Q.1 Which of the following best describes Neo-Marxism in sociology?
A continuation of classical Marxism without changes
A revision of Marxism that incorporates new ideas
A rejection of Marxism in favor of liberalism
An economic theory only focused on markets
Explanation - Neo-Marxism reinterprets classical Marxism by including insights from other disciplines like psychology, culture, and politics while maintaining Marx’s critique of capitalism.
Correct answer is: A revision of Marxism that incorporates new ideas
Q.2 Who among the following is often associated with Neo-Marxist thought?
Max Weber
Louis Althusser
Émile Durkheim
Talcott Parsons
Explanation - Althusser is a key Neo-Marxist thinker known for his structuralist approach and concept of ideological state apparatuses.
Correct answer is: Louis Althusser
Q.3 Neo-Marxists emphasize which of the following in addition to economic structures?
Cultural and ideological factors
Genetics
Environmental changes
Technological determinism
Explanation - Neo-Marxists argue that culture and ideology play a central role in maintaining social inequality alongside economic structures.
Correct answer is: Cultural and ideological factors
Q.4 Antonio Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony refers to:
The dominance of one ethnic group over others
The ruling class’s ability to control society through ideas and culture
Economic control by multinational corporations
The state’s monopoly on violence
Explanation - Gramsci introduced the idea that the ruling class maintains power by controlling cultural and ideological norms, not just economics.
Correct answer is: The ruling class’s ability to control society through ideas and culture
Q.5 Neo-Marxists differ from classical Marxists mainly because they:
Reject the role of ideology
Emphasize culture and superstructure more strongly
Only focus on economic class struggle
Abandon critique of capitalism
Explanation - Unlike classical Marxists, Neo-Marxists give greater weight to culture, ideology, and superstructure in shaping society.
Correct answer is: Emphasize culture and superstructure more strongly
Q.6 According to Althusser, what are Ideological State Apparatuses?
Government policies on industry
Institutions like schools, media, and religion that perpetuate ideology
Military organizations enforcing order
Trade unions demanding workers’ rights
Explanation - Althusser argued that institutions spread dominant ideology to ensure the reproduction of capitalist relations.
Correct answer is: Institutions like schools, media, and religion that perpetuate ideology
Q.7 Which thinker is known for fusing psychoanalysis with Marxism in Neo-Marxist theory?
Herbert Marcuse
Karl Popper
Anthony Giddens
Robert Merton
Explanation - Marcuse, a member of the Frankfurt School, combined psychoanalysis and Marxism to critique advanced industrial societies.
Correct answer is: Herbert Marcuse
Q.8 The Frankfurt School is associated with:
Functionalism
Critical Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
Rational Choice Theory
Explanation - The Frankfurt School developed Critical Theory, a form of Neo-Marxist thought that critiques culture, ideology, and modern capitalist society.
Correct answer is: Critical Theory
Q.9 Neo-Marxists argue that the media:
Is politically neutral
Always opposes the state
Reinforces capitalist ideologies
Exists outside ideology
Explanation - Media, according to Neo-Marxists, transmits dominant ideologies and sustains capitalist power.
Correct answer is: Reinforces capitalist ideologies
Q.10 Which of the following is a central concern of Neo-Marxism?
The influence of digital technology on labor
The decline of industrial capitalism
How ideology maintains inequality
Religious rituals in rural societies
Explanation - Neo-Marxists highlight how ideology, alongside economic structures, sustains inequality.
Correct answer is: How ideology maintains inequality
Q.11 Gramsci’s theory of hegemony explains:
Why revolutions happen instantly
Why working classes consent to domination
Why capitalism is purely economic
Why religion disappears under capitalism
Explanation - Gramsci argued that hegemony operates through consent by shaping cultural values, not just coercion.
Correct answer is: Why working classes consent to domination
Q.12 Which school of thought critiques both capitalism and culture industry?
Frankfurt School
Chicago School
Vienna Circle
Durkheimian School
Explanation - The Frankfurt School criticized capitalism and the culture industry for producing passive consumers.
Correct answer is: Frankfurt School
Q.13 Neo-Marxist criminology suggests crime is often a result of:
Biological predispositions
Psychological disorders
Structural inequalities and capitalist exploitation
Pure chance
Explanation - Neo-Marxist criminology links crime to social inequality and capitalist structures rather than individual pathology.
