Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology with Solutions Set 10 are designed as per the revised syllabus.

CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology Set 10 with Solutions

Time Allowed: 3 hours.
Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:

  1. The question paper is divided intofour sections.
  2. There are 38 questions in all. All questions are compulsory.
  3. Section A includes question No. 1-20. These are MCQ type questions. As per the question, there can be one answer.
  4. Section B includes question No.21-29. These are very short answer type questions carrying 2 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 30 words.
  5. Section C includes question No. 30-35. They are short answer type questions carrying 4 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 80 words.
  6. Section D includes question No. 36-38. They are long answer type questions carrying 6 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 200 words each. Question no 38 is to be answered with the help of the passage given.

Section – A (20 Marks)

Question 1.
Which of the following is not a principle on which the caste system is based? [1]
(A) Difference
(B) Wholism
(C) Separation
(D) Competition
Answer:
(D) Competition

Explanation: Theoretically, 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.

Question 2.
Among the following, the system grounded in stereotypes is: [1]
(A) Inclusion
(B) Prejudice
(C) Reservation
(D) Accommodation
Answer:
(B) Prejudice

Explanation: Stereotypes are non-scientific overgeneralizations about a social group. Prejudice is unjustifiable and negative attitudes toward an individual or group based on reinforced misinformation about a social group. Stereotypes often pave the way for prejudice towards a particular group.

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Question 3.
Which of the following is not an example of ‘positive checks’ to population growth? [1]
(A) natural disasters
(B) celibacy
(C) famines
(D) disease
Answer:
(B) celibacy

Explanation: Celibacy, along with other means such as postponing marriage and practicing birth control are examples of what Malthus calls ‘preventive checks.’

Question 4.
The pyramid for 2026 shows the estimated future size of the relevant age groups based on data on the past rates of growth of each age group. Such estimates are also called ‘_____’. [1]
(A) Projections
(B) Age pyramid
(D) Rate of natural increase
(C) Demographic dividend
Answer:
(A) Projections

Explanation: A population projection gives a picture of what the future size and structure of the population by sex and age might look like. The age structure pyramid for the year 2026 is a kind of population projection.

Question 5.
Castes were traditionally linked to occupations. Caste-based occupations are _____ in nature. [1]
(A) Hereditary
(B) Equal AE
(C) Segmentary
(D) Less rigid
Answer:
(A) Hereditary

Explanation: A person born into a caste could only practice the occupation associated with that caste, so that occupations were hereditary, i.e., passed on from generation to generation.

Question 6.
The outsiders against whom the tribals have been waging struggles are called _____. [1]
(A) immigrants
(B) dikus
(C) traders
(D) upper castes
Answer:
(B) dikus

Explanation: The word ‘dikus’ means outsiders. Dikus were the people who made the tribal people dependent upon them, thereby causing them a lot of misery and suffering

Question 7.
Which of the following is NOT a permanent trait of tribes in India? [1]
(A) Region
(B) Ecological habitat
(C) Mode of livelihood
(D) Language
Answer:
(C) Mode of livelihood

Explanation: Tribes can be classified into permanent and acquired traits. Permanents traits include region, language, physical characteristics and ecological region. Acquired traits use two main criteria, mode of livelihood, and extent of incorporation into Hindu society. It may also be a combination of both.

Question 8.
The argument for a tribe-caste distinction was founded on an assumed cultural difference between Hindu castes, with their beliefs in purity and pollution and hierarchical integration, and ‘animist’ tribal with their more egalitarian and kinship-based modes of social organisation.” Which of the following is not a characteristic of tribal communities? [1]
(A) Egalitarian organisation
(B) Kinship based mode of social organisation
(C) Animists
(D) Organised religion
Answer:
(D) Organised religion

Explanation: Tribes lack organised religion.

Merit Batch

Question 9.
In which of the following subjects State or Centre both can legislate? [1]
(A) State
(B) Complementary
(C) Concurrent
(D) Centre
Answer:
(C) Concurrent

Explanation: The subject on which both the Centre and State Governments can legislate are contained in the Concurrent List. Both the Parliament and the State Legislatures can make laws on the subjects included in this list.

Question 10.
_____ implied that the people of India or of any colonised society have an equal right to be sovereign. [1]
(A) Socialism
(B) Communism
(C) Capitalism
(D) Nationalism
Answer:
(B) Communism

Explanation: Nationalism implies that any set of people have the right to be free and exercise sovereign power. It implied that people of India have an equal right to be sovereign.

