Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the:

(a) Our attitudes towards life, work, other people and society are generally shaped unconsciously by the family and the social surroundings in which we grow up. Some of these unconsciously acquired attitudes and values are often undesirable in the citizens of a modern democratic and egalitarian society. Discuss such undesirable values prevalent in today's educated Indians. (b) How can such undesirable attitudes be changed and socio-ethical values considered necessary in public services be cultivated in the aspiring and serving civil servants?

(a) Anger is a harmful negative emotion. It is injurious to both personal life and work life. Discuss how it leads to negative emotions and undesirable behaviours. (b) How can it be managed and controlled?

The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate.

(a) How will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative practices? (b) Strength, peace and security are considered to be the pillars of international relations. Elucidate.

You are an honest and responsible civil servant. You often observe the following: (a) There is a general perception that adhering to ethical conduct one may face difficulties to oneself and cause problems for the family, whereas unfair practices may help to reach the career goals. (b) When the number of people adopting unfair means is large, a small minority having a penchant towards ethical means makes no difference. (c) Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the larger developmental goals. (d) While one may not involve oneself in large unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes the system more efficient. Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits.

Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation. Argue by giving suitable illustrations.

(a) What is meant by conflict of interest? Illustrate with examples, the difference between the actual and potential conflicts of interest. (b) "In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they do not have the first, the other two will kill you." — Warren Buffett. What do you understand by this statement in the present-day scenario? Explain.

(a) "In doing a good thing, everything is permitted which is not prohibited expressly or by clear implication." Examine the statement with suitable examples in the context of a public servant discharging his/her duties. (b) With regard to morality of actions, one view is that means are of paramount importance and the other view is that the ends justify the means. Which view do you think is more appropriate? Justify your answer.

(a) "The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evil than good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded." — Abraham Lincoln (b) "Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding." — Mahatma Gandhi (c) "Falsehood takes the place of truth when it results in unblemished common good." — Tirukkural

(a) Hatred is destructive of a person's wisdom and conscience that can poison a nation's spirit. Do you agree with this view? Justify your answer. (b) What are the main components of emotional intelligence (EI)? Can they be learned? Discuss.

(a) What teachings of Buddha are most relevant today and why? Discuss. (b) The will to power exists, but it can be tamed and be guided by rationality and principles of moral duty. Examine this statement in the context of international relations.

(a) Distinguish between laws and rules. Discuss the role of ethics in formulating them. (b) A positive attitude is considered to be an essential characteristic of a civil servant who is often required to function under extreme stress. What contributes to a positive attitude in a person?

(a) Identify five ethical traits on which one can plot the performance of a civil servant. Justify their inclusion in the matrix. (b) Identify ten essential values that are needed to be an effective public servant. Describe the ways and means to prevent non-ethical behaviour in the public servants.

(a) What are the options available with Pawan to cope up with the situation? (b) What approach Pawan should adopt for bringing peace, tranquillity and congenial environment in the office and home? (c) As an outsider, what are your suggestions for both boss and subordinate to overcome this situation and for improving the work performance, mental and emotional hygiene? (d) In the above scenario, what type of training would you suggest for officers at various levels in the government offices?

(a) Wisdom lies in knowing what to reckon with and what to overlook. An officer being engrossed with the periphery, ignoring the core issues before him, is not rare in the bureaucracy. Do you agree that such preoccupation of an administrator leads to travesty of justice to the cause of effective service delivery and good governance? Critically evaluate. (b) Apart from intellectual competency and moral qualities, empathy and compassion are some of the other vital attributes that facilitate the civil servants to be more competent in tackling the crucial issues or taking critical decisions. Explain with suitable illustrations.

Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children.

(a) The application of Artificial Intelligence as a dependable source of input for administrative rational decision-making is a debatable issue. Critically examine the statement from the ethical point of view. (b) Ethics encompasses several key dimensions that are crucial in guiding individuals and organizations towards morally responsible behaviour. Explain the key dimensions of ethics that influence human actions. Discuss how these dimensions shape ethical decision-making in the professional context.

(a) Those who in trouble untroubled are, Will trouble trouble itself. - Thiruvalluvar (b) The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. - William James (c) The strength of a society is not in its laws, but in the morality of its people. - Swami Vivekananda

(a) What are the options available with Rajesh in the above situation? (b) What are the ethical issues involved in this case? (c) Which would be the most appropriate option for Rajesh and why?

(a) What is your reaction to the above situation and how do you restore the proper functioning of MGNREGA Program in this regard? (b) What actions would you initiate to solve the various issues listed above? (c) How would you deal with the above situation?

(a) What are the options available with Ashok to cope with the situation? (b) What are the ethical and legal dilemmas being faced by Ashok? (c) Which of the options, do you think would be more appropriate for Ashok to adopt and why? (d) In the present situation, what are the extra precautionary measures to be taken by the Border Guarding Police in dealing with soldiers in uniform?

Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life

A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both

Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society

Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self

Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera.

