Unit 1 Sociology – Discipline, Emergence & Perspectives
Sociology mainly studies
A The physical structure of the human body
B Human relationships and social behaviour in groups
C Only the economiSociology mainly studies
D Only political institutions and governments
Sociology is defined as the scientific study of society, focusing on human relationships, social behaviour, and institutions rather than purely physical, economic, or political aspects alone.
The term “sociology” is derived from ‘Socius’ and ‘Logos’. ‘Socius’ means
A Study or science
B Law or rule
C Companion or association
D Human or person
‘Socius’ means companion/association, while ‘Logos’ means study/science. Combined, they give the meaning “study of society” or “science of society”.
Which of the following best shows that sociology is a social science
A It studies planets and stars
B It studies human society and social relationships
C It studies only animal behaviour
D It studies only chemical reactions
Sociology belongs to the family of social sciences because it studies human beings in their social context—groups, institutions, and social behaviour.
Sociology is said to be “scientific in approach” because it
A Depends mainly on common sense and guesses
B Uses observation, surveys, and statistical methods
C Relies only on religious texts
D Rejects all kinds of data collection
Sociology adopts systematic and objective methods—such as surveys, interviews, and statistics—to collect and analyse data, making it scientific.
Which of the following best reflects that sociology is abstract, not concrete
A It studies a particular individual’s daily routine
B It focuses only on one historical event
C It studies general patterns such as crime, migration, or poverty
D It deals only with physical objects
Sociology is concerned with general patterns and processes in society, not with single individuals or isolated events, hence it is abstract.
When sociologists form general principles or laws about social life, sociology is acting as
A An individualizing science
B A generalizing science
C A geographical science
D A purely speculative science
Sociology aims to develop general statements and theories that apply to many cases, rather than focusing on only one unique case.
Sociology is both theoretical and empirical because it
A Rejects all theories
B Depends only on imagination
C Builds theories supported by data from real-life situations
D Uses only laboratory experiments
Sociologists formulate theories (theoretical) but also collect and analyse data (empirical) to support or modify these theories.
The statement “Sociology is a neutral and objective study” means sociologists should
A Support one social group over another
B Make moral judgments about people
C Avoid personal bias while studying society
D Always favour the government
Objectivity means keeping personal opinions aside and studying facts as they are, without taking sides or making moral judgments.
Which of the following is NOT usually considered a major social institution studied in sociology
A Family
B Religion
C Economy
D Astronomy
Sociology focuses on institutions like family, religion, economy, education, and government; astronomy is a natural science about celestial bodies.
The study of how people in caste groups, tribes, or religious communities interact falls mainly under
A Study of social groups and communities
B Study of physical geography
C Study of chemical reactions
D Study of language only
Sociology examines how groups are formed, how they function, and how they influence individual behaviour.
Cooperation, competition, conflict, accommodation, and assimilation are examples of
A Social institutions
B Social processes
C Biological traits
D Political rights
These are processes through which individuals and groups relate to one another, shaping social order and change.
The lifelong process through which individuals learn values, norms, language, and culture is called
A Stratification
B Socialization
C Urbanization
D Secularization
Socialization is the process by which individuals become members of society by learning its culture and rules.
When society is divided into layers based on caste, class, gender, or occupation, sociologists call it
A Social mobility
B Social stratification
C Socialization
D Social isolation
Social stratification refers to structured inequalities among different groups in society.
The study of issues like poverty, crime, unemployment, and environmental problems falls mainly under
A Study of social problems
B Study of pure mathematics
C Study of astronomy
D Study of language only
Sociology analyses the causes and consequences of social problems and explores possible solutions.
Which statement best shows the relationship between sociology and psychology
A Both study only brain cells
B Psychology studies individual behaviour, sociology studies behaviour in groups
C Sociology studies dreams, psychology studies rituals
D Both ignore human behaviour
Psychology focuses on the individual’s mind and emotions, while sociology focuses on social context and group relations.
The concept of socialisation is studied in both psychology and sociology. Psychology mainly focuses on
A Personality development of the individual
B Laws passed by the government
C Movement of planets
D Structure of volcanic rocks
Psychology examines how personality forms, whereas sociology examines how norms, values, and roles shape individuals.
