Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Very Short Answer Type

Questions
Question 6.
Define formal group.
Answer:
The groups which are arranged and organized. These are large or a part of large
organisation. Formal groups are always normative hierarchal structure in which
relationship bonds are professional, e.g. university, army etc.
Question 7.
Define informal group.
Answer:
A type of group in which there is complete absence of arrangement and
organisations. Members of informal groups are attached to each other by friendship,
personal relations, emotional bonding and respect for each other.
Question 8.
Define in-group.
Answer:
The groups having ‘we’ feeling are called ‘in-groups’. Members perceive positive
characteristics for each other. The group maintains mutual dependence, trust,
solidarity, harmony and sacrifice. Members are cooperative to each other and a lot
of communication occurs.
Question 9.
Define out-group.
Answer:
Out groups are ‘they’ groups. These are stranger groups. Members of ‘in-group’
perecive them with negative characteristics, competition, hostility, lack of
communication. For example; Congress Party members, the BJP members are Out-
group and vice-versa.
Question 10.
Define reference group.
Answer:
A type of group in which we do not belong to but we aspire to be like them and
therefore we try to emulate their lifestyle, e.g. for many Indian youths, Americans
are a reference group. Reference groups are basis for comparison.
Question 11.
How class stratification is different from caste stratification?
Answer:
Class stratification is based on one’s economic and social status (position) whereas
caste stratification is determined by birth. Class stratification is open to all but caste
stratification prevents other caste members.
Question 12.
What is social control?
Answer:
Social control is a process by which stimuli are brought to bear effectively upon
same person or group of persons thus producing responses that function in
adjustment to the group. Social control means basically the restrictions which a
society imposes over its members through various means for effective functioning
of social network.
Question 13.
Define the concept of social status.
Answer:
Social status refers to the position that a person occupies in the social structure,
such as a teacher or priest. It is often combined with the motion of social role. In its
stranger and more specific meaning it refers to a form of social stratification in
which social positions are ranked and organised by legal, political and cultural
criteria into status groups.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Explain the concept of social stratification.
Answer:
Social stratification refers to division of members of a society into different social
categories or strata which are ranked into hierarchy, according to their relative
power, prestige and wealth. It is not an individual fact, it is rather a social fact.
It refers to the ranking of a large number of individuals into hierarchy organised
strata.
It has little to do with individual merits/abilities and more to do with socially
patterned inequalities.
Major systems of stratification include: caste, class, gender, slavery and estate.
State main functions of stratification.
 Determination of nature of social relations.
 Stratification accelerates the process of social change.
 It is helpful in determining social order and organisation.
 Stratification functions as a safety valve from frustrations, conflict and
tension because it helps to place the individuals where they actually fit in.
 Social stratification gives rise to division of labour and specialisation which
helps in social integration.
 Social stratification leads to social progress through the spirit of competitions.
Question 3.
How ‘Ascribed Status’ is different from ‘Achieved Status’? (HOTS)
Answer:
Status, which an individual gets by birth or due to nominations is known as
‘Ascribed Status.’ e.g. Brahmins higher status in Hindu society is simply ‘ascribed’.
Ascribed status is determined by age, sex, birth, caste, kinship, race, class etc.
The bases of ascribed status is usually fixed and the sources of ‘Ascribed Status’ are
the customs, traditions, values and names of the society.
An individual acquires ‘Achieved Status’ because of his intelligence, aptitude,
efforts, diligence, skills and personality characterisation.
The sources of ‘Achieved Status’ are individual’s own personality traits and his/her
ability to make best use of his/her potentials.
Question 4.
What do you understand by role?
Answer:
Role refers to the expected behaviour of an individual who holds a certain status
and it is the status which determines the behaviour pattern, obligations and
privileges. Role is the dynamic aspect of status. The functions which an individual
performs in society are referred to as ‘Role taking’ and the functions that he/she is
expected to perform are known as ‘Role expectations’.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 3 very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
What is marriage?
Answer:
Marriage is society’s sanction for the establishment of family through procreation.
Marriage is a stable relationship in which a man and a woman are socially permitted
without loss of standing in the community to have children.
Question 2.
State a few objectives of marriage.
Answer:
Objectives of marriage are:
 Fulfilment of biological needs of procreation and sexual satisfaction.
 Fulfilment of economic needs.
 Legitimisation of children.
 Two families enter into kinship bonds and a complex web of social
relationship develops.
Question 3.
State any two functions of marriage.
Answer:
 Marriage sustains society by developing kinship bonds.
 Marriage facilitates and strengthens social status.
Question 4.
What is exogamy?
Answer:
It refers to the norms of avoidance in marital relationship. Marriage is not allowed
among same ‘gotra’ and blood relations, according to exogamy.
Question 5.
How joint family is different from nuclear family?
Answer:
In joint family, husband, wife, children and close relations live together and
contribute to family income as per their capabilities whereas nuclear family is
basically a small family in which husband, wife and their unmarried children live.
Question 6.
What do you mean by wage?
Answer:
It refers to a fixed amount which is essential part of contract between the employer
and employees and it is regulated by law.
Question 7.
What is contract?
Answer: Contract is an agreement between two individuals or groups or individuals
and a group under some terms and conditions to attain certain goals in a fixed
period of time.
Question 8.
What are Economic Institutions?
Answer:
Economic Institution refers to a coordinated activities of individuals or groups with
regard to production, distribution and consumption of products and services in the
society.
Question 9.
What is state?
Answer:
State is an association or a group of people having a definite territory, own
population, government and sovereignty. Its main institutions are law and the right
to administer, through which it can maintain control in a definite territory.
Question 10.
What is a welfare state?
Answer:
It refers to a system in which the government ensures responsibilities for the
welfare of its citizens like food, health care, education, employment and housing
etc.
Question 11.
Explain concepts of power and authority.
Answer:
Central to the study of political institutions are the concepts of power and authority.
Political institutions are concerned with the distribution of power in society.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 3 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What is family?
Answer:
Family may be defined as a group of persons connected by ties of marriage, blood
or adoptions, constituting a single household, with each other in their respective
social roles of husband and wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and
sister and creating and maintaining a common culture.
In short, family is a primary group defined by a sex relationship sufficiently precise
and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children.
Question 2.
State characteristics of family.
Answer:
 Universality
  Form of marriage
 System of nomenclature
 Limited size
 Economic provision
 Nuclear position in all social structure
 Responsibility of the members
 Social regulation
 Emotional basis
 Formative influence
Question 3.
State the functions of a family.
