All 8 questions from UPSC Civil Services Mains Sociology 2021 Paper I (400 marks total). Every stem reproduced in full, with directive-word analysis, marks, word limits, and answer-approach pointers.
8Questions
400Total marks
2021Year
Paper IPaper
Topics covered
Sociological theories and research methods (1)Sociology as a discipline and epistemology (1)Research methods and classical sociological theory (1)Social mobility, work organisation and deviance (1)Gender, religion, elites and social change (1)Migrant labour, political sociology and religious revivalism (1)Patriarchy, dependency theory and ethnicity (1)Kinship, science and technology, and civil society (1)
A
Q1
50M150wCompulsorycommentSociological theories and research methods
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10×5=50
(a) Europe was the first and the only place where modernity emerged. Comment. 10
(b) Do you think ethnomethodology helps us in getting reliable and valid data ? Justify your answer. 10
(c) Discuss the challenges involved in collecting data through census method. 10
(d) Explain whether Durkheim's theory of Division of Labour is relevant in the present day context. 10
(e) Critically examine Max Weber's theory of Social Stratification. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित में से प्रत्येक प्रश्न का उत्तर लगभग 150 शब्दों में दीजिए : 10×5=50
(a) यूरोप पहला और एकमात्र स्थान था जहाँ आधुनिकता का उदय हुआ । टिप्पणी कीजिए । 10
(b) क्या आप यह समझते हैं कि नुजातीय-पद्धतिशास्त्र, विश्वसनीय और वैध डेटा (आँकड़े) प्राप्त करने में हमारी मदद करता है ? अपने उत्तर का औचित्य साबित कीजिए । 10
(c) जनगणना पद्धति के माध्यम से डेटा (आँकड़े) एकत्रित करने में आने वाली चुनौतियों की चर्चा कीजिए । 10
(d) स्पष्ट कीजिए क्या दुर्खीम का श्रम विभाजन का सिद्धांत आज के संदर्भ में प्रासंगिक है । 10
(e) मैक्स वेबर के सामाजिक स्तरीकरण सिद्धांत का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper 1 (UPSC). (a) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close | (b) justify: claim > 3-4 reasons > evidence > conclusion | (c) challenges: 3-4 challenges > solutions mapped to them > conclusion | (d) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (e) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment Full marks: Precise definitions, clear distinction between thinkers, and specific contemporary examples.
Europe as first site: Enlightenment, industrialisation, rationality
Multiple modernities (Eisenstadt)
Colonial interdependence and non-European trajectories
50MexplainSociology as a discipline and epistemology
(a) From the viewpoint of growing importance of multidisciplarity, how do you relate sociology to other social sciences ? 20
(b) How far are sociologists justified in using positivist approach to understand social reality ? Explain with suitable illustrations. 20
(c) How is sociology related to common sense ? 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) बहुविषयकता के बढ़ते महत्व के दृष्टिकोण से आप समाजशास्त्र को अन्य सामाजिक विज्ञानों से कैसे सम्बन्धित मानते हैं ? 20
(b) सामाजिक वास्तविकता को समझने के लिए प्रत्यक्षवादी दृष्टिकोण का उपयोग करने में समाजशास्त्रियों को कहाँ तक उचित ठहराया जा सकता है ? उपयुक्त दृष्टांतों के साथ समझाइए । 20
(c) समाजशास्त्र, सामान्य बुद्धि से कैसे सम्बन्धित है ? 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper 1 (UPSC). (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) critically evaluate: positives > negatives/limits > conditions/safeguards > conclusion | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Clear definitions, named thinkers, strong arguments, Indian illustrations, balanced judgment
Multi-, inter-disciplinarity and sociology as bridge (Mills)
Links with economics, political science, anthropology, psychology, history
Newer interdisciplinary fields
Justification: Comte, Durkheim's Suicide, large surveys
50Mcritically examineResearch methods and classical sociological theory
(a) How do qualitative and quantitative methods supplement each other in sociological enquiry ? 20
(b) Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx. 20
(c) Do you agree with Max Weber's idea that bureaucracy has the potential to become an iron cage ? Justify your answer. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) गुणात्मक और मात्रात्मक विधियाँ, कैसे समाजशास्त्रीय जाँच में एक-दूसरे की पूरक हैं ? 20
(b) कार्ल मार्क्स द्वारा प्रतिपादित उत्पादन की प्रत्येक विधि में शामिल द्वंद्वात्मकता का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । 20
(c) क्या आप मैक्स वेबर के इस विचार से सहमत हैं कि नौकरशाही में लोहे का पिंजरा बनने की क्षमता है ? अपने उत्तर का औचित्य साबित कीजिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociological Theory & Methodology. (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) critique: the claim > its strengths > its weaknesses > your judgment | (c) justify: claim > 3-4 reasons > evidence > conclusion Full marks: Comprehensive, well-structured, with specific examples and critical analysis.
