Practicing the CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology with Solutions Set 8 allows you to get rid of exam fear and be confident to appear for the exam.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Sociology Set 8 with Solutions
Time: 3 Hours.
Max. 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 questions No. 1-20. These are MCQ-type questions. As per the question, there can be one answer.
- Section B includes questions No. 21-29. These are very short answer-type questions carrying 2 marks each. The answer to each question should not exceed 30 words.
- Section C includes questions No. 30-35. They are short answer type questions carrying 4 marks each. The answer to each question should not exceed 80 words.
- Section D includes questions No. 36-38. They are long answer type questions carrying 6 marks each. The answer to each question should not exceed 200 words. Question no. 36 is to be answered with the help of the passage given.
Section A (20 Marks).
Question 1.
_________is the number of deaths of babies before the age of one year per 1000 live births. [1].
(a) Fertility Rate.
(c) Life Expectancy.
(b) Maternal Mortality Rate.
(d) Infant Mortality Rate.
Answer:
(d) Infant Mortality Rate.
Question 2.
Assertion (A) Initially, the lack of proper medical facilities and the prevalence of diseases led to a relatively short life span. Reason (R) The age structure of any society changes in response to the changes in the levels of development and the average life expectancy, [1].
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer:
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Question 3
_______refers to a situation, where a large cohort of women of reproductive age will fuel population growth over the next generation, even if each woman has fewer children than previous generations did [1].
(a) Demographic dividend.
(b) Population change.
(c) Population momentum.
(d) Population growth.
Answer:
(c) Population momentum.
Question 4.
_________popularised the term ‘Harijan’ which literally means ‘children of God in 1930. He used this term to counter the pejorative charge carried by caste names. [1].
(a) Mahatma Gandhi.
(b) Dr. BR Ambedkar.
(c) Jyotirao Phule.
(d) Swami Vivekananda.
Answer:
(a) Mahatma Gandhi.
Question 5.
Which of the following laws has been passed to end, prohibit and punish caste discrimination, especially untouchability in India? [1].
I. Caste Disabilities Removal Act of 1840.
II. Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989.
III. Constitution Amendment Act of 2005.
(a) Only I
(b) OnlyII
(d) BothII and III
(c) BothI and II
Answer:
(d) Both II and III
Question 6.
Assertion (A) There are lists of ‘subjects’ or areas of governance that are the exclusive responsibility of either State or Centre, along with a Concurrent List of areas where both are allowed to operate. Reason (R) Constitutional provisions decide the powers of the States and the Centre. [1].
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer:
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Question 7.
According to_________ of the Indian Constitution, All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, [1].
(a) Article 27.
(c) Article 29.
(b) Article 28.
(d) Article 30.
Answer:
(d) Article 30
Question 8.
When did the Right to Information Act come into force in India?[1].
(a) 2nd October 2003
(b) 13th October 2005
(c) 15th August 2006
(d) 26th January 2007
Answer:
(b) 13th October 2005
Question 9.
Assertion (A) New technologies in the form of the printing press, telegraph, and later microphone helped in communicating ideas at a faster pace from one place to another. Reason (R) Movement of people and goods through steamships and railways also helped in the movement of new ideas across different parts of the country. [1].
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer:
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Question 10.
“His efforts to simplify and modernize Bengali prose were significant. He also rationalized and simplified the Bengali alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since Charles and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first (wooden) Bengali type in 1780. He also forced the British to pass Widow Remarriage Act.”Read the above-mentioned statements and identify the personality. [1].
(a) Raja Rammohan Roy
(b) Vidyasar
(c) Kesab Chandra Sen
(d) Bankimchandra Chattopadyay
Answer:
(b) Vidyasagar.
Question 11.
Which one of the following social reformers is named Saraswati after being examined by the faculty of the University of Calcutta? [1].
(a) Irawati Karve
(b) Savitribai Phule
(c) Pandita Ramabai
(d) Neera Desai
Answer:
(c) Pandita Ramabai.
Question 12.
“Green Revolution was a government program of agricultural modernization. It was funded by international agencies that were based on providing High-Yielding Variety (HYV) hybrid seeds along with pesticides, fertilizers, and other inputs to farmers. Which one of the following Indian agricultural scientists led the above-mentioned initiative programs? [1].
(a) R S Paroda.
(b) M S Swaminathan.
(c) Verghese Kurien .
(d) G S Kalkat.
