Sociology: CBSE Sample Question Paper (2020-21) - 2 | 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. People may damage a bus and attack its driver when the bus has run over a child. This is an isolated incident of protest. Since it flares up and dies down it is not a social movement. A social movement requires ________________over time.(a) suffragettes
(b) sustained collective action
(c) intermittent action
(d) sustained individual action
Ans. b

Q.2. The government has laws to monitor conditions in the ____________ sector, but in practice they are left to the whims and fancies of the employer or contractor.
Ans. unorganised

Q.3. “I have fought against White domination and I have fought against Black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” ____________ said these lines.
Ans. Nelson Mandela

Q.4. Who amongst the following is not considered to be a leader of the lower castes of South India?
(a) Sri Narayana Guru
(b) Ayyankali
(c) Chattambi Swamikal
(d) Gandhiji
Ans. d

OR
Mark the statement as true or false.
Caste is an institution associated with various continents.
Ans. False. Caste is an institution uniquely associated with the Indian subcontinent.

Q.5. The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. Choose the incorrect statement about Malthusian Theory.
(a) The Malthusian theory was challenged by theorists who claimed that economic growth could outstrip population growth.
(b) Malthus was favoured by liberal and Marxist scholars.
(c) The most effective refutation of his theory was provided by the historical experiences.(d) Malthus predictions were proved false because both food production and standards of living continued to rise.
Ans. b

Q.6. “The structure of the family can be studied both as a social institution in itself and also in its relationship to other social institutions of society.” Which of the following is not a characteristic of a family?
(a) It can be nuclear or extended.
(b) It is related to the other structures of the society.
(c) Structures may occur accidentally in a family.
(d) The line of descent is solely patrilineal.
Ans. d

Q.7. “While social movements seek to bring in social change, __________________ sometimes arise in defence of status.
Ans. counter movements

Q.8. Mark the statement as true or false.
As social inequalities are reducing, income inequality is also reducing.
Ans. False. As social inequality are reducing, income inequality is growing in the world.

Q.9. Mark the statement as true or false. Community identity is based on qualifications or accomplishments rather than birth and belonging.
Ans. False. Community identity is based on birth and belonging rather than qualifications or accomplishments.

Q.10. Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj with its primary emphasis on ___________.
Ans. Truth seeking.

Q.11. The word ʻdemographyʼ belongs to ___________ origin.
Ans. Greek. 

OR
The formation of __________ as the principal form of political organisation contributed towards the emergence of sociology.
Ans. nation-states

Q.12. “At the simplest level, a nation is a sort of large scale community—it is a community of communities. Members of a nation share the desire to be part of the same political collectivity. This desire for political unity usually expresses itself as the aspiration to form a state. In its most general sense, the term ʻstateʼ refers to an abstract entity consisting of a set of political ___________.
(a) Legal territory
(b) An ethnic group
(c) A continent
(d) Legal institutions
Ans. d

Q.13. Prejudices refer to preconceived opinions or attitudes held by members of one group towards another. The word literally means ‘pre-judgement’, that is, an opinion formed in advance of any familiarity with the subject, before considering any available evidence.
Which of the following is not a form of prejudice?
(a) martial races
(b) effeminate
(c) cunning
(d) disability
Ans. d

Q.14. Correct the given statement.
Social inequality and exclusion are social because they are not about groups but about individuals.
Ans. Social inequality and exclusion are social because they are not about individuals but about groups.

Q.15. New technologies speeded up various forms of communication. Mark the statement as true or false.
Ans. True

Q.16. Our social reform and nationalist movement, our laws, our political life and our Constitution, our industry and agriculture, our cities and our villages have been shaped by our paradoxical experience with_______________.
Ans. colonialism.

