Process, Stratification and Change: Class 11 Sociology
I. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
(Each question carries 1 mark)
Which of the following social processes involves individuals or groups working together for a common goal?
a) Competition
b) Conflict
c) Co-operation
d) Dissociation
Answer: c) Co-operation
When two opposing parties temporarily halt their direct conflict to find a workable solution, it is an example of:
a) Competition
b) Accommodation
c) Assimilation
d) Coercion
Answer: b) Accommodation
Which of these is a dissociative social process?
a) Co-operation
b) Accommodation
c) Conflict
d) Assimilation
Answer: c) Conflict
Social stratification refers to:
a) Random arrangement of individuals
b) Horizontal division of society
c) The hierarchical arrangement of individuals or groups in layers
d) Complete equality in society
Answer: c) The hierarchical arrangement of individuals or groups in layers
Which of these is a characteristic of social stratification?
a) It is always based on achieved status.
b) It is universal and exists in all societies.
c) It eliminates all forms of inequality.
d) It is purely a biological phenomenon.
Answer: b) It is universal and exists in all societies.
In the Indian context, 'Caste' is a basis of social stratification primarily determined by:
a) Economic status
b) Birth
c) Education
d) Political power
Answer: b) Birth
'Class' as a basis of social stratification is primarily based on:
a) Ritual purity
b) Gender
c) Economic position
d) Age
Answer: c) Economic position
Which of the following best describes 'Gender' as a basis of social stratification?
a) Biological differences between males and females
b) Socially constructed roles, behaviors, and expectations assigned to males and females
c) Individual preferences for specific activities
d) A fixed and unchangeable aspect of identity
Answer: b) Socially constructed roles, behaviors, and expectations assigned to males and females
'Social Change' refers to:
a) Any random event in society
b) Significant alterations in social structures, institutions, and patterns of behavior over time
c) Daily interactions between individuals
d) Temporary fashion trends
Answer: b) Significant alterations in social structures, institutions, and patterns of behavior over time
Which of these is a characteristic of social change?
a) It is always linear and progressive.
b) It is universally uniform in pace.
c) It is continuous and inevitable.
d) It only affects material aspects of society.
Answer: c) It is continuous and inevitable.
The invention of the internet and mobile phones is an example of which factor of social change?
a) Cultural factor
b) Environmental factor
c) Technological factor
d) Economic factor
Answer: c) Technological factor
The spread of new ideas, values, and beliefs across societies is an example of which factor of social change?
a) Demographic factor
b) Political factor
c) Cultural factor
d) Biological factor
Answer: c) Cultural factor
The Green Revolution primarily brought about social change through:
a) Political reforms
b) Technological advancements in agriculture
c) Religious conversions
d) Urbanization
Answer: b) Technological advancements in agriculture
The movement for women's suffrage (right to vote) is an example of social change driven by:
a) Economic factors
b) Cultural values and social movements
c) Environmental factors
d) Natural disasters
Answer: b) Cultural values and social movements
What is the main difference between 'Competition' and 'Conflict' as social processes?
a) Competition is always violent, while conflict is peaceful.
b) Competition is regulated by norms, while conflict involves direct struggle and often violence.
c) Competition leads to cooperation, while conflict leads to accommodation.
d) They are essentially the same process.
Answer: b) Competition is regulated by norms, while conflict involves direct struggle and often violence.
II. Short Questions
(Each question carries 2 marks)
Define 'Social Processes'.
Answer: Social processes refer to the repetitive and recurrent forms of social interaction that individuals and groups engage in, leading to patterns of behavior, relationships, and social change.
Differentiate between 'Associative' and 'Dissociative' social processes.
Answer: Associative processes bring individuals or groups together, promoting integration and cohesion (e.g., cooperation). Dissociative processes drive individuals or groups apart, leading to disunity and tension (e.g., conflict).
Give one example each of 'Co-operation' and 'Accommodation'.
Answer: Co-operation: Students working together on a group project to achieve a good grade. Accommodation: Two political parties forming a coalition government after an election, despite ideological differences.
Explain the terms 'Competition' and 'Conflict' as social processes.
Answer: Competition is a struggle for scarce resources (e.g., jobs, status) guided by accepted rules and norms. Conflict is a direct and often hostile struggle between individuals or groups, where the goal is to neutralize, injure, or eliminate rivals, often violating norms.
What is 'Social Stratification'?
