{"id":119156,"date":"2022-05-04T10:59:41","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T05:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=119156"},"modified":"2022-05-04T10:59:41","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T05:29:41","slug":"chapter-4-introducing-western-sociologists-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-sociologyunderstanding-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/education\/chapter-4-introducing-western-sociologists-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-sociologyunderstanding-society","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 4 – Introducing Western Sociologists Questions and Answers: NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Sociology(Understanding Society)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question 1.
\nWhy is the Enlightenment important for the development of sociology?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nDuring the late 17th and 18th centuries, Western Europe saw the emergence of radically new ways of thinking about the world. It is referred to \u2018The Enlightenment\u2019.
\nThe ability to think rationally and critically transformed the individual human being into both the producer and the user of all knowledge, the \u2018knowing subject\u2019.
\nOnly persons who could think and reason could be considered as a complete human being.
\nTo become the definite features of the human world, it was necessary to displace nature, religion and the divine acts of gods from the central position they had in earlier days of understanding the world.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nHow was the Industrial Revolution responsible for giving rise to sociology?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nProduction moved out of houses and went over to factories. People left their rural areas and went over to urban areas to find jobs in newly established industries
\nRich people started to live in large mansions and labour class started to live in slums.
\nDue to modern administrative system, monarchy was forced to take the responsibility of public subjects and public welfare.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nWhat are the various components of a mode of production?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nA mode of production has the following components:
\nFirst is the means of production which means the labour class who produces.
\nSecond is the capitalist class who owns the means of production.
\nLabour is sold in the market like commodity.
\nThe capitalist class has wealth and means to get his production done by the labourers.
\nThe capitalist class becomes richer at the cost of labourers.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nWhy do classes come into conflict, according to Marx?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nKarl Marx has studied two classes. Two opposite groups exist in each society.
\nFirst who does exploitation and second is that who is being exploited.
\nConflict is always going on between these two classes from the very beginning.
\nBourgeoisie owns all the means of production and it suppresses other groups with his means of production.
\nSecond class is the labour class which was given the name of Proletariats.
\nConflict is always going on between the exploiters and the exploited because capitalist hardly wants to give anything to labourer.
\nAccording to Marx, economic processes generally tend to generate class conflicts though this also depends on political and social conditions.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nWhat are social facts? Flow do we recognise them?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSocial facts are collective representations which emerge from the association of people.
\nThey are not particular to a person but of a general nature, independent of the individual.
\nDurkheim called the \u2019emergent level\u2019, that is the level of complex collective life where social phenomena can emerge.
\nOne of Durkheim\u2019s most significant achievements is his demonstration that sociology, a discipline that dealt with abstract entities like social facts\/could nevertheless be a science founded on observable empirically verifiable evidence.
\nThe most famous example of his use of new kind of empirical data is in his study of suicide.
\nEach individual case of suicide was specific to the individual and his\/her circumstances.<\/h3>\n

Question 6.
\nWhat is the difference between \u2018mechanic\u2019 and \u2018organic\u2019 solidarity?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nDurkheim says that in every society some values, ideas, beliefs, ways of behaviour, institutions and laws are there which binds the society in a single knot. Because of the presence of these elements, the relations and unity or solidarity exist in society.
\nHe classified a society by the nature of social solidarity which existed in the society which are as follows:
\nMechanical Solidarity
\nIt is predominant in less advanced societies.
\nIt is segmental in nature.
\nIn this social bonds are relatively weak.
\nIt exists more where population is less.
\nIn it, collective authority is absolute.
\nIt is highly religious.
\nIt is concrete and specific.
\nOrganic Solidarity
\nIt is predominant in more advanced societies.
\nIt is organized in nature.
\nIn this, the social bonds are strong.
\nIt exists where population is more.
\nIn this, there is more room for individual initiative.
\nIt is highly secular.
\nIt is abstract and general.<\/h3>\n