Q.17. “Discriminatory behaviour or practices may be presented as motivated by other, more justifiable, reasons rather than prejudice. Determine using two examples that prejudice is not the reason for discriminatory behaviour.
Ans. The person who is refused a job because of their caste may be told that they were less qualified than others, and that the selection was done purely on merit. A person is not invited for an event due to caste and may be told that there was a limit for the guests.

OR
The performance of publicly visible acts of (self-) humiliation and subordination is an important part of the practice of untouchability. Give two examples which justifies this statement.
Ans. Instances include the imposition of gestures of deference (such as taking off headgear, carrying footwear in the hand, standing with bowed head, not wearing clean or ‘bright’ clothes, and so on) as well as routine abuse and humiliation. Moreover, untouchability is almost always associated with economic exploitation of various kinds, most commonly through the imposition of forced, unpaid (or under-paid) labour, or the confiscation of property.

Q.18. Why only medium and large farmers benefit from the new technology in most of the Green Revolution areas?
Ans. This was because inputs were expensive, and small and marginal farmers could not afford to spend as much as large farmers to purchase these inputs. It was the farmers who were able to produce a surplus for the market who were able to reap the most benefits from the Green Revolution and from the commercialisation of agriculture that followed.

Q.19.  We don’t have to do anything to be born into a community; in fact, no one has any choice about which family or community or country they are born into. Justify.
Ans. These kinds of identities are called ‘ascriptive’, that is, they are determined by the accidents of birth and do not involve any choice on the part of the individuals concerned. It is an odd fact of social life that people feel a deep sense of security and satisfaction in belonging to communities in which their membership is entirely accidental. We often identify so strongly with communities we have done nothing to ‘deserve’, passed no exam, demonstrated no skill or competence.

OR
Identify the importance of civil society organisation.
Ans. Civil society is the term for the broad area that lies beyond the private domain of the family, but outside the domain of both state and market. Basically, civil society is the non-state and nonmarket part of the public domain in which people get together voluntarily to make institutions and organisations. Civil society is the sphere of active citizenship. It has voluntary associations, organisations or institutions trade unions and NGOs, religious organisations and other types of collective entities. The chief criteria for inclusion in civil society are that the organisation should not be state controlled and it should not be purely a commercial profit-making entity.

Q.20. State any two constitutional provisions meant to protect minority rights?
Ans. The two constitutional provisions meant to protect minority rights are as: The Indian Constitution on minorities and cultural diversity

Article 29:
(i) Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same.(ii) No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or received out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

Article 30:
(i) All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
(ii) The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.

Q.21. Industrialisation and urbanisation are linked processes. Discuss.
Ans. (i) The process of industrialisation refers to the emergence of machine production based on the use of inanimate power resources like steam or electricity.
(ii) During British period, industrialization led to deindustrialization in some regions. It led to decline of old urban centres.
(iii) The impact of industrialisation during British period had been negative. It led to more people mining into agriculture.
(iv) The process of urbanisation during the colonial period experienced the decline of some earlier urban centres and the emergence of new colonial cities.
(v) After independence, the government of India played an active role in promoting industrialization.
(vi) The recent processes of liberalization and globalization have led to enormous expansion and change of cities.

OR
Evaluate the impact of industrialisation in bringing equality?
Ans. Impact of industrialisation
(i) In the process of industrialisation caste distinctions do not count any more on trains, buses or in cyber cafes.
(ii) In new factories or work place settings social inequalities are reducing.

Q.22. What is social about social inequality and exclusion?
Ans. Social inequality and exclusion are social because they are not about individuals but about groups. Second, they are social in the sense that they are not economic, although there is usually a strong link between social and economic inequality. Third, they are systematic and structured; there is a definite pattern to social inequalities.

Q.23. What does the theory of relative deprivation suggest? What are its limitations?Ans. According to the theory of relative deprivation, social conflict arises when a social group feels that it is worse off than others around it. Such conflict is likely to result in successful collective protest. This theory emphasises the role of psychological factors such as resentment and rage in inciting social movements. The limitations of this theory are that while perceptions of deprivation may be a necessary condition for collective action, they are not a sufficient reason in themselves.