Anthropology is closely related to sociology because both
A Study only natural disasters
B Study human society and culture
C Deal only with monetary policy
D Are concerned only with machines
Anthropology studies human beings, their cultures, and early societies; sociology studies modern societies and institutions. Both are concerned with culture and social organisation.
A key difference between anthropology and sociology is that anthropology traditionally
A Focuses on large, complex industrial societies
B Deals mostly with small, simple, or tribal societies
C Studies only economic systems
D Ignores culture completely
Classical anthropology studied primitive or tribal societies, while sociology mainly focused on modern, complex societies.
The study of power, authority, state, and government mainly belongs to
A Economics
B Political science
C Anthropology
D Geology
Political science deals with political systems, government, and power; sociology explores how these are linked to society and social groups.
When sociology explains how caste, class, religion, or gender influence voting behaviour, it is relating to
A Psychology alone
B Political science
C Botany
D Astronomy
Sociological analysis of political behaviour connects directly to the subject matter of political science.
Economics and sociology are related because both
A Deal with crop rotation
B Study the chemical composition of money
C Study economic behaviour and its social impact
D Ignore production and consumption
Economics studies production, distribution, and consumption; sociology studies how these economic activities affect and are shaped by social structures and values.
Which of the following is an example of a topic where economics and sociology overlap
A Structure of atoms
B Labour relations and poverty
C Formation of mountains
D Evolution of species
Issues like labour relations, poverty, and inequality involve both economic mechanisms and social structures.
History supports sociology mainly by
A Providing records of past social events and changes
B Explaining only natural disasters
C Studying planets and stars
D Ignoring written documents
Historical records help sociologists understand how institutions and structures evolved over time.
A major difference between history and sociology is that history mainly focuses on
A Why events happened in terms of social forces
B What happened in the past
C How atoms combine
D Only future predictions
History describes past events; sociology focuses more on explaining patterns and causes using social concepts.
Sociology’s relationship with psychology, anthropology, political science, economics, and history shows that sociology is
A Completely isolated from other disciplines
B Independent with no connections
C Deeply interlinked with other social sciences
D Only connected to natural sciences
Sociology shares topics, methods, and insights with other social sciences, making it interdisciplinary.
When sociologists use historical data to study changes in family, class structure, or economy, they are combining
A Sociology with geology
B Sociology with history
C Sociology with zoology
D Sociology with chemistry
This is an example of sociologists using historical methods to understand present social structures.
Sociology emerged mainly in Europe in response to
A Stable, unchanging traditional societies
B Great social changes like industrialisation and modernity
C The invention of printing only
D Discovery of new continents
Rapid changes due to industrialisation, capitalism, and scientific progress created new problems that led to the rise of sociology.
Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Rousseau emphasised
A Blind faith and tradition
B Reason, rationality, and scientific thinking
C Only military power
D Astrology and superstition
The Enlightenment promoted rational inquiry and challenged blind faith, providing an intellectual base for sociology.
One major contribution of the Enlightenment to sociology was that it
A Encouraged magical explanations
B Rejected all study of society
C Encouraged scientific study of social life and reform
D Focused only on nature
Enlightenment ideals like reason and progress pushed thinkers to study society scientifically and seek improvement.
The Industrial Revolution led to which of the following social changes
A Decline in urban population
B Replacement of factories by small workshops
C Migration from villages to cities and overcrowding
D End of machine production
Industrialisation created factories in cities, attracting rural populations and leading to urban crowding and new social problems.
Child labour, poor working conditions, and breakdown of traditional community life during industrialisation
A Had no influence on social thought
B Encouraged the development of sociology to study these problems
C Were ignored by all thinkers
D Were seen only as natural disasters
Such problems made it necessary to systematically study and explain new social conditions, shaping early sociological theories.
Capitalism is best described as an economic system based on
A State ownership of all property
B Private ownership, competition, and profit-making
C Complete absence of markets
D Only subsistence farming
Capitalism emphasises private property, profit, and competitive markets, which deeply affect social relations.
The emergence of capitalist society led to the creation of new social classes, notably
A Priests and soldiers
B Bourgeoisie and proletariat
C Farmers and hunters
D Kings and slaves only
In Marx’s analysis, the bourgeoisie are owners of means of production, and the proletariat are wage workers—central classes in capitalist society.
The Scientific Revolution influenced sociology by
A Rejecting all use of observation
B Promoting belief in miracles only
C Introducing methods like observation and hypothesis testing
D Limiting knowledge to religious texts
Sociology borrowed systematic methods from natural sciences—observation, classification, and hypothesis testing—to study society.