Answer:
Functions of a family include:
 Reproductive function
 Maintenance of family members
 Social placement of individuals
 Socialisation of the young
 Social control
 Economic functions
 Educational functions
 Affective functions
 Religious functions
 Recreational functions
 Protective functions State types of family.
Question 4.
State types of family.
Answer:
Types of family include:
 Nuclear family
 Joint family
 Extended family ‘
 Matrilineal family (mother is decision maker).
  Patrilineal family (father is head of the family).
 Polygynous family (one husband, many wives).
 Polyandrous family (wife keeps many husbands at a time).
Question 5.
What is kinship?
Answer:
Kinship is a system which includes society, recognised relationship based on
supposed as well as actual genealogical ties.
It is a network of social relations which constitutes part of the total network of social
relations which is the social structure.
The system of making emotionally attached close relationship is known as kinship.
Kinship system determines:
 Rules of social behaviour
 Provides social help and security
 Maintenance of socio-cultural relationship
 Regulates social behaviour
Question 6.
Explain religion as a social institution.
Answer:
Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things,
creating into a single moral community of all those who adhere to those beliefs and
practices.
 Religion believes in supernatural power.
 Religion follows specific rituals.
 Different religions have their own identity and symbols.
Religion plays an important role in social structure by providing social control.
Question 7.
What are Political Institutions?
Answer:
 Political Institutions are institutions of formal social control. They are
mechanism or agencies related to the exercise of legitimate power for
maintaining order within a society.
 A sociological study of politics seeks to understand how political elements like
leadership, power and authority, voting behaviour etc. are influenced by
social factors like class, caste, race, religion etc.
Question 8.
What is power?
Answer:
 According to Weber, “Power is the ability of an individual or a number of
persons to exercise their will even against the resistance of others.”
 It is the ability to control others and to fulfil one’s interest, despite resistance.
There is always an element of coercion present in the exercise of power.
 Unqualified power by itself is unstable. It can’t last for too long.
Question 9.
Explain concept of authority.
Answer:
 Authority is legitimate power. It is the exercise of will which is voluntarily
accepted.
 As legitimate power, authority is socially recognized and justified. It is,
therefore, based on consent.
There are three main types of authorities or three main sources of legitimization of
power.
1. Traditional authority: It is accepted by people out of habit. People accept the
power of someone simply because it has been done so in the past. Traditional
authority, therefore, rests on customs. It is not based on written laws. This authority
is irrational and personal. For example, the authority of a king in a monarchy.
2. Charisma and authority: Here people accept the authority of a person due to
extraordinary qualities of that individual. For example, Gandhi ji. This authority is
neither customary nor is it based on written laws. It is both irrational and personal.
3. Legal rational authority: Here the power and privileges are clearly defined and
limited by written rules or law.
The actual power lies not in the person who wields it, but in the position that he/ she
occupies. Eg. the authority of the Prime Minister in democracy.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 4 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
What are folkways?
Answer:
The customs which are not very strict and if disobeyed the punishment, is not
severe. Folkways are customary ways of behaviour, e.g., you have to wish/greet
people when you see them.
Question 2.
What are mores?
Answer:
If a person disobeys mores, the punishment can be ostrism (complete boycott). Eg.
Marrying outside the caste; boycotted from village, not limited. Usually in rural
areas, close knit community, don’t disobey mores.
Question 3.
What are traditions?
Answer:
Old customs e.g.; Diwali, Holi, Dussera. All activities we do during these festivals,
transmitted from generation to generation; e.g. any foreign leader visiting India is
taken first to Rajghat before their work.
Question 4.
What do you understand by sanctions?
Answer:
Sanctions are rewards and punishments. They come into play in regard to norms.
Sanctions are the rewards and punishments for following or not following a norm.
 Rewards or Punishment: Both help the individual to confer/follow the norms.
 Children learn cultural norms not only through clear instructions given by the
family, but also by observing others and mixing to them.
 For adults, abiding or following the norm become part of their behaivour
pattern.
Question 5.
Taking an example state situation, value, norms, belief, custom and sanctions.
Answer:
August Assesment-Situation
Honesty-on cheating-Value
Norm-We have to keep our eyes open. .
Belief-Lucky pen etc.
Custom-Praying before the exam.
Sanction-Zero for cheating-Reward from parents for doing well:
Question 6.
What is material culture?
Answer:
 Tangible, concrete, physical, can be replaced.
 Anything materialistic – money.
Question 7.
What is culture?
Answer:
It is a complex whole which includes our life styles, behaviour, patterns, religion,
education, customs, traditions, beliefs, art etc. that an individual acquires as a
member of the society.
Question 8.
Discuss socio-cultural shaping of behaviour.
Answer:
The hormones play an important role in regulating human physiology, but they do
not completely control human behaviour.
Our behaviour is more complex than the behaviour of animals. A major reason for
this complexity is that unlike animals, human beings have a culture to regulate their
behaviour.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 4 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What do you nean by customs?
Answer:
Customs: Lightening a diya is a custom. Everyone does it. It is the action. But belief
is that good will happen to you if you light a diya.
 Usually related to supernatural stuff.
 Custom: Taking off shoes before entering a temple or mosque or church.
 Belief: For cleanliness/bringing in pollution to the house and goddesses
disrespect etc. Custom is the religious habit which continues from generation
to generation.
 They are behaviour acquired in a society over a period of time and they differ
from area to area and culture to culture.
Customs are social habits as they are done in a group.
 People can be pressurised by society to follow customs. They are concerned
with
the individual or family’s behaviour. Pressure from family, friends, teachers,
~~
society.
 You want that person to behave in accordance with that custom whether they
like it or not.
  Why do we have customs?
There is no homogeneity-everyone has his own customs.
Custom strengthens your relationships and keeps you in touch with your culture and
makes you different from others.
Question 2.
Why do we need custom/culture?
Answer:
We need material culture for survival (clothes, food) etc. Material culture refers to
the basic conditions which generally include material culture that the members of
the society have and are (car, science/technology/food etc.) as they are instruments
of production, communication and transportation.
 It is important to increase the production which leads to a good standard of
living.
 Both material/non material cultures are important.
 If we do not have material culture we will become like primitive man and
have no status in society.
 N.M.C is required as the need to have certain standards, values, discipline
etc. otherwise there will be homogeneity in society.
Drawbacks of Material Culture
It creates distinction between people that leads to ‘ethnocentism’.
Sometimes it leads to status symbols and brings a feeling of superiority and
inferiority. NMC makes you a good human being. It’s awesome.
Question 3.
How culture is related to identity?
