
Ans. False colonial

Q.16. _______________ refers to the emergence of machine production, based on the use of inanimate power resources like steam and electricity.
Ans. Industrialisation

Q.17. India like most societies has been marked by acute practices of social discrimination and exclusion. Determine using two examples that India has been marked by acute practices of social discrimination and exclusion.
Ans. Caste system, discrimination against women, dalits, physically challenged, etc., are some of them acute practices of social discrimination and exclusion followed in India.

OR
The post-Independence Indian state inherited and reflected certain contradictions. On the one hand, the state was committed to the abolition of caste and explicitly wrote this into the Constitution. On the other hand, the state was both unable and unwilling to push through radical reforms which would have undermined the economic basis for caste inequality. Justify this statement using an example.
Ans. The post-Independence Indian state inherited and reflected these contradictions. The state assumed that if it operated in a caste-blind manner, this would automatically lead to the undermining of caste-based privileges and the eventual abolition of the institution. For example, appointments to government jobs took no account of caste, thus leaving the well-educated upper castes and the ill-educated or often illiterate lower castes to compete on “equal” terms. The only exception to this was in the form of reservations for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In other words, in the decades immediately after Independence, the state did not make sufficient effort to deal with the fact that the upper castes and the lower castes were far from equal in economic and educational terms.

Q.18. What is the relation between agriculture and culture?
Ans. The nature and practice of agriculture varies greatly across the different regions of the country. These variations are reflected in the different regional cultures. One can say that both the culture and social structure in rural India are closely bound up with agricultural and the agrarian way of life.

Q.19. The word ‘communalism’ refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. Justify.
Ans. Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one’s own group as the only legitimate or worthy group, with other groups being seen – by definition – as inferior, illegitimate and opposed. Thus, to simplify further, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion.

OR
The term ‘diversity’ emphasises differences rather than inequalities. Explain.
Ans. When we say that India is a nation of great cultural diversity, we mean that there are many different types of social groups and communities living here. These are communities defined by cultural markers such as language, religion, sect, race or caste. When these diverse communities are also part of a larger entity like a nation, then difficulties may be created by competition or conflict between them.

Q.20. Who are the privileged minorities?
Ans. The privileged minorities such as extremely rich people are not usually referred to as minorities, if they are, the term is qualified in some way as in the phrase’ Privileged Minorities’.

Q.21. Industrialisation involves a detailed division of labour. Justify.
Ans. Industrialisation involves a detailed division of labour. People often do not see the end result of their work because they are producing only one small part of a product. The work is often repetitive and exhausting. Yet, even this is better than having no work at all, i.e., being unemployed. Marx called this situation alienation, when people do not enjoy work, and see it as something they have to do only in order to survive, and even that survival depends on whether the technology has room for any human labour.

OR
Evaluate how the concept of Taylorism has been applied to the IT cell sector?
Ans. The concept of Taylorism has been applied to the IT sector in which each person does his/her work at a given time span.
(a) Night out: The professionals work the whole night but this is not the same as overtime but this is voluntary.
(b) Fixed time: There is no fixed time, but I have to work for 8 hours.
(c) Can select their time slot, working hours.
(d) There are three cities which are the hub of IT:
(i) Bengaluru-Silicon city
(ii) Hyderabad-Hitech city
(iii) Gurgaon-Cyber city
(e) To cater to the needs of the people eating joints, shops, hotels, etc are open overnight creating employment and catering to these people.

Q.22. Explain any two key principles that help explain social stratification?
Ans. Key principles that help explain social stratification
(i) Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a function of individual differences. Social stratification is a society-wide system that unequally distributed social resources among categories of people.
(ii) Social stratification persists over generations. It is closely linked to the family and to the inheritance of social resources from one generation to the next.
(iii) Social stratification is supported by patterns of belief, or ideology. No system of social stratification is likely to persist over generations unless it is widely viewed as being either fair or inevitable.

Q.23. Give four examples of caste-based movement..
Ans. Following are the examples: Satnami Movement, Adi Dharma Movement, All India Backward Classes Federation, Mahar Movement, Anti Brahmin Movement (any four).

Q.24. What makes social inequality different from the inequality of individuals?
Ans. Individual inequality refers to destructiveness and variations among individuals in their psychological and physical characteristics. Social inequality refers to a social system where some people are getting opportunity to make use of the resources and others are not. Some people are at a higher level in terms of wealth, education, health and status while others are at the lowest level. Social inequality is manifested in following forms:
(i) Social stratification
(ii) Prejudices
(iii) Stereotypes
(iv) Discrimination.