Question 7.
\nShow, with examples, how moral codes are indicators of social solidarity.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe social solidarity was to be found in the codes of conduct imposed on individuals by collective agreement.
\nMoral facts are phenomena like others; they consist of rules of action recognizable by certain distinctive characteristics, it must then be possible to observe them, describe them, classify them and look for certain laws explaining them.
\nSociety, for Durkheim, was a social fact which existed as a moral community over and above the individual.
\nSocial solidarities exerted pressure on individuals to conform to the norms and expectations of the group.
\nMoral codes are manifestations of particular social conditions.
\nThe moral code that is appropriate for one society is inappropriate for another.
\nThe prevailing social conditions could be deduced from the moral codes. This has made sociology akin to the natural sciences and is in keeping with his larger objective of establishing sociology as a rigorous scientific discipline.
\nBy observing behaviour patterns it is possible to identify the norms, codes and social solidarities which governed them.
\nThe existence of otherwise \u2018invisible\u2019 things like ideas, norms, values and so on could be empirically verified by studying the patterns of social behaviour of the people.<\/h3>\n

Question 8.
\nDiscuss Durkheim\u2019s concept of collective conscience.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe concept of collective conscience is defined by Emile Durkheim as \u2018the body of beliefs and sentiments common to the average of members of the society. It contains those beliefs and sentiments which are found in the average members of society, e.g., it is people\u2019s belief that poor should not be tortured, instead people should take care of them.
\nIt comprised a form and content which varies according to whether society is characterised by mechanical or organic solidarity.
\nAccording to mechanical solidarity the collective conscience is extensive and strong widely related to people\u2019s life. It controls the people through various religious or other traditional means of sanction.
\nIt emphasies the primacy of society over the individual and his or her dignity.
\nGradually the collective conscience declined in its influence and became less extensive.
\nIn the transition to organic solidarity this could be observed in the replacement of repressive by restitutive i.e., making amends of it by systems of law.
\nAccording to Durkheim, a society wide collective conscience can only hold a segmental society together.
\nThe collective conscience becomes a diffuse, abstract cult of the individual which as a civil religion, supplies ultimate principles and justifications but cannot bear the whole weight of social cohesion.
\nDurkheim believes that collective conscience is in the beliefs and expresses itself in the form of symbols, e.g., the festival of Vijayadashmi represents the victory of good over evil. This belief can be seen in the concrete form in this festival.
\nThe individual consciousness becomes subset of collective consciousness and therefore any violation of collective consciousness is labelled as revolt against whole society.
\nThe influence of collective consciousness varies from society to society. It is more prevalent among mechanical societies, i.e., less advanced and highly religious societies. Its influence declines in the organic socieity, i.e., advanced societies which are highly secular.
\nThe collective consciousness gets transferred from generation to generation through the process of socialisation.<\/h3>\n

Question 9.
\nWhat are the basic features of bureaucracy?<\/h2>\n

\nAnswer:
\nOfficials have fixed areas of official jurisdiction governed by rules, laws and administrative regulations.
\nCommands are issued by higher authorities for implementation by subordinates in a stable way, but the responsibilities of officials are strictly delimited by the authority available to them.
\nOfficial positions in a bureaucracy are independent.
\nAuthority and office are placed on a graded hierarchy where the higher officials supervise the lower ones.
\nManagement of a bureaucratic organisation is carried out on the basis of written documents (the files) which are preserved as records.
\nFull time attention of officials irrespective of her\/his delimited hours in office, hence an official\u2019s conduct in office is governed by exhaustive rules and regulations.<\/h3>\n

Question 10.
\nWhat is special or different about the kind of objectivity needed in social science?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nRefer to Question . no. 6.<\/h3>\n

Question 11.
\nTry to find out what Marx and Weber wrote about India.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMarx argued that people\u2019s ideas and beliefs originated from the economic system of which they were part.
\nMarx laid great emphasis on economic structure and processes because he believed that they formed the foundation of every social system throughout human history.
\nMarx believed that class struggle was the major driving force of change in society.
\nWeber argued that the overall objective of the social sciences was to develop an \u2018interpretative understanding of social action\u2019.
\nThe central concern of the social sciences was with social action and since human actions necessarily involved subjective meanings, the methods of enquiry of social science also had to be different from the methods of natural science.
\nThe social world was founded on subjective human meanings, values, feelings, prejudices, ideals and so on.
\nSocial scientists had to constantly practise \u2019empathetic understanding\u2019. But this investigation has to be done objectively.
\nSociologists are meant to describe, not judge, the subjective feelings of others.<\/h3>\n