Q.24. Illustrate the correlation between disability and poverty.
Ans. There is a close relationship between disability and poverty.
(i) Malnutrition, mothers weakened by frequent childbirth, inadequate immunisation programmes, accidents in overcrowded homes, all contribute to an incidence of disability among poor people that is higher than among people living in easier circumstances.
(ii) Disability creates and exacerbates poverty by increasing isolation and economic strain, not just for the individual but for the family.

Q.25. Using the Malthusian theory of population growth, state what is social demography.
Ans. Social demography enquires into the wider causes and consequences of population structures and change. Malthus argued 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. Therefore, humanity is condemned to live in poverty forever because the growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by population growth.

Q.26. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
Every human being needs a sense of stable identity to operate in this world. Questions like — Who am I? How am I different from others? How do others understand and comprehend me? What goals and aspirations should I have? – constantly crop up in our life right from childhood. We are able to answer many of these questions because of the way in which we are socialised, or taught how to live in society by our immediate families and our community in various senses.

(i) A process that involves a continuous dialogue, negotiation and even struggle against significant others is _________________.
(a) Inclusion
(b) Socialisation
(c) Exclusion
(d) Regionalism
Ans. b

(ii) Our ____________ provides us the language and the cultural values.
(a) Economic values
(b) State
(c) Community
(d) Self identity
Ans. c

(iii) Communal identity is based on ___________________.
(a) Qualification
(b) Accomplishment
(c) Competence
(d) Birth and belonging
Ans. d

(iv) The identities determined by the accidents of birth _________.
(a) Ascriptive
(b) Acquired
(c) Cultural
(d) Functional
Ans. a

OR
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
An alternative to the nation-state, then, is the “state nation”, where various “nations”— be they ethnic, religious, linguistic or indigenous identities—can coexist peacefully and cooperatively in a single state polity. Case studies and analyses demonstrate that enduring democracies can be established in polities that are multicultural. Explicit efforts are required to end the cultural exclusion of diverse groups … and to build multiple and complementary identities. Such responsive policies provide incentives to build a feeling of unity in diversity—a “we” feeling. Citizens can find the institutional and political space to identify with both their country and their other cultural identities, to build their trust in common institutions and to participate in and support democratic politics. All of these are key factors in consolidating and deepening democracies and building enduring “state-nations.”

(i) _____________ is a constant theme in state policy.
(a) agricultural productivity
(b) industrialisation
(c) national integration
(d) urbanisation
Ans. c

(ii) India shows that it has been very cohesive, despite its _____________.
(a) exclusivity
(b) diversity
(c) individualism
(d) alienation
Ans. b

(iii) As many as eighteen languages have been officially recognised and placed under the ______________.
(a) 8th schedule of the constitution
(b) 12th schedule of the constitution
(c) 5th schedule of the constitution
(d) 10th schedule of the constitution
Ans. a

(iv) Successful strategies to build the “state-nations” can and do accommodate diversity constructively by:
(a) denunciation of diversity
(b) stratification
(c) crafting responsive policies of cultural recognition
(d) imposing a singular Hindu identity
Ans. c

Q.27. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
From Curzon’s Speeches II, pp. 238-9 The labour system in Assam was essentially that of indenture by which the labourers went to Assam under contract for a number of years. The government helped the planters by providing for penal sanction in case of non-fulfillment of the contract by the labourers. This view is explicitly made by T. Raleigh, Law Member, when speaking on the Assam Labour and Emigration Bill of 1901: “The labour-contract authorised by this Bill is a transaction by which, to put it rather bluntly, a man is often committed to Assam before he knows what he is doing, and is thereupon held to his promise for four years, with a threat of arrest and imprisonment if he fails to perform it. Conditions like these have no place in the ordinary law of master and servant. We made them part of the law of British India at the instance and for the benefit of the planters of Assam … The fact remains that the motive power in this legislation is the interest of the planter, not the interest of the coolie.”