Q.25. How does literacy vary across gender, region and social groups?
Ans. Literacy varies considerably across gender, regions, and social groups. The literacy rate for women is 16.7% less than the literacy rate for men (Census of India 2011, Provisional). However, female literacy has been rising faster than male literacy, partly because it started from relatively low levels. Literacy rates also vary by social group – historically disadvantaged communities like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have lower rates of literacy, and rates of female literacy within these groups are even lower. Regional variations are still very wide, with states like Kerala approaching universal literacy, while states like Bihar are lagging far behind.

Q.26. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
To diehards who have developed a kind of fanaticism against minority protection I would like to say two things. One is that minorities are an explosive force which, if it erupts, can blow up the whole fabric of the state. The history of Europe bears ample and appalling testimony to this fact. The other is that the minorities in India have agreed to place their existence in the hands of the majority. In the history of negotiations for preventing the partition of Ireland, Redmond said to Carson “Ask for any safeguard you like for the Protestant minority but let us have a United Ireland.” Carson’s reply was “Damn your safeguards, we don’t want to be ruled by you.” No minority in India has taken this stand.

(i) In Indian nationalism, the dominant trend was marked by an__________.
(a) exclusive and authoritarian
(b) inclusive and authoritarian vision
(c) inclusive and democratic vision
(d) exclusive and democratic vision
Ans. c

(ii) Ideas of _______________ influenced Indian nationalists.
(a) humanism
(b) fanaticism
(c) communalism
(d) discrimination
Ans. a

(iii) ___________ became a short hand to capture the plural and diverse nature of Indian society.
(a) Satyamev Jayete
(b) Right to Education
(c) Unity in Diversity
(d) Communalism
Ans. c

(iv) Article ___________ of the Indian Constitution deals with minorities and cultural diversity.
(a) 27 and 28
(b) 28 and 29
(c) 29 and 30
(d) 30 and 31
Ans. c

OR
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
We, the peoples of Australia, of many origins as we are, make a commitment to go on together in a spirit of reconciliation. We value the unique status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original owners and custodians of lands and waters. We recognise this land and its waters were settled as colonies without treaty or consent. […] Our nation must have the courage to own the truth, to heal the wounds of its past so that we can move on together at peace with ourselves. As we walk the journey of healing, one part of the nation apologises and expresses its sorrow and sincere regret for the injustices of the past, so the other part accepts the apologies and forgives. […] And so, we pledge ourselves to stop injustice, overcome disadvantage, and respect that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the right to self-determination within the life of the nation.

(i) Community identity is based on:
(a) birth and belonging
(b) acquired qualification
(c) accomplishment
(d) both (a) and (b)
Ans. a

(ii) The identities that are determined by the accidents or birth and do not involve any choice on the part of individuals concerned are called ________ identities. 
(a) ascriptive
(b) demonstrative
(c) acquired
(d) Both (a) and c
Ans. a

(iii) People often react emotionally or even violently whenever there is a perceived threat to their:
(a) community identity
(b) individual identity
(c) community conflict
(d) competency
Ans. a

(iv) It is a social fact that no country or group ever mobilises its members to struggle for:
(1) untruth
(2) injustice
(3) equality
(4) inequality
Codes:
(a) Only (1)
(b) Only (3)
(c) Only (1) and (2)
(d) Only (1), (2) and (4)
Ans. d

Q.27. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
Industrialisation and urbanisation did not happen in India quite the way it did in Britain. More importantly, this is not because we began industrialisation late, but because our early industrialisation and urbanisation in the modern period were governed by colonial interests. 

(i) Official reports show how the colonial government often used ________________ means to hire and forcibly keep labourers.
(a) fair
(b) unfair
(c) equitable
(d) just
Ans. a

(ii) The colonial government clearly acted on behalf of the _________________.
(a) Portuguese planters
(b) Assamese planters
(c) Indian planters
(d) British planters
Ans. d

(iii) The colonial government used harsh measures because they knew that they don’t have to stick to ________________ in India as followed in Britain
(a) monarchical norms
(b) communal norms
(c) democratic norms
(d) secular norms
Ans. c

(iv) Life of the labourers in the tea garden was _________________.
(a) awesome
(b) satisfactory
(c) outstanding
(d) miserable
Ans. d

OR
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
For Indian nationalists the issue of economic exploitation under colonial rule was a central issue. Images of pre-colonial fabled riches of India contrasted with the poverty of British India. The Swadeshi movement strengthened the loyalty to the national economy. Modern ideas made people realise that poverty was preventable. Indian nationalists saw rapid industrialisation of the economy as the path towards both growth and social equity. Development of heavy and machine making industries, expansion of the public sector and holding of a large cooperative sector were considered very important.
(i) A modern and prosperous India, as visualised by Jawaharlal Nehru, was to be built on an edifice of giant steel plants or gigantic dams and _________________.
(a) canals
(b) industries
(c) power stations
(d) roads
Ans. c

(ii) Independent Indian states played an active role in promoting ________________.
(a) industrialisation
(b) urbanisation
(c) westernisation
(d) colonisation
Ans. a