Answer:
Culture and Identity
“Your identity is shaped by your culture”.
Culture influences the way we behave, it influences the personality of individuals.
 Personality can be shaped both by ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’.
 Each person has status in the society and has corresponding roles which are
played as per the culture of that society.
 Carrying out the role is not as important as the society accepting and
acknowledging that particular role.
 Each group has its own culture which differs from place to place, society to
society.
 They create their own codes, rules etc. which have a certain meaning to that
particular group.
Question 4.
What is culture?
Answer:
Culture includes behavioural products of others who preceded us. It indicates both
substantial and abstract particulars that have prior existence in one form or
another. Thus, culture is already there as we begin life. It contains values that will
be expressed and a language in which to express. It contains a way of life that will
be followed by most of us who grow up in that context. Social and cultural contexts
within which human development takes place vary widely over time and place. For
example, some twenty years ago children in India would not have known several
products that are now part of a child’s world. Similarly an Adivasi living in a remote
forest or hilly area would not have “pizza” or “sandwich” as breakfast.
Question 5.
What is cultural transmission?
Answer:
 As human beings we are both biological and socio-cultural creatures. As
biological creatures, we have certain vital needs. Their fulfilment enhances
our chances of surviving.
 In fulfilling these needs we use most of our acquired skills. We also have a
highly developed capacity to benefit from experiences of our own and those
of others. No other creature has learning capacity to the same extent as we
have. No other creature has created an organized system of learning, called
education, and none in this universe wants to learn as much as we do.
 As a result, we display many forms of behaviour that are uniquely human,
and creations of what we call culture. The processes of enculturation and
socialization make us cultural beings.
Question 6.
What is enculturation?
Answer:
1. Enculturation refers to all learning that takes place without direct, deliberate
teaching. We learn certain ideas, concepts, and values simply because of their
availability in our cultural context.
2. Enculturation refers to all learning that occurs in human life because of its
availability in our socio-cultural context. The key element of enculturation is
learning by observation.
3. “Vegetable” and what is “weed” or what is “cereal” and what is “non-cereal” is
defined by what is already there, previously labeled as “vegetable” or “cereal” and
agreed upon by people at large. Such concepts are transmitted, both directly and
indirectly, and are learned very well because they are an integral part of the life of a
cultural group, and are never questioned. All such examples of learning are called
“enculturation”.
Question 7.
What is socialisation?
Answer:
‘ Socialisation is a process by which individuals acquire knowledge, skills and
dispositions, which enable them to participate as effective members of groups and
society’.
 It is a process that continues over the entire life-span, and through which one
learns and develops ways of effective functioning at any stage of
development.
 Socialisation forms the basis of social and cultural transmission from one
generation to the next.
 The probability of our behaving in a particular way is greatly affected by
people who relate to us. Any one who possesses power relative to us can
socialise us. Such people are called “socialisation agents”.
 The process of socialisation is not always a smooth transition between the
individual and the socialisation agent. It sometimes involves conflicts.
 In the case of socialisation, the learning involves deliberate teaching. In the
case of enculturation, teaching is not necessary for learning to take place.
Enculturation means engagement of people in their culture.
Question 8.
What is culture?
Answer:
Culture: Literally, the human-made part of the environment. In its simplest
definition, it refers to the products of socialisation within any organized group,
society or nation and involves a set of rules, norms and customs that are agreed by
the members of that group. It is also used to describe the people that make up that
group. In this sense it is more appropriate to think of culture as an active rather
than a passive thing. Each of us contributes to the culture of the next person, and in
turn are affected by them.
Question 9.
What is cultural relativism?
Answer:
Cultural relativism:The view that patterns of understanding and behaviour found in
different cultures are as good as each other. One of the implications of this view is
that it is impossible to judge the superiority of a particular set of values outside the
specific cultural context in which they are set. Likewise, judgements of normality or
abnormality depend very much on the cultural experiences and biases of the person
doing the judging.
Question 10.
What is cultural diversity ?
Answer:
Cultural diversity: A term which implies recognition that the members of different
cultures, ethnic groups, socio-economic groups and genders are socialized to
behave in ways that are considered ‘culturally correct’ for those groups of people.
Recognizing the importance of cultural diversity in psychology is vital if we really
understand the complexities of not that in many eastern cultures, the ‘group’
appears to have privacy over the individual in motivating behaviour. In most
Western cultures, however, individual needs tend to be emphasized over group
needs.
Question 11.
What is cultural bias?
Answer:
Cultural bias is the interpretation of other cultures using the perspective of one’s
own culture. Cultural bias occurs when people of one culture makes assumptions
about the behaviour of people from another culture based on their own cultural
norms and practices. Cultural bias occurs in different areas of psychology, including
the diagnosis of abnormal behaviour, the construction and interpretation of
intelligence tests, and our understanding of interpersonal relationships.
Question 12.
What is cultural anthropology?
Answer:
Cultural anthropology: Normally distinguished from physical anthropology (the study
of human kind from a biological or evolutionary perspective), cultural anthropology
is concerned with the different social systems that make up communities, societies
and nations.
The concept of cultural lag was propounded by Ogde and Nimkof. This concerns the
difference that arose between material and non-material cultures. Things like tools,
utensils, machines, manufactured goods, transport belong to the material culture.
On the other hand, family, religion, elites, education come under non-material
culture. When change occurs in society due to rapid and new inventions the change
in material cultures is fast and quick whereas in comparison the speed of change in
non-material culture is very slow and due to this there is a ‘Lag’ between these two.
This phenomena is called cultural lag.
Main features of Cultural Lag It has the following features:
 The material cultural changes occur more rapidly than the non-material
culture.
 The distinction between material and non-material culture is not scientific
because of the slow speed in non-material. The resistance and slow speed of
change causes that advancement of material culture and the lagging behind
of non-material culture.
Question 13.
What are the features of culture?
Answer:
Culture is acquired/man made.
  Learnt through observation and interaction.
 It is transmitted from generation to generation e.g., traditions, values etc.
 Culture has adaptive qualities. ,
 New people adapt, adjust and adopt the new culture.
 We retain our own qualities too.
 Society and individuals change but culture doesn’t.
 Super organism and super individual.
Question 14.
How values of contemporary India are different from ancient India?
Answer:
List of values in Contemporary India:
Liberty, justice, equality, freedom of thought, expression, integrity, efficiency,
brother¬hood, tolerance, affection, generosity, kindness, patience, work ethics.
List of values in ancient India:
 All of the above and Karma – Fate and destiny.
 What you did in this life you may have to pay for it in the second life.