(i) Urbanisation did not happen in India the way it happened in Britain because:
(a) Colonial interests
(b) Tea planters
(c) Democratic norms
(d) Communalism
Ans. a

(ii) The life of the planters was:
(a) Full of hardship
(b) Luxurious
(c) Inferior
(d) Grim
Ans. b

(iii) The recruitment of labourers for tea gardens of Assam was carried on for years mostly by:
(a) Engineers
(b) Cooperatives
(c) Contractors
(d) Government officials
Ans. c

(iv) Colonial government often used:
(a) fair means to hire labourers
(b) unfair means to hire labourers
(c) unfair means to regulate planters
(d) healthy laws for the labourers
Ans. b

OR
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow the passage.
In 1800, well under 20% of the population lived in towns or cities of more than 10,000 inhabitants. By 1900 this proportion had become 74%. The capital city, London, was home to about 1.1 million people in 1800; it increased in size to a population of over 7 million by the start of the twentieth century. London was then by far the largest city ever seen in the world, a vast manufacturing, commercial and financial centre at the heart of a still expanding British empire. (Giddens 2001:572)

(i) In India, the initial impact of British industrialisation led to more people moving into:
(a) Industries
(b) Agriculture
(c) Public services
(d) Education
Ans. b

(ii) Urbanisation in the colonial period saw the decline of:
(a) Earlier urban centres
(b) New colonial cities
(c) Railways
(d) Cooperatives
Ans. a

(iii) Urbanisation is usually associated with:
(a) Deindustrialisation
(b) De-urbanisation
(c) Traditional civilisation
(d) Industrialisation
Ans. d

(iv) Sociological writings in India have often discussed both the contradictory and unintended consequences of:
(a) Agricultural produce
(b) Industrialisation
(c) Colonialism
(d) Capitalism
Ans. c

Q.28. What is the contribution of the ideas of separation and hierarchy in the caste system?
Ans. Opinions differ on the exact age of the caste system. It is generally agreed, though, that the four varna classification is roughly 3000 years old. However, the ‘caste system’ stood for different things in different time periods, so that it is misleading to think of the same system continuing for 3000 years. In its earliest phase, in the later Vedic period roughly between 900 and 500 BC, the caste system was really a varna system and consisted of only four major divisions. These divisions were not very elaborate or very rigid, and they were not determined by birth. Movement across the categories seems to have been not only possible but quite common. It is only in the post-vedic period that caste became the rigid institution that is familiar to us from well known definitions.

OR
What is the contribution of the ideas of separation and hierarchy in the caste system?
Ans. The caste system can be understood as the combination of two sets of principles, one based on difference and separation and the other on wholism and hierarchy. Each caste is different and strictly separated from every other caste on the basis of restrictions. These restrictions are related to marriage, food sharing and social interaction to occupation. Different and separated castes do not have an individual existence. They exist in relation to a larger whole. This societal whole or system is a hierarchical rather than egalitarian system. Each individual caste follows an ordered rank—a particular position in a ladder like arrangement going from highest to lowest. The hierarchical ordering of castes is based on the distinction between purity and pollution. Castes that are considered ritually pure have high status, while those considered less pure or impure have low status.
Historians believe that those who were defeated in wars were often assigned low caste status. Castes are not only unequal in ritual terms. They are complementary and non competing groups. It means each caste has its own place in the system which cannot be taken by any other caste. Caste is also linked with occupation, the system functions as a social division of labour. It allows no mobility.This idea of separation and hierarchy has inculcated discrimination, inequality and prejudices in Indian society.

