Q1: What are the main problems of national integration in India?
Ans: The problems of India are linguistic identity, regionalism, demand for separate states, terrorism, etc., which create hindrances to national integration. Due to these problems, riots and mutual fights usually strike, which has posed a severe threat to national unity and integration.
Q2: Why is sociology a distinct subject in comparison with all other subjects?
Ans: Sociology is a subject with which everyone knows something about society. Other subjects are learned at home, school or elsewhere through instructions, but much of our growth in years appears to be acquired naturally or automatically.
Q3: What are the basic functions of a society?
Ans: Sociologists and social anthropologists have adopted the term function from biological sciences, which has been used for certain organic processes necessary for the maintenance of organisms. The basic functions necessary for the continuity and survival of any society are :
(i) Recruitment of members
(ii) Socialization
(iii) Production and distribution of goods and services and preservation of order.
Q4: What do you understand by social structure?
Ans: A society consists of
(i) Males and females, adults and children, various occupational and religious groups and so on.
(ii) The interrelationship between various parents and children and between various groups.
(iii) Finally, all the parts of society are put together, and the system is comprised of interrelated and complementary concepts.
Q5: Why is the social map provided to us in childhood by the deluding socialization essential?
Ans: Social maps are provided by our parents, siblings, relatives and neighbours. It may be specific and partial. It provides us only with common sense or unlearnt or perceivable knowledge, which may or may not be real.
Proper use and application of reflexivity are essential for drawing other kinds of maps. It is a sociological perspective that teaches us the procedure of drawing social maps, wholesome and exclusive.
Q6: What is community identity? Discuss its characteristics.
Ans: Community that provides us with the language and cultural values through which we comprehend the world. It is based on birth and belongings and never on some form of acquired qualification or accomplishment. Birth-based identity is called ascriptive because this does not involve any choice on the part of the individual concerned. It is actually worthless and discriminating. These ascriptive identities are very hard to shake off because, irrespective of our efforts to disown them, others may continue to identify us by those very markers of belonging.
Such an ascriptive identity is the most deterrent to self-realization. Expanding and overlapping circles of community ties, i.e. family, kinship, caste, ethnicity, language, region, or religion, give meaning to our world and give us a sense of identity, of who we are.
Q7: What is Self-reflexivity?
Ans: Sociology can show us what we look like to others. It can teach us how to look at ourselves from the outside, so to speak. It is called “Self-reflexivity’ or sometimes just “Reflexivity’.
Q8: ‘Sociology can help us to map the links and connections between ‘personal troubles’ and ‘social issues’. Discuss.
Ans: C. Wright Mills, a famous American Sociologist, has mentioned, “Sociology can help us to map the links and connections between personal troubles and social issues.” As far as personal troubles are concerned, Mills refers to the kinds of individual worries, problems, or concerns that everyone has.
Q9: How colonial rule facilitated Indian consciousness to emerge? Discuss.
Ans:
- Colonial rule unified all of India for the first time politically and administratively.
- Colonial rule brought in the forces of modernization and Capitalist economic change.
- However, this economic, political and administrative unification of India under colonial rule was at great expense.
- Colonial exploitation and domination scared the whole Indian society in different ways.
- Colonialism also gave birth to its own enemy—nationalism. The concept of modern Indian nationalism took shape under British Colonialism.
- The rampant exploitation and the shared experience of colonial domination helped unity and exercise different sections of Indian society. It also created new classes and communities. The Urban middle classes were the prime carriers of nationalism.
Q10: What steps were taken by colonial rules for the smooth functioning of its rule?
Ans: The steps taken by colonial rules for the smooth functioning of its rule were:
(i) New mechanical techniques were used in production.
(ii) A new trade market system was started.
(iii) Develop means of transport and communication.
(iv) Formed bureaucracy based on civil service of all nature in India.
(v) Established formal and written law.
Q11: Which social reformers carried out social reform movements during British colonialism in India?
Ans: The prominent leaders of the reform movements were Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Dayanand Saraswati, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, and others.
Q12: State the processes that began during British colonialism in India.
Ans: This was the period when the modem period began in India, and the external forces of modernization, westernization, and industrialization entered.
Q13: State the main differences between Sociology and other subjects.
Ans:
- Sociology is a subject in which no one starts from Zero, as everyone already knows about society. However, other subjects are taught at school, at home or elsewhere.
- Being an integral part of the process of growing up, knowledge about society seems to be obtained naturally or automatically.
In the case of other subjects, no child is expected to already know something. - It means we know a lot about the society in which we live and interact.
As far as other subjects are concerned, prior knowledge is almost negligible. - However, this prior knowledge or familiarity with society is both an advantage and disadvantage for sociology.
In the absence of prior knowledge, there is no question of advantage or disadvantage in the case of other subjects.