Answer:
(b) M S Swaminathan.
Question 13.
Assertion (A) Jats and Rajputs of Uttar Pradesh are dominant castes. Reason (R) The dominant castes are the most economically and politically powerful groups, who dominate local society.[1].
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer:
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Question 14.
Which yojana was initiated by the government regarding the transformation of rural development?[1].
(a) National Rurban Mission
(b) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
(c) Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan
(d) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
Answer:
(d) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.
Question 15.
In ______small-scale industries employed only 72 percent of the total workforce engaged in the manufacturing sector. [1].
(a) 1999
(b) 1984
(c) 2001
(d) 1991
Answer:
(d) 1991
Question 16.
_____was a trade union leader who led the Bombay Textile Strike of 1982. [1].
(a) Jaiprakash Bhilare .
(b) Kisan Salunka.
(c) Datta Ishwalkar.
(d) Datta Samant.
Answer:
(d) Datta Samant.
Question 17.
Assertion (A) Rules are strictly followed in smaller mines and quarries. Reason (R) Workers in underground mines face very dangerous conditions due to flooding, fire, the collapse of roofs and sides, emission of gases, and ventilation failures.[1].
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer:
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Question 18.
“In 1839, more than 1.25 million people signed the people’s charter asking for universal male suffrage, voting by ballot, and the right to stand for elections without owning property. In 1842, the movement managed to collect 3.25 million signatures, a huge number for a tiny country.” Which one of the following social movements was not fought for parliamentary representation in England? [1].
I. Chartism
II. Nationalism
III. Regionalism
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) BothI and II
(d) BothII and III
Answer:
(d) II and III
Question 19.
Who authored the book called the ‘Weapons of the Weak’? [1].
(a) James Scott.
(c) M N Srinivas.
(d) Narayana Guru.
(b) Mahatma Gandhi.
Answer:
(a) James Scott.
Question 20.
Which one of the following social organizations filed the petition to the British government against the legislation of satil
(a) Swatantra Sabha.
(b) Brahmo Samaj.
(c) Arya Samaj.
(d) Dharma Sabha.
Answer:
(d) Dharma Sabha.
Section B (18 Marks)
Question 21.
Castes are traditionally linked to occupation. Explain. [2].
Answer:
Castes are traditionally linked to occupation because a person born into a caste would have to practice the prescribed occupation. Thus, occupations became hereditary as a result of which occupation could only be pursued by one caste. Members of another caste could not enter the occupation.
Question 22.
What is meant by the term Third Gender’? [2].
Answer:
The term Third Gender’ refers to that social category of persons, who are neither male nor female. The third gender of the person is based on self-understanding or made up by group choice. In India, people with the third gender have legal recognition and can nominate themself to contest in elections.
Question 23.
State two examples of Dalits who experience forms of exclusion that are unique and not practiced against other groups.
OR
Elaborate on the term ‘Prejudice’ in the context of sociological study. [2].
Answer:
There are two examples of Dalits experiencing forms of exclusion that are unique and not practiced against other groups as follows
(i) Being prohibited from sharing drinking water sources or participating in collective religious worship, social ceremonies, and festivals.
(ii) Untouchability may also involve forced ‘inclusion’ in a subordinated role, such as beating the drum at a religious event.
OR
The term ‘prejudices’ literally means ‘pre-judgment’. In the sociological study, it refers to pre-conceived opinions or attributes held by members of one group towards another. It means an opinion formed in advance of any familiarity with the subject, before considering any available evidence.
Prejudices can be positive or negative. For example, a person may be prejudiced in favor of numbers of his/her own caste or groups without any evidence to believe them to superior to members of other castes.
Question 24.
Define the term Authoritarian State.
OR
What do you mean by the term ‘Civil Society’? [2].
Answer:
An authoritarian state is one in which the people have no voice and those in power are not accountable to anyone. This authoritarian state is the opposite of a democratic state. This state often limits or abolishes civil liberties like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of political activity, and right to protection from wrongful use of authority, right to the due processes of the law, and so on.
OR
Civil society is the non-state and non-market part of the public domain in which individuals get together voluntarily to create institutions and organizations. It is the sphere of active citizenship. It consists of voluntary associations, organizations, or institutions formed by groups of citizens.
These voluntary organizations include political parties, media institutions, trade unions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), religious organizations, and other kinds of collective entities.
Question 25.
Write a short note on Rites and Secularisation.
