Class 11 Sociology Short Questions with Answers - Introducing Western Sociologists

Very Short Questions With Answer (1 Mark Each)

Q1. Which concepts are given by Karl Marx to Sociology?
Ans. Karl Marx gave many concepts to Sociology which  include Dialectical materialism, Historical materialism, Social change, Alienation, Surplus value, Socialism etc.

Q2. Which two classes are given by Karl Marx?
Ans. According to Karl Marx, there are two classes in society—Capitalist and Labour class. Capitalist class is that class which owns means of production and which exploits the labour class with the help of his wealth. Labour class is that class which don’t have means of production and which sells its labour to earn its livelihood.

Q3. Give the meaning of Socialism.
Ans. According to Marx, one time will come when labour class will start revolution against capitalism and will throw away its authority. System of labour class will be established and there will be no class in the society. Every one will get according to his ability and society will control the means of production. This is a socialism.

Q4. What is Class Struggle?
Ans. Marx was of the view that two opposing classes of capitalists and labourers are there in society. First class exploits the second class with the help of its resources and second class wants to earn more to give a good life to its family. That’s why conflict is always there between both the classes which is known as ‘class struggle’.

Q5. Give names of three books written by Karl Marx.
Ans. 

• The Holy Family—1845
• Communist Manifesto—1848
• The Class Struggle in France—1850
• Das Capital (1st part)—1867

Q6. Give definition of Sociology given by Durkheim.
Ans. According to Durkheim, ‘‘Sociology is the science of social institutions, their genesis and development.’’

Q7. Give definition of Social Facts given by Durkheim.
Ans. According to Durkheim, ‘‘Social facts are those ways of thinking, doing work and feel which has the special characteristics to maintain its existence exterior to the individual consciousness.’’

Q8. Give two characteristics of Social Fact.
Ans. 

• Social facts are exterior to humans and they do not belong to any specific person but they belong to whole of the society.
• Second feature of social fact is the constraint means they exert impact of constraint on humans.

Q9. Give meaning of Suicide given by Durkheim.
Ans. According to Durkheim, ‘‘The word Suicide is used for all those deaths which are the direct or indirect results of any function of dead person about which he himself knows that this act will cause death to him.’’

Q10. Give types of suicide given by Durkheim.
Ans. Durkheim has given three types of suicide and these are:

• Egoistic Suicide
• Altruistic Suicide
• Anomic Suicide

Short Questions With Answer (2 Mark Each) 

Ans. 

• Marx has not given any definition of class anywhere but on the basis of his writings Lenin has given definition of the class.
• According to Lenin, Classes are known as big groups of those people who in any level of history of social production from the view of their place, from the view of their relation with the means of production, from the view of hard work and their role in social structure and because of which they are the owner of that much part of the social property, are different from each other from the view of quantity and from the view of achieving it.

Q2. What is Class Struggle.

Ans. 

• Karl Marx has studied two classes in each society.
• In every society, two opposite classes are there.
• One who exploits and other who is exploited by first one.
• There is always a struggle between them. To this struggle Marx has given the name of Class struggle.
• The class which exploits, to whom he gives the name of Capitalist class or Bourgouise, has all the means of production. With these means of production, it always tries to suppress the other classes.
• Second class to which he has given the name of Labour class or Proletariats, doesn't have any means of production. It doesn't have anything to earn its livelihood except to sell their labour. They are always exploited by Capitalist class.

Q3. When class and class struggle will come to an end?
Ans. 

• Under the leadership of labour class with the help of class struggle, the tools of state will come in its hands and then the age of Socialism will start. According to Marx, state is the biggest tool in the hands of capitalists to exploit others.
• After the revolution, Feudalism and Capitalism will try for anti revolution. That's why the stage of Socialism from Capitalism is the temporary stage of authority of labourers.
• After the establishment of Socialism, exploitation will come to an end, groups also will come to an end and every one will be able to get according to his labour. But in the developed stage of communism every one will be able to get according to his needs.
• Gradually, the state will disintegrate and the institution based on cooperation will come into being and class and class struggle will come to an end.

Q4. What is Capitalist Class?
Ans. 

• Marx has given the concept of Capitalist Class.
• According to him one group in society is of that type which has all the means of production and which is the owner of all the means of production.
• With the help of its means of production it always exploits other classes.
• With the help of its means, it earns more money and becomes more and more rich.
• Because of his ownership of money and means of production the capitalist lives a luxurious life.
• It is a developing class which has become the powerful owner of production forces in a short span of time.
• It stops the social progress and exploits the labour class.
• One day will come when the labour class will throw away their authority and will establish a socialist society.

Q5. What is Labour class or Proletariat?
Ans. 