 Moksha and dharma are main features of values in ancient India.
 Dharma means moral duty – what you supposed to do. e.g. as a daughter I
need to respect my parents, take care of them etc.
 Moral duty of a particular status.
 Moksha – Salvation – Nirvana
 Stopping of the cycle of birth and death.
Question 15.
What are beliefs?
Answer: Beliefs: Something you believe in individual e.g.; lucky pen for exams.
Personal and individualistic differ from person to person.
For persons who have beliefs, what they believe is reality to them.
Ideas that are accepted as a reality to that person which may or may not be true.
Beliefs may become habits e.g.; lighting the diya in front of God-belief-becomes a
habit overtime.
Every society has its own system of beliefs provided by the culture of society, e.g.;
doing Lakshmi pooja on Diwali is auspicious.
Many aspects in every culture are connected to the belief system and are different
from person to person.
Question 16.
How superstitions are different from beliefs?
Answer:
Superstition: It is a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown
and faith in magic or luck; a belief that certain events or things will bring good or
bad luck. It results from ignorance and is absolutely an irrational object, attitude of
mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition. For
example, when a black cat passes your way something bad happens. There is a
negative connection, passed down through generations.
Belief: It is a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some
person or thing. On your own – For the good. Your believe that if you do this,
something good happens. Everyone has his own beliefs. It is usually connected to
God or supernatural stuff. If a certain belief comes true for a person that person
starts believing in it too and that becomes a belief for the person.
Question 17.
What do you mean by norms in sociology?
Answer:
Norms are unwritten rules.
 Accepted criteria developed by individuals, groups and society so that
everyone behaves in an acceptable way.
 They are present to regulate the behaviour of members in a society.
 They are as important as written rules.
 They are prescriptions which have to be followed by society.
 If they aren’t followed it can lead to chaos and disorder in society.
Question 18.
Discuss the sources of culture.
Answer:
Sources of culture:
Internal (Endogenous cause)
 Inner pressure, stress and conflicts
 Conflict between ideals and realities
 Change in individual
 Planning
External (Exogenous cause)
 Urbanisation
 Industrialisation
 Migration
 Attack
 War
  Domination
 Trade
 Means of communication
 Movements of their societies.
Physical Environment
 Drought
 Woods
 earthquake
 Deforestation
 Pollution
 Destruction of wildlife
 Ecological changes.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
Why do we need research ?
Answer:
 To compare social processes of past and present.
 To see how we are developing
 To see what issues are popular in present day society.
Question 2.
What type of historical information is used by social scientists?
Answer:
Social scientists generally confine themselves to three major sources of historical
information:
 Documents and personal accounts
 Materials of culture history
 Personal sources of authentic observers and witnesses.
Question 3.
List the central concerns of “order and stability” in society.
Answer:
The main focus is on:
 The way social institution helps to maintain order and continuity in social life.
 The way structural arrangements in society influence behaviours.
Question 4.
What is meant by validity?
Answer:
When a statement is logically correct; so that one’s reasoning follows logically from
one’s own premises is called validity.
Question 5.
What is observer bias?
Answer:
The tendency for observers who are aware of the hypothesis under test to see and
record what might be expected, rather than what actually happens. To guard
against this, we can use observers who have no knowledge of the predictions being
made.
Question 6.
What is research?
Answer:
To study a problem through the collection and/or analysis of data is called research.
Psychologists more usually use the term to refer to an investigative process such as
the experiment or the case study.
Question 7.
What are social norms?
Answer:
A way of thinking or behaving that is considered appropriate and proper within a
particular society, and most members of that society adhere to. Compliance with
the social norms of a society may lead to acceptance by societal members, non-
compliance to rejection.
Question 8.
What is unstructured interview?
Answer:
A type of interview in which the interviewer asks questions spontaneously, rather
than sticking to scripted questions. This allows the interviewer to pursue issues that
arise during the interview. In this way, interview is guided by the responses given by
the respondent (person being interviewed).
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 5 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
List the characteristics of observation.
Answer:
According to Black and Champion, the characteristics of observation are:
 Behaviour is observed.
 It enables understanding of events affecting social relations of the
participants.
 It looks at reality from the perspective of the observed person himself.
 It defines regulant and recurrences in social life by comparing data in one
study with those in other studies.
 It is focused on hypothesis free inquiry.
Question 2.
Write about the principles of the observation process in sociology.
Answer:
The principles associated with observation process are called observation process.
 Principle of inter-subjectivity of reliability: Repeated observation of the same
responses by the same observer shall yield the same data.
 Principle of inter-objectivity: Repeated observation of the same responses by
different observers shall yield the same data. An observation is taken as valid
if one has observed what he wants to observe.
  Principle of validity: Data shall be obtained of such a kind and in such a way
that legitimate inferences can be made from the manifest level to the latent
level.
Question 3.
Elaborate on the comparative method used for the study of sociology.
Answer:
This method entails the study of different groups and institutions in order to
examine similarities and differences. The features under examination may occur
within the same society or they may appear in different societies e.g. rates of
mobility between different castes and classes belonging to same society may be
mutually compared or the same variable appearing in different societies could be
compared.
The comparative method is one way of testing hypotheses. The main difficulties of
the method arise when there is no hypothesis or when it has not been clearly
formulated or the unit for compassion has not been defined properly. Since social
facts can only be observed, not artificially produced. Under experimental conditions,
the method of comparing similar cases in a systematic way is the best.
Question 4.
List the characteristics of case study method.
Answer:
Following are the characteristics of case study method:
 Case study strives towards a holistic understanding of cultural systems of
action.
 Case studies must always have boundaries.
 Case study is not sampling research. The case has to be selected so as to
maximize what has to be learnt.
 They focus on one or two issues that are fundamental to understanding
whatever is being examined.
Question 5.
What do you mean by interview bias?
Answer:
Interview bias: Biases that appear in research findings because of the social nature
of the interview. There are three major sources of such bias: the interviewer (who
may, for example, have prejudices or ask leading questions); the respondent (who
may wish to lie or evade questions); and the actual interview situation
itself(especially the physical and social setting).
Question 6.
What do you mean by interviewer’s bias?
Answer:
Interviewer’s bias: The distortion of response to a personal or telephonic interview
which results from differential reactions to the social style and personality of
interviewers or to their presentation of particular questions. The use of fixed
wording questions is one method of reducing interviewer bias. Anthropological
research and case-studies are also affected by the problem, which is exacerbated
by self-fulfilling prophecy, when the researcher is also the interviewer.
Question 7.
What is objectivity?