Very Short Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1.
\nExplain the term \u2018Bourgeoisie\u2019.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nAccording to Marx, Bourgeoisie are those few people who own the means of production in a capitalist society. They enjoy both economic and political power.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nExplain the term \u2018surplus value\u2019.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe term \u2018surplus value\u2019 refers to the quality of value produced by the worker beyond the necessary labour time, i.e., the marking time required to produce a value equal to the one he has received in the form of wages.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nList two suitable grounds on which Marxian theory of class struggle has been criticised.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nKarl Marx has absolutely ignored the middle class. Middle class has a great importance in modem society especially that society which can be called the supreme capitalist society.
\nThe class struggle cannot be accepted as constructive. Hence, it is always destructive and it leads to fascism which any society is unable to bear.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nExplain briefly social fact as interpreted by Durkheim.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSocial facts are those ways of thinking, doing work and feel which has the special characteristics to maintain its existence exterior to the individual consciousness. Durkheim also writes, \u201cSocial facts are those ways of working, thinking and feeling which are exterior to man and which controls the man by their power of constraint\u201d.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nWhy is Emile Durkheim called the \u2018key classical theorists in sociology\u2019?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nEmile Durkheim is one of the \u2018key classical theorists in sociology\u2019. He is best known for founding sociology as a scientific discipline and for defining the boundaries of its subject matter.
\nHis key theoretical statement lies in his claim that social phenomena are realities that can only be explained by other social facts.<\/h3>\n

Question 6.
\nDifferentiate between the sacred and the profane.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe sacred is that which is considered holy and dreaded. It includes religious beliefs and rites, duties or anything related to religious treatment par excellence.
\nThe profane relates to the ordinary, utalitarian aspects of life, dull or routine, full of impurity.<\/h3>\n

Question 7.
\nWhat is social fact, according to Durkheim?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSocial facts are those ways of working, thinking and feeling which are exterior to man and which controls the man by their power of constraints.<\/h3>\n

Short Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1.
\nDiscuss main contributions of Karl Marx.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nKarl Marx was bom in Trier, Germany on May 5,1818. Marx was educated at the Treves school. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Jena in June, 1841. Marx\u2019s personal life was a difficult struggle. Marx died on 14th March, 1883.
\nKarl Marx says that each society has two opposite classes:
\n1. The exploiters (means capitalists) and
\n2. The exploited (means workers).
\nThe term \u2018surplus value\u2019 refers to the quantity of value produced by the worker beyond the necessary labour time i.e., the working time required to produce a value equal to the one he has received in the form of wages.
\nThe term \u2018alienation\u2019 refers to the work alien, which means foreigner, and therefore alienation would mean becoming stranger to one\u2019s own people and the product etc. In a capitalist society, alienation dominates every institutional sphere such as religion, economy and polity.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nWrite short note on Max Weber.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMax Weber was born on 21st April, 1864 in Erfurt, Germany. He studied and received his degree in law. After the completion of his doctoral and the post-doctoral dissertations in 1897 he joined Heidelberg University as a Professor of Economics. He started his works in sociology in 1916 and was appointed Professor of Sociology at Munich. He died on July 14,1920. His main works include:
\nThe Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism
\nThe Religion of India.
\nEconomy and Society
\nEssays in Sociology<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nHow Durkhiem interpreted suicide?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nAccording to Durkheim, all deaths which are the direct or indirect results of any function of dead person about which he himself knows that thin act will cause death to him.
\nDurkheim suggested four forms of Suicide:
\nEgoistic Suicide: Characterised by excessive reflection on personal matters.
\nAltruistic Suicide: When the individual is over integrated with society. For example, Jauhar Pratha in Rajputs.
\nAnomic Suicide: The state, which results from the weakening of powers in society that regulate social equilibrium. Individual meets frustration, which they are not able to cope with.
\nFatalistic Suicide: Due to excessive degree of regulation e.g. suicide of enslavement under the master.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nExplain in detail Karl Marx\u2019s theory of class struggle.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nKarl Marx was of the view that:
\nHuman society passed through different stages of development viz primitive, communal, ancient, feudal and capitalist.
\nEach stage is defined by a mode of production.
\nThe factors of production are in the hands of the \u201coppressors\u2019, they control them; the \u201coppressed\u201d are deprived of them.
\nThere is a conflict between the \u201chaves\u201d and the \u201chave-nots\u201d.
\nWhen the proletariat becomes conscious and acquires revolutionary character, there is an overthrow of those in power or the bourgeoisie.<\/h3>\n