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world

Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.

(a) Education is a major source of social mobility in contemporary society. Explain. (b) How is Durkheim's theory of religion different from Max Weber's theory of religion? (c) Distinguish between family and household as sociological concepts.

(a) The focal point of Sociology rests on interaction. How do you distinguish it from common sense? (b) Distinguish between fact and value in Weber's Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism. (c) Do you think 'I' and 'Me' are central terms in Mead's work? (d) What is the difference between natural and social inequality? Give examples from caste and class dimensions. (e) What are the new forms of family in developed societies? Discuss.

(a) Is non-positivistic methodology scientific? Illustrate. (b) Explain Durkheim's basic arguments on suicide. Can you analyse high suicide rates of contemporary Indian society with Durkheim's theory? (c) Evaluate if social stratification is functional for society.

(a) Does collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss. (b) Define patriarchy. How does patriarchy manifest in interpersonal relations? (c) What is the difference between anomie in Merton and Durkheim? Explain.

(a) According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential and what does he suggest to change this? (b) Schooling does not ensure upward mobility of all members of the society. Discuss with reference to class societies. (c) Discuss the challenges thrown by religious revivalism to a secular nation-state.

(a) Is the theory of cultural lag valid in present times? Discuss. (b) Are social movements primordial in means and progressive in agenda? Explain. (c) Does scientific method make Sociology a science? Illustrate your answer with Durkheim's method. (d) Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection with suitable examples from Indian society. (e) Is social mobility possible in closed systems of stratification? Illustrate from research work.

(a) How can Parsons' AGIL framework be used to analyse key problems in a society? Discuss. (b) What is labour commitment? Discuss it with reference to studies of manufacturing industry. (c) What, according to Pareto, are the basic characteristics of elites? Discuss.

(a) "The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relationship between the two in a society." — C.W. Mills. Explain. (b) What are sects? Discuss their role in multi-religious societies with empirical examples. (c) In what way did Durkheim perceive religion as functional to society?

(a) Capitalism has brought increasing informalisation of work in society. Substantiate your answer. (b) Critically analyse Durkheim's views on elementary forms of religious life and role of religion. Also discuss the consequences of religious revivalism in contemporary society. (c) Discuss the consequences of Across Region marriage on kinship system in modern Indian society.

(a) In the context of globalisation, has the scope of sociology been changing in India? Comment. (b) Discuss the importance and sources of hypothesis in social research. (c) What are the problems in observing social facts in Durkheim's views? (d) State the reasons for the various religious beliefs and practices in pre-modern societies. (e) Does the institution of marriage continue to be sacred in Indian society? Comment.

(a) Technology has accelerated the process of development and dependency. Discuss. (b) Phenomenological perspectives in sociology reject many of the assumptions of positivism. Comment. (c) Critically assess the Marxian theory of 'Alienation'.

(a) How does Marx view social conflict as an essential element in social change? (b) What is the impact of gender division of labour on the development of society? (c) Examine how social movements come to an end. Illustrate with examples.

(a) Europe was the first and the only place where modernity emerged. Comment. (b) Do you think ethnomethodology helps us in getting reliable and valid data? Justify your answer. (c) Discuss the challenges involved in collecting data through census method. (d) Explain whether Durkheim's theory of Division of Labour is relevant in the present day context. (e) Critically examine Max Weber's theory of Social Stratification.

(a) From the viewpoint of growing importance of multidisciplinarity, how do you relate sociology to other social sciences? (b) How far are sociologists justified in using positivist approach to understand social reality? Explain with suitable illustrations. (c) How is sociology related to common sense?

(a) How do qualitative and quantitative methods supplement each other in sociological enquiry? (b) Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx. (c) Do you agree with Max Weber's idea that bureaucracy has the potential to become an iron cage? Justify your answer.

(a) Explain the concept of social mobility. Describe with suitable illustrations how education and social mobility are related to each other. (b) How has the idea of 'Work From Home' forced us to redefine the formal and informal organisation of work? (c) With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as propounded by R.K. Merton.

(a) Elucidate the main problems and challenges faced by the migrant labourers in the recent 'Lockdown period'. (b) Explain how political parties and pressure groups are dialectically related to each other in terms of achieving their goals. (c) Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present day context.

(a) Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context. (b) Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario. (c) Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations.

(a) Discuss the changing nature of kinship relations in the contemporary world. (b) Describe the role of Science and Technology in enabling us to face the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) Highlight the roles and functions of civil society in a democratic system.

(a) Caste system studies in India have been dominated by the "book-view" initially. How did the entry of "field-view" bring about a balance in the study of Indian caste system? Discuss. (b) What does Dr. B. R. Ambedkar mean by the concept of "Annihilation of caste"? (c) Discuss different forms of kinship system in India. (d) Critically examine briefly the phrase "Little Republics" as used to denote India's villages. (e) Caste-like formations are present in Non-Hindu religious communities as well. Discuss with examples.