Answer:
The ability to carry out an investigation and to collect data without personal
interpretation or bias to influence the process. If we have to rely on a subjective
interpretation of an event (such as ‘Was that an act of aggression or of
playfulness?’), we may find it difficult to maintain our objectivity. Psychologists may
choose either to concentrate on actions which are unquestionably relating to the
behaviour of interest (stabbing someone in the back, for example, could hardly be
interpreted as playfulness) or relying on the shared agreement of more than one
observer of the same event (inter¬observer reliability).
Question 8.
What is observation?
Answer:
This term is used to describe any situation where an observer records behaviour
that is exhibited by a participant. The term ‘observation’ may be used as a
technique for gathering data (i.e. we observe somebody doing something) or as the
design of a study. It leads to such a variety of usage. To give a precise definition of
the term
‘observation’ means contrasting it with an experimental study. In an observation
there is no manipulation of an independent variable. There are different types of
study that would be classified as ‘observational’ under this definition.
Question 9.
What is reliability?
Answer:
If a finding is repeated, it is described as being reliable. Within the general meaning
of the term, it is also used more specifically within psychological assessment and
research. For a research finding to be reliable, it must be shown to exist on
successive investigations under the same condition (replication).
For a psychometric assessment to be reliable, it should have both internal and
external reliability. Answers to a questionnaire or inventory may be checked to see if
respondents answer all questions in the same way or if they contradict themselves.
This is a measure of internal reliability. Responses may also be checked over a
period of time to see if there is stability of measurement over times. If respondent
gives the same responses or obtains the same scores consistently over time, then
the measure is said to have external reliability.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 1 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
What do you mean by social structure?
Answer:
 Structure refers to some sort of ordered arrangement of parts or components.
 The term ‘social structure’ refers to any recurring pattern of social behaviour
or the ordered relationship between the different elements of a social system.
 Main elements of social structure are status, role, norms and values.
Question 2.
What do you understand by social processes?
Answer:
The repetitive forms of social interaction are called social processes.
It is the continuous change in a situation which happens in a particular way because
of the activities of its inherent forces.
Question 3.
What do you understand by social stratification? Why is it essential?
Answer:
The term ‘stratification’ refers to studies of structured social inequality between
groups of people, which arise as the unintended consequence of social processes
and relationships.
Question 4.
Explain the concept of caste stratification.
Answer:
Caste is an institution of considerable internal complexity. Caste stratification is a
type of rigid hierarchical social division of society in permanent groups or
categories.
This division is based on the relationships of superiority and subordination.
Question 5.
Explain the concept of class stratification.
Answer:
A social class is any position of the community marked off from the rest of social
status. These classes are arranged on the basis of economic conditions but social
classes are more than economic groups. They show a common pattern of behaviour
and develop in group bias. It may be defined as broad category of people who share
similar economic conditions.
Question 6.
Explain the concept of gender stratification.
Answer:
Gender stratification refers to socially unequal division into femininity and
masculinity. It is not only related to the difference between males and females and
to individual identity and personality but also at symbolic level, to cultural ideals
and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity at the structural level, to the sexual
division of labour in institutions and organisations.
Question 7.
What do you mean by Ethnicity?
Answer:
The term ‘Ethnicity’ refers to the individuals who consider themselves to share
common characteristics that differentiate them from the other collectivities in a
society and from which they develop their distinctive cultural behaviour, form an
ethnic group.
One race hates the other race due to the sense of superiority. It is not inborn.
Question 8.
What is Accommodation?
Answer:
Accommodation is a form of social process in which two or more persons or groups
interact in order to prevent, reduce or eliminate conflict.
It is a process whereby the subordinate groups simply conform to the expectations
of the dominant group.
Question 9.
What is Assimilation?
Answer:
Assimilation implies that the subordinate groups actually come to accept and
internalise the values and culture of the dominant group.
It is a social process through which, persons or groups accept the behaviour of
others.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 1 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Explain the concept of status.
Answer:
The term ‘status’ has two meanings in sociology:
1. It refers to the position a person occupies in the social structure, such as a
teacher or doctor. This status (position) may be ascribed or achieved.
2. Status refers to a form of social stratification in which social positions are
ranked and organised by legal, political and cultural criteria into status
groups.
Question 2.
What are Norms? Explain its importance.
Answer:
Norms are shared expectations of behaviour. It connotes what is considered
culturally desirable and appropriate.
Norms are similar to rules or regulations in prescriptive, although they lack the
formal status of rules.
The sociological concept of norm is closely related to that of ‘role’, which is
commonly defined as a set of norms attached to social position.
Question 3.
Distinguish between mechanical and organic solidarity.
Answer:
 According to Durkheim, traditional cultures with a low division of labour are
characterised by mechanical solidarity.
 Most of the members of the society are involved in similar occupations. They
are bound together by common experience and shared beliefs.
 According to Durkheim, societies characterised and held together by people’s
economic interdependence and a recognition of the importance of others
contributions are called organic solidarity.
 Its division of labour becomes more complex, people become more and more
dependent on each other.
 Relationships of economic reciprocity and mutual dependency come to
replace shared beliefs in creating social consensus.
Question 4.
How voluntary cooperation is different from enforced cooperation?
Answer:
Cooperation may be voluntary, may be enforced. It depends on the situation.
In agricultural operations different members of the group perform different
activities. They grow different crops. Some focus on fishing or growing vegetables
and some perform supportive activities. For example, preparing tools and
equipment. They all cooperate each other to get good harvest. This is voluntary
cooperation, which is intrinsic in nature.
But the factory workers do cooperate with the owners in performing their tasks
because total production depends on their mutual relations but it is actually system
requirement. This cooperation is a prerequisite for job sustenance. Behind the
cooperation there are many norms. So this is enforced cooperation which is
extrinsic. The feeling of fulfilment and creativity of a weaver or potter or ironsmith is
voluntary cooperation.
In contrast, a worker involved in a factory whose sole task may be to pull lever or
press a button throughout the day. Cooperation in such a situation would be
enforced.
Question 5.
How Durkheim and Marx differ on the issue of cooperation?
Answer:
For Durkheim, solidarity, the moral force of society is fundamental for
understanding of cooperation and thereby functioning of society.
The role of division of labour which implies cooperation is precisely to fulfil certain
needs of society. It is simply system requirement. For Marx, cooperation is not
voluntary in a society where class exists. He argues, “The social power i.e.
multiplied productive force (surplus) arises through the cooperation of different
individuals as it is caused by the division of labour. Cooperation is not voluntary but
naturally. In this enforced cooperation, workers lose control over how to organise
their own work and they lose control over the fruits of their labour.”