Long Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1.
\nWrite a short note on Emile Durkheim.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nEmile Durkheim was bom on 15th April, 1858 in France. His elementary education was completed at Ecole. After graduation from the Ecole, he started working for the
\ndoctoral degree. He obtained his doctorate in 1893, and was appointed Professor in the Paris University. Durkheim founded L \u2018Anne Sociologique, the first social science journal in France. He died on Nov. 15,1917. His works include :
\nDivision of Labour in Society
\nThe Rules of Sociological Method
\nSuicide
\nThe Elementary Forms of Religious Life.
\nAccording to Durkheim, social facts are the substance of sociological study. Durkheim was strongly concerned with outlining the nature and scope of sociology.
\nThey are general throughout society.
\nThey are external to individuals and exist independently on their will.
\nThey exercise external constraint over individuals.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nExplain \u201ctheory of suicide\u201d as stated by Emile Durkheim.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nEmile Durkheim identified four types of suicide:
\n1. Egoistic Suicide: A person gives too much importance to his own self or ego; is not properly integrated in society; excessive self- reflection on personal matters leading to withdrawal from the outside world; as a result there is weakening in the bonds of solidarity in the family, religious and political organizations.
\n2. Altruistic Suicide: In this the person is over-integrated with the society. They commit suicide for the cause of society or a kind of self-denial, e.g. Sati, Jauhar.
\n3. Anomic Suicide: In societies that experience sudden changes. Anomic is a state which results from the weakening of the powers in the society that regulate social equilibrium. The person meets frustration and he cannot withstand it, he puts an end to his life.
\n4. Fatalistic Suicide: When there is excessive degree of regulation and an overly developed regime, e.g. seeing no alternative to enslavement under the master a slave takes his life.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nHighlight the basic characteristics of religion.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe basic characteristics of religion are:
\nBelief in supernatural power.
\nEmotional state of mind associated with the beliefs, happiness, fear, reverence etc.
\nMaterial objects involved in the religious practices-altar, cross, sacrifice, flower, . incense sticks, special clothes, banana leaves etc.
\nVariations in the types of material objects used in religious ceremonies-differ from culture to culture.
\nSpecific rituals \u2013 fasting, chanting, dancing, specific types of food etc.
\nSpecific mode of worship.
\nConcept of heaven and hell; sacred and profane etc.
\nA special place of worship.
\nGenerally rituals are performed in isolation but occasionally it is performed collectively.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nHow did Max Weber explain \u201csocial action\u201d? Elaborate on the types of social action seen in society. (HOTS)<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nAccording to Max Weber
\nAn action is social when it is oriented or directed to others in society.
\nIt is social in so far as by virtue of the meaning attached to it by the acting individual or individuals.
\nAll human behaviour to which the actor attaches a subjective meaning is social action.
\nTypes of social action
\nGoal-Rational Action: Both means and goals are rationally selected by the individual.
\nValue-Rational Action: These are performed under the influence of ethical values and religious beliefs of the individual.
\nEmotional Action: The means and ends of the action are selected on the basis of emotional criteria. They may not be rational.
\nTraditional Action: Tradition and customs guide the selection of the means and ends.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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