(iii) Nearly a decade before the country’s independence, in 1938 a National Planning Committee with Jawaharlal Nehru as the Chairman and K.T. Shah as the General Editor was set up by the _________________.
(a) Muslim League
(b) Indian National Congress
(c) Planning Commission
(d) British Government
Ans. b

(iv) Notwithstanding these obstacles, _______________ divided into eight groups were set up to deal with all aspects of national life and to work in accordance with a predetermined plan.
(a) 25 sub-committees
(b) 26 sub-committees
(c) 28 sub-committees
(d) 29 sub-committees
Ans. d

Q.28. How is the hierarchical ordering of castes based on the distinction between “purity and pollution”?
Ans. “Purity and Pollution” is a division between something believed to be closer to the sacred (thus connoting ritual purity), and something believed to be distant from or opposed to the sacred, therefore considered ritually polluting. Castes that are considered ritually pure have high status, while those considered less pure or impure have low status. As in all societies, material power (i.e., economic or military power) is closely associated with social status, so that those in power tend to be of high status, and vice versa. Historians believe that those who were defeated in wars were often assigned low caste status.

OR
How have tribes been classified in India?
Ans. In terms of language, tribes are categorised into four categories. Two of them, Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, are shared by the rest of the Indian population as well, and tribes account for only about 1% of the former and about 3% of the latter. The other two language groups, the Austric and Tibeto-Burman, are primarily spoken by tribals, who account for all of the first and over 80% of the second group. In physical-racial terms, tribes are classified under the Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian and Aryan categories. The last two are again shared with the rest of the population of India.
In terms of size, tribes vary a great deal, ranging from about 7 million to some Andamanese islanders who may number less than a hundred persons. The biggest tribes are the Gonds, Bhils, Santhals, Oraons, Minas, Bodos and Mundas, all of whom are at least a million strong. The total population of tribes amounts to about 8.2% of the population of India, or about 84 million persons  according to the 2001 Census. According to Census Report 2011, it is 8.6% of the population of India, or about 104 million tribal persons in the country.

Q.29. Express the correlation between the situation of agricultural workers and lack of upward socioeconomic mobility?
Ans. The correlation between the situation of agricultural workers and lack of upward socio-economic mobility:
(i) Indian rural society is totally dependent on agriculture. It is the only source of their livelihood. Unfortunately it is unevenly distributed, not organised and many people of rural Society are landless.
(ii) Indian rural society has a patrilineal kinship system. According to the legal system women are supposed to have an equal right of family property but actually it is simply on papers. Because of male dominance, they are deprived of their rights.
(iii) Most of the people in villages are landless and for their livelihood they become agriculture workers. They are paid below the statutory minimum wages. Their job is not regular and employment is insecure. Mostly these agriculture workers work on daily wages.
(iv) The tenants also have lower income because they have to pay a large amount of production to the landowner.
(v) The ownership of land or its total area determines the position of the farmers upward or downward mobility in his socio-economic system.

Q.30. Critically examine the concept of Westernisation.
Ans. Westernisation is defined as ‟the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule, the term ʻsubsumingʼ changes occurring at different levels, i.e., technology, institutions, ideology and values”.
(i) Small sections of people who adopted western life-styles or were affected by western ways of thinking and also started to make use of new technology, dress, food, and changes in the habits and styles of people in general.
(ii) Across the country a very wide section of middle class homes have a television set, a fridge, some kind of sofa set, a dining table and chair in the living room.
(iii) Westernisation does involve the imitation of external forms of culture. It does not necessarily mean that people adopt modern values of democracy and equality. (iv) The west also influenced Indian art and literature.

Q.31. Highlight on the diverse forms of the family found in different societies.
Ans. The diverse family forms that are found in different societies are : With regard to the rule of residence, some societies are matrilocal in their marriage and family customs while others are patrilocal. In the first case, the newly married couple stays with the woman’s parents, whereas in the second case the couple lives with the man’s parents. With regard to the rules of inheritance, matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter while patrilineal societies do so from father to son. A patriarchal family structure exists where the men exercise authority and dominance, and matriarchy where the women play a similarly dominant role. However, matriarchy (unlike patriarchy) – has been a theoretical rather than an empirical concept. There is no historical or anthropological evidence of matriarchy, i.e., societies where women exercise dominance. However, there do exist matrilineal societies, i.e., societies where women inherit property from their mothers but do not exercise control over it, nor are they the decision makers in public affairs.