Answer: Social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of individuals or groups in layers (strata) based on factors like wealth, power, prestige, age, gender, or caste, leading to unequal distribution of resources and opportunities.
List two characteristics of Social Stratification.
Answer: Two characteristics are: 1) Universal: It exists in all societies, though its forms vary. 2) Involves Inequality: It always entails unequal distribution of resources, power, and prestige.
How is 'Caste' a basis of social stratification in India?
Answer: Caste is a rigid, birth-ascribed system of social stratification in India, where an individual's status, occupation, social interaction, and life chances are largely determined by their caste at birth, leading to a hierarchical arrangement.
Explain 'Class' as a basis of social stratification.
Answer: Class is a form of social stratification based primarily on economic position, wealth, income, and occupation. Unlike caste, it is relatively fluid, and social mobility between classes is possible, though often challenging.
What is 'Gender' as a basis of social stratification?
Answer: Gender, as a basis of social stratification, refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities that a society assigns to individuals based on their perceived biological sex, leading to unequal power, opportunities, and social status for males and females.
Define 'Social Change'.
Answer: Social change refers to significant alterations occurring over time in the patterns of human behavior, social relationships, social structures, and cultural values within a society.
List two characteristics of Social Change.
Answer: Two characteristics are: 1) Continuous: Social change is an ongoing and never-ending process. 2) Inevitable: It is an inherent aspect of all societies, though the pace and direction may vary.
How does 'Technological' factor lead to social change? Give an example.
Answer: Technological factor refers to the impact of new inventions, discoveries, and innovations on society. For example, the invention of the internet has revolutionized communication, education, and commerce, leading to widespread social change.
Explain 'Cultural' factor as a driver of social change. Give an example.
Answer: Cultural factor refers to changes in values, beliefs, ideas, norms, and artistic expressions that bring about social transformation. For example, the women's rights movement, based on changing cultural values about gender equality, led to significant social and legal changes.
What is the difference between social change and individual change?
Answer: Individual change refers to changes in a person's life (e.g., getting a new job, moving). Social change refers to alterations in the broader social structure, institutions, and collective behavior patterns that affect many individuals and persist over time.
How can a natural disaster (environmental factor) lead to social change?
Answer: A natural disaster can lead to social change by destroying infrastructure, displacing populations, altering economic activities, and forcing communities to adapt to new living conditions or develop new collective responses (e.g., increased community cooperation or migration).
III. Long Questions
(Each question carries 5 marks)
Define and differentiate between the 'Associative' and 'Dissociative' social processes. Explain 'Competition' and 'Conflict' as dissociative processes, and 'Co-operation' and 'Accommodation' as associative processes, with examples relevant to Indian society.
Answer:
Social Processes refer to the repetitive and recurrent forms of interaction that characterize social life. They are the ways in which individuals and groups interact with each other, leading to patterns of relationship and social change. They can be broadly classified into associative and dissociative.
A. Associative Social Processes: These are processes that bring individuals or groups together, leading to integration, cohesion, and social harmony.
1. Co-operation:
Meaning: Co-operation involves individuals or groups working together for a common goal or shared interest. It is a mutually supportive action where participants perceive their interests as aligned.
Characteristics: Mutual help, shared responsibility, collective effort, presence of common goals.
Examples in India:
Family life: Family members cooperate in household chores, childcare, and economic activities for the well-being of the whole family.
Village community: Farmers in a village cooperating during harvesting, sharing irrigation resources, or building community infrastructure.
Co-operative societies: Milk cooperatives (e.g., Amul), credit societies, or housing societies where members pool resources for mutual benefit.
2. Accommodation:
Meaning: Accommodation is a process where individuals or groups adjust their differences to maintain social order and avoid open conflict, often through compromise, toleration, or conciliation. It's a temporary truce or working arrangement rather than complete agreement.
Characteristics: Mutual adjustment, tolerance, compromise, temporary cessation of conflict, practical resolution of differences.
Examples in India:
Caste relations: Historically, different castes often accommodated each other within the Jajmani system, even with inherent inequalities, to maintain social order.
Communal harmony: Despite underlying tensions, different religious communities often live side-by-side, accommodating each other's festivals and customs through mutual tolerance.
Political coalitions: Formation of coalition governments by ideologically diverse parties in India, accommodating each other's demands to share power.
B. Dissociative Social Processes: These are processes that push individuals or groups apart, leading to tension, rivalry, disunity, and potential breakdown of social relations.
