KSLU Solved Question Papers
Sociology I
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 1
2023 Sep Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 1 Sociology I 2023 Sep 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 2023 Sep examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2023 Sep examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2023 Sep 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 80 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all five Units. (2) One essay type question and short note is compulsory from each Unit. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English/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 1
(a)Define sociology. Discuss the importance of sociology.[10]
Answer
For full marks, cover: the origin of the word and three definitions; the importance of sociology under seven heads (knowledge of society, planning, social problems, democracy, India, professions, law), each discussed; its limits; a conclusion.
Definition of sociology
The term sociology was introduced by Auguste Comte in 1838. It is built from the Latin socius, a companion or associate, and the Greek logos, a reasoned study. Sociology is therefore the systematic study of human beings in their life together.
- MacIver and Page described sociology as the study of social relationships, the network of which is called society.
- Max Weber called it the science that seeks to understand social action by interpreting it. Its aim is to explain how that action unfolds and what it produces.
- Emile Durkheim saw it as the science of social institutions, of how they arise and how they function.
The common thread is that sociology studies patterns of social life rather than single individuals.
The importance of sociology
1. It gives us reliable knowledge of society. Opinions about caste, family or crime are often based on hearsay. Sociology tests such opinions against evidence gathered by surveys, interviews and observation. It shows, for instance, how marriage, work and religion actually operate in a given community, rather than how people assume they operate.
2. It guides social planning. Every welfare scheme rests on assumptions about the people it serves. Who is landless, who drops out of school, who cannot reach a hospital? Sociological research answers such questions, so that schemes reach the right people and avoid waste.
3. It explains social problems. Poverty, alcoholism, dowry, child labour, communal tension and juvenile crime have social causes. Sociology looks beyond the individual wrongdoer to the conditions that produce the problem, which is the first step to a lasting remedy.
4. It supports democracy. A democracy needs citizens who can live with difference. Sociology teaches that other customs have their own logic, which weakens prejudice. It also shows how inequality of caste, class and gender limits the freedom of many citizens.
5. It is vital for understanding India. Indian society combines many castes, faiths, languages and tribes, and it is changing quickly. Sociological work helps us make sense of this complexity. M. N. Srinivas's study of the Coorgs of Karnataka, for example, gave us the idea of Sanskritisation.
6. It helps many professions. Civil servants, police officers, teachers, social workers, doctors and managers all work with groups of people. Knowledge of group behaviour makes their work more effective and more humane.
7. It is indispensable to law. Law is made by society and applied to society. Sociology shows whether a law is obeyed, who benefits and why a reform fails. Eugen Ehrlich stressed the living law, the rules people actually follow, which may differ from the statute book. Roscoe Pound treated law as social engineering, the balancing of social interests. Both ideas place sociology at the centre of legal study.
8. It helps the individual understand himself. Sociology shows a person how his family, caste, class, religion and generation have shaped his habits, ambitions and opinions. This self-knowledge widens his outlook and makes him more tolerant of others whose lives were shaped differently.
9. It helps us cope with rapid change. Globalisation, migration, new technology and social media are changing family life, work and politics. Sociology studies these changes and their side effects, such as loneliness in cities or the digital divide between rich and poor. It thus prepares people and governments to respond.
An example
Suppose a district finds that many girls leave school after the seventh standard. An administrator without sociology may blame the girls or their parents. A sociological study may find that the nearest high school is far away and has no separate toilets. It may also find that families fear for daughters' safety on the road, and that early marriage is expected. Each finding points to a practical remedy, such as bicycles, toilets, transport or awareness drives. This is the practical importance of sociology.
Limits
Sociology cannot decide what ought to be done; that is a question of values. Its forecasts are less exact than those of physics, because human beings can change their conduct. These limits do not reduce its value; they define its proper role.
Utility in everyday decisions
Sociology is useful in ordinary life too. A voter who understands caste and class can judge appeals made to them at election time. A parent who understands peer groups and the media can guide a teenage child better. A consumer who knows how advertising works on status and fashion can resist pressure to overspend. Sociological understanding makes people more thoughtful citizens, parents and neighbours.
Conclusion. Sociology, named by Comte in 1838, is the systematic study of social life, defined by MacIver and Page, Weber and Durkheim. Its importance lies in giving reliable knowledge of society, guiding planning, explaining social problems and strengthening democracy. It also illuminates Indian society and assists the professions. Above all for the lawyer, it reveals how law actually works.
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