Q.1 Who is considered the founder of 'structuration theory' in contemporary sociology?
Pierre Bourdieu
Anthony Giddens
Michel Foucault
Jürgen Habermas
Explanation - Anthony Giddens developed structuration theory, which emphasizes the duality of structure and the recursive relationship between agency and social systems.
Correct answer is: Anthony Giddens
Q.2 What concept did Pierre Bourdieu introduce to explain cultural advantages passed through generations?
Social capital
Habitus
Cultural capital
Symbolic interaction
Explanation - Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital explains how cultural knowledge, skills, and advantages are transmitted across generations, reinforcing social inequality.
Correct answer is: Cultural capital
Q.3 According to Michel Foucault, 'power' is best understood as:
A possession held by elites
A top-down force from the state
A diffuse and relational force present in all social relations
An economic resource
Explanation - Foucault argued that power is not just held by elites or institutions but is dispersed and embedded in everyday practices and relationships.
Correct answer is: A diffuse and relational force present in all social relations
Q.4 Which theorist is associated with the 'public sphere' and communicative rationality?
Anthony Giddens
Jürgen Habermas
Erving Goffman
Pierre Bourdieu
Explanation - Habermas introduced the idea of the public sphere as a space for rational-critical debate and emphasized communicative rationality as the basis of democracy.
Correct answer is: Jürgen Habermas
Q.5 Erving Goffman's dramaturgical analysis compares social life to:
A machine
A stage performance
A battlefield
A marketplace
Explanation - Goffman described social interactions as performances where individuals play roles to manage impressions before others.
Correct answer is: A stage performance
Q.6 Which concept is central to Bourdieu’s theory of practice?
Habitus
Alienation
Rational choice
Collective conscience
Explanation - Habitus refers to the durable dispositions, habits, and ways of perceiving the world shaped by one’s social position.
Correct answer is: Habitus
Q.7 What does Foucault mean by 'biopower'?
The dominance of biology over society
Techniques for governing populations through health and life regulation
The physical strength of rulers
Genetic engineering power
Explanation - Biopower refers to modern forms of power that regulate populations through institutions like medicine, hygiene, and demography.
Correct answer is: Techniques for governing populations through health and life regulation
Q.8 Who introduced the concept of 'network society'?
Anthony Giddens
Manuel Castells
Ulrich Beck
Zygmunt Bauman
Explanation - Castells described the 'network society' as shaped by digital communication and globalization, where networks replace traditional hierarchies.
Correct answer is: Manuel Castells
Q.9 Ulrich Beck’s concept of 'risk society' highlights:
Increased economic prosperity
Industrial exploitation
Modern society’s focus on managing risks like environmental hazards
The decline of nation-states
Explanation - Beck argued that contemporary societies are preoccupied with managing risks created by modernization, such as climate change or nuclear threats.
Correct answer is: Modern society’s focus on managing risks like environmental hazards
Q.10 Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of 'liquid modernity' refers to:
The decline of industrialization
The fluid and unstable nature of contemporary social life
The fixed structures of tradition
The dominance of liquid assets in the economy
Explanation - Bauman described modernity as 'liquid' because social structures, relationships, and identities are increasingly unstable and flexible.
Correct answer is: The fluid and unstable nature of contemporary social life
Q.11 Which sociological perspective is Niklas Luhmann best known for?
Conflict theory
Systems theory
Symbolic interactionism
Feminist theory
Explanation - Luhmann applied systems theory to sociology, viewing society as a complex system of communications.
Correct answer is: Systems theory
Q.12 Which concept did Dorothy Smith develop as part of feminist sociology?
Ethnomethodology
Standpoint theory
Habitus
World-systems theory
Explanation - Dorothy Smith developed standpoint theory, arguing that marginalized groups provide unique insights into social structures.
Correct answer is: Standpoint theory
Q.13 Raewyn Connell is best known for her work on:
Social capital
Hegemonic masculinity
Cultural reproduction
Communicative action
Explanation - Connell developed the concept of hegemonic masculinity to describe dominant forms of masculinity that legitimize male power.