50MexplainSocial mobility, work organisation and deviance
(a) Explain the concept of social mobility. Describe with suitable illustrations how education and social mobility are related to each other. 20
(b) How has the idea of 'Work From Home' forced us to redefine the formal and informal organisation of work ? 20
(c) With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as propounded by R.K. Merton. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) सामाजिक गतिशीलता की अवधारणा को स्पष्ट कीजिए । शिक्षा और सामाजिक गतिशीलता एक-दूसरे से कैसे संबंधित हैं, उसका उपयुक्त दृष्टांतों के साथ वर्णन कीजिए । 20
(b) 'घर से काम करने' के विचार ने हमें काम के औपचारिक और अनौपचारिक संगठन को पुनःपरिभाषित करने के लिए कैसे मजबूर किया है ? 20
(c) आर.के. मर्टन द्वारा प्रतिपादित, एक समाज में अनुकूलता और विचलन कैसे सह-अस्तित्व में रहते हैं, उपयुक्त उदाहरणों के साथ इसकी व्याख्या कीजिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper 1 (General Sociology). (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Precise definitions, named thinkers, clear illustrations, and balanced analysis.
Concept and types of mobility (vertical, horizontal, inter and intra-generational); Sorokin
Education as channel: human capital, meritocracy, Indian affirmative action
Education as reproduction: Bourdieu, Bowles-Gintis, coaching and school inequality
Formal: flexibility, digital monitoring, shifting costs to workers
Informal: blurred home-work boundary, gendered double burden, loss of informal solidarity
Class and digital divide in who can work from home
Strain between cultural goals and institutional means
50M150wCompulsorycritically examineGender, religion, elites and social change
Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10×5=50
(a) Explain the emerging challenges in establishing gender equality in the informal sector. 10
(b) Critically examine the relevance of Vilfredo Pareto's theory of Circulation of Elites in the present scenario. 10
(c) Critically compare the views of E.B. Tylor and Max Muller on Religion. 10
(d) What is cult ? Explain the growth of cults in the contemporary world. 10
(e) Do you think Talcott Parsons gave an adequate theory of social change ? Justify your answer. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
निम्नलिखित में से प्रत्येक प्रश्न का उत्तर लगभग 150 शब्दों में दीजिए : 10×5=50
(a) अनौपचारिक क्षेत्र में लैंगिक समानता स्थापित करने में उभरती चुनौतियों की व्याख्या कीजिए । 10
(b) वर्तमान परिदृश्य में विल्फ्रेडो पारेटो के अभिजात-वर्ग के परिभ्रमण के सिद्धांत की प्रासंगिकता का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । 10
(c) धर्म पर ई.बी. टायलर और मैक्स मूलर के विचारों की आलोचनात्मक रूप से तुलना कीजिए । 10
(d) पंथ क्या है ? समकालीन दुनिया में पंथों की वृद्धि की व्याख्या कीजिए । 10
(e) क्या आपको लगता है कि टैलकॉट पार्सन्स के द्वारा दिया गया सामाजिक परिवर्तन का सिद्धांत पर्याप्त है ? अपने उत्तर का औचित्य साबित कीजिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper I (UPSC). (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion | (c) compare: paired headings or table > key differences > significance > conclusion | (d) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (e) justify: claim > 3-4 reasons > evidence > conclusion Full marks: Precise definitions, named thinkers, specific examples, critical analysis, and clear structure.