OR
“The term modernization was associated with positive and desirable values in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the earlier period, modernization referred to the improvement in technology and production process, but now it refers to the path of development that much of the West Europe or North America has taken.” Read the above-given statement and state two characteristics of Modernisation. [2].
Answer:
The customs and the activities associated with a religion are categorized as rites or rituals whereas secularism means a process of decline in the influence of religion. With society becoming secularised, it had been believed by many people will leave the traditions of rites or rituals. However, that is not entirely true.
A considerable part of a ritual in India has direct reference to the pursuit of secular ends. Rituals have secular dimensions i.e. they provide men and women occasions for socializing with their peers and superiors.
OR
There are two main characteristics of Modernisation are as follows
(i) Modernisation assumes that local ties and narrow thinking give way to universal values and commitments.
(ii) The principles of rationality and science are favored over emotions and religious tendencies.
Question 26.
“The second phase of the Green Revolution aided the first phase of the Green Revolution in its positive effects. At the same time, it also added to the negative outcomes of the Green Revolution.” Read the above-mentioned statement and highlight one negative effect of the Green Revolution during its second phase in India. [2].
Answer:
One of the major negative effects of the Green Revolution during its second phase in India was regional inequality because Green Revolution was mainly concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh. Other regions of India could not reap the benefits of the Green Revolution and thus remains stagnated. Agriculture in states such as Bihar and in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and in dry regions such as Telangana is relatively undeveloped.
Question 27.
Write a brief note on the Mines Act of 1952. [2].
Answer:
The Mines Act of 1 952 contains provisions for measures relating to the health, safety, and welfare of workers in the coal and oil mines. The Act prescribes the duties of the owner to manage mining operations and the health, and safety of mines.
Hence, it also specifies the maximum number of hours a person can be made to work in a week, the need to pay overtime for extra hours of work, and safety rules. This Act is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Question 28.
Define the term ‘Redemptive’ in the context of social movement in India. [2].
Answer:
The term ‘redemptive’ or transformative in the context of social movement aims to bring about a change in the personal consciousness and actions of its individual members. For example, people in the Ezhava community in Kerala were led by Narayana Guru to change their social practices.
Question 29.
Highlight the basic reason for the rise of old social movements during the 1970s in India. [2].
Answer:
The basic reason for the rise of old social movements in India in the 1970s to people’s growing dissatisfaction with parliamentary democracy. The institutions of the state have been captured by elites. Due to this, electoral representation by political parties is no longer an effective way for the poor to get their voices heard.
People left out by the formal political system join social movements or non-party political formations in order to put pressure on the state from the outside.
Section C (24 Marks)
Question 30.
Elaborate on the two major sets of principles of the caste system in India.
OR
Compare and contrast the socio-economic conditions of tribals before and after Independence [4].
Answer:
The caste system can be understood as the combination of two sets of principles. These two are as follows:
(i) Based on Difference and Separation Each caste is different and is strictly separated from every other caste. Many scriptural rules prevent the mixing of castes. These rules include marriage, food sharing social interaction, occupation, etc.
(ii) Based on Wholism and Hierarchy The different and separated castes do not have an individual existence. In other words, they do not exist in isolation but can only exist in relation to the whole society that is comprised of all other castes. Further, the caste-based society is not based on equality. It is essentially hierarchical wherein each individual caste occupies a distinct place in the ordered rank.
OR
Tribals faced difficulties and discrimination during British rule. During the Pre-independence period, on the political and economic front, tribal societies faced the incursion of moneylenders. They also lost their land to non-tribal immigrant settlers. Their access to forests was restricted because of the British government’s policy of reservation of forests and the introduction of mining operations.
In this way, their source of livelihood was snatched by the British government. Post-independent era, particularly the Nehruvian era, involved the building of large dams, factories, and mines. The tribal areas were located in mineral-rich and forest-covered parts of the country.
Thus, their places of the dwelling were either destroyed or snatched away in the name of development. This kind of development has benefitted the mainstream at the expense of the tribes.
Question 31.
“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 the tribals with their equal and kinship-based modes of organization.” State two key points of tribe-caste distinction are part of this debate. [4].
Answer:
The two key points of tribe-caste distinction are as follows:
(i) Tribes should be seen as one end of the whole society with caste-based (Hindu) peasant society which is just less stratified and more community-based. However, some opponents argued that tribes were wholly different from caste because they had no notion of purity and pollution which is central to the caste system.
