Q.1 Who is considered the father of sociology?
Karl Marx
Émile Durkheim
Auguste Comte
Max Weber
Explanation - Auguste Comte coined the term 'sociology' and is regarded as its founder for his work on positivism and social order.
Correct answer is: Auguste Comte
Q.2 Which concept is central to Émile Durkheim's sociology?
Class struggle
Social facts
Verstehen
Rationalization
Explanation - Durkheim emphasized 'social facts' as the norms, values, and structures that exist outside the individual but exert control over them.
Correct answer is: Social facts
Q.3 Karl Marx believed that history is primarily shaped by:
Religion
Class struggle
Culture
Legal systems
Explanation - Marx's historical materialism asserts that social change arises from conflicts between economic classes.
Correct answer is: Class struggle
Q.4 Max Weber is best known for introducing which concept in sociology?
Social facts
Verstehen
Alienation
Dialectical materialism
Explanation - Weber introduced 'Verstehen', meaning understanding social action from the perspective of the actors themselves.
Correct answer is: Verstehen
Q.5 Which classical sociologist analyzed the division of labor in society?
Auguste Comte
Karl Marx
Émile Durkheim
Max Weber
Explanation - Durkheim studied how labor specialization affects social cohesion and introduced the concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity.
Correct answer is: Émile Durkheim
Q.6 For Marx, alienation occurs primarily because of:
Bureaucracy
Religious beliefs
Capitalist production
Social norms
Explanation - Marx argued that under capitalism, workers are alienated from the product of their labor, the production process, and themselves.
Correct answer is: Capitalist production
Q.7 Auguste Comte's three stages of societal development include:
Theological, Metaphysical, Positive
Primitive, Modern, Postmodern
Capitalist, Socialist, Communist
Mechanical, Organic, Rational
Explanation - Comte proposed that societies progress from theological (religious), to metaphysical (philosophical), and finally to positive (scientific) stages.
Correct answer is: Theological, Metaphysical, Positive
Q.8 Durkheim's study of suicide highlighted the influence of:
Economy alone
Individual psychology
Social integration and regulation
Political systems
Explanation - Durkheim demonstrated that social factors, not just individual psychology, influence suicide rates.
Correct answer is: Social integration and regulation
Q.9 Max Weber’s concept of the 'Protestant Ethic' is linked to:
Capitalist development
Communist revolutions
Feudal systems
Social solidarity
Explanation - Weber argued that Protestant ethics, especially Calvinism, encouraged work discipline and economic rationality, facilitating capitalism.
Correct answer is: Capitalist development
Q.10 Which classical theorist focused on the concept of power and authority?
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Émile Durkheim
Auguste Comte
Explanation - Weber analyzed authority types (traditional, charismatic, rational-legal) and how power is legitimized in societies.
Correct answer is: Max Weber
Q.11 Which term describes Durkheim’s idea of shared norms and values that bind society?
Verstehen
Social facts
Collective conscience
Alienation
Explanation - Durkheim's 'collective conscience' refers to the set of shared beliefs and moral attitudes that unify a society.
Correct answer is: Collective conscience
Q.12 Marx’s concept of base and superstructure refers to:
The link between religion and culture
The economic foundation shaping institutions and ideology
The political system controlling religion
The evolution of law over time
Explanation - In Marxist theory, the 'base' (economic structure) shapes the 'superstructure' (culture, institutions, politics).
Correct answer is: The economic foundation shaping institutions and ideology
Q.13 Which type of solidarity is based on similarity of individuals in society?
Mechanical solidarity
Organic solidarity
Rational solidarity
Class solidarity
Explanation - Durkheim described mechanical solidarity as social cohesion arising from shared beliefs and similarities among members of simple societies.
Correct answer is: Mechanical solidarity
Q.14 Who introduced the concept of verstehen in sociology?
Karl Marx
Émile Durkheim
Max Weber
Auguste Comte
Explanation - Verstehen means understanding social actions by putting oneself in the actor's shoes, central to Weber's methodology.
Correct answer is: Max Weber
Q.15 Durkheim distinguished between which two types of suicide?
Egoistic and altruistic
Religious and economic
Political and social
Voluntary and involuntary
Explanation - Durkheim classified suicide based on social integration: egoistic (low integration) and altruistic (excessive integration).
Correct answer is: Egoistic and altruistic
Q.16 Which sociologist emphasized historical materialism?
Auguste Comte
Émile Durkheim
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Explanation - Marx's historical materialism explains societal change primarily through material and economic conditions.
Correct answer is: Karl Marx
Q.17 Max Weber’s typology of authority does NOT include:
Traditional
Charismatic
Legal-rational
Democratic
Explanation - Weber identified three types of legitimate authority: traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational; 'democratic' is not one of them.
Correct answer is: Democratic
Q.18 Auguste Comte advocated which approach to studying society?
Historical materialism
Positivism
Verstehen
Structural functionalism
Explanation - Comte proposed using scientific methods (positivism) to study and understand social phenomena.
Correct answer is: Positivism
Q.19 For Marx, which class owns the means of production?
Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
Peasantry
Aristocracy
Explanation - Marx described the bourgeoisie as the capitalist class that controls the means of production, exploiting the working class.
Correct answer is: Bourgeoisie
Q.20 Durkheim argued that laws in society reflect:
Economic power only
The collective conscience
Individual desires
Religious mandates
Explanation - Durkheim saw laws as expressions of the collective conscience, showing shared values and norms.
Correct answer is: The collective conscience
Q.21 Which sociologist emphasized the role of ideas and culture in shaping society alongside material conditions?
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Émile Durkheim
Auguste Comte
Explanation - Unlike Marx, Weber argued that ideas, beliefs, and culture can independently influence social change.
Correct answer is: Max Weber
Q.22 Which classical theorist studied religion's role in social cohesion?
Karl Marx
Émile Durkheim
Max Weber
Auguste Comte
Explanation - Durkheim analyzed religion as a social institution that reinforces collective consciousness and societal bonds.
Correct answer is: Émile Durkheim
Q.23 Marx’s term 'proletariat' refers to:
The land-owning class
The working class
The intellectual elite
Religious leaders
Explanation - The proletariat are workers who do not own means of production and sell their labor to survive.
Correct answer is: The working class
Q.24 Which sociologist emphasized that society can be studied scientifically like natural phenomena?
Max Weber
Émile Durkheim
Karl Marx
Auguste Comte
Explanation - Comte advocated for a scientific approach to studying society, laying the foundation for positivist sociology.
Correct answer is: Auguste Comte
Q.25 Durkheim's concept of 'anomie' refers to:
Excessive social regulation
Breakdown of social norms
Class conflict
Bureaucratic efficiency
Explanation - Anomie is the state of normlessness in society, leading to instability and social problems.
Correct answer is: Breakdown of social norms