Care burden and low-paid home-based work
Invisibility, wage gaps and lack of social protection
Platform and gig work biases; partial remedies (SEWA, Street Vendors Act)
Foxes and lions, graveyard of aristocracies
Present-day relevance: turnover of political and business elites
Limits: mass democracy, structural change, vague categories
Tylor: animism and evolution of religion
Muller: naturism and disease of language
Common intellectualist evolutionism and criticisms (Durkheim, Geertz)
Sociological definition: small, non-traditional, charismatic group
50MelucidateMigrant labour, political sociology and religious revivalism
(a) Elucidate the main problems and challenges faced by the migrant labourers in the recent 'Lockdown period'. 20
(b) Explain how political parties and pressure groups are dialectically related to each other in terms of achieving their goals. 20
(c) Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present day context. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) हाल ही में 'लॉकडाउन अवधि' के दौरान प्रवासी श्रमिकों के सामने आई मुख्य समस्याओं और चुनौतियों की विशद व्याख्या कीजिए । 20
(b) अपने लक्ष्यों को प्राप्त करने के लिए राजनीतिक दलों और दबाव समूहों के बीच किस प्रकार के द्वंद्वात्मक संबंध होते हैं, व्याख्या कीजिए । 20
(c) वर्तमान संदर्भ में धार्मिक पुनरुत्थानवाद के विकास पर अपनी टिप्पणी दीजिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper I (UPSC). (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (c) comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Comprehensive, analytical, and well-structured with specific examples and theoretical depth.
Loss of livelihood, food and shelter insecurity (ration-card/PDS exclusion)
Mobility crisis: transport suspension and long walks home, with deaths
Legal and institutional gaps (Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979, no migrant database)
Distinction between parties (power, broad aggregation) and pressure groups (sectional demands, no office)
Mutual dependence together with tension and co-optation
Indian examples (trade unions and parties, Vanniyar Sangam to PMK, BAMCEF to BSP, farmers' movement)
Meaning of revivalism and its distinction from fundamentalism or private religiosity
Causes: globalisation anxieties, identity politics, digital media
Counter-tendencies such as constitutional secularism and syncretism
50MexplainPatriarchy, dependency theory and ethnicity
(a) Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context. 20
(b) Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario. 20
(c) Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) वर्तमान संदर्भ में परिवार और कार्यस्थल पर पितृतंत्र का प्रतिरूप (पैटर्न) कैसे बदल रहा है, समझाइए । 20
(b) वर्तमान वैश्विक परिदृश्य को समझने में आश्रितता सिद्धांतों के योगदान का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए । 20
(c) समकालीन दुनिया में नृजातीयता के बढ़ते महत्व को दृष्टांतों के साथ समझाइए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper I (UPSC). (a) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close | (b) critically evaluate: positives > negatives/limits > conditions/safeguards > conclusion | (c) explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Precise definitions, named thinkers, specific Indian/global data, and balanced critical analysis.
Changes within the family: dual-earner households, marriage patterns, daughter preference
Persistence of patriarchy: unequal unpaid care work and sex-selective practices
Workplace changes and adaptations: laws and movements, informal and gig segmentation
Core ideas: Prebisch, Frank, Amin, Wallerstein; core-periphery and unequal exchange
Contemporary applications: global value chains, digital and data control, climate burden
Critique: internal factors ignored; East Asian NICs and China contradict it
Ethnicity as a political resource: instrumentalist versus primordialist views
Illustrations from India and the world
Role of globalisation, migration and competition for resources
50MdiscussKinship, science and technology, and civil society
(a) Discuss the changing nature of kinship relations in the contemporary world. 20
(b) Describe the role of Science and Technology in enabling us to face the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 20
(c) Highlight the roles and functions of civil society in a democratic system. 10
हिंदी में पढ़ें
(a) समकालीन विश्व में नातेदारी संबंधों की बदलती हुई प्रकृति की विवेचना कीजिए । 20
(b) कोविड-19 महामारी से उत्पन्न चुनौतियों का सामना करने हेतु हमें सक्षम बनाने में विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी की भूमिका का वर्णन कीजिए । 20
(c) लोकतांत्रिक व्यवस्था में नागरिक समाज की भूमिकाओं और कार्यों पर प्रकाश डालिए । 10
Answer approach & key points
Framework: Sociology Paper I (UPSC). (a) discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close | (b) describe: define > structure or process in order > labelled diagram > significance | (c) highlight: name the salient points > one line of substance each > close Full marks: Sophisticated analysis with named thinkers, specific Indian data, and clear argumentation.
New family forms: nuclear, single-parent, reconstituted, live-in, with modified extended kinship
Effect of assisted reproduction, adoption and changing marriage and gender patterns
Continuity: arranged marriage, caste endogamy, dowry, and kin ties across distance
Medical science: vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin, mRNA) and genomic surveillance (INSACOG)
Digital and care delivery: telemedicine, CoWIN, Aarogya Setu, JAM transfers
Limits: digital divide, privacy and surveillance concerns
Definition: sphere between state, market and family
Functions: watchdog, representation, social capital, service delivery
Constraints such as elite capture, donor dependence and regulation