Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology with Solutions Set 2 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology Set 2 with Solutions
Time Allowed: 3 Hours.
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
- The question paper is divided into four sections.
- There are 38 questions in all. All questions are compulsory.
- Section A includes question No. 1 -20. These are MCQ type questions. As per the question, there can be one answer.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 critique of Malthusian theory? [1]
(A) Food production continued to rise despite rapid population growth
(B) Standard of living continued to rise despite rapid population growth
(C) Poverty and starvation were caused by the unequal distribution of economic resources rather than by population growth
(D) Humanity is condemned to live in poverty forever because the growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by population growth
Answer:
(D) Humanity is condemned to live in poverty forever because the growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by population growth
Explanation: The statement is Malthus’s argument rather than his critique. Malthus was critiqued by scholars who argued that economic growth could outstrip population growth. The other three statements are examples of the critique of Malthusian theory.
Question 2.
The tribal communities were mainly dependent on the ______ for their living. [1]
(A) forests
(B) factories
(C) agriculture
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(A) forests
Question 3.
Choose the correct statement. [1]
(A) Language and religion have provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India.
(B) Language and tribal identity have provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India.
(C) Religion and tribal identity have provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India.
(D) All of the above.
Answer:
(B) Language and tribal identity have provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethno-national identity in India.
Explanation: Language coupled with regional and tribal identity – and not religion – has provided the most powerful instrument for the formation of ethnonational identity in India.
Question 4.
Stereotypes fix whole groups into single, ______ categories; they refuse to recognise the ______ across individuals and across contexts or across time. [1]
(A) homogenous, variation
(B) heterogenous, similarities
(C) broad, similarities
(D) diverse, similarities
Answer:
(A) homogenous, variation
Explanation: Stereotypes treat an entire community as though it were a single person with a single all encompassing trait or characteristic.
Question 5.
The National Planning Committee started by Indian National Congress was started in the year ______. [1]
(A) 1919
(B) 1924
(C) 1939
(D) 1946
Answer:
(C) 1939
Question 6.
Who wrote about navya-nyayalogic in ‘The Sources of Knowledge’? [1]
(A) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(B) Kandukuri Veeresalingam
(C) Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan
(D) Pandita Ramabai
Answer:
(B) Kandukuri Veeresalingam
Question 7.
______ organised sector consists of all units employing ten or more people throughout the year. These have to be registered with the government to ensure that their employees get proper salaries or wages, pensions, and other benefits. [1]
(A) Primary sector
(B) Service sector
(C) Organised sector
(D) Public sector
Answer:
(C) Organised sector
Question 8.
Santhals, Hos, Oraons, Mundas in Chota Nagpur and the Santhal Parganas are tribes of: [1]
(A) Tamil Nadu
(B) Haryana
(C) Jharkhand
(D) Karnataka
Answer:
(C) Jharkhand
Question 9.
The ______can be divided into three forms of capital- economic capital in the form of material assets and income; cultural capital such as educational qualifications and status; and social capital in the form of networks of contacts and social associations (Bourdieu 1986).[1]
(A) economic resources
(B) social resources
(C) material wealth
(D) political resources
Answer:
(B) social resources
Explanation: Social resources refer to the valued resources – money, property, education, health, and power – that people in a society have. Some people have more social resources than others in the society.
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:
(D) Nationalism
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 problem of selective abortions is not due to poverty or ignorance or lack of resources.
Reason (R): We find the sex ratio to be the lowest in the most prosperous regions. [1]
Answer:
(A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Explanation: The regional pattern of low child sex ratios seems to support this argument. It is striking that the lowest child sex ratios are found in the most prosperous regions of India. According to the Economic Survey 2018-19, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi are having high per capita incomes and the child sex ratio of these states is still low.
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.
Assertion (A): Gender identities can be chosen willingly.
Reason (R): By using surgical procedures male body can be converted into a female body or a female body into a male body. [1]
Answer:
(A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Explanation: In general, ‘male body’ and ‘female body’ as a social unit are unchanging identities, but due to so much research in the field of physiology, the notion of the body is now linked with ‘choice structure’. Transgender as a concept, thus, refers to conversions of gender status of the body into opposite gender by using choice or certain compulsions.
Question 14.
