JKPSC Lecturer Recruitment Examination
Subject: Sociology (10+2 Lecturer) Maximum Marks: 100 Time Allowed: 3 Hours
General Instructions
- This paper has four sections: A, B, C, and D.
- Section A contains 10 Short Answer questions of 2 marks each (20 marks). Attempt all.
- Section B contains 8 Medium Answer questions of 5 marks each (40 marks). Attempt all.
- Section C contains 3 Long Answer questions of 10 marks each (30 marks). Attempt all.
- Section D contains 2 Case-Based/Critical Analysis questions of 10 marks each; attempt any ONE (10 marks).
- All questions are compulsory within their section unless stated otherwise.
- Marks for each question are indicated against it.
- Write answers in clear, well-organized language, supporting arguments with relevant sociological theories, thinkers, and examples wherever applicable.
SECTION A — Short Answer Questions (2 × 10 = 20 Marks)
A1. Define Sociology and briefly explain its nature and scope as an academic discipline.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit I.1 – Sociology: Discipline and Perspectives (Definition, Nature and Scope)
- Cognitive Level: Remember
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Learning Hint: Revise definitions by early and modern sociologists, the subject matter of sociology, and its distinguishing features as a social science.
A2. Differentiate between status and role.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit I.2 – Sociological Concepts (Status and Role)
- Cognitive Level: Understand
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Learning Hint: Revise ascribed vs. achieved status, role set, role conflict, and the interrelation between status and role in social structure.
A3. Explain Max Weber’s typology of social action.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit II.1 – Classical Sociological Traditions (Max Weber: Theory of Social Action)
- Cognitive Level: Understand
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the four types of social action — traditional, affectual, value-rational, and instrumental-rational.
A4. Illustrate, with suitable examples, the difference between probability and non-probability sampling techniques.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit III.2 – Quantitative Methods and Survey Research (Sampling)
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise types of probability sampling (simple random, stratified, systematic, cluster) and non-probability sampling (purposive, quota, snowball, convenience).
A5. Explain the concept of incest taboo in the study of kinship.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit IV.1 – Kinship (Defining Kinship; Incest Taboo)
- Cognitive Level: Understand
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Learning Hint: Revise definitions of kinship, functions of incest taboo, and its relation to descent and marriage regulation.
A6. Illustrate, with suitable examples, the interrelationship between magic, religion and science.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit V.1 – Introduction to Sociology of Religion (Magic, Religion and Science)
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise distinctions and overlaps among magic, religion, and science as systems of belief and practice.
A7. Differentiate between Varna and Jati.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit VII.3 – Caste and Class in India (Varna and Jati)
- Cognitive Level: Understand
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Learning Hint: Revise the ideological (Varna) versus empirical/regional (Jati) basis of caste classification.
A8. Illustrate the difference between urbanization and urbanism with examples from Indian cities.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit IX.1 – Urban Sociology (Concept: Urban, Urbanization and Urbanism)
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise urbanization as a demographic/spatial process versus urbanism as a way of life (Louis Wirth’s formulation).
A9. Explain patriarchy as ideology and practice.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit XII.1 – Social Construction of Gender (Patriarchy as Ideology and Practice)
- Cognitive Level: Understand
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise how patriarchy operates both as a belief system and as institutionalized social practice across family, economy, and polity.
A10. Describe, with examples, the changing trends in family structure in contemporary society.
- Marks: 2
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit IV.2 – Family (Changing Trends of Family Structure)
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Learning Hint: Revise shifts from joint to nuclear families, emerging family forms, and factors driving structural change.
SECTION B — Medium Answer Questions (5 × 8 = 40 Marks)
B1. Discuss Merton’s critique of functional analysis with reference to manifest and latent functions.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit II.2 – Functionalism and Neo-Functionalism (R.K. Merton)
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise Merton’s critique of the postulates of universal functionalism, functional unity, and indispensability, along with manifest/latent functions and dysfunctions.
B2. Examine Foucault’s conceptualization of discourse, knowledge and power.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit II.4 – Structuralism and Post-Structuralism (Michael Foucault)
- Cognitive Level: Analyse
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise Foucault’s notions of discourse, power/knowledge nexus, disciplinary power, and their departure from classical structuralism.
