ISC Class 12 Sociology Board Exam Question Paper 2014 with Solutions

ISC Class 12 Sociology Board Exam Question Paper with Solutions 2014

Part - I (20 Marks)

Question 1.
Answer briefly each of the questions : [10×2]

(i) Mention any two features of Tribal Law. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Tribal law is mostly unwritten and is based on age-old customs, traditions, and taboos that are accepted by the entire community.
2. The enforcement of tribal law depends heavily on social pressure, public opinion, and supernatural sanctions rather than an organized judicial machinery.

Teacher's Note:
a) Tribal law focuses heavily on maintaining community solidarity and restoring collective equilibrium rather than punishing the individual.
b) Students should mention unwritten custom and social sanction as key markers.

(ii) What is meant by phratry? [2 Marks]

Answer:
A phratry is a descent group composed of two or more clans that share a common ancestry or historical alliance within a tribal society. It acts as a larger social unit that often regulates marriage rules and ceremonial obligations.

Teacher's Note:
a) Phratry lies between a clan and a tribe in structural hierarchy.
b) Ensure clarity that it is a grouping of related clans.

(iii) Define probationary marriage. [2 Marks]

Answer:
Probationary marriage is a custom prevalent in certain primitive societies where a prospective bride and groom are permitted to live together for a specified period to test their compatibility and fertility before entering into a permanent marital union.

Teacher's Note:
a) It emphasizes trial and testing before formal binding.
b) Highlight that if incompatibility arises, the couple can separate without social stigma.

(iv) Mention any two features of nuclear family. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Nuclear family is smaller in size, comprising immediate family members such as husband, wife, and their child or children.
2. It is grounded on a very strong bond of emotion and sentiment, built upon sentiments of love, devotion, affection, and cooperation.

Teacher's Note:
a) Focus on size and emotional intimacy.
b) Note that nuclear families can also be single-parent households.

(v) Define status. [2 Marks]

Answer:
Status refers to the socially defined position or rank that an individual occupies in a group or in society, which determines their rights, duties, privileges, and obligations relative to others.

Teacher's Note:
a) Status can be ascribed (inherited) or achieved (earned).
b) Mention that every status carries a corresponding set of roles.

(vi) Explain Kulinism. [2 Marks]

Answer:
Kulinism was a traditional social practice prevalent among high-caste Brahmins in Bengal, particularly associated with hypergamy, where men of higher status (Kulin) married women of lower or equal status, often resulting in men having multiple wives and polygyny.

Teacher's Note:
a) It was introduced to maintain purity of lineage and social hierarchy.
b) Mention the social evils associated with it, such as polygyny and neglect of wives.

(vii) Mention two reasons why law is obeyed in primitive societies. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Fear of supernatural sanctions, curses, and magical harms resulting from the violation of established customary norms.
2. Deep-seated respect for tradition and the fear of social ostracism or ridicule by the close-knit community.

Teacher's Note:
a) Primitive law relies heavily on psychological and religious fear rather than police force.
b) Highlight the role of custom and fear of ostracism.

(viii) Mention any two determinants of status according to Malinowski. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Actual treatment: The level of care, respect, and consideration given to women in daily life.
2. Legal status: The acceptable roles and rights recognized for women within the customary and legal framework of the society.

Teacher's Note:
a) Malinowski and Lowie emphasized multidimensional criteria for tribal women's status.
b) Other determinants include opportunity for social participation and character of work.

(ix) What is Fetishism? [2 Marks]

Answer:
Fetishism is a form of primitive religion or belief system in which inanimate objects, natural phenomena, or artificial items are believed to possess inherent magical powers, spirits, or divine attributes and are worshipped or revered.

Teacher's Note:
a) Derived from religious evolution theories, it involves attribution of supernatural power to material objects.
b) Differentiate it clearly from animism and totemism.

(x) Explain the term modernization. [2 Marks]

Answer:
Modernization is a comprehensive process of social, economic, and cultural change whereby societies move from traditional structures and outlooks to scientific, rational, and technologically advanced ways of life, characterized by freedom of choice and high social mobility.

Teacher's Note:
a) Emphasize shift from ascribed status to achieved status.
b) Mention rational outlook and industrialization as core catalysts.