Correct answer is: Structural inequalities and capitalist exploitation
Q.14 Which concept did Althusser use to explain the role of institutions in society?
Mechanical solidarity
Organic solidarity
Ideological State Apparatuses
Anomie
Explanation - Althusser’s concept highlights how institutions spread dominant ideologies to reproduce capitalist society.
Correct answer is: Ideological State Apparatuses
Q.15 The Frankfurt School scholars often criticized:
Traditional Marxism’s focus only on economics
Functionalism’s emphasis on stability
Weber’s concept of bureaucracy
Durkheim’s collective conscience
Explanation - Frankfurt School theorists argued that classical Marxism underestimated the role of culture and ideology.
Correct answer is: Traditional Marxism’s focus only on economics
Q.16 Neo-Marxist perspectives in education focus on:
Curriculum as neutral knowledge
Schools reproducing class inequality through ideology
Teachers’ freedom to choose content
Education as independent from politics
Explanation - Neo-Marxists argue that education transmits ruling-class ideology, reproducing inequalities.
Correct answer is: Schools reproducing class inequality through ideology
Q.17 Which Neo-Marxist emphasized the role of superstructure in maintaining capitalism?
Karl Marx
Antonio Gramsci
George Herbert Mead
Herbert Spencer
Explanation - Gramsci stressed that superstructure, including culture and ideology, is crucial in sustaining capitalist systems.
Correct answer is: Antonio Gramsci
Q.18 Neo-Marxism is often considered a response to:
Postmodernism
Structuralism
Failures of classical Marxist predictions
Functionalism
Explanation - Neo-Marxism emerged to address why capitalist societies did not collapse as Marx predicted, highlighting culture and ideology.
Correct answer is: Failures of classical Marxist predictions
Q.19 What is the 'culture industry' according to Adorno and Horkheimer?
A branch of manufacturing
Mass production of culture to maintain capitalist dominance
Traditional folk practices
A neutral platform for creativity
Explanation - Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the culture industry manipulates mass consciousness to reinforce capitalism.
Correct answer is: Mass production of culture to maintain capitalist dominance
Q.20 Neo-Marxist criminologists criticize traditional criminology because:
It focuses only on law enforcement
It ignores class and power in defining crime
It assumes all crime is biological
It dismisses law as irrelevant
Explanation - Neo-Marxist criminologists argue that laws reflect ruling-class interests and define crime in ways that protect power.
Correct answer is: It ignores class and power in defining crime
Q.21 Neo-Marxist theories of the state argue that it:
Is a neutral mediator
Always represents the interests of the ruling class
Has no influence on society
Is fully independent from economic structures
Explanation - Neo-Marxists see the state as an instrument of ruling-class power, maintaining capitalist interests.
Correct answer is: Always represents the interests of the ruling class
Q.22 What is meant by 'relative autonomy' in Althusser’s theory?
The economy controls everything
The superstructure can influence society somewhat independently
Culture is irrelevant
Politics is fully determined by economics
Explanation - Althusser suggested that institutions like law and politics have 'relative autonomy' from the economy, though still linked to it.
Correct answer is: The superstructure can influence society somewhat independently
Q.23 Neo-Marxism differs from orthodox Marxism mainly by:
Rejecting all class analysis
Giving more importance to ideology and culture
Eliminating critique of capitalism
Focusing only on individual choice
Explanation - Neo-Marxists extend Marx’s analysis by stressing how ideology and culture sustain capitalism.
Correct answer is: Giving more importance to ideology and culture
Q.24 Which Frankfurt School thinker wrote 'One-Dimensional Man'?
Herbert Marcuse
Antonio Gramsci
Louis Althusser
Max Horkheimer
Explanation - Marcuse’s 'One-Dimensional Man' critiques modern industrial society for suppressing critical thought.
Correct answer is: Herbert Marcuse
Q.25 Neo-Marxists argue that capitalist societies maintain control primarily through:
Sheer force and violence
Cultural domination and ideological consent
Genetic superiority of elites
Natural leadership abilities
Explanation - Neo-Marxists highlight how cultural and ideological control sustains capitalist dominance more than coercion.
Correct answer is: Cultural domination