Consider the following data: Year 1911-1921 (Birthrate 48.1, Death rate 35.5), 1921-1931 (Birthrate 46.4, Death rate 36.3), 1931-1941 (Birthrate 45.2, Death rate 31.2), 1941-1951 (Birthrate 39.9, Death rate 27.4), 1951-1961 (Birthrate 41.7, Death rate 22.8), 1961-1971 (Birthrate 41.1, Death rate 18.9), 1971-1981 (Birthrate 37.1, Death rate 14.8). For which period was the natural growth rate maximum?

In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your viewpoint.

Indian diaspora has an important role to play in South-East Asian countries' economy and society. Appraise the role of Indian diaspora in South-East Asia in this context.

Women's movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata. Substantiate your view.

Rakesh is a responsible district level officer, who enjoys the trust of his higher officials. Knowing his honesty, the government entrusted him with the responsibility of identifying the beneficiaries under a healthcare scheme meant for senior citizens. The criteria to be a beneficiary are: (a) 60 years of age or above, (b) Belonging to a reserved community, (c) Family income of less than ₹ 1 lakh per annum, (d) Post-treatment prognosis is likely to be high to make a positive difference to the quality of life of the beneficiary. One day, an old couple visited Rakesh's office with their application. They have been the residents of a village in his district since their birth. The old man is diagnosed with a rare condition that causes obstruction in the large intestine. As a consequence, he has severe abdominal pain frequently that prevents him from doing any physical labour. The couple have no children to support them. The expert surgeon whom they contacted is willing to do the surgery without charging any fee. However, the couple will have to bear the cost of incidental charges, such as medicines, hospitalization, etc., to the tune of ₹ 1 lakh. The couple fulfills all the criteria except criterion 'b'. However, any financial aid would certainly make a significant difference in their quality of life. How should Rakesh respond to the situation?

"Empowering women is the key to control population growth." Discuss.

In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are needed particularly in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss.

Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus. On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused, the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears. You have learnt many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate the sufferings of migrants in similar situations?

Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail.

(a) What are the options available to Ramesh as the Director of the Home Department of the bordering State? (b) What option should Ramesh adopt and why? (c) Critically evaluate each of the options. (d) What are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Ramesh? (e) What policy measures would you suggest to combat the menace of infiltration of illegal migrants from the neighbouring country?

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitisation of government functionaries and citizens regarding disability. Comment.

Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static?

Distinguish between 'care economy' and 'monetized economy'. How can care economy be brought into monetized economy through women empowerment?

Critically examine the challenges of demographic transition in contemporary India.

Does India's tribal development policy reflect the aspirations for a socially grounded and equity-based governance? Justify your answer.

South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities

Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

(a) Salient features of A.R. Desai's Marxist Sociology (b) Significance of Village Studies in Indian Sociology (c) 'Isolationism' as a dominant feature of colonial tribal policy (d) Anti-Brahmanical movements during the colonial period (e) Patriarchy as a form of dominance

(a) How has B.R. Ambedkar identified the features of caste system? How is it different from the mainstream treatment of caste features? (b) Discuss Andre Beteille's account of the relationship between caste, class and power as a change from symmetrical to asymmetrical one. (c) Analyse the major components of Land Reform Acts. Show their effectiveness in curbing rural inequality.

(a) Bring out the significance of the difference between family and household. (b) Elucidate the concepts of 'majoritarianism' and 'minoritarianism' in accentuating communal tensions in India. (c) Comment on the increasing significance of caste in politics.

(a) How is the tribal question related with the issues of integration and autonomy in modern India? (b) Comment on the factors behind the changing status of women in urban India. (c) What accounts for the growth and consolidation of the middle classes in modern India?

(a) Privatization of education and increasing inequalities (b) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for rural development (c) Different forms of Dalit assertion (d) Empowerment through 'Right to Education' (e) Differential sex-ratio and its implications

(a) Bring out the impact of the declining significance of the agrarian economy. (b) Examine the impact of industrialization and urbanization on family structure. (c) How is ageing becoming an emerging issue in Indian society?

(a) What is Cultural Revivalism? Give some examples from performing arts, language dissemination and arts and crafts in recent times. (b) What, according to you, are the two fundamental axes of social discrimination in Indian society? Are they changing? (c) Why have we started using another category of tribes called the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)? Why are they so called?

(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) Write a note on G. S. Ghurye's Indological perspective of understanding Indian society. (b) Give a critical analysis of Andre Beteille's study of Tanjore village. (c) Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Discuss. (d) Write a note on the changing roles of middle-class women in India. (e) Discuss the growth of religious sects in India.

(a) What are the issues relating to male migration and its impact on birthrate? Does it necessarily result in skewed sex ratio? (b) Western patriarchy which surrenders feminine principles is the new development project in India. Do you agree with this view? Why? (c) Assess the impact of ban on 'Triple Talak' on marriage and divorce among the Muslim community in India.

(a) Examine the colonial policy of segregation of tribes under the Government of India Act, 1935. (b) Discuss the dynamics of 'migrant workers' in India in the context of Corona pandemic. (c) How does Andre Beteille justify 'middle class in India'?

(a) Colonial administrators helped to construct the very traditionalism which marked the Indian society as 'backward'. Comment critically. (b) What were the salient features of the India's Population Policy (2000)? How far its goals have been achieved? (c) Point out the main causes of 'child labour' in India. How far the State policies have succeeded in its elimination?

(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 are the sociological reasons and implication of "reverse migration" during the recent pandemic in India? (b) Discuss the main features of the debate between G. S. Ghurye and V. Elwin on tribal development. (c) What are the various forms of untouchability in India? Critically examine.