Question 6.
What is competition? How is it different from cooperation?
Answer:
Cooperation is a dissociative social process in which it sets up its own values in
opposition to the mainstream.
Competition is a social process in which many people struggle to achieve something
which has hunted availability.
Competition is for getting scarce resources, may be money, jobs, prestige, position,
power or love.
Competition is a universal social process but it varies from culture to culture.
Concept of competition involves attainment of goal without using force or terror.
Cooperation represents all relations among persons or groups which work together
towards a shared common goal.
Cooperation is an associative social process. It may be conscious or unconscious. It
involves an element of sympathy, sacrifice and feeling of togetherness.
Question 7.
What is Laissezfaire liberalism?
Answer:
A political and economic approach based on the general principle of non-
interference in the economy by government and freedom for markets and property
owners, is called Laissez faire liberalism.
Laissez faire liberalism is an approach to economics that asserts the importance of
the free, competitive market of the individual suppliers and individual purchasers to
the efficient production, distribution and allocation of goods and services and
emphasises on the need to keep state regulation to a maximum.
Question 8.
What do you mean by division of labour?
Answer:
The specialisation of work tasks by means of which different occupations are
combined within a production system. With the development of industrialisation the
division of labour becomes more complex than any prior type of production system.
In the modem world, the division of labour is international in scope. On the basis of
division of labour, the concept of organic solidarity functions with the form of social
cohesion. The interdependence of members of society is the result of such kind of
solidarity.
Question 9.
What is dominant ideology?
Answer:
Dominant ideology refers to shared ideas or beliefs which serve to justify the
interests of dominant groups. Such ideologies are found in the societies in which are
systematic. The concept of ideology connects closely with that of power, since
ideological system serves to legitimise the differential power which groups hold.
Question 10.
What is alienation in terms of Marx?
Answer:
Marx used the term alienation to refer to the loss of control on the part of workers
over the products of their labour.
In general term, it describes the estrangement of individuals from one another or
from a specific situation or process.
Question 11.
Do you think that conflicts are always manifestations through overt clashes? Explain
with suitable examples.
Answer:
Conflict is often not overtly expressed. Many a time conflict appears as a discord or
overt clash only when it is openly expressed e.g. the existence of a peasant
movement is an overt expression of a deep rooted conflict over land resources. But
it is not always true. This can be explained through a few examples.
Traditionally the family and household were often seen as harmonious units where
cooperation was the dominant process and altruism (doing some thing good for
other without having any vested interest) the driving principle of human behaviour.
‘Maternal altruism’ in the northern Indian plain is likely to be biased towards sons
and can be seen as women’s response to patriarchal risk.
Mostly we observe that women’s subversion of male decision-making power tends
to be covert e.g. doing small business or money landing.
Another example of covert conflict and overt cooperation is related to property
rights where a woman demanding her rights is named as greedy. Woman mostly
shows cooperation by not demanding her right but inside the conflict occurs and
causes bitterness.
Question 12.
Differentiate between functionalist perspective and conflict perspective in terms of
social processes.
Answer:
Karl Marx is usually associated with conflict perspective and Emile Durkheim is
usually identified with a functionalist perspective.
Conflict theories emphasised the importance of interests over norms and values and
the ways in which the pursuit of interests generated various types of conflicts as
normal aspect of social life, rather than abnormal or dysfunctional (interfering)
occurences e.g. class conflicts in industrial society.
According to conflict perspective, societies divided by caste or class or patriarchy,
some groups are disadvantaged and discriminated against. The dominant groups
sustain the unequal order by a series of cultural norms and often force or even
violence.
In functional perspective, society is seen as an organic whole, each of its
constituent parts working to maintain the others just as the parts of the body
coordinate.
This idea is basic to the conception of organic solidarity which emphasises on
people’s economic interdependence and recognition of the importance of other’s
contributions. Functionalist perspective is mainly concerned with the system
requirements of society-certain functional imperatives, functional requisites and
prerequisites. These refer to the fulfilment of conditions which are necessary for the
existence of a system.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
Define social change.
Answer:
Social change refers to any change in the system in which social-relationships
remain organised, controlled and stable.
Question 2.
Define authority.
Answer:
Authority refers to a person who has inherent power to give reward and
punishment. According to Max Weber, authority refers to legitimate power.
Question 3.
Define law.
Answer:
“Law is the body of rules which are recognised, interpreted and applied to particular
situations by the courts of the state.”
Law is collection of customary standardised and formalised norms that regulate
human conduct. They have the support of customs and law making bodies.
Question 4.
What is traditional authority?
Answer:
Traditional authority emphasises on social values, beliefs and continuity. Family
based on kinship are its example.
It maintains the social order and brings desired changes according to social
demands.
Question 5.
What is socialisation?
Answer:
Socialisation is a process of social learning through which a child acquires the
norms, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that are acceptable in his/her culture. The
principal agents of socialisation are the family, school, peer group and media.
Question 6.
What is conformity?
Answer:
Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their attitude or
behaviour in order to adhere to existing social norms.
Question 7.
What do you understand by Ghettoisation?
Answer:
Ghettoisation is the process of creation of ghettoes through the conversion of mixed
composition neighbourhoods into single community neighbourhoods.
Question 8.
What is the meaning of social influence?
Answer:
It refers to the efforts by one or more individuals to change the attitudes, beliefs,
perception or behaviour of the people.
Question 9.
Define social norms.
Answer:
It refers to rules indicating how individuals are expected to behave in specific
situations.
Question 10.
What is contestation?
Answer:
It refers to broad forms of insistent disagreement. It is a situation in which people
tend to protest against or refuse to conform to existing social norms.
Question 11.
What is charismatic authority?
Answer:
A particular political or religious leader with whom people get attached due to his
exceptional and supernatural qualities is called charismatic authority. Such people
have great power to influence people.
Question 12.
How technology can bring social change?
Answer:
Technology refers to the use of sophisticated methods to fulfil material needs which
is capable of bringing vast changes in the society.
It changes the simple society into complex one. Social changes due to technology is
being labelled as technological revolution.
Question 13.
How was the word ‘culture’ derived?
Answer:
The word ‘culture’ comes from the Latin word “colere” which means to cultivate. It
was used to refer to progressive refinement.
Question 14.
What is city?
Ans, A city is the core of metropolitan area. It has a large population, high density of
population, heterogeneity, predominantly engaged in non-agricultural occupations.
Question i5.
What is a suburb?