Correct answer is: Hegemonic masculinity
Q.14 Which contemporary theorist is associated with postmodernism and the concept of 'simulacra'?
Jean Baudrillard
Michel Foucault
Jürgen Habermas
Ulrich Beck
Explanation - Baudrillard argued that in postmodern society, reality and representations blur, producing 'simulacra' where signs no longer refer to reality.
Correct answer is: Jean Baudrillard
Q.15 Which concept did George Ritzer popularize?
Rationalization
McDonaldization
Cultural capital
Risk society
Explanation - Ritzer described 'McDonaldization' as the spread of fast-food principles (efficiency, calculability, predictability, control) to other sectors of society.
Correct answer is: McDonaldization
Q.16 Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity argues that:
Gender is biologically fixed
Gender is performed through repeated acts
Gender is irrelevant in social life
Gender roles are static
Explanation - Butler argued that gender is not innate but constructed through performative acts that are repeated and socially reinforced.
Correct answer is: Gender is performed through repeated acts
Q.17 Which sociologist emphasized 'reflexive modernization'?
Ulrich Beck
Anthony Giddens
Zygmunt Bauman
Pierre Bourdieu
Explanation - Beck described reflexive modernization as a process where modern societies critically reflect on and transform the risks they produce.
Correct answer is: Ulrich Beck
Q.18 Who described society as structured by 'fields' where actors compete for different forms of capital?
Pierre Bourdieu
Michel Foucault
Anthony Giddens
Manuel Castells
Explanation - Bourdieu’s concept of 'field' refers to arenas of struggle where individuals use economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital to gain advantage.
Correct answer is: Pierre Bourdieu
Q.19 In postmodern sociology, 'deconstruction' is most associated with:
Jacques Derrida
Anthony Giddens
Michel Foucault
Jean Baudrillard
Explanation - Derrida introduced deconstruction as a method of critically analyzing texts and social practices to reveal hidden assumptions and contradictions.
Correct answer is: Jacques Derrida
Q.20 Which sociologist is linked with the concept of 'globalization from below'?
Anthony Giddens
Saskia Sassen
Immanuel Wallerstein
Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Explanation - Santos emphasized grassroots and local struggles as forms of 'globalization from below' that challenge dominant global structures.
Correct answer is: Boaventura de Sousa Santos
Q.21 Which term does Saskia Sassen use to describe the concentration of power in global cities?
Urban ecology
Global city
Metropolitan dominance
Post-urbanism
Explanation - Sassen described 'global cities' as hubs of finance and power that shape globalization processes.
Correct answer is: Global city
Q.22 Arjun Appadurai is known for his theory of:
Scapes of globalization
Risk society
World-systems
Communicative action
Explanation - Appadurai described globalization through 'scapes' like ethnoscapes, mediascapes, and financescapes to explain cultural flows.
Correct answer is: Scapes of globalization
Q.23 Which sociologist is associated with the idea of 'liquid love'?
Ulrich Beck
Anthony Giddens
Zygmunt Bauman
George Ritzer
Explanation - Bauman argued that contemporary relationships are fragile and fluid, reflecting broader patterns of 'liquid modernity.'
Correct answer is: Zygmunt Bauman
Q.24 Immanuel Wallerstein’s 'world-systems theory' divides the world into:
First and Third World
Core, semi-periphery, and periphery
Global North and South
East and West
Explanation - Wallerstein’s world-systems theory analyzes global inequality through economic and political divisions of core, semi-periphery, and periphery.
Correct answer is: Core, semi-periphery, and periphery
Q.25 Which concept did Bruno Latour develop in science and technology studies?
Actor-network theory
Habitus
Risk society
Reflexive modernization
Explanation - Latour’s actor-network theory emphasizes the agency of both human and non-human actors in shaping networks of knowledge and power.
Correct answer is: Actor-network theory