(a) What is identity politics? Discuss the main trends in Dalit movements in India. (b) Is Indian society moving from "Hierarchy" towards "differentiation"? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. (c) Discuss the salient features of 'new middle class' in India.

(a) What is the distinctiveness of the feminist method of social research? Comment. (b) Discuss the relationship between sociology and political science. (c) How does the dramaturgical perspective enable our understanding of everyday life? (d) Is reference group theory a universally applicable model? Elucidate. (e) Do you think that the boundary line between ethnicity and race is blurred? Justify your answer.

(a) What are the characteristics of scientific method? Do you think that scientific method in conducting sociological research is foolproof? Elaborate. (b) How do you assess the changing patterns in kinship relations in societies today? (c) Is Weber's idea of bureaucracy a product of the historical experiences of Europe? Comment.

(a) Discuss the nature of Sociology. Highlight its relationship with Social Anthropology. (b) Analyse the changing nature of caste as a status group. (c) Marriage as an institution has undergone a radical transformation from 'ritual' to 'commercial' in its outlook. Explain the factors behind this change. (d) Democracy needs a vibrant culture of civil society in order to strengthen its foundation of citizenship. Comment. (e) What are the 'basic and irreducible' functions of the family as proposed by Talcott Parsons ? Explain.

(a) Sociology is the product of European enlightenment and renaissance. Critically examine this statement. (b) Do you think 'objectivity' is an over-hyped idea in sociological research? Discuss the merits and demerits of non-positivist methods. (c) What is social mobility ? Critically examine the classification of 'closed' and 'open' models of social stratification.

(a) What is sampling in the context of social research? Discuss different forms of sampling with their relative advantages and disadvantages. (b) How do theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim differ in understanding religion? Explain. (c) What is the nature of relationship between science and religion in modern society? Analyze with suitable examples.

(a) In what ways do class and caste intersect and overlap in shaping social structure? (b) Critically examine the position of women in the informal economy. (c) Discuss the role of geographical factors in social change and development. (d) Although sociology, as a subject of study, overarches all disciplines in social sciences yet it maintains its distinctiveness. Comment. (e) Explain in brief the relationship between social movement, collective action and revolution in bringing about social and political changes.

(a) Describe the impact of capitalist mode of production on society. (b) Differentiate between social hierarchy and social exclusion and substantiate your answer with reference to the caste system. (c) 'Data without theory is blind and theory without data is empty.' Comment.

(a) Discuss the relationship between religion and science in modern society. Do they necessarily remain in conflict? (b) Is 'interpretativism' more effective than 'positivism' in analysing social reality? Discuss. (c) How does Emile Durkheim conceptualize religion as a 'social fact'? Explain.

(a) Elaborate major sociological theories of power. How do power elite shape the political process in modern societies? (b) Evaluate the socio-economic impacts of migration on rural households. (c) 'The methods of sociology are inadequate in understanding the complex social phenomena'. Discuss.

(a) The major challenge for sociology researchers is to analyze social reality objectively. Critically analyze. (b) Explain the concept of 'definition of the situation' and its significance in sociology. (c) In what way the concept of 'patriarchal bargain' be applied to the institution of marriage? Comment. (d) How does Max Weber's 'theory of authority' shape bureaucracy? Analyse. (e) How do different theories explain social dimensions of social movements? Discuss.

(a) Explain how sociology has emerged as a distinct discipline based on rationality and scientific temper. (b) Examine ethnomethodological and phenomenological perspectives as critique of positivism. (c) Illustrate with example the significance of variables in sociological research. (d) Critically analyse Talcott Parsons' conception of 'Pattern Variables'. (e) Can we equate 'poverty' with 'poor living' ? Elaborate your answer.

(a) Discuss distinct sociological method adopted by Emile Durkheim in his study of 'suicide'. (b) Analyse Marxian conception of historical materialism as a critique of Hegelian dialectics. (c) Examine epistemological foundations of qualitative methods of social research.

(a) What is Weberian critique of Marxist notion of social stratification ? (b) Examine gender, ethnicity and race as major dimensions of social stratification. (c) How can one resolve the issue of reliability and validity in the context of sociological research on inequality ?

(a) What do you understand by 'informalisation of labour' ? Write your answer with special reference to India. (b) Discuss the changing interface between state and civil society in post-independent India. (c) Give an assessment of Durkheimian notion of 'sacred' and 'profane' in sociology of religion. (d) Examine 'patriarchal bargain' as gendered division of work in contemporary India. (e) Assess the role of mass media as an agent of social change.

(a) Trace the changing nature of organisation of work in capitalist society over the years. (b) What is new in 'new social movements' ? Elaborate your answer with special reference to India. (c) Examine the dynamics of pressure groups in multi-party political system.

(a) Examine the relationship between the contemporary trends in marriage and changing forms of family. (b) Discuss the regional variations of kinship system in Indian society. (c) Problematise the concept of secularism in the present context.