Answer:
A suburb is a community situated just on the outskirt of a city having low population
density and smaller population. It is located in the metropolitan area.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What is social change?
Answer:
 Social change refers to the change in the system in which human social
relationship remains organised, controlled and stable.
 It is a universal phenomena that the rate of change varies. It is community
change and nature of change is influenced significantly by time factor.
 Social changes are of various types i.e.; growth, evolution, progress etc.
 Social changes are caused by changes in economy, social and environmental
factors, technological factors and political status of that state.
Question 2.
State a few causes of crime in the society.
Answer:
1. Biological factors: It is the result of heredity transmission.
2. Psychological factors: Frustration leads to aggression and aggression leads to
crime.
3. Economic factors: Poverty big gap between classes, unemployment etc.
4. Geographical factors: Due to climate and seasonal changes.
5. Socio-cultural factors: Lack of proper education, broken homes.
Question 3.
“Society is not static phenomenon, instead it is subject to constant change.”
Discuss.
Answer:
 Social change is inevitable in social life and relationship.
 Evolutionary theories views society as moving in a definite direction and
cause changes.
 Social changes may occur in the internal or external aspects of the structure
of society.
External change refers to changes in forms of family, marriage, class, caste and
kinship etc.
 Internal changes refer to changes in the norms and values of the society.
 The rate of change of internal aspects is always slow because the social
norms, values and belief gradually become part of the core of personality.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 3 very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
What is meant by ecology?
Answer:
Ecology is the study of relationship between living things and their environment
which includes biological and geographical conditions.
Mountains, rivers, flora and fauna are parts of ecology.
Question 2.
What is environment?
Answer:
Everything which surrounds us is called environment. It includes both biological and
geographical conditions.
It is total web of life which includes physical characteristics of a particular region as
well as plants and animals.
Question 3.
What is cultural environment?
Answer:
Man made environment is known as cultural environment.
Traditions, folkways, language, beliefs, art and literature, social values are part of
cultural environment.
Question 4.
What is social ecology?
Answer:
It refers to the branch of general ecology. The interrelationship of biological,
physical and cultural features of a region is the domain of social ecology.
Social ecology has four aspects i.e. population, environment, technology and social
organisations.
Question 5.
What is urban ecology?
Answer:
It is related to the study of urban areas, cities and towns. Urban ecology deals with
the relationship between man and environment of cities and towns.
Question 6.
What is the meaning of resources depletion?
Answer:
Excessive usage of non-renewable natural resources are called resources depletion.
It is limited e.g. Mineral, coal, natural gas, petroleum etc. The next generation will
be deprived from these resources.
Question 7.
What is deforestation?
Answer:
The process of cutting trees gradually reduce the forest land. The cleared land is
used by people for so called development i.e., industrialization and housing. The
whole process is known as deforestation.
Question 8.
State causes and effects of air pollution.
Answer:
Air pollution is caused due to emission of vehicles and industries. It occurs due to
burning of wood and coal in rural houses.
This polluted air we inhale through lungs which cause respiratory problems, cancer,
chronic bronchitis and asthma like serious health hazards.
Question 9.
Define Green house.
Answer:
It is a covered structure for protecting plants from extremes of climate, usually from
excessive cold. Green house maintains a warmer temperature inside as compared
to the outside temperature.
Question 10.
What is eco system?
Answer:
Human beings, animals and plants are living components of universe.
The environment is inorganic. Non-living component of this system includes heat,
energy, land, water bodies, temperature, gases etc.
Eco system is interrelationship of these two components.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 3 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What is global warming?
Answer:
Continuous increase in the temperature of universe because of green house effect is
known as global warming.
Green house effect means release of particular gases like carbon dioxide, methane
etc. It is influenced by trapping the sun’s heat and allowing to dissipate. This
phenomena causes gradual but significant rise in global temperature.
beings. Therefore, many ways are evolved for the development of the relationship
between needs and environment.
Green house is a structure which has natural covering. This covering protects flora
and fauna from extreme climate.
Question 2.
What is water pollution? How it gets polluted?
Answer:
Water pollution means contamination of water which occurs due to:
 throwing industrial waste in the rivers.
 industrial hot water drained in the rivers.
  draining used domestic water in the rivers.
 leakage of crude oil in the ocean.
 water pollution affects surface as well as ground water which may lead to
typhoid fever, hepatitis, cholera, diarrhoea etc.
Question 3.
State main causes of soil pollution.
Answer:
 Industrial waste drains out in the agricultural fields.
 Industrial and domestic garbage and sewage from cities and towns go into
the field.
 Industrial smoke which contains hazardous elements is a significant cause of
soil pollution.
 To get good crops, farmers are using excessive chemicals and pesticides. It is
causing soil pollution.
Question 4.
State major effects of global warming.
Answer:
 Rise in temperature may cause frequent environmental hazards like storms.
 Global warming may lead to loss of biological diversity and natural resources.
 Increase in temperature may melt the glaciers which may cause further rise
in sea level. It may become a threat to many island countries.
 It may have hazardous effects on rainfall and monsoon patterns.
Question 5.
How can cities be classified keeping the “Internal structure” in mind?
Answer:
On the basis of “internal structure” we can classify them under the following:
 The concentric zone theory.
 The sector theory.
 The multiple nuclei theory.
Question 6.
What do you mean by renewable resources?
Answer:
These are natural resources of energy which are renewable. The main renewable
resources are solar energy, water and wind energy. These are very important in our
day to day life. The depletion of these resources may cause major environmental
hazards.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 4 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
Explain the term ‘Bourgeoisie’.
Answer:
According to Marx, Bourgeoisie are those few people who own the means of
production in a capitalist society. They enjoy both economic and political power.
Question 2.
Explain the term ‘surplus value’.
Answer:
The term ‘surplus value’ refers to the quality of value produced by the worker
beyond the necessary labour time, i.e., the marking time required to produce a
value equal to the one he has received in the form of wages.
Question 3.
List two suitable grounds on which Marxian theory of class struggle has been
criticised.
Answer:
Karl Marx has absolutely ignored the middle class. Middle class has a great
importance in modem society especially that society which can be called the
supreme capitalist society.
The class struggle cannot be accepted as constructive. Hence, it is always
destructive and it leads to fascism which any society is unable to bear.
Question 4.
Explain briefly social fact as interpreted by Durkheim.
Answer:
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.
Durkheim also writes, “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”.
Question 5.
Why is Emile Durkheim called the ‘key classical theorists in sociology’?
Answer:
Emile Durkheim is one of the ‘key classical theorists in sociology’. He is best known
for founding sociology as a scientific discipline and for defining the boundaries of its
subject matter.