B3. Compare and contrast the case study method and ethnography as qualitative research techniques.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit III.3 – Qualitative Research Techniques (Case Study Method; Ethnography)
- Cognitive Level: Analyse
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the scope, procedure, strengths, and limitations of case study and ethnographic methods, along with issues of validity and reliability.
B4. Analyse Andre Gunder Frank’s “Development of Underdevelopment” thesis.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit VI.2 – Modernisation and Development (Development of Underdevelopment Thesis – G. Frank)
- Cognitive Level: Analyse
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the core–periphery framework, dependency theory, and Frank’s critique of modernization theory.
B5. Compare the structural-functional and subaltern perspectives on the study of Indian society.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit VII.2 – Theoretical Perspectives (Structural-Functional: M.N. Srinivas, S.C. Dube; Subaltern: Ranjit Guha, B.R. Ambedkar)
- Cognitive Level: Analyse
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise Srinivas’s and Dube’s structural-functional approach to village studies versus the subaltern focus on marginalized voices and counter-hegemonic history.
B6. Assess the role of the Panchayati Raj System in rural development in India.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit VIII.2 – Rural Society and Change (Panchayati Raj System)
- Cognitive Level: Evaluate
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the evolution, structure, and functions of Panchayati Raj institutions and their impact on rural planned change.
B7. Examine the relevance of relative deprivation theory in explaining any one social movement in India, with suitable illustration.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit X.1/X.2 – Social Movements and Change (Relative Deprivation Theory); Social Movements in India
- Cognitive Level: Apply
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the relative deprivation, conflict, and structural-strain perspectives, and match them against a specific Indian social movement (e.g., Tribal, Dalit, or Environmental).
B8. Analyse Giddens’ and Beck’s Risk Theory in the context of environmental sociology.
- Marks: 5
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit XI.2 – Theoretical Approaches (Giddens and Beck: Risk Theory)
- Cognitive Level: Analyse
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
- Learning Hint: Revise the concept of “risk society,” reflexive modernization, and manufactured risks as distinct from natural hazards.
SECTION C — Long Answer Questions (10 × 3 = 30 Marks)
C1. Critically evaluate the contributions of Comte, Marx, Durkheim and Weber to the development of classical sociological theory.
- Marks: 10
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit II.1 – Classical Sociological Traditions
- Cognitive Level: Evaluate
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise the Law of Three Stages and Positivism (Comte), Historical/Dialectical Materialism and Alienation (Marx), Social Facts and Solidarity (Durkheim), and Social Action/Authority (Weber), along with comparative strengths and limitations of each framework.
C2. Critically examine the Indological, Structural-Functional, Marxian and Subaltern perspectives on the study of Indian society.
- Marks: 10
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit VII.2 – Theoretical Perspectives (Indological/Textual, Structural-Functional, Marxian, Subaltern)
- Cognitive Level: Evaluate
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise Ghurye/Dumont’s textual approach, Srinivas/Dube’s field-view approach, Mukherjee/Desai’s Marxian approach, and Guha/Ambedkar’s subaltern approach, comparing their assumptions and critiques.
C3. Critically analyse the major feminist perspectives — liberal, radical, socialist and postmodernist — and assess their relevance to understanding the status of women in contemporary India.
- Marks: 10
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit XII.2/XII.3 – Theoretical Feminist Perspectives; Women in India
- Cognitive Level: Evaluate
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise the core arguments of each feminist school, along with constitutional provisions, women’s empowerment initiatives, and contemporary gender issues in India.
SECTION D — Case-Based / Critical Analysis Questions (Attempt any ONE) (10 Marks)
D(a). Critically evaluate, with reference to a case of your choice, the perspectives of Phule, Ambedkar, Gandhi and Lohiya on the marginalization of disadvantaged communities in India, and assess the impact of constitutional provisions on such marginalized groups.
- Marks: 10
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit XIII – Marginalized Communities in India (Perspectives on Marginalization; Constitutional Provisions, Implementation and Impact)
- Cognitive Level: Evaluate
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise the distinct standpoints of Phule, Ambedkar, Gandhi and Lohiya on caste and marginalization, along with socio-economic indices of marginalization and relevant constitutional safeguards.