Q.29. Express the correlation between the farmer’s suicide and Green Revolution.
Ans. Many farmers, who have committed suicide were marginal farmers, who were attempting to increase their productivity, primarily by practising Green Revolution methods. However, undertaking such production meant facing several risks: the cost of production has increased tremendously due to a decrease in agricultural subsidies, the markets are not stable, and many farmers borrow heavily in order to invest in expensive inputs and improve their production. The loss of either the crop (due to spread of disease or pests, excessive rainfall, or drought), and in some cases, lack of adequate support or market price means that farmers are unable to bear the debt burden or sustain their families. Such distress is compounded by the changing culture in rural areas, in which increased incomes are required for marriages, dowries and to sustain new activities and expenses, such as education and medical care.

Q.30. Critically examine the concept of caste and secularisation?
Ans. Secularisation means a process of decline in the influence of religion. It has been an assumption of all theorists of modernisation that modern societies become increasingly secular. Indicators of secularization have referred to levels of involvement with religious organisations (such as rates of church attendance), the social and material influence of religious organizations, and the degree to which people hold religious beliefs. Recent years have, however, seen an unprecedented growth of religious consciousness and conflict world over.
There has also been considerable debate about what is seen by some as secularisation of caste. In traditional India caste systems operated within a religious framework. Belief systems of purity and pollution were central to its practice. Today it often functions as political pressure groups. Contemporary India has seen such formation of caste associations and caste based political parties. They seek to press upon the state their demands. Such a changed role of caste has been described as secularisation of caste.

Q.31. Highlight how the family structure can be studied both as a social institution in itself and also in its relationship to other social institutions of society.
Ans. The structure of the family can be studied both as a social institution in itself and also in its relationship to other social institutions of society. In itself a family can be defined as nuclear or extended. It can be male-headed or female-headed. The line of descent can be matrilineal or patrilineal. This internal structure of the family is usually related to other structures of society, namely political, economic, cultural, etc. Thus the migration of men from the villages of the Himalayan region can lead to an unusual proportion of women-headed families in the village. The work schedules of young parents in the software industry in India may lead to an increasing number of grandparents moving in as care-givers to young grandchildren. The composition of the family and its structure thereby changes. And these changes can be understood in relation to other changes in society. The family (the private sphere) is linked to the economic, political, cultural, and educational (the public) spheres.

Q.32. How have the farmers suicides linked to the agrarian distress?
Ans. Many farmers, who have committed suicide were marginal farmers, who were attempting to increase their productivity, primarily by practising Green Revolution methods. However, undertaking such production meant facing several risks: the cost of production has increased tremendously due to a decrease in agricultural subsidies, the markets are not stable, and many farmers borrow heavily in order to invest in expensive inputs and improve their production. The loss of either the crop (due to spread of disease or pests, excessive rainfall, or drought), and in some cases, lack of adequate support or market price means that farmers are unable to bear the debt burden or sustain their families. Such distress is compounded by the changing culture in rural areas, in which increased incomes are required for marriages, dowries and to sustain new activities and expenses, such as education and medical care.

Q.33. Define sex ratio. List the implications of the declining sex ratio in India.
Ans. 

“The sex ratio refers to the number of females per 1000 males in a given area at a specified time period.” Demographers and sociologists have offered several reasons for the decline in the sex ratio in India. Several factors may be held responsible for the decline in the child sex ratio, including:
(i) Severe neglect of girl babies in infancy, leading to higher death rates.
(ii) Sex-specific abortions that prevent girl babies from being born; and female infanticide.(iii) Killing of girl babies due to religious or cultural beliefs.
(iv) Modern medical techniques by which the sex of the baby can be determined in the very early stages of pregnancy.
(iv) Economically prosperous families decide to have fewer children – often only one or two now–they may also wish to choose the sex of their child.

OR
What does the age structure pyramid of Uttar Pradesh (2026) indicate? Does the changing age structure offer a demographic dividend for India?