His key theoretical statement lies in his claim that social phenomena are realities
that can only be explained by other social facts.
Question 6.
Differentiate between the sacred and the profane.
Answer:
The sacred is that which is considered holy and dreaded. It includes religious beliefs
and rites, duties or anything related to religious treatment par excellence.
The profane relates to the ordinary, utalitarian aspects of life, dull or routine, full of
impurity.
Question 7.
What is social fact, according to Durkheim?
Answer:
Social facts are those ways of working, thinking and feeling which are exterior to
man and which controls the man by their power of constraints.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 4 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Discuss main contributions of Karl Marx.
Answer:
Karl Marx was bom in Trier, Germany on May 5,1818. Marx was educated at the
Treves school. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Jena in June, 1841.
Marx’s personal life was a difficult struggle. Marx died on 14th March, 1883.
Karl Marx says that each society has two opposite classes:
1. The exploiters (means capitalists) and
2. The exploited (means workers).
The term ‘surplus value’ refers to the quantity of value produced by the worker
beyond the necessary labour time i.e., the working time required to produce a value
equal to the one he has received in the form of wages.
The term ‘alienation’ refers to the work alien, which means foreigner, and therefore
alienation would mean becoming stranger to one’s own people and the product etc.
In a capitalist society, alienation dominates every institutional sphere such as
religion, economy and polity.
Question 2.
Write short note on Max Weber.
Answer:
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
Question 3.
How Durkhiem interpreted suicide?
Answer:
According to Durkheim, all deaths which are the direct or indirect results of any
function of dead person about which he himself knows that thin act will cause death
to him.
Durkheim suggested four forms of Suicide:
 Egoistic Suicide: Characterised by excessive reflection on personal matters.
 Altruistic Suicide: When the individual is over integrated with society. For
example, Jauhar Pratha in Rajputs.
 Anomic Suicide: The state, which results from the weakening of powers in
society that regulate social equilibrium. Individual meets frustration, which
they are not able to cope with.
 Fatalistic Suicide: Due to excessive degree of regulation e.g. suicide of
enslavement under the master.
Question 4.
Explain in detail Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle.
Answer:
Karl Marx was of the view that:
 Human society passed through different stages of development viz primitive,
communal, ancient, feudal and capitalist.
 Each stage is defined by a mode of production.
 The factors of production are in the hands of the “oppressors’, they control
them; the “oppressed” are deprived of them.
 There is a conflict between the “haves” and the “have-nots”.
 When the proletariat becomes conscious and acquires revolutionary
character, there is an overthrow of those in power or the bourgeoisie.
 Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Very Short Answer Type
Questions
Question 1.
Define social change.
Answer:
Social change refers to any change in the system in which social-relationships
remain organised, controlled and stable.
Question 2.
Define authority.
Answer:
Authority refers to a person who has inherent power to give reward and
punishment. According to Max Weber, authority refers to legitimate power.
Question 3.
Define law.
Answer:
“Law is the body of rules which are recognised, interpreted and applied to particular
situations by the courts of the state.”
Law is collection of customary standardised and formalised norms that regulate
human conduct. They have the support of customs and law making bodies.
Question 4.
What is traditional authority?
Answer:
Traditional authority emphasises on social values, beliefs and continuity. Family
based on kinship are its example.
It maintains the social order and brings desired changes according to social
demands.
Question 5.
What is socialisation?
Answer:
Socialisation is a process of social learning through which a child acquires the
norms, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that are acceptable in his/her culture. The
principal agents of socialisation are the family, school, peer group and media.
Question 6.
What is conformity?
Answer:
Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their attitude or
behaviour in order to adhere to existing social norms.
Question 7.
What do you understand by Ghettoisation?
Answer:
Ghettoisation is the process of creation of ghettoes through the conversion of mixed
composition neighbourhoods into single community neighbourhoods.
Question 8.
What is the meaning of social influence?
Answer:
It refers to the efforts by one or more individuals to change the attitudes, beliefs,
perception or behaviour of the people.
Question 9.
Define social norms.
Answer:
It refers to rules indicating how individuals are expected to behave in specific
situations.
Question 10.
What is contestation?
Answer:
It refers to broad forms of insistent disagreement. It is a situation in which people
tend to protest against or refuse to conform to existing social norms.
Question 11.
What is charismatic authority?
Answer:
A particular political or religious leader with whom people get attached due to his
exceptional and supernatural qualities is called charismatic authority. Such people
have great power to influence people.
Question 12.
How technology can bring social change?
Answer:
Technology refers to the use of sophisticated methods to fulfil material needs which
is capable of bringing vast changes in the society.
It changes the simple society into complex one. Social changes due to technology is
being labelled as technological revolution.
Question 13.
How was the word ‘culture’ derived?
Answer:
The word ‘culture’ comes from the Latin word “colere” which means to cultivate. It
was used to refer to progressive refinement.
Question 14.
What is city?
Ans, A city is the core of metropolitan area. It has a large population, high density of
population, heterogeneity, predominantly engaged in non-agricultural occupations.
Question i5.
What is a suburb?
Answer:
A suburb is a community situated just on the outskirt of a city having low population
density and smaller population. It is located in the metropolitan area.
Class 11 Sociology Chapter 2 Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What is social change?
Answer:
 Social change refers to the change in the system in which human social
relationship remains organised, controlled and stable.
 It is a universal phenomena that the rate of change varies. It is community
change and nature of change is influenced significantly by time factor.
 Social changes are of various types i.e.; growth, evolution, progress etc.
 Social changes are caused by changes in economy, social and environmental
factors, technological factors and political status of that state.
Question 2.
State a few causes of crime in the society.
Answer:
1. Biological factors: It is the result of heredity transmission.
2. Psychological factors: Frustration leads to aggression and aggression leads to
crime.
3. Economic factors: Poverty big gap between classes, unemployment etc.
4. Geographical factors: Due to climate and seasonal changes.
5. Socio-cultural factors: Lack of proper education, broken homes.
Question 3.
“Society is not static phenomenon, instead it is subject to constant change.”
Discuss.
Answer:
 Social change is inevitable in social life and relationship.
 Evolutionary theories views society as moving in a definite direction and
cause changes.
 Social changes may occur in the internal or external aspects of the structure
of society.
External change refers to changes in forms of family, marriage, class, caste and
kinship etc.
 Internal changes refer to changes in the norms and values of the society.
 The rate of change of internal aspects is always slow because the social
norms, values and belief gradually become part of the core of personality.