Assertion (A): In Indian nationalism, the dominant trend was marked by an inclusive and democratic vision.
Reason (R): It was democratic because it recognised diversity and plurality. [1]
Answer:
(B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Explanation: Inclusive because it recognised diversity and plurality. Democratic because it sought to do away with discrimination and exclusion and bring forth a just and equitable society.
Question 15.
Assertion (A): There is a correlation between disability and poverty.
Reason (R): Public perception of disability is based on cultural conception. [1]
Answer:
(A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Question 16.
What are the laws that allow citizens of a particular state to also-simultaneously- be citizens of another state called? [1]
(A) Cross-border citizenship laws
(B) Multiple citizenship laws
(C) Dual-citizenship laws
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) Dual-citizenship laws
Explanation: These laws are known as ‘dual-citizenship’ laws. For instance, Jewish Americans may be citizens of Israel as well as the USA; they can even serve in the armed forces of one country without losing their citizenship in the other country.
Question 17.
Considering from an urban point of view, the rapid growth in urbanisation shows that the town or city has been acting as a magnet for the rural population. Choose the incorrect statement about urbanisation in India. [1]
(A) Rural-to-urban migration has increased due to a decline in common property resources.
(B) Cities offer anonymity to the poor and the oppressed castes.
(C) People go to cities in search of work.
(D) Urban areas are a decisive force in terms of political power dynamics.
Answer:
(D) Urban areas are a decisive force in terms of political power dynamics.
Explanation: Option (d) is an incorrect statement (and the correct answer) because it is the rural areas that remain a decisive force in terms of political power dynamics, even when the public face of India is increasingly becoming urban. This is due to the fact that India’s majority population continues to live in rural areas.
Question 18.
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
(D) Political Leaders
Answer:
(C) Dominant caste
Question 19.
A state is “a body that successfully claims a monopoly of legitimate force in a particular territory”, according to [1]
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Auguste Comte
(C) Max Weber
(D) Jacques Rousseau
Answer:
(C) Max Weber
Question 20.
“Compared to the ancient past, we know a lot more about caste in our recent history. If modern history is taken to begin with the nineteenth century, then Indian Independence in 1947 offers a natural dividing line between the colonial period (roughly 150 years from around 1800 to 1947) and the post-Independence or post-colonial period (the six decades from 1947 to the present day). The present form of caste as a social institution has been shaped very strongly by both the colonial period as well as the rapid changes that have come about in independent India.” [1]
Choose the incorrect statement about position of caste and caste-based issues in the nationalist movement:
(A) Anti-untouchability programmes became a significant part of the Congress agenda.
(B) There was an initiative taken to organise “depressed classes” from both ends of the caste spectrum.
(C) The dominant view was to treat caste as a social evil and as a colonial ploy to divide Indians.
(D) Efforts to organise the “depressed classes” and particularly the untouchable castes began during the nationalist movement.
Answer:
(D) Efforts to organise the “depressed classes” and particularly the untouchable castes began during the nationalist movement.
Explanation: Efforts to organise the “depressed classes” and particularly the untouchable castes predated the nationalist movement, having begun in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Section – B (18 Marks)
Question 21.
Explain regionalism in the Indian context. [2]
Answer:
Giving preference to one’s region and neglecting all other regions for decision making, availing benefits of utilizing natural and economic resources is known as regionalism. Encouraging one’s region is also a form of regionalism. People from other regions are considered foreigners. For example, migrants from one state are differentiated from other states.
Question 22.
Why is the rising dependency ratio a cause for worry in countries that are facing an aging population? [2]
Answer:
A rising dependency ratio is a cause for worry in countries that are facing an aging population, since it becomes difficult for a relatively smaller proportion of working-age people to carry the burden of providing resources, for a somewhat more significant proportion of dependents.
Question 23.
Express the correlation between agricultural productivity and agrarian structure. [2]
Answer:
Agrarian structure refers to the sustaining divide between landowners and peasants. If there is an unequal distribution of lands among people, only a few will get profit from the cultivation. Peasants will get wages, while land owners will get profit. It increases class inequality. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
Question 24.
State the main concerns of social reformers of the 19th century.