(ii) There is no coherent basis for treating tribes as pristine (pure or original) or societies uncontaminated by civilization. Rather, tribes should be seen as secondary phenomena arising out of exploitative and colonialist contact between pre-existing states and non-state groups. This contact creates the ideology of tribalism wherein tribals defined themselves as tribal to distinguish themselves from others.
Question 32.
‘Social stratification persists over generations.’ Explain. [4].
Answer:
Social stratification persists over generations because it is closely linked to the family and the inheritance of social resources from one generation to another. A person’s social position is ascribed. It means children assume the social positions of their parents. Within the caste system, birth dictates occupational opportunities.
A Dalit is likely to be confined to traditional occupations such as agricultural labor, scavenging, or leather work, with little chance of being able to get high-paying white-collar or professional work. The ascribed aspect of social inequality is reinforced by the practice of endogamy. In this system, marriage is usually restricted to members of the same caste, ruling out the potential for blurring caste lines through intermarriage.
Question 33.
Highlight two common features of ‘ascriptive’ identity. [4].
Answer:
The two common features of ‘ascriptive’ identity are as follows:
(i) Expanding and overlapping circles of community ties (family, kinship, caste, ethnicity, language, region, or religion) give meaning to our world and give us a sense of identity. That is the reason why people often react emotionally or even violently whenever there is a perceived threat to their community identity.
(ii) Ascriptive identity is universal. Everyone has a motherland, a mother tongue, a family, or a faith. This may not necessarily be strictly true of every individual, but it is true in a general sense and we are all equally committed and loyal to our respective identities. This may not necessarily be strictly true of every individual, but it is true in a general sense and we are all equally committed and loyal to our respective identities.
Question 34.
What is meant by the term Agrarian structure? [4].
OR
Explain major types of landholdings. Elaborate your answer in the context of the agricultural structure of Indian rural society.
Answer:
The term Agrarian structure refers to the structure or distribution of landholdings. Indian rural society is marked by different social and agrarian structures. Herein, agricultural land is the single most important resource and form of property, but it is not equally distributed.
In some parts of India, some people hold the majority of land and some people own a small plot, there are also people who don’t own any land at all. As the rural society is based on the agrarian structure, access to land shapes the rural class structure. It determines the roles that an individual plays in agricultural production.
OR
Based on the role that one plays in agricultural production, the rural structure involves various types of land holdings. These are as follows
(i) Medium and Large Landowners They own a sufficient amount of land from which they get large incomes by virtue of cultivation.
(ii) Agricultural Labourers They have no land of their own and they work for others. They are more often than not paid below the statutory minimum wage and earn very little. Their employment is also insecure and they do not work for most of the days of the year.
(iii) Tenants They are the cultivators who lease their land from landowners. They have lower incomes than owner-cultivators as they have to pay the landowner a share of their profit, often as much as 50 to 75 percent as rent.
(iv) Women are usually excluded from ownership of land in most regions of India because of the patrilineal kinship systems and the mode of inheritance. Although according to the law, women are supposed to have an equal share of family property; in reality, they have limited rights and only some access to land.
Question 35.
Write short notes on the Women’s Movement in the Indian context. [4].
Answer:
The early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organizations at a national and local level. For example, the Women’s India Association (WIA) (1917) All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) (1926), and National Council for Women in India (NCWI) (1925). Women participated along with men in struggles and revolts originating in tribal and rural areas in the colonial period.
The AIWC began with the idea that women’s welfare and politics were mutually exclusive. Over the years, there have been numerous campaigns that have been taken up against violence against women. Important legal changes have taken place because of the women’s movement. In the mid-1970s, there was the growth of autonomous women’s movements.
Apart from organizational changes, there were new issues that were focused upon by women’s movements. For example, violence against women, issues of land rights, employment for women, and rights against sexual harassment and dowry.
Section D (18 Marks)
Question 36.
Sociologist M.S.A Rao describes three different situations of urban impact in India. Describe each of the three situations,
OR
What do you mean by industrialization? Compare the experience of industrialization in the West with that of the Indian experience. [6].