Ans. Uttar Pradesh presents a very different picture with high proportions in the younger age groups and relatively low proportions among the aged. The demographic advantage or ‘dividend’ to be derived from the age structure of the population is due to the fact that India is (and will remain for some time) one of the youngest countries in the world. A third of India’s population was below 15 years of age in 2000. In 2020, the average Indian will be only 29 years old, compared with an average age of 37 in China and the United States, 45 in Western Europe, and 48 in Japan. This implies a large and growing labour force, which can deliver unexpected benefits in terms of growth and prosperity. The ‘demographic dividend’ results from an increase in the proportion of workers relative to non-workers in the population. In terms of age, the working population is roughly that between 15 and 64 years of age. This working age group must support itself as well as those outside this age group (i.e., children and elderly people) who are unable to work and are therefore dependents. Changes in the age structure due to the demographic transition lower the ‘dependency ratio’, or the ratio of non-working age to working-age population, thus creating the potential for generating growth. But this potential can be converted into actual growth only if the rise in the working age group is accompanied by increasing levels of education and employment. Thus in order to attain these benefits a planned vision and policy should be framed and executed by the policy makers of our country.

Q.34. “Elaborate how liberalisation has affected employment patterns in India.”
Ans. Liberalisation affected employment patterns.
(i) Due to liberalisation foreign products are now easily available in Indian markets and shops. Due to this some of the labour have to lose their employment and jobs.
(ii) Many Indian companies have been taken over by multinationals. At the same time some Indian companies are becoming multinational companies. An instance of the first is when Parle drinks were bought by Coca Cola.‘
(iii) The next major area of liberalisation may be in retail. Due to the coming of foreign companies and big business, Indian houses very small traders, shopkeepers, handicraft sellers. And hawkers have lost their jobs of employment or their small business is adversely affected by big malls, showrooms or Reliance, Subhiksha, etc. The world’s largest chains, including WalMart Stores, Carrefour and TESCO, are seeking the best way to enter the country, despite a government ban on foreign direct investment in the market.
(iv) Wal-Mart, Carrefour and TESCO to set up a retailing joint venture … India’s retail sector is attractive not only because of its fast growth, but because family-run street comer stores have 97% of the nation’s business. But this industry trait is precisely why the government makes it hard for foreigners to enter the market.
(v) The government is trying to sell its share in several public sector companies, a process which is known as disinvestment. Many government workers are scared that after disinvestment, they will lose their jobs.
(vi) Companies are reducing the number of permanent employees and outsourcing their work to smaller companies or even to homes. For multinational companies, this outsourcing is done across the globe, with developing countries like India providing cheap labour. It is more difficult for trade unions to organise in smaller firms.

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

To the generations born in Nehruvian India, and especially to those who (like me) were brought up in traditionally upper caste but newly urban and newly professional middle-class environments, caste was an archaic concept. True, it would be brought out figuratively as mothballs to preside over traditional rites of passage, especially marriage, but it seemed to have no active role in urban everyday life. It is mainly now — after Mandal so to speak — that we are beginning to understand why caste was almost invisible in urban middle-class contexts. The most important reason, of course, is that these contexts were overwhelmingly dominated by the upper castes. This homogeneity made caste drop below the threshold of social visibility. If almost everyone around is upper caste, caste identity is unlikely to be an issue, just as our identity as ‘Indians’ may be relevant abroad but goes unnoticed in India. (Deshpande 2003:99)
(i) Why did the upper caste have a feeling that they are being given short shrift?
Ans. The increasing visibility of both dalits and OBCs has led to a feeling among sections of the upper caste that they are being given short shrift.

(ii) Caste-class correlation is still remarkably stable at the macro level. Justify.
Ans. Caste-class correlation has not changed much at the macro level; it is still true that the privileged (and high economic status) sections of society tend to be overwhelmingly ‘upper’ castes while the disadvantaged (and low economic status) sections are dominated by the so called ‘lower’ castes. Moreover, the proportion of the population that lives in poverty or affluence differs greatly across caste groups.