Directions: In the following questions, a statement of assertion (A) is followed by a statement of reason (R).
Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both assertion (A) and reason (R) are true and reason (R) is the correct explanation of assertion (A).
(B) Both assertion (A) and reason (R) are true but reason (R) is not the correct explanation of assertion (A).
(C) Assertion (A) is true but reason (R) is false.
(D) Assertion (A) is false but reason (R) is true.

Question 11.
Assertion (A): The inequalities in the literacy rate are especially important because they tend to reproduce inequality across generations.
Reason (R): Literacy rates also vary by social group. Historically disadvantaged communities like the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have a lower rate of literacy. [1]
Answer:
(A) Both assertion (A) and reason (R) are true and reason (R) is the correct explanation of assertion (A).

Explanation: Unequal distribution of literacy rates are strongly associated with other social and literary inequalities across generations. A significant example of this is exhibited in historically disadvantaged communities like the scheduled castes and tribes who are below poverty line and cannot get access to basic resources, have lower rates of literacy which is passed down across generations.

Question 12.
Assertion (A): A significant yet paradoxical change in the caste system in the contemporary period is that it has tended to become ‘invisible’ for the upper caste, urban middle and upper classes.
Reason (R): Caste plays no part in their private lives. [1]
Answer:
(C) Assertion (A) is true but reason (R) is false.

Explanation: For the upper caste, caste plays no part in their public lives, being limited to the personal sphere of religious practice or marriage and kinship.

Question 13.
Land reforms took away rights from the claimants, the upper caste who were _____ played no part in the agricultural economy other than claiming. [1]
(A) Tenants
(B) Absentee landlords
(C) Dominant caste in the sense that they
(D) Political leaders
Answer:
(B) Absentee landlords

Explanation: The land reforms took away rights from the erstwhile claimants, the upper castes who were ‘absentee landlords’ in the sense that they played no part in the agricultural economy other than claiming their rent. They frequently did not live in the village either, but were based in towns and cities.

Question 14.
What does Amartya Sen mean by the failure of entitlements? [1]
(A) The inability of people to buy or otherwise obtain food
(B) Famines
(C) Vulnerability to variations in rainfall
(D) Lack of adequate means of transport and communication
Answer:
(A) The inability of people to buy or otherwise obtain food

Explanation: According to Sen, famine is caused due to shortage of food but due to failure of entitlement. A person suffers from failure of food entitlement when his entitlement set does not contain enough food to enable him to avoid starvation in the absence of non-entitlement transfers, such as charity.

Question 15.
There are certain kinds of changes that change the family structure. Apart from the structure, what else does it change? [1]
(A) All the following
(B) Family norms
(C) Cultural ideas
(D) Family values
Answer:
(A) All the following

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Explanation: Apart from the alterations in the structure caused due to the changes in family structures, other kinds of changes such as changes in the family values, family norms and cultural norms also take place.

Question 16.
Who proposed a resolution against the evils of polygamy at the All India Muslim Ladies Conference? [1]
(A) Jahanara Shah Nawas
(B) Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan
(C) Jyotiba Phule
(D) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Answer:
(A) Jahanara Shah Nawas

Explanation: Jahanara shah niwas proposed a resolution against the evils of Polygamy in the All India Muslim Ladies Conferences. Jahanara Shah Niwas is a renowned politician and Muslim League activist. In 1918 she was successful in making the Muslim league pass a resolution against polygamy. She Argued that polygamy existing in India is not by the parameters set by Quran.

Question 17.
The capitalist mode of production leads to: [1]
(A) feminisation of agriculture.
(B) labour welfare.
(C) elimination of class hierarchy.
(D) separation of workers from the means of production.
Answer:
(D) separation of workers from the means of production.

Explanation: Capitalist mode of production is based on private ownership of enterprises such as factories, plantations, mines, offices or shops and the operation of these assets for profit. It often results in separation of workers or labour force from the means of production.

Question 18.
According to the Census of India data (2011), which state in India has the highest child sex ratio? [1]
(A) Kerala
(B) Arunachal Pradesh
(C) Assam
(D) Chhattisgarh
Answer:
(A) Kerala

Explanation: According to the Census of India data (2011), Kerela with 1084 has the highest child sex ratio.

Question 19.
The _____ or tribes were believed to be people of the forest whose distinctive habitat in the hill and forest areas shaped their Economic, Social and Political attributes. [1]
(A) Nairs
(B) Jana
(D) Khasis
(C) Dikus
Answer:
(B) Jana

Explanation: The Jana or tribes were believed to be ‘people of the forest’ whose distinctive habitat in the hill and forest areas shaped their economic, social and political attributes.