• Labour class doesn't have the ownership of means of production.
• It doesn't have any other way to earn their livelihood except selling their labour.
• They are always exploited from the hand of capitalist class.
• Capitalist class always take more work from them and pays less money for their work.
• Because of the labour of labour class, they always produce surplus value and keep it with themselves.
• Because of this exploitation labourer will become poorer and poorer.

Q6. What is Base or Sub-structure?
Ans. 

• Marx has given the name of base or super structure to the basic part or lower part of society.
• According to Marx the substructure is the base of society or is a central part in which labourer or proletariat, production, experience of production, the know-how of labour and the production relations can be included.
• In this way it is an economic structure of the society.

Q7. What is Super Structure?
Ans. 

• Marx has given the name of superstructure to upper part of whole society and has given the name of substructure or base to lower part or basic part of society.
• The collective form of these both structures is known as society.
• According to Marx in super structure, the outer part of society is coming.
• In this the different aspects of social life like political, intellectual, legal and cultural can be included.
• Marx was of the view that according to base the nature of super structure is determined.
• In other words these both are very deeply inter-related.

Q8. What is meant by Capitalism?
Ans. 

• Capitalists extract everything economically from labourers.
• They demand extra work from labourers without adequate compensation.
• The capitalist appropriates the entire surplus value created by the labourer.
• Labourers are compelled to work beyond stipulated hours.
• Capitalists exploit the economic vulnerability of labourers by not providing fair wages.
• A time may come when all labourers unite to overthrow Capitalism.

Q9. Write names of books written by Karl Marx.
Ans. Karl Marx wrote many books and edited many magazines which are given below:

• Economy and Political Manuscript — 1843
• The Holy Family — 1845
• The German Ideology: Thesis of Firebakh — 1846
• The Poverty of Philosophy — 1847
• Communist Manifesto — 1848
• The Class Struggle in France — 1850
• The Eighteenth Brumire of Luise Bonapart — 1852
• A Contribution to the Critic of Political Economy — 1859
• Dass Capital (Ist Part) — 1867
• The Civil War in France — 1871
• A Critic of Goya Programme — 1875
• Dass Capital (IInd part, By Angels) — 1885
• Dass Capital (IIIrd Part, By Angels) — 1894

Q10. What is a Social Fact?
Ans.

• In every type of society some facts are there which are different from materialistic, Biological—Psychological facts. To these type of facts, Durkheim call as social facts.
• Durkheim gave some definitions of social fact.
• At one place Durkheim writes, ‘‘Social facts are those ways of thinking, doing work and feel which has the special characteristics to maintain its existence exterior to the individual consciousness.’’
• At one more place Durkheim writes that, ‘‘Social facts are those ways of working, thinking and feeling which are exterior to man and which controls the man by their power of constraint.’’

Q11. What is Suicide?
Ans.

• Durkheim says that in suicide person decides that he has to sacrifice his life.
• That’s why from the point of view of a scientist, suicide is that in which the wish of person to sacrifice his life is included.
• In this way according to Durkheim suicide can be defined in these words that, ‘‘The word suicide is used for all those deaths which are the direct or indirect result of any person’s that positive or negative work about which he knows that this work will produce this result (Death).’’

Q12. What is Division of Labour?
Ans. 

• According to Durkheim, meaning of division of labour is division of functions among different people according to their ability and capacity.
• Works are divided in this so that the work could be done in an organized way.
• Division of labour is a social fact, moral system, and a universal phenomenon which exist in all the society.
• It does not originate but it develops.

Q13. What is Social Solidarity?
Ans.

• Durkheim says that in every society some values, ideas, beliefs, ways of behaviour, institutions and laws are there which binds the society in one knot.
• Because of these elements, the relations and unity or solidarity exists in society.
• These elements increase acceptance and solidarity in society.
• This type of solidarity is known as social solidarity.
• If these elements start to disintegrate then the society will also start to disintegrate.

Q14. What is meant by collective Representation?
Ans. 

• According to Durkheim, the elements come out of individual consciousness are the subject matter of Psychology and the facts come out of collective consciousness becomes the subject matter of sociology.
• In ever individual consciousness, the effect of collective consciouness is always there.
• Individual consciousness and collective consciousness move side by side.
• The thoughts and methods come out of collective consciousness entered in the individual consciousness and controls and directs it.
• So the thoughts which come out of collective mind or consciouness is collective representation.

Q15. Write short note on Max Weber.
Ans. Max Weber was born on 21st April, 1864 in Erfurt, Germany. He studied and received his degree in law. After the completion of his doctoral and the post-doctoral dissertations in 1897 he joined Heidelberg University as a Professor of Economics. He started his works in sociology in 1916 and was appointed Professor of Sociology at Munich. He died on July 14,1920. His main works include:

• The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism
• The Religion of India.
• Economy and Society
• Essays in Sociology