Modernity is generally associated with
A Static rural life and simple division of labour
B Urban life, complex division of labour, and rapid change
C Complete absence of technology
D Return to tribal societies
Modern societies are marked by urbanisation, specialised work, individualism, and fast social change.
Which of the following best explains why sociology was needed in modern societies
A To study only natural disasters
B To systematically understand new social problems and maintain social order
C To stop all scientific thinking
D To destroy all traditions without understanding
Modernity created issues like isolation, unemployment, and instability, requiring a scientific study of society—sociology.
Auguste Comte is known in sociology primarily as
A Founder of political science
B Father of sociology and coiner of the term “sociology”
C Discoverer of gravity
D First president of the UN
Comte coined the word “sociology” and is widely regarded as the Father of Sociology.
Thinkers like Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber contributed to sociology mainly by
A Writing only about natural sciences
B Providing systematic theories about social order, conflict, and change
C Studying only mathematics
D Ignoring the effects of industrialisation
These classical sociologists developed foundational theories to understand industrial society, conflict, and social integration.
The Structural-Functional Perspective views society as
A A system of unrelated individuals
B A machine with no parts
C A system of interrelated parts working together for stability
D Purely a battlefield of chaos
Functionalism sees institutions and norms as parts of a system that contribute to social order and stability.
Considering the Structural-Functional Perspective, institutions like family, education, and government mainly
A Create only conflict and disorder
B Have no role in society
C Perform functions that help society survive and remain stable
D Exist only by chance
Functionalists argue that institutions fulfil important needs—socialisation, law and order, economic security, etc.
A major criticism of the Structural-Functional Perspective is that it
A Overemphasises conflict and revolution
B Ignores cooperation completely
C Tends to ignore power differences and social inequalities
D Studies only small-scale interactions
Critics say functionalism often assumes all institutions are beneficial and overlooks oppression and domination.
The Conflict Perspective argues that society is primarily characterised by
A Complete harmony and absence of competition
B Equality of all groups
C Conflict, competition, and inequality between groups
D Total lack of power relations
Conflict theorists see society as divided into groups competing for power, resources, and control.
Which social thinker is most closely associated with the Conflict Perspective
A Emile Durkheim
B Karl Marx
C Max Weber
D Auguste Comte
Marx emphasised class conflict and economic inequality as central to understanding society.
According to the Conflict Perspective, social change usually happens when
A Everyone agrees on all values
B Oppressed groups challenge and struggle against existing inequalities
C No one questions authority
D Society remains completely static
Conflict theorists see change as a result of struggles between groups with unequal power and interests.
The Symbolic-Interactionist Perspective focuses mainly on
A Large-scale institutions and structures only
B Small-scale, everyday interactions and meanings
C Movements of planets
D Only historical events
This perspective looks at how people use symbols and meanings in daily life to construct social reality.
Which of the following is an example of a symbol important in Symbolic-Interactionism
A A wedding ring representing marital commitment
B A mountain representing height only
C A stone in a river
D A random number on a calculator
Interactionists study how objects like rings, flags, or gestures carry shared meanings that guide behaviour.
According to the Symbolic-Interactionist Perspective, people act on the basis of
A The meanings they attach to situations and symbols
B Purely random choices
C Only biological instincts
D Orders from nature
People interpret situations and then act; different interpretations lead to different actions.
The Interpretative Approach in sociology, inspired by Max Weber, stresses that sociologists should
A Ignore people’s intentions
B Understand the subjective meanings people give to their actions
C Depend only on statistics and never talk to people
D Study only natural laws
Interpretative sociology aims at “verstehen”—understanding actions from the actor’s point of view.
The Critical Approach in sociology mainly aims to
A Support all existing power structures
B Avoid talking about inequality
C Expose injustice, power imbalances, and promote social change
D Focus only on neutral description
Critical sociologists question domination and use knowledge to work toward emancipation and justice.
Which statement best summarises the value of having multiple perspectives in sociology
A Only one perspective can explain society fully
B Different perspectives together give a richer, multidimensional understanding of social life
C Perspectives always contradict and confuse
D Perspectives are unnecessary in social science
Structural-functional, conflict, interactionist, interpretative, and critical approaches each highlight different aspects of society, making the discipline more complete.