OR
Discuss the concept of ‘foot loose labor’. [2]
Answer:
Main concerns of social reformers of the nineteenth century: Removal of the prevailing social evils. Education for the deprived, backward, and weaker sections. Widow remarriage. Child marriage. Against caste and gender discrimination. Religious discrimination. (Any two)
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.
Provide examples of women’s participation in agrarian struggles and revolts.
OR
Express the correlation between agricultural productivity and agrarian structure. [2]
Answer:
Tebhaga movement in Bengal. Telangana arms struggle from the erstwhile Nizam’s rule. Warli tribal’s revolt against bondage in Maharashtra.
OR
Agrarian structure refers to the sustaining divide between landowners and peasants. If there is an unequal distribution of lands among
people, only a few will get profit from the cultivation. Peasants will get wages, while land owners get profit. It increases class inequality. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer
Question 26.
What are the features of caste? [2]
Answer:
- Ascription: It is determined by birth.
- Endogamy: Marriage is restricted to members of the group.
- Restriction on food sharing: It prescribes rules about food and food-sharing.
- Hierarchal Ordering: It is arranged in a hierarchy of rank and status.
- Segmental Division: A caste has sub-divisions within itself.
- Rigidity: It is traditionally linked to an occupation wherein a person born to one caste can have the occupation of his/her caste only
Question 27.
Adivasi experiences of marginalisation and their sense of injustice were mobilised to create shared Jharkhandi identity.’ Mention the issues against which leaders of Jharkhand agitated. [2]
Answer:
The issues against which the leaders of the movement in Jharkand agitated were:
- Acquisition of land for large irrigation projects and firing ranges.
- Survey and settlement operations, which were held up, camps closed down, etc.
- Collection of loans, rent, and cooperative dues, which were resisted.
- Nationalisation of forest produce which they boycotted.
Question 28.
How do people find jobs? [2]
Answer:
Through advertisements and employment exchanges. Through personal contacts for those who are self employed, e.g., plumbers, private tuitions, and freelance photographers. Through Contractors/Jobbers (who are called mistris in the Kanpur textile mills). As Badli workerS/ who substitute for regular permanent workers who are on leave.
Question 29.
How did de-industrialisation take place in colonial India?
OR
Federal system has worked fairly well, though there remain many contentious issues.’ Mention any two issues. [2]
Answer:
British industrialization led to de-industrialization in some sectors Decline of old urban centres Manufacturing boomed in Britain, but traditional exports of cotton and silk manufacture from India declined in the face of Manchester competition. This period also saw the further decline of cities such as Surat and Masulipatnam, while Bombay and Madras grew.
When the British took over Indian states, towns like Thanjavur, Dhaka and Murshidabad lost their courts and their artisans and court gentry; Many village artisans abandoned their hereditary craft and moved to agriculture. (Any Two)
OR
Respecting regional sentiments is done by Constitutional provisions defining the powers of the States and the Centre. Since the era of liberalization (i.e., since the 1990s) there is concern among policymakers, politicians, and scholars about increasing inter-regional economic and infrastructural inequalities. Private investors generally want to invest in already developed States where the infrastructure and other facilities are better.
The government can give some consideration to regional equity and other social goals rather than just seeking to maximize profits. The market economy tends to increase the gap between developed and backward regions. The Centre States disputes: river water, linguistic and regional disparity, etc.
Section – C (24 Marks)
Question 30.
How have social reformers helped in the emancipation of women in India? [4]
Answer:
Emancipation of women by the social reformers:
Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against the practice of Sati in nineteenth-century Bengal. He founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828. M.G.Ranade led the movement of widow remarriage efforts. His writings are titled 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 a male-dominated society. Her book is called Stree Purush Tulana.
Question 31.
Nation-state became the dominant political form during the colonial period. Explain.
OR
Write a short note on the Bhoodan movement. [4]
Answer:
Nation-state became the dominant political form: Initially, the use of passports was not common for international travel. Pertains to a particular state, characteristic of the modern world. Associated closely with the rise of nationalism; the rise of democratic ideas; Sovereign. A community of communities sharing a desire to be a part of the same political collectivity.
OR
The Bhoodan movement refers to the land gifting movement. It is a voluntary land reform movement. The movement persuaded landowners to voluntarily donate the land to the landless people. The movement was started by Vinoba Bhave in 1951.
Question 32.