Answer:
During the Independence period, India witnessed a lot of urbanization and villages which have been subjected to different kinds of urban influences. Urbanization is a process in which more and more people opt for urban life and live in cities. In this phenomenon, the villages or small towns are gradually transformed into bigger towns or cities. Sociologist M.S.A Rao describes three situations under which a village experiences the urban impact in India which are as follows:
(i) Firstly, a lot of people migrate from villages to far-off cities or overseas towns for employment opportunities. They send money to their native villages. Besides, they invest money in land and industry and donate to educational institutions. They build fashionable houses in their villages and have invested in land and industry.
(ii) Secondly, some villages are situated near the industrial town (for example, Bhilai). Demand for houses and the market inside the village increases but at times it leads to hatred between immigrants and the native population.
(iii) Thirdly, the growth of metropolitan cities do have an influence over rural areas or villages. Some villages are completely absorbed in the process of expansion of these cities. On the other hand, some villages lose their uninhabited land for urban development.
OR
The term industrialization refers to the emergence of machine-based production on the use of inanimate power resources like steam or electricity, The experience of industrialization in the West with that of India can be compared with help of the following points:
(i) Unlike Britain where the impact of industrialization led to more people moving into urban areas, in India the initial impact of the same British industrialization led to more people moving into agriculture.
(ii) Just as manufacturing boomed in Britain, traditional exports of cotton and silk manufacture from India declined in the face of Manchester’s competition. This period also saw the further decline of cities such as Surat and Masulipatnam.
(iii) When the British took over Indian states, towns like Thanjavur, Dhaka, and Murshidabad lost their courts and, therefore, some of the artisans and court gentry.
(iv) Industrialisation in the West was accompanied by the growth of a western middle class. However, in India, it could not create any genuine middle class. We know only too well that the zamindars become parasites on land and the graduates job hunters.
Question 37.
Literacy Rate in India [6].
(Percentage of Population 7 Years of Age and Above)
| Year | Persons | Males | Females | Male-Female gap in literacy rate |
| 1951 | 18.3 | 27.2 | 8.9 | 18.3 |
| 1961 | 28.3 | 40.4 | 15.4 | 25.1 |
| 1971 | 34.5 | 46.0 | 22.0 | 24.0 |
| 1981 | 43.6 | 56.4 | 29.8 | 26.6 |
| 1991 | 52.2 | 64.1 | 39.3 | 24.8 |
| 2001 | 65.4 | 75.9 | 54.2 | 21.7 |
| 2011 | 73.0 | 80.9 | 64.6 | 16.3 |
Source: Bose (2001: 22): Census of India 201 1
Answer:
(a) The literacy rate for women is 16.3% less than the literacy rate for men. However, female literacy has been rising faster than male literacy, partly because it started from relatively low levels.
(b) Female literacy rose by about 10.4 percent between 2001 and 201 1 compared to the rise in male literacy of 7.6 percent in the same period.
(c) Literacy as a pre-requisite to education is an instrument of empowerment. If there would be a more literate population, it would increase the consciousness of career options and participation in the knowledge economy. Literacy can lead to health awareness and fuller participation in the cultural and economic well-being of the community. The differences in male and female literacy rates are 53.7 % and 55.7% respectively between 1 951 and 2011.
Question 38.
What do you understand by home-based work? Elaborate on the work process in the Bidi Industry. [6].
(a) What is the male-female gap in literacy rate in the year 2011?
(b) How much did the female literacy rate increase as compared to the rise in the male literacy rate between the years 2001 and 2011?
(c) Is literacy as a prerequisite to education an instrument of empowerment? What is the difference in male and female literacy rates between 1951 and 2011?
Answer:
Home-based work is a significant part of the economy. This includes the manufacturing of lace, zari or brocade, carpets, bidis, agarbattis, and many such products. This work is mainly done by women and children in their homes. An agent provides raw materials and also collects the finished products. Home workers are paid on a per-piece-rate basis, depending on the number of pieces they make.
The process of making bidis starts in forested villages, where villagers pluck tendu leaves and sell them to the forest department or a private contractor who sells them to the forest department. An individual can collect 100 bundles (each with 50 leaves) per day on average. The leaves are then auctioned off to bidi factory owners, who then send them to the contractors. The contractor in turn supplies tobacco and leaves are then delivered to home-based workers.
These workers who are mostly women, roll the bidis by dampening the leaves, cutting them, uniformly filling them with tobacco, and tying them with thread. The contractor collects the bids and sells them to the maker, who roasts them and labels them with his own name. The producer then sells them to a dealer, who then sells them to wholesalers, who then sell them to your local pan shops. This is how the bidis get their brand name.