D(b). Design a critical sociological assessment of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan as a sanitation intervention, examining its implications for scavenging castes and social deprivation.
- Marks: 10
- Syllabus Mapping: Unit XIV – Health and Sanitation (Scavenging Caste and Social Deprivation; Sanitation Policies in India — Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Sulabh Sanitation Movement)
- Cognitive Level: Create
- Difficulty Level: Difficult
- Learning Hint: Revise the sociology of health and sanitation, the social status of scavenging communities, and the objectives/critiques of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Sulabh Sanitation Movement.
EXAM BLUEPRINT
1. Syllabus Coverage Matrix
| Syllabus Unit | Questions | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| I. Introduction to Sociology | A1, A2 | ✓ |
| II. Sociological Thoughts and Theories | A3, B1, B2, C1 | ✓ |
| III. Methodology of Social Research | A4, B3 | ✓ |
| IV. Sociology of Family, Marriage and Kinship | A5, A10 | ✓ |
| V. Sociology of Religion | A6 | ✓ |
| VI. Sociology of Change and Development | B4 | ✓ |
| VII. Indian Society: Structure and Change | A7, B5, C2 | ✓ |
| VIII. Rural Society in India | B6 | ✓ |
| IX. Urban Society in India | A8 | ✓ |
| X. Social Movements in India | B7 | ✓ |
| XI. Environment and Sustainable Development | B8 | ✓ |
| XII. Gender and Society | A9, C3 | ✓ |
| XIII. Marginalized Communities in India | D(a) | ✓ (optional choice) |
| XIV. Health and Sanitation | D(b) | ✓ (optional choice) |
All 14 syllabus units are represented, with weightage proportionate to unit breadth (Units II and VII, the largest theoretical units, receive the highest representation).
2. Difficulty Distribution
| Difficulty | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 5 (A1, A2, A5, A7, A10) | 21.7% |
| Moderate | 12 (A3, A4, A6, A8, A9, B1, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8) | 52.2% |
| Difficult | 6 (B2, C1, C2, C3, D(a), D(b)) | 26.1% |
(Target: Easy 25% / Moderate 50% / Difficult 25% — closely met across the 23 questions offered, including the two optional Section D questions.)
3. Bloom’s Taxonomy Distribution
| Cognitive Level | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Remember | 1 (A1) | 4.3% |
| Understand | 5 (A2, A3, A5, A7, A9) | 21.7% |
| Apply | 6 (A4, A6, A8, A10, B1, B7) | 26.1% |
| Analyse | 5 (B2, B3, B4, B5, B8) | 21.7% |
| Evaluate | 5 (B6, C1, C2, C3, D(a)) | 21.7% |
| Create | 1 (D(b)) | 4.3% |
(Target: Remember 10% / Understand 20% / Apply 25% / Analyse 25% / Evaluate 15% / Create 5% — reasonably approximated; Remember is intentionally kept minimal given the analytical, Lecturer-level standard expected.)
4. Directive Verb Distribution
| Directive Verb | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Explain | 4 |
| Differentiate | 2 |
| Illustrate | 3 |
| Describe | 1 |
| Discuss | 1 |
| Examine | 2 |
| Compare and Contrast | 1 |
| Analyse | 2 |
| Compare | 1 |
| Assess | 1 |
| Critically Evaluate | 2 |
| Critically Examine | 1 |
| Critically Analyse | 1 |
| Design / Critically Analyse | 1 |
5. Question Type Distribution
| Question Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Short Answer | 10 |
| Medium Answer | 8 |
| Long Answer | 3 |
| Case-Based / Critical Analysis (optional) | 2 |
6. Overall Validation
| Quality Parameter | Status |
|---|---|
| Complete Syllabus Coverage | ✓ |
| Balanced Unit Coverage | ✓ |
| Balanced Difficulty | ✓ |
| Bloom’s Taxonomy Coverage | ✓ |
| Directive Verb Distribution | ✓ |
| Lecturer-Level Standard | ✓ |
| No Duplicate Questions | ✓ |
| No Out-of-Syllabus Questions | ✓ |
END OF QUESTION PAPER