Q.32. What measures do you think the government has taken, or should take, to protect the rights of landless agricultural labourers and migrant workers?
Ans. Measures to protect the right of Landless labourers:
(i) Abolition of bonded labour legally: Bandhua mazdoor (bonded labourers) practiced in U.P. and Bihar, Halpati System in Gujarat and Jeeta System in Karnataka has been legally abolished by the Government of India.
(ii) Abolition of the zamindari system: The intermediaries between the peasants and the state were the Zamindars. The state very effectively and intensively passed legislation and this system was abolished.
(iii) Abolition and regulation act for tenancy: These laws discourage tenancy or ‘Batai’ systems. In West Bengal and Kerala, where CPI systems government was in power the tenants got the land rights.
(iv) Imposition of Land Ceiling Act: According to this act the upper limit of land for an owner is being fixed. Because of this act to identify surplus land and redistribute among the landless became programmes of the state. Binoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Yojna instructed this legislation but there are many shortcomings in this act and should be taken care of.
(a) To improve the condition of landless people living in villages the state should take appropriate measures and this whole sector should be organised.
(b) The economic conditions of villages should be improved by the state. Villages should be well connected to the ties, job opportunities should be creaked in the villages. Education and health facilities as well as entertainment facilities should be developed in the villages to discourage migration. MGNREGA is an effective measure in this duration
(vii) Consolidation of Land: Landowner farmers are given one or two bigger pieces of land in lieu of their several scattered small fields. It may be done as voluntary consolidation or as compulsory consolidation. This can bring about a lot of efficiencies in the agriculture process as a farmer.

Q.33. Express the reasons why state level child sex ratio offer even greater cause for worry.

Ans. The state-level child sex ratios offer even greater cause for worry. As many as six States and Union Territories have a child sex ratio of under 900 females per 1000 males. Punjab is the worst with an incredibly low child sex ratio of 793 (the only state below 800), followed by Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh while Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are all under 925, while Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha are above the national average of 927 but below the 950-mark. Even Kerala, the state with the best overall sex ratio does not do too well at 963, while the highest child sex ratio of 986 is found in Sikkim. Uneven sex ratio willed to growing members of bachelors, decling population and dilute the demographic dividend.

OR
Based on the projections given in the pyramid state where do Kerala stand? What does the bulge in the middle age group indicate?
Ans. 

Kerala is beginning to acquire an age structure like that of the developed countries. The middle of the pyramid grows wider and wider as its share of the total population increases. This creates a ‘bulge’ in the middle age groups. India is supposed to be benefitting from a ‘demographic dividend’. This dividend arises from the fact that the current generation of working-age people is a relatively large one, and it has only a relatively small preceding generation of old people to support.

Q.34. “Home-based work is an important part of the economy.”Explain with reference to the bidi industry.
Ans. Home-based work is an important part of the economy. This includes the manufacture of lace, zari or brocade, carpets, bidis, agarbattis and many such products. This work is mainly done by women and children. An agent provides raw materials and also picks up the finished product. Home workers are paid on a piece-rate basis, depending on the number of pieces they make. The process of making bidis starts in forested villages where villagers pluck tendu leaves and sell it to the forest department or a private contractor who in turn sells it to the forest department. On average a person can collect 100 bundles (of 50 leaves each) a day. The government then auctions the leaves to bidi factory owners who give it to the contractors. The contractor in turn supplies tobacco and leaves to home-based workers. These workers, mostly women, roll the bidis–first dampening the leaves, then cutting them, filling in tobacco evenly and then tying them with thread. The contractor picks up these bidis and sells them to the manufacturer who roasts them, and puts on his own brand label. The manufacturer then sells them to a distributor who distributes the packed bidis to wholesalers who in turn sell to neighbourhood pan shops.

Q.35. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.

The Siliguri sub-division peasants’ conference proved to be a great success. The peasants, quickened and strengthened by their earlier militant struggles, looked forward expectantly. Faces deadened and dulled with the grinding routine of labour on the jotedars’ fields in sun and rain glowed with hope and understanding. According to Kanu Sanyal’slater claims, from March 1967 to April 1967, all the villagers were organised. From 15,000 to 20,000 peasants were enrolled as wholetime activists. Peasants’ committees were formed in every village and they were transformed into armed guards. They soon occupied land in the name of peasants’ committees, burnt all land records ‘which had been used to cheat them of their dues’, cancelled all hypothecary debts, passed death sentences on oppressive landlords, formed armed bands by looting guns from landlords, armed themselves with conventional weapons like bows, arrows and spears, and set up parallel administration to look after the villages… Source: Sumanata Banerjee “Naxalbari and the Left Movement” in (ed.) Ghanshyam Shah Social Movements and the State (Sage, Delhi 2002) pp. 125-192.
(i) Is this social movement raising old or new issues? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. The Naxalabri and the left movements raised old issues focusing on the central problem of land which was there since colonial times. The main objective of the movement was to capture the power of the state with the might of their armed strength.

(ii) How was it focused on the central problem of land?
Ans. The main objective of the movement was to capture the power of the state with the might of their armed strength. They captured the territories and established their rule stating that the states neglected and exploited these areas.