Briefly mention Gandhiji’s take on machinery.
OR
The Indian people had a brief experience of authoritarian rule during an emergency.’ Justify. [4]
Answer:
Gandhiji was not against machinery but, against the craze for machinery. Machinery saves time and labour. However, it deprives people of their jobs and leads to starvation. Therefore, Gandhiji opined that machinery should save time and labour for all and accumulate wealth for all and not in the hands of a few. He suggested the use of the spinning wheel to end exploitation and unemployment. Both Marx and Mahatma Gandhi saw mechanization as a danger to employees.
OR
The Indian people had a brief experience of authoritarian rule during the ‘Emergency’.
During the Emergency period:
- The Parliament was suspended and new laws were made directly by the government.
- Civil liberties were revoked and a large number of politically active people were arrested and sent to jail without trial.
- Censorship was imposed on the media and government officials could be dismissed without normal procedures.
- The government coerced lower-level officials to implement its programs and produce instant results.
- An example of this is the forced sterilization campaign in which large numbers of people died due to surgical complications.
Question 33.
Encouraging cultural diversity is a good policy from both the practical and the principled point of view. Justify the statement using India’s case as a Nation-State. [4]
Answer:
The Indian Nation-state is socially and culturally one of the most diverse countries in the world. It has one of the largest populations speaking multiple languages or dialects. It consists of multiple religions, plural in beliefs and practices. In terms of the Nation-state’s relationship with community identities, the Indian case fits neither the “assimilationist” nor the “integrationist” model.
The Constitution declares the Indian state to be a secular state, but religion, language, and other such factors are not banished from the public sphere. By international standards, very strong constitutional protection is offered to minority religions. India’s problems have been more in the sphere of implementation and practice rather than Laws or principles.
Question 34.
How has colonialism impacted our lives? [4]
Answer:
British colonialism which was based on capitalism directly interfered to ensure the greatest profit and benefit for British capitalism.
(i) Every policy was geared towards the strengthening and expansion of British capitalism.
(ii) It changed the law of land as:
-
- It changed not just land ownership laws but decided even what crops would be grown and what ought not to be.
- It altered the way the production and distribution of goods take place.
- It started interfering with the manufacturing sector.
- It started occupying forests and clearing trees and starting plantations.
- Colonialism introduced the forest acts that changed the lives of tribals/pastoralists.
- It also led to the. movement of people from one part to another in India which ultimately led to the growth of nationalist and anticolonial awareness in the Indian masses.
- Colonialism affected our lives culturally, politically, and more or less combined the two.
- Due to mobility and exposure to modern western thoughts people started thinking about freedom, liberty, and human rights which provided the basis for India’s freedom movement. Colonialism also had significant social influences, e.g., Indian society particularly the emerging middle class was gradually changed, i.e., their lifestyle, eating habits, languages, and clothing.
(iii) Political impact of colonialism on Indian society was significant. Our national movement, the political system, the parliamentary and legal system, Constitution, the education system, and the police traffic rules, by and large, the whole political structure changed due to the colonial impact.
Question 35.
Tribes have been classified according to their “permanent” and “original” traits. Explain. [4]
Answer:
Classification of Tribes based on “Permanent” and “Original” traits
Permanent traits:
Exploitation at the hands of the non-tribals. Tribes in India are widely dispersed across regions, stretching from Gujarat and Rajasthan in the West-to-West Bengal and Odisha in the east. In physical-racial terms, tribes can be classified under the Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian, and Aryan categories.
Based on language, tribes can be classified into four categories: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric, and Tibeto-Burman. Tribes can also be classified based on the ecological habitats they occupy- hills, forests, rural plains, etc. Size is another criterion for the classification of tribal groups- the biggest are Gonds, Bhils, Oraons, etc; the smallest are Andamanese. (Any three)
Original traits:
Tribes can be categorized based on livelihood into fishermen, food gatherers and hunters, shifting cultivators, peasants, and plantation and industrial workers.
Assimilation into Hindu society: Tribes with the high status accorded to them by the mainstream society and tribes with low status accorded to them by the mainstream society. Attitude towards Hindu Society: Those who are positively inclined towards Hinduism and those who oppose or resist it.
Section – D (18 Marks)
Question 36.