Part - II (50 Marks)

Question 2.
(a) What are kinship terms? Discuss the types of kinship terms. [5]
(b) Discuss the kinship usage of avoidance. [5]

Answer:
(a) In every society people make use of special terms or names to differentiate between different kins, such as father, mother, uncle, aunt, brother, and sister. These terms in social anthropology are termed as kinship terminology. There are two types of kinship terminology systems that are used widely:
1. Descriptive terminology: It is used to specify or describe the person's direct blood relationship with the person being addressed, e.g., father and mother, keeping collateral lines clear and distinct.
2. Classificatory terminology: These are terms used to relate to more than one relation in a kinship group, e.g., the term 'uncle' may refer to father's brother, mother's brother, father's friend, or aunt's husband, grouping multiple relations under one term.

Teacher's Note:
a) Clearly distinguish between descriptive and classificatory terms with examples.
b) Mention that L.H. Morgan pioneered the classification of kinship systems.

Answer:
(b) Avoidance is designed to avoid intimacy and closeness among certain members in a family or kinship groups. Certain relatives need to maintain distance and avoid each other so that they do not enter into incestuous relationships or conflicts. These rules are generally practiced between female in-laws and male in-laws or mothers-in-law and sons-in-law.
Various social anthropologists have cited reasons for avoidance behavior: Tylor suggested it stems from early matriarchal residency where a son-in-law was a stranger; Frazer noted it prevented sexual intimacy among brothers and sisters; Radcliffe-Brown explained it as a mechanism to minimize role conflict and social friction between individuals from different families entering a new kin network.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain avoidance as a structural mechanism for maintaining social equilibrium and preventing incest.
b) Cite anthropological explanations such as those given by Tylor, Frazer, and Radcliffe-Brown.

Question 3.
(a) Examine the role of family in human life. [5]
(b) Discuss the causes for the breaking of Joint families in India. [5]

Answer:
(a) Family is the most primary and elementary group in society, serving as the immediate environment where an individual develops physically, psychologically, and socially. According to MacIver, family functions are classified into two categories:
1. Essential/Primary functions: These include the stable satisfaction of sex needs through marriage, biological reproduction and procreation, proper upbringing and socialization of children, and provision of emotional security and intimate affection.
2. Secondary functions: These include economic functions (meeting material needs), socio-cultural functions (transmitting traditions, values, and folkways across generations), and educational functions (teaching basic rules, dos and don'ts, and shaping individual personality).

Teacher's Note:
a) Use MacIver's classification of family functions into essential and secondary.
b) Emphasize both biological-emotional and socio-cultural roles.

Answer:
(b) India has been witnessing a steady decline in the joint family structure due to several sociological factors:
1. Industrialization and Urbanization: Movement of people toward urban areas and industrial zones for better jobs has resulted in the disintegration of joint families into smaller nuclear units.
2. Westernization: Adoption of modern western views, individual liberty, and independent choices in career and spouse has weakened traditional joint bonds.
3. Level of Education: Higher education increases geographic mobility and promotes individualistic rational thinking.
4. Spirit of Individualism: Modern youth prioritize personal ambitions and self-interest over collective family welfare.
5. Economic Independence of Women: Financial independence through modern employment has changed women's attitudes toward traditional family authority structures.

Teacher's Note:
a) List multiple interacting causes clearly with headings.
b) Connect industrialization and individualization as primary drivers.

Question 4.
(a) Analyze Tylor's theory of Animism. [5]
(b) Discuss the relationship between religion and morality. [5]

Answer:
(a) Animism refers to the belief in souls or ancestral spirits and is the theory of religion propagated by E.B. Tylor. He believed that religion originated and was maintained based on primitive beliefs regarding souls, ghosts, and spirits, which were imagined and accepted without scientific rationality. Tylor stated that belief in spirit beings was the minimum definition of religion.
Animism has two abiding principles: belief in life after death, and belief in greater and lesser spirits organized in hierarchies. Tylor's theory has two main aspects: first, that the idea of the soul explains dreams and psychic states; second, that from the idea of the soul evolved animism, polytheism, and monotheism. However, the theory has been criticized because dreams alone cannot account for religious emotional experiences, and it incorrectly assumes primitive man remained unchanged for millennia.