(a) Explain the sociological significance of the New Education Policy and its thrust on vocationalization and skill development. (b) Is 'ageing' an emerging issue in Indian society? Discuss the major problems of the old age people in India. (c) Underline the socio-cultural factors responsible for India's skewed sex-ratio.

(a) "Instead of promoting equality in society, the present system of education itself has contributed to increased socio-economic disparities." Comment. (b) Discuss recent trends in the structure of migration. (c) Discuss different forms of deprivation associated with slums.

(a) Do you agree with the view of Andre Beteille that India's villages are representative of Indian society's basic civilizational values? Present a sociological overview. (b) Elaborate the salient features and the role of middle class in India's democracy and development. (c) Analyse the role of market and modern forces in understanding the changing trends in marriage systems in India.

(a) Contextualize Louis Dumont's concept of 'binary opposition' with reference to caste system in India. (b) Define the concepts of 'Descent' and 'Alliance'. Differentiate between North Indian and South Indian Kinship systems with examples. (c) Critically examine the concept of Sanskritization with suitable illustrations.

(a) Analyse the perspectives of Isolation, Assimilation and Integration in understanding the trajectories of Indian Tribal Development. (b) Explain the implications and the impact of globalization in situating the changing agrarian class structure in India. (c) Critique the victory narratives of Green Revolution in the context of Indian society.

(a) Citing some case studies, expand the concept of 'Development-induced Displacement'. (b) Examine the concept of 'Cultural Pluralism' in the context of India's Unity in Diversity. (c) Highlight the salient features of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. (d) Analyse the sociological interconnections between Social Media and Mass Mobilization in India. (e) Discuss the nature of regional variations in sex ratio in India, stating reasons thereof.

(a) How do you account for the increasing significance of religion in public and personal spheres in the context of secularization thesis in India? Explain. (b) In the face of rising global climatic concerns, how do you contextualize the relevance of Chipko Movement and its Gandhian tone? Answer analytically. (c) What actionable measures would you suggest to curb the recurrent child labour menace in India?

(a) Do you think that the decades of Dalit political mobilizations and movements have helped in strengthening India's democracy? Substantiate your arguments with facts. (b) What is 'reverse migration'? Discuss its features, causes and consequences in India. (c) Discuss the phenomenon of rural-urban continuum with suitable examples.

(a) Explain the thematic linkages between 'Patriarchy' and 'Honour killing' in India, citing some recent cases. (b) Discuss the challenges faced by the cooperative movements in India. Suggest measures to strengthen the movement at the grass-roots level. (c) What is 'Ageing'? Discuss the major problems of aged people in India.

(a) Examine with suitable examples the recent trends in the growth of urban settlements in India. (b) Is there a connection between labour migration and informal sector? Justify your answer with reference to Indian context. (c) Are slums the manifestations of industrialisation and urbanisation in India? Explain. (d) Discuss the changing nature of political elites in India. (e) What is your assessment about the recent farmers' movement in India? Elaborate.

(a) Discuss the major challenges related to women's reproductive health in India. What measures would you suggest to overcome these challenges? (b) What is sustainable development? How can sustainability be achieved in India where livelihood needs conflict with environmental protection? (c) Critically examine the relevance of development planning in India.

(a) Analyse the trilogy between environmental movement, development and tribal identity. (b) To what extent have the legal provisions been effective in curbing violence against women in India? Give your argument. (c) Trace the social and historical origins of Dalit movements in modern India.

(a) Do you think that in a society like India orthogenetic changes take place through differentiation? Do you observe continuities in the orthogenetic process? Elaborate your answer with suitable examples. (b) Agrarian class structure has been undergoing changes due to modern forces. Critically examine. (c) How same sex marriages are responsible for population dynamics in India? Discuss.

(a) In what respects have the constitutional provisions changed the socio-economic and political conditions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India? Critically examine. (b) Discuss the trend of urbanization in India. Do you think that Industrialization is the only precondition of urbanization? Give you arguments. (c) Which measures would you suggest for preventing caste conflicts in India? Justify your argument.

(a) What are the Private and Public network and support systems operative in Indian society for the aged? Suggest measures to curb down the challenges before care givers of the aged. (b) Educational development is the only Panacea for country's all ills and evils. Critically examine the above statement with reference to NEP-2020. (c) How Dalit movements in India have facilitated their Identity formation? Analyze.

(a) Is it possible to have sustainable development in India? Cite major environmental issues and suggest a few measures to achieve the sustainability. (b) Do you think that forced displacement of labourers has caused their deprivation and resultant inequalities during the recent past years? Elaborate. (c) What are the Indian government's schemes launched for poverty alleviation after the United Nation's Declaration of 'Sustainable Development Goals - 2015'? Briefly describe.

(a) Urbanisation in Independent India has been characterized by over-urbanization and rural push. Explain with demographic and sociological dimensions. (b) Give a sociological explanation of violence against women in India. What suggestions would you give to mitigate these violences? (c) Examine the process of formalisation of informal sector to safeguard the interests of marginalised sections of the society.

(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.

India accounts for nearly a fifth of the world's child deaths. In terms of numbers, it is the highest in the world—nearly 16 lakhs every year. Of these, more than half die in the first month of life. Officials believe that the reason for this is the absence of steps to propagate basic health practices relating to breast feeding and immunisation. Also the large reproductive population of 2.6 crore remains bereft of care during the critical phases of pregnancy and post-delivery. Added to this is the prevalence of child marriages, anaemia among young women and lack of focus on adolescent sanitation, all of which impact child death rates. Which is the critical inference that can be made from the above passage?