What are the social implications of the small size of the organised sector in India? [6]
Answer:
Very few people have the experience of employment in large firms where they get to meet people from other regions and backgrounds. For example, the Urban settings of your neighbours in a city may be from a different place. Personal relationships determine many aspects of work.
For example, If the employer likes you, you may get a salary raise and if you fight with him or her, you may lose your job. This is different from an organized sector, which has well-defined rules, transparent recruitment, mechanisms for complaints, and redressal in case of disagreement with superiors.
Second, very few Indians have access to secure jobs with benefits. Of those who do, two-thirds work for the government. The rest are forced to depend on their children in their old age. Government employment in India has played a major role in overcoming boundaries of caste religion and region.
Third, since very few people are members of unions, a feature of the organized sector, the unorganised or informal sector workers do not have the experience of collectively fighting for proper wages and safe working conditions. The government has laws to monitor conditions in the unorganised sector, but in practice, they are left to the whims and fancies of the employer or contractor.
Question 37.
What is the meaning of Secularisation? Explain its different elements. [6]
Answer:
According to M.N. Srinivas, secularisation implies that what was previously regarded as religious is now ceasing to be such and it also implies a process of differentiation that results in the various aspects of society, economic, political, legal, and moral becoming increasingly discrete concerning each other.”
In this way, based on the given definition, we can say that secularisation is that process in which the explanation of human behaviour is not done based on religion, but is based upon rationalism. Phenomena are understood based on their reason with function. The effect of religion is decreasing in our daily life. Now, the impact of science and objectivity has increased. M.N. Srinivas gave three essential elements of secularisation which are given below:
Lack of religiousness: First and the important element of secularisation is the decline in the importance of religion. An increase in secularisation will automatically bring change in religious beliefs. A person starts to feel that those religious beliefs or traditions in which he believes, are unable to fulfill any one of his needs. In this way, religious views start to decline.
Rationality: Through rationality, humans start to examine every type of superstition, belief, etc., based on rationality. According to Srinivas, “In rationality, with other things, traditional beliefs and views were changed into modern knowledge.” In this way, rationality increased in humans with the development of modern ideas and values.
Process of differentiation: The process of differentiation is also related to the process of secularisation. Every sector of society, i.e., social, moral, political, etc., is different from each other. Occupation of the person, in modern society.
Question 38.
In your opinion has the Linguistic reorganisation of states helped or harmed India’s unity?
OR
Name any two modern social organisations formed in the nineteenth or early twentieth century. [6]
Answer:
In the 1920s the Indian National Congress was reconstituted on linguistic lines. Its provincial units also followed the logic of language.
- Gandhi and other leaders promised that the new nation would be based on a new set of provinces on the principle of language.
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru feared that states based on language might hasten a further subdivision of India. Far from undermining Indian unity, linguistic states have helped strengthen it.
- In 1947, the year when India became independent, there were also movements by Marathi, Kannada, and Telugu speakers.
- The death of Potti Sriramulu in 1953 lead to the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh, leading further to the formation of the State Reorganisation Commission in 1956.
- In 1956, the map of India was redrawn on linguistic lines, unlike Ceylon where failure to do so led to civil strife.
- It has proved to be perfectly consistent to be Kannadiga and Indian, Bengali and Indian, Tamil and Indian, Gujarati and Indian.
OR
(i) Brahmo Samaj (ii) Arya Samaj III.
New ideas of liberalism and freedom, new ideas of homemaking and marriage, new roles for mothers and daughters, and new ideas of self-conscious pride in culture and tradition emerged. The value of education became very important. It was seen as very crucial for a nation to become modern but also retain its ancient heritage. The idea of female education was debated intensely.
Significantly, it was the social reformer Jyotiba Phule who opened the first school for women in Pune. Reformers argued that for a society to progress women have to be educated. Some of them believed that in pre-modern India, women were educated. Others contested this because this was so only for a privileged few.
Thus attempts to justify female education were made by recourse to both modern and traditional ideas. They actively debated the meanings of tradition and modernity. Jyotiba Phule thus recalled the glory of the pre-Aryan age while others like Bal Gangadhar Tilak emphasized the glory of the Aryan period. In other words, nineteenth-century reform initiated a period of questioning, reinterpretations, and both intellectual and social growth.