KSLU Solved Question Papers
Sociology I
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 1
2014 Jun Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 1 Sociology I 2014 Jun Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2014 Jun examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2014 Jun 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 5 questions. (2) Figures to the right indicate marks. (3) Answers should be written completely either in English or in Kannada. (4) One essay and one short note question from each Units.
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)Mention two definitions of Sociology. Discuss its important characteristics.[15]
Answer
For full marks, cover: the origin of the word; two definitions with their authors, briefly explained; at least ten important characteristics of sociology, each explained with an example; how the characteristics make sociology useful; a conclusion.
The word and its origin
Sociology is one of the youngest social sciences. The French thinker Auguste Comte introduced the term in 1838. He joined the Latin socius, meaning a companion or associate, to the Greek logos, meaning study. Sociology thus means, literally, the study of people in association with one another.
Two definitions
1. MacIver and Page. They held that sociology is about social relationships, and that the network of these relationships is what we call society. On this view, sociology studies not individuals as such but the ties between them: between parent and child, employer and worker, citizen and state.
2. Max Weber. Weber defined sociology as the science that seeks an interpretive understanding of social action, so as to explain its course and effects. He stressed that human actions carry meaning for the people who perform them. A sociologist must grasp that meaning, not merely count outward behaviour.
The first definition stresses structure, the pattern of relationships. The second stresses meaningful action, what people do and why. Together they show the two sides of the discipline.
Important characteristics of sociology
1. It is a social science. Sociology studies human beings living in groups. It belongs to the family of social sciences with economics, political science and anthropology, not to the natural sciences.
2. It has its own subject matter. Its field is social relationships, groups, institutions and processes. It uses its own concepts, such as status, role, norm and stratification.
3. It studies the whole of social life. While economics looks at economic activity and political science at power, sociology looks at the social aspect of every activity, from worship to work.
4. It follows the scientific method. Sociologists frame hypotheses, collect evidence through surveys, interviews, observation and records, and test their conclusions. Emile Durkheim's study of suicide in 1897 is a classic example.
5. It describes rather than prescribes. Sociology reports how society actually works. Whether a practice is good or bad is a question for ethics and law. A sociologist may show how dowry is negotiated without deciding its morality.
6. It seeks general patterns. It is less interested in one riot or one wedding than in the patterns that run through many. This makes it a generalising discipline.
7. It is abstract. It deals with forms and processes, such as conflict, cooperation and mobility, which cannot be touched but can be observed in their effects.
8. It aims at objectivity. Sociologists try to set aside personal bias. Max Weber called this ideal value neutrality. It is never perfect, but careful methods and open evidence help.
9. It is both pure and useful. Its first aim is knowledge for its own sake. Yet its findings are applied in planning, administration, social work and law.
10. It uses comparison. Sociology compares societies, groups and periods to discover what is common and what is particular. The comparative method serves it in place of laboratory experiments.
11. It is a growing and changing discipline. New branches keep emerging, such as the sociology of gender, the sociology of the environment and the sociology of the internet.
12. It is closely linked with other disciplines. It draws on history, psychology, economics and political science, and gives them concepts in return.
13. It is relevant to law. Sociology studies law as a social institution: how laws arise, how they are obeyed or evaded, and how they change society. This makes it a natural partner of legal studies.
Sociology and common sense
Many people think sociology only repeats what everyone already knows. In fact, its findings often correct common sense. People may believe that crime is committed mostly by strangers, or that the poor are poor through their own fault. Many also think the joint family has vanished. Research shows that much violence happens within families and among acquaintances. It shows that poverty is shaped by land, caste, education and access to work. And it shows that many families still act jointly even when living apart. By testing such beliefs against evidence, sociology replaces opinion with knowledge.
The characteristics in the Indian setting
In India, these characteristics give sociology a special value. Indian society is vast and plural, with thousands of castes, many religions and languages, and sharp differences between village and city. A subject that studies the whole of social life, compares groups and seeks general patterns is well suited to such diversity. Indian sociologists have used these methods to study caste, the village, the family, religion and social change. Their work has informed policies on reservation, panchayats, education and women's welfare.
How these characteristics make sociology useful
Because sociology is scientific and objective, its findings can serve as reliable evidence. Because it studies the whole of social life, it shows how changes in one area affect others. Because it compares and generalises, its lessons can be applied beyond a single case. These qualities explain why governments, courts, companies and voluntary bodies increasingly rely on sociological research. Large surveys such as the Census and the National Family Health Survey, for example, are built on sociological methods.
An example
Suppose sociologists study why girls drop out of school in some districts. They compare districts, collect data from families and schools, and interview girls and teachers. They describe the pattern without blaming any group, look for causes such as distance to school, early marriage and household work, and state general conclusions. Planners then use these findings to build hostels, run bus services or offer scholarships. The study shows the scientific, descriptive, generalising and useful character of sociology at once.
Conclusion. Sociology, named by Comte in 1838, is the study of social relationships, as MacIver and Page put it. Weber added that it studies meaningful social action. Its characteristics include being a social science with its own subject matter, studying the whole of social life, and following scientific method. It is descriptive, generalising, abstract, objective, pure yet useful, comparative, growing and connected with other sciences. These features make it indispensable for understanding and improving society, and especially valuable for students of law.
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