1. Competition:
Meaning: Competition is a struggle among individuals or groups for scarce resources (e.g., wealth, status, power, jobs) where the focus is on achieving a desired goal, often by outperforming rivals, but generally within accepted rules and norms.
Characteristics: Impersonal (often), rule-bound, focus on winning or achieving a goal, indirect rivalry.
Examples in India:
Entrance examinations: Students competing for limited seats in prestigious colleges or universities.
Job market: Individuals competing for limited employment opportunities in various sectors.
Economic competition: Businesses competing for market share in various industries.
2. Conflict:
Meaning: Conflict is a direct, overt, and often hostile struggle between individuals or groups where the goal is to injure, defeat, or eliminate rivals. It often involves the breakdown of norms and can lead to violence.
Characteristics: Personal (often), direct confrontation, violation of norms, emotional intensity, goal of harming the opponent.
Examples in India:
Communal riots: Direct and often violent clashes between different religious groups.
Labour strikes/lockouts: Direct confrontation between workers and management over demands.
Caste violence: Direct attacks or discrimination against lower castes by dominant groups.
Inter-state water disputes: Conflicts between states over the sharing of river waters.
In conclusion, associative processes promote social order and integration, while dissociative processes highlight tensions and potential for disunity. Both are inherent parts of social life, contributing to its dynamic nature.
What is 'Social Stratification'? Discuss its main characteristics and explain 'Caste', 'Class', and 'Gender' as primary bases of social stratification in India, providing relevant examples for each.
Answer:
Social Stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals or groups in distinct layers or strata within a society. This arrangement is based on the unequal distribution of valued resources, power, prestige, and opportunities, leading to systematic inequalities. It is essentially a structured form of social inequality.
Main Characteristics of Social Stratification:
It is Social, Not Just Individual: It is a characteristic of society as a whole, not simply a reflection of individual differences or abilities.
It is Universal but Variable: All societies exhibit some form of stratification, but the specific forms (e.g., caste, class, slavery) and the bases of ranking vary widely across cultures and over time.
It Persists Over Generations: Stratification systems tend to be intergenerational, meaning social position is often passed down from parents to children, though the degree of mobility varies.
It is Supported by Belief Systems: All stratification systems are maintained by a set of beliefs and ideologies that justify the inequalities as natural, fair, or necessary (e.g., religious doctrines, meritocracy).
It Involves Inequality: At its core, stratification implies unequal access to rewards, power, and life chances.
Primary Bases of Social Stratification in India:
Caste:
Meaning: Caste is a rigid, birth-ascribed system of social stratification unique to India. An individual is born into a specific caste group, and their status, occupation, and social interactions are largely predetermined by this birth.
Characteristics:
Ascribed Status: Membership is hereditary and unchangeable.
Hierarchy: Castes are arranged in a graded scale of ritual purity and pollution, with Brahmins at the top and Dalits (ex-untouchables) at the bottom.
Endogamy: Marriage is strictly within one's own caste.
Hereditary Occupation: Traditionally, occupations were associated with specific castes.
Restrictions on Commensality and Social Interaction: Historically, strict rules governed who could eat with whom and interact.
Example: A person born into a Dalit caste historically faced (and often continues to face) discrimination, limited occupational choices, and social exclusion, regardless of their individual merit.
Class:
Meaning: Class is a form of social stratification based primarily on economic position, wealth, income, occupation, and control over productive resources (e.g., land, capital). It is a more fluid system than caste, allowing for some social mobility.
Characteristics:
Achieved Status (relatively): While family background matters, individuals can move between classes based on education, skills, and economic success.
Economic Basis: Defined by economic criteria, such as income, wealth, and occupation.
Open and Fluid (relatively): Boundaries between classes are less rigid than castes, and interaction across class lines is common.
Common Life Chances: Members of a class often share similar lifestyles, consumption patterns, and opportunities.
Example: In urban India, the 'middle class' shares common aspirations, consumption patterns, and often sends children to similar schools, distinct from the 'upper class' (wealthy industrialists) or the 'working class' (daily wage labourers).
Gender:
Meaning: Gender as a basis of stratification refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities that a society assigns to males and females. It creates a hierarchy where one gender (typically male) is privileged over the other, leading to systematic inequalities.
Characteristics:
Socially Constructed: Unlike biological sex, gender roles and expectations are learned through socialization and vary across cultures.
