KSLU Solved Question Papers
Sociology I
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 1
2012 Jan Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 1 Sociology I 2012 Jan Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2012 Jan examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2012 Jan examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2012 Jan examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all five questions. (2) One essay type and one short note question or problem from each Unit have to be attempted, which is referred as part (a) and (b) in all the units. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English or Kannada completely.
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1
Unit I
(a)Give two definitions of Sociology and discuss the importance of Sociology.[15]
Answer
For full marks, cover: why there is no single definition; two definitions (Durkheim, Weber) with what each stresses; what they share; the importance of sociology at four levels: for the individual, for society, for India as a nation, and for the professions and law, with examples at each level; a worked example; its limits; a conclusion.
No single definition
Sociology is the scientific study of society, but scholars have defined it in different ways. Some stress society as a whole, some social relationships, some social action and some social institutions. A good answer gives two definitions from different approaches and shows what they share.
Two definitions
1. Emile Durkheim. The French sociologist Emile Durkheim described sociology as the science of social institutions, their genesis and their functioning. On this view, sociology studies marriage, the family, religion, property and law: how they arise and how they work. Durkheim also insisted that social facts must be explained by other social facts, not by the psychology of individuals.
2. Max Weber. The German sociologist Max Weber defined sociology as the science which seeks the interpretive understanding of social action. Its aim is to arrive at a causal explanation of the course and effects of such action. Weber wanted the sociologist to grasp the meaning an act has for the person doing it. Why does a family spend heavily on a wedding? To answer, one must understand what the spending means to them: status, duty, affection or pressure.
What they share. Durkheim begins with institutions, Weber with the meaningful actions of individuals. Both treat the social, rather than the purely individual, as the thing to be explained.
Importance for the individual
1. Self-understanding. Sociology shows how a person's beliefs, ambitions and chances were shaped by family, caste, class, gender and region. A student who sees this understands their own life better.
2. A broader outlook. It frees people from the narrow view of their own group. Learning how other communities live breeds tolerance.
3. Better relationships. Knowing how roles, norms and groups work helps a person handle family, work and community life with understanding.
4. Careers. Sociology leads to work in teaching, research, social work, journalism, administration, market research and NGOs.
Importance for society
5. Understanding social problems. Crime, poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, domestic violence and communal tension have social roots. Sociology traces those roots.
6. Guiding social reform. Reformers need to know which practices harm people and why they persist. Sociological studies of dowry and child marriage, for example, show the pressures that keep them alive.
7. Social planning. Planners use surveys of population, housing, health and income to design schemes. They also use sociology to learn why schemes fail, often because they ignore local customs.
8. Understanding change. Industrialisation, urbanisation, migration and new technology change families and communities. Sociology explains these changes so that society can adjust.
Importance for India
9. Understanding diversity. India has many religions, languages, castes and tribes. Sociology explains this diversity and the bonds that hold the country together.
10. Building democracy. Democracy needs citizens who understand social issues and respect other groups. Sociology prepares them.
11. Removing inequality. The Constitution promises equality and abolishes untouchability. Sociological studies of caste, gender and poverty show where inequality persists and guide policy against it.
12. Rural and tribal development. Indian sociologists studied villages and tribes closely. Their work informs schemes for land reform, education and health in rural and tribal areas.
Importance for the professions and law
13. Administration and policing. Officials and police deal with crowds, communities and conflicts. Sociology helps them understand the people they serve.
14. Medicine and education. Doctors must understand patients' beliefs about illness; teachers must understand students' home backgrounds.
15. Law. Laws operate in society. Sociology shows why some laws work and others fail, how people use the courts and how legal reform affects social life. For a law student, it gives the social setting of every subject from family law to criminal law.
Its importance shown by Indian sociologists
Indian sociologists have shown what the subject can do. G. S. Ghurye, who headed the Department of Sociology at Bombay University from 1924 to 1959, traced how caste developed over centuries. M. N. Srinivas coined the term Sanskritisation in 1952 to explain how lower castes raise their standing by adopting upper-caste customs. Irawati Karve, in Kinship Organization in India (1953), showed how marriage and kinship rules differ between north and south India. Their work helped Indians understand their own society, and it informs policy and law to this day.
Why it matters even more now
Indian society is changing faster than ever. Villages are emptying into cities, and joint families are giving way to smaller households. Mobile phones have changed how people work, shop and keep in touch. Women are entering colleges and workplaces in large numbers. Each change brings new problems: lonely elderly parents, urban slums, online fraud. Sociology helps society understand and respond to these changes instead of being overwhelmed by them. It also helps lawmakers frame rules suited to the new conditions, and citizens to understand them.
A worked example
Suppose a State finds that few women in a district use the free maternity services at government hospitals. A purely medical response would be to build more hospitals. A sociological study might reveal other causes: women need their mother-in-law's permission to travel, transport is unsafe, and staff do not speak the local dialect. The remedies then become clear: community health workers, safe transport and local staff. Sociology turns a failed scheme into a working one.
Limits
Sociology cannot predict the future exactly, because human beings think and change their minds. Its findings may be influenced by the researcher's own background. It explains how society works but cannot by itself decide what ought to be done, which is a matter of values. These limits mark its scope; they do not reduce its importance.
Conclusion. Durkheim defined sociology as the science of social institutions, and Weber as the interpretive understanding of social action. Both treat the social as the subject to be explained. Sociology is important for the individual, for society, for India and for the professions and law. It aids self-understanding, explains social problems, guides reform and planning, and strengthens democracy and equality. It also helps administrators, doctors, teachers and lawyers serve people better.
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