Question 20.
Which of the following is not a factor related to a low child sex ratio? [1]
(A) Illiteracy
(B) Sodo-cultural beliefs
(C) Economic condition
(D) Preference for girl child
Answer:
(D) Preference for girl child

Explanation: The desire for male children is one of the reasons for low sex ratio in the country. Other important causes of low child sex ratio are increased illiteracy rate, poor economic conditions and sociocultural beliefs.

Section – B (18 Marks)

Question 21.
In what way formal demography is different from social demography? [2]
Answer:
Formal demography:
(i) Quantitative field
(ii) Analysis
(iii) Measurement
(iv) Statistics
(v) Mathematical
(vi) Counting and enumeration

Social demography:
Focus on social, economic and political aspects Enquires into causes and consequences of population structures and change Social processes and structures regulate demographic processes. Trace the social reasons for population trends.

Question 22.
Who are the tribals? [2]
Answer:
Tribals are social groups consisting of a collection of families and lineages based on shared ties of kinship, ethnicity, and common history of territorial–political organisation. They are also believed to be people of the forests whose distinctive habitat in the hill and forest areas shaped their economic, social and political attributes.
For example: The most commonly known tribes of India are Gonds, Bhils (or Bheels), Santhal, Munda, Khasi, Garo, Angami.

Merit Batch

Question 23.
What was the focus of India’s nationalist struggle? What was Mahatma Gandhi’s genius?
OR
Differentiate between Strike and a Lockout. [2]
Answer:
It was against the fusion of foreign rule and capital. Gandhi took items of everyday mass consumption like cloth and salt and transformed them into symbols of resistance.

OR

In response to harsh working conditions, sometimes workers use a method against mill owners which is known as strike so that their demands could be met. But lockout is a method used by management against the strike in which they shut the gate and prevent workers from coming in the factory.

Strike Lockout
A strike is when employees in a certain industry stop working to compel them to satisfy certain demands. A lockout occurs when an employer closes the workplace temporarily, suspends operations, or terminates the employment of a group of people who were previously employed.
Strikes are defined as the workers complete cessation of work until their demands are met by the employers. Lockouts are defined as the temporary closure of a workplace, stoppage of work, or refusal to hire.
Strikes are weapons used by employees that are frequently triggered by economic factors. Lockouts are weapons used by employers that can occur for a variety of reasons, both economic and non-economic.

Question 24.
What are the various occupations followed in rural society?
OR
Discuss the concept of ‘footloose labour’. [2]
Answer:
Most of the rural people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Artisans such as weavers, carpenters, ironsmiths goldsmiths and potters live in the rural areas and they support the agriculture in some form or the other. The above-said occupations are carried out based on their respective castes. Few of the rural people get into government services in the Department of Education, Postal Department and few are employed as factory workers.

OR

This term was coined by Jan Breman in 1985. He used this concept to describe the situation of
migrating labours. Since the migrating labours have no job security, they have the compulsion of migrating from one place to another based on the demand.

Question 25.
Discuss the role of the cities in the development of economy in colonial rule. [2]
Answer:
Due to the economic development, coastal cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were favoured. Cities started playing a significant role in the economic system of the British Empire. Primary commodities could be easily exported and manufactured goods could be imported with low cost. These cities became prime link between economic centres in Britain and margins in colonial India.

Question 26.
What were the two structural changes brought by colonialisation in India? [2]
Answer:

  • Urbanisation: Cities replaced villages as place to live for many.
  • Industrialisation: Refers to the emergence of machine production, based on the use of inanimate power resources like steam or electricity.

Question 27.
What is community identity and how is it formed? [2]
Answer:
Community identity is based on birth and belongingness rather than on some forms of acquired qualifications or accomplishments. These kinds of identities are called ascriptive, i.e., they are determined by birth and individual’s choice is not involved. People feel a deep sense of security and satisfaction in belonging to communities.

Ascriptive identities such as community identities are difficult to shake off; even if we choose to disown them, others may continue to identify us by those very markers of belongingness. Our community provides us with our mother tongue and the cultural values through which we comprehend the world. It, also, anchors our self identity.

Question 28.
What are the evil consequences of religious diversity? [2]
Answer:
Religious fundamentalism- the movement based on belief of a community (or individuals) in absolute authority of the sacred texts of its own religion or faith. They believe that their own religion is beyond any fault and thus, should be forced on others. Conversion from one religion to another. Conflicts between different religious communities.

Question 29.
State any two constitutional provisions meant to protect minority rights.?
OR
State any four features of a Tribe. [2]
Answer:
Two constitutional provisions meant to protect minority rights are:

Article 29:
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. No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the state or received out of state funds on grounds of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

Article 30:
All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. 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

OR

The tribe has its own geographical area. The tribe has its own distinct culture. The tribe lives in an undeveloped condition. Every tribe has its different name, language, and tradition.