Hierarchical: Societies often assign greater power, status, and resources to one gender.
Pervasive: Gender stratification affects almost all aspects of life, including family, education, work, and politics.
Intersectionality: Gender inequality often intersects with caste and class, creating unique disadvantages (e.g., a Dalit woman faces multiple layers of discrimination).
Example: Despite legal equality, women in India often face gender-based discrimination in the workplace (e.g., lower wages for the same work, glass ceiling), limited access to education, decision-making power within the family, and higher rates of violence, illustrating gender as a basis of social stratification.
In conclusion, while caste is unique to India and historically dominant, class and gender are universal bases of stratification that, along with caste, create a complex and multi-layered system of inequality in Indian society.
Define 'Social Change' and explain its inherent characteristics. Discuss how 'Technological' and 'Cultural' factors serve as significant drivers of social change in contemporary India, providing specific illustrations.
Answer:
Social Change refers to significant alterations occurring over time in the patterns of human behavior, social relationships, social structures (like family, economy, polity), and cultural norms and values within a society. It signifies a transformation that affects a substantial number of people and endures over a period.
Inherent Characteristics of Social Change:
Continuous and Inevitable: Social change is an ongoing and inherent aspect of all societies; no society is entirely static.
Universal: It occurs in every society, though its pace, direction, and magnitude vary.
Varying Pace: The speed of social change is not uniform; it can be rapid (e.g., during revolutions) or gradual (e.g., demographic shifts).
Not Necessarily Progress: Change is not always progressive or for the better; it can have both positive and negative consequences.
Planned or Unplanned: Change can be deliberately brought about through social policies and movements (planned) or occur as an unintended consequence of other developments (unplanned).
Multi-causal: Social change is rarely driven by a single factor but is usually the result of a complex interplay of various forces.
Factors Driving Social Change in Contemporary India:
Technological Factor:
Technological advancements refer to new inventions, innovations, and the application of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems. Technology is a powerful engine of social change as it transforms how we live, work, communicate, and interact.
Mechanism of Change: New technologies directly alter material conditions, leading to changes in work organization, consumption patterns, communication habits, and social structures.
Illustrations in India:
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Revolution: The proliferation of mobile phones and the internet has revolutionized communication, commerce (e-commerce), education (online learning), and access to information in India. It has connected rural areas, created new job sectors (IT, BPO), and empowered marginalized groups with access to information.
Agricultural Technology (Green Revolution): The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation techniques transformed Indian agriculture, increasing food production but also leading to social changes like increased rural inequality and migration.
Transportation Technology: Development of road networks, railways, and air travel has increased geographical mobility, facilitated urbanization, and allowed for greater cultural exchange.
Impact on Social Relations: Technology has facilitated new forms of social interaction (social media), altered family dynamics (e.g., remote work), and created new avenues for social movements and activism.
Cultural Factor:
Cultural factors of social change involve shifts in a society's values, beliefs, norms, ideas, ideologies, and customs. Changes in these non-material aspects of culture can profoundly influence social structures and behaviors.
Mechanism of Change: New ideas challenge existing norms, leading to new patterns of behavior, social movements, and institutional reforms. Values determine what a society deems important, influencing its direction.
Illustrations in India:
Changing Values on Gender Equality: The increasing acceptance of gender equality (influenced by education, global movements, and legal reforms) has led to significant changes in women's roles in family, education, work, and politics. This includes demands for equal pay, property rights, and protection against domestic violence.
Secularism vs. Communalism: The ongoing tension between the constitutional value of secularism and rising communal ideologies represents a cultural struggle. The strengthening or weakening of secular values directly impacts social harmony and national integration.
Individualism vs. Collectivism: Modernization and globalization have fostered a greater sense of individualism, challenging traditional collectivist values associated with joint families and caste. This impacts choices related to marriage, career, and lifestyle.
Environmental Consciousness: Growing awareness and changing cultural values regarding environmental protection are leading to shifts in consumption patterns, policy advocacy, and the rise of environmental movements.
Impact of Social Reform Movements: Historically, movements against untouchability, sati, and child marriage, driven by changing social and ethical values, brought about profound social changes.
In conclusion, both technology and culture are powerful, interdependent drivers of social change in India. Technology provides the tools and possibilities for change, while cultural shifts determine the direction, acceptance, and social consequences of these changes, making India a dynamic and evolving society.