Teacher's Note:
a) Define Tylor's minimum definition of religion clearly.
b) Mention both the core principles and the anthropological criticisms of the theory.

Answer:
(b) Religion is understood as a belief system concerning supernatural things and beings, whereas morality consists of rules of behavior admitted at large in society, equivalent to mores. Both religion and morality are closely intertwined:
1. Control of human behavior: Both prescribe and control human behavior and provide sound principles of action guiding people's thoughts and deeds.
2. Code of conduct: Each religion possesses a code of conduct based on moral values, linking ethical standards directly to religious precepts.
3. Sanction and support: Moral standards draw their ultimate support from religious belief systems, which provide justification for social and moral practices.
4. Direct vs. Indirect consequences: Moral standards are addressed to man directly with direct social consequences, whereas religious codes often carry spiritual or indirect consequences.

Teacher's Note:
a) Establish the conceptual overlap and distinction between religion and morality.
b) Highlight how religious sanction reinforces ethical behavior.

Question 5.
(a) Explain the important factors responsible for changes in tribal economy. [5]
(b) Examine the basic principles of Christianity. [5]

Answer:
(a) Tribals traditionally engaged in food gathering, shifting agriculture, handicrafts, and pastoralism, but their economy has undergone rapid changes due to the following factors:
1. Industrialization: Mass migration of tribal populations to industrial belts for employment has detached them from traditional forest-based occupations.
2. Urbanization and Modernization: Attraction toward urban lifestyles has rapidly disintegrated traditional tribal economic structures.
3. Need for Education: Educational opportunities have enabled educated tribals to secure professional and white-collar jobs, giving up traditional work.
4. Land Alienation: Encroachment on tribal lands by private organizations and government development projects (roads, dams, industries) has displaced tribals.
5. Government Restrictions: Forest conservation policies and restrictions on shifting cultivation and forest resource usage have forced tribals into industrial labor.

Teacher's Note:
a) Detail how external intrusions and policy shifts transformed tribal livelihoods.
b) Emphasize land alienation and industrial labor migration.

Answer:
(b) Christianity is a major world religion founded on the teachings, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Its basic principles include:
1. Monotheism: Belief in one Supreme God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe, often understood in the trinitarian concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus Christ as Savior: Belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah sent to redeem humanity from sin through His crucifixion and resurrection.
3. Love and Brotherhood: The core ethical teaching centered on unconditional love for God and neighbor, forgiveness, and universal human brotherhood.
4. Salvation and Grace: Belief that salvation is a gift of God's grace received through faith in Jesus Christ rather than through ritualistic works alone.
5. Kingdom of God and Eternal Life: Belief in the moral life guided by Christian scriptures (the Bible) leading to eternal life and spiritual communion with God.

Teacher's Note:
a) Focus on core theological and ethical tenets of Christianity.
b) Emphasize monotheism, redemption, and Christian love.

Question 6.
(a) Examine the status of women in patrilineal societies. [5]
(b) Explain the role of social movements in society. [5]

Answer:
(a) The status of women in patrilineal societies varies across different tribal and cultural groups, often governed by protective and preventive customs:
1. Toda Society: Immediately after childbirth, Toda women are considered unclean, barred from fields, dairy activities, and rituals, yet this reflects preventive taboos rather than inferior social regard.
2. Khasa Society: Women experience dual roles, being dominated by husbands at home while enjoying complete freedom and rights when visiting their parental homes.
3. Naga Tribes: Status varies among tribes; Sema Naga women have less voice in marriage choices compared to Angami and Ao women, but Naga women generally derive importance from their working ability.
4. Tibetans and Bhutias: Women are treated with great respect and share equal rights, though some exploitation still exists.
5. General Indian Tribes: Women work alongside husbands and share similar rights, yet continue to face discrimination and patriarchal constraints in various spheres.

Teacher's Note:
a) Cite specific tribal examples (Toda, Khasa, Naga) to illustrate variations in women's status.
b) Note that protective customs should not be simplistically equated with absolute inferiority.