Merit Batch

Section – C (24 Marks)

Question 30.
Who established Satya Shodhan Samaj and why? What is a Totem?
OR
What are the criteria used for defining OBCs? What are the three forms of capital on which social inequality is based? [4]
Answer:
Satya Shodhan Samaj was established by Jyotiba Phule in 1873 because he wanted to aid the two groups considered lowest in traditional Brahmin culture: women and untouchables. A totem is a being, object, or symbol representing an animal or plant that serves as an emblem of a group of people such as a family clan, group, tribe, etc., reminding them of their ancestry. The totem system is considered sacred and is worshipped.

OR

Criteria used for defining OBCs:

  • Social and educational backwardness.
  • General identification by caste.
  • Neither part of the forward castes, nor of the Dalits.

The three forms of capital on which social inequality is based are:

  • Economic capital
  • Cultural capital
  • Social capital 4

Question 31.
Explain any two features of caste. Explain the difference between Jati and Varna. [4]
Answer:
The most commonly cited defining features of caste are as follows:

Caste is determined by birth – a child is “born into” the caste of its parents. Caste is never a matter of choice. One can never change one’s caste, leave it, or choose not to join it, although there are instances where a person may be expelled from their caste. Membership in a caste involves strict rules about marriage. Caste groups are “endogamous”, i.e., marriage is restricted to members of the group.

Varna system is an all-India system. The 4-Varna system can be seen everywhere in India. But Jati is a regional or local institution. A Jati found in one area of India may not be found in another area. The Jati chain is different in each area. The main difference between Jati and Varna is in the number. Varna are 4. But there are hundreds of Jatis.

Question 32.
How is the process of the emergence of nationalism in colonies related to the Anti-colonial movement? [4]
Answer:
The process of emergence of nationalism in colonies is definitely related to the Anti-colonial movement. People came to identify their unity during their struggle against colonial rulers. All of them were equally exploited and suppressed by colonial rulers. This common experience of suppression tied them in a chain of unity. They came to know that foreign rulers could be thrown out of the country only with unified strength. This sense of unified strength helped in the emergence of nationalism.

Question 33.
Explain a situation wherein a statistical minority might not be accepted as a minority in sociological sense. [4]
Answer:
The sociological sense of minority also implies that the members of the minority form a collectivity – that is, they have a strong sense of group solidarity, a feeling of togetherness and belonging. This is linked to disadvantage because the experience of being subjected to prejudice and discrimination usually heightens feelings of intra-group loyalty and interests.

Thus, groups that may be minorities in a statistical sense, such as people who are left-handed or people born on 29th February, are not minorities in the sociological sense because they do not form a collectivity.

Question 34.
Explain ‘Time Slavery’ in the IT Sector.
OR
How did early sociologists perceive industrialisation? [4]
Answer:
Long working hours are central to the industry’s ‘work culture’. This is due to the time difference between India and the client site, such that conference calls tend to take place in the evening when the working day in the US begins. Another reason is that overwork is built into the structure of outsourced projects: project costs and timelines are usually underestimated in terms of mandays and because mandays are based on an eight-hour day, engineers have to put in extra hours and days in order to meet the deadlines.

Extended working hours are legitimised by the common management practice of ‘flexi-time’, which in theory gives an employee freedom to choose his or her working hours (within limits) but, which in practice, means that they have to work as long as necessary to finish the task at hand. But even when there is no real work pressure, they tend to stay late in office either due to peer pressure or because they want to show the boss that they are working hard.

OR

Thinkers like Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim associated a number of social features with industry, such as urbanisation, the loss of face-to-face relationships. In rural areas, however, people had face-to-face relationships, worked on their own farms or for a landlord they knew. This was substituted by anonymous professional relationships in modern factories and workplaces. Industrialisation involves a detailed division of labour.

People often do not see the end result of their work because they are producing only one small part of a product. The work is often repetitive and exhausting. Marx called this situation alienation, where people do not enjoy work and see it as something they have to do only in order to survive and even that survival depends on whether the technology has room for any human labour.

Question 35.
Green revolution led to Regional inequalities. Give example. [4]
Answer:
Green Revolution involved the deployment of technological advancement in the cultivation. Only few states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh were able to adopt the technologies in agriculture. As a result, they had enormous socio-economic development. On the other hand dry regions such as Telangana, Bihar and Eastern U.P. were relatively underdeveloped.