Answer:
(b) Social movements are collective enterprises seeking to bring about or resist social change, performing vital functions in society:
1. Creation of social awareness: Social movements educate people, highlight critical issues, and foster collective consciousness.
2. Facilitation of collective action: They mobilize people to act collectively, fostering unity, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
3. Transformation of unjust structures: They challenge existing structures of injustice, inequality, and discrimination to establish a progressive social order.
4. Promotion of reforms: They act as catalysts for legal, political, and cultural reforms, safeguarding human rights.

Teacher's Note:
a) Connect social movements directly to processes of social change.
b) Highlight awareness generation and structural transformation as key functions.

Question 7.
(a) Write a brief note on the educative functions of dormitories in tribal India. [5]
(b) Discuss the role of education in creating social change? [5]

Answer:
(a) Tribal dormitories (such as Ghotul among Muria Gonds) serve vital educative functions for the youth:
1. Transmission of culture: They provide opportunities to learn tribal customs, traditions, folklore, songs, dance, and religious practices.
2. Socialization and discipline: Senior members train juniors in tribal etiquette, self-discipline, obedience, and community responsibilities.
3. Economic training: As noted by Anthropologist Sarat Chandra Roy, dormitories train youth in food gathering, hunting, and agricultural operations, aiding economic organization.
4. Preparation for adult life: They impart sex education and moral guidance necessary for leading a successful and harmonious married life within the community.

Teacher's Note:
a) Highlight the multi-faceted role of dormitories as youth training centers.
b) Reference Sarat Chandra Roy's anthropological perspective on economic and social organization.

Answer:
(b) Education is a powerful engine of social change and transformation, operating through several mechanisms:
1. Developing critical thinking: Education fosters independent critical thinking and judgment, enabling individuals to distinguish between right and wrong.
2. Reforming attitudes: It helps eradicate obsolete social beliefs, superstitions, and social evils by promoting rational outlooks.
3. Generating ideas and technologies: Education spurs innovations, scientific inventions, and improved technical tools for living ease.
4. Imparting skills and values: It equips individuals with occupational skills and reinforces values of equality, justice, and human rights, establishing a democratic social order.

Teacher's Note:
a) Detail how cognitive development and attitude reformation drive societal progress.
b) Emphasize the link between education and modern values.

Question 8.
(a) Discuss the various problems faced by tribals in India. [5]
(b) What are the steps taken by the Government for the upliftment of the Indian Tribes? [5]

Answer:
(a) Indian tribals face numerous socio-economic and cultural problems:
1. Poverty and indebtedness: Widespread poverty forces tribals into heavy indebtedness under exorbitant interest rates due to lack of formal banking access for non-productive needs.
2. Housing problems: Traditional forest-based huts are vulnerable to natural calamities, and depletion of forest products combined with population growth has caused severe housing shortages.
3. Educational backwardness: Lack of educational institutions and wandering economic lifestyles keep literacy rates low and superstition high.
4. Unemployment and displacement: Loss of traditional forest rights due to state administration, land subdivision, and influx of skilled non-tribal labor has caused massive unemployment.
5. Health and sanitation: Isolation and lack of communication deprive tribals of basic healthcare, leading to widespread malnutrition and communicable diseases.

Teacher's Note:
a) Structure the answer covering economic, educational, and health dimensions.
b) Highlight land alienation and indebtedness as core tribal crises.

Answer:
(b) The Government of India has undertaken comprehensive measures for tribal upliftment:
1. Educational support: Post-matric scholarships for ST/SC students and financial assistance to construct girls' hostels in towns.
2. Economic and financial schemes: Establishment of National Schedule Tribe Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) providing low-interest loans (4%) to empower tribal women.
3. Institutional and welfare measures: Establishment of Ministries of Tribal Welfare, specialized training centers for UPSC/SSC civil services exams, and media programs like 'Jan Jatiya Darpan'.
4. Constitutional safeguards: Inclusion of protective constitutional provisions:
- Article 16: Equality of employment opportunity.
- Article 46: Special care and educational-economic assistance for ST/SC.
- Article 275 and 330/332: Special grants and reservation of seats in legislatures.
- Article 335 and 339: Special attention in job vacancies and presidential administrative reports.

Teacher's Note:
a) Enumerate specific welfare programs alongside key constitutional articles.
b) Ensure accurate citation of articles such as Article 46, Article 275, and Article 330/332.