Section – D (18 Marks)

Question 36.
Discuss how work is carried out in a large manufacturing industry. [6]
Answer:

  1. The aim of any industry is good output and it is the responsibility of manager to get more work done from the workers. Therefore, the work is carried out in respect to this aim. The two main ways of making workers produce more are: to extend the working hours and to increase the amount that is produced within a given time period.
  2. Another way of increasing output is by organising work. Taylorism: Frederick Winslow Taylor invented a system in the 1890s, called ‘Scientific Management’ or Taylorism or industrial engineering.
  3. All work was broken down into its smallest repetitive elements and divided between workers. Workers were timed with the help of stopwatches and had to fulfill a certain target every day.
  4. Assembly line: Production was further speeded up by this. Each worker sat along a conveyor belt and assembled only one part of the final product. The speed of work could be set by adjusting the speed of the conveyor belt.
  5. Indirect control: In the 1980s, there was an attempt to shift from this system of direct control to indirect control, where workers are supposed to motivate and monitor themselves.
  6. Outsourcing and just-in-time: All services like cleaning, security and manufacture of parts are outsourced. The parts suppliers are located around the factory and send the parts every two hours or just in time.
  7. For example, In Maruti Udyog Ltd., two cars roll off the assembly line every minute.

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Question 37.
Colonialism introduced a wide range of changes in every sphere, be it legal or cultural or architectural. Justify the statement with examples. [6]
Answer:
During the colonial rule by British in India, economic, social, political and technological changes took place. The economy changed negatively, leading to a drain of wealth as mentioned by Dadabhai Naoroji. Land revenue systems of permanent land settlement, Ryotwari and Mahalwari system created intermediaries, heavy tax on the peasants and exploitation by the British and the zamindars. The peasants could be evicted from the land on non-payment of the tax. The artisans, painters and weavers lost jobs with industrialization.

Introduction of machines cut down the human labour. Abolition of Sati, widow remarriage, introduction of Enfield rifle, and crossing the ocean by soldiers drew resentment from Indians as it affected the social and religious sentiments of Hindus and Muslims alike. The rifle grease which was made of cow and pork meat were to be bitten off before firing. Crossing the ocean made a person outcaste in the Hindu religion. Moreover, propagation of Christianity, western ideas and western education was seen as a threat to the cultural identity of India.

Politically, various Councils Acts were introduced for the representation in Legislative and Executive Council. However, Indians were not given representation or the decision-making authority. The country which was ruled by various rulers looking after their kingdoms was brought to an end by the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Dalhousie. The introduction of railways, roads and telegraph improved communication and brought technological advancement to India. Therefore, rapid urbanization and development of new cities were witnessed.

Under the British rule the legislative, administrative and judicial bodies were biased against Indians and treated them differently in punishment, representation and employment. The real power was vested with the British whereas, the responsibilities were carried out by the Indians. It should be noted that the 200 years of British colonialism has impacted the minds of Indians till today. In the modern world it has taken the form of cultural imperialism, in which Indians consider the Western practices and lifestyle superior to their own.

Question 38.
What is communalism? Why is it a recurrent source of tension and violence? Explain by giving suitable examples.
OR
How have social reformers helped in the emancipation of women in India? [6]
Answer:
Communalism refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one’s own group as the only legitimate and worthy group, with other groups being seen – by definition as inferior, illegitimate or opposed. One of its characteristic features is that religious identities override everything else. For example, it treats all Hindus, all Muslims and all Sikhs as singular and homogenous entity, irrespective of their caste, occupation or political beliefs.

Communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion. Communalism is about politics, not religion. During communal riots, people become faceless members of their respective communities. They are willing to kill, rape, and loot members of other communities in order to redeem their pride or seek revenge. Communalists cultivate an aggressive politics identity and are prepared to condemn or attack everyone who does not share their identity. Examples – anti-Sikh riots of 1984, antimuslimism riots in Gujarat in 2002.

OR

Emancipation of women by the social reformers:

  • Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against the practice of Sati in nineteenth century in Bengal. He founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828.
  • M.G. Ranade led the movement of widow remarriage efforts. His writings are titled as The Texts of the Hindu Law on the Lawfulness of the Remarriage of Widows and Vedic Authorities for Widow Marriage.
  • Jyotiba Phule attacked both caste and gender discrimination. He founded the Satyashodak Samaj. Phule’s first practical social reform efforts were to aid the two groups considered lowest in traditional Brahmin culture: women and untouchables.
  • Sir Syed Ahmed Khan wanted Muslim girls to be educated, however, within the vicinity of their homes.
  • Dayanand Saraswati stood for women’s education.
  • Tarabai Shinde through her writings attacked the double standards of male dominated society. Her book is called Stree Purush Tulana.
  • Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain wrote a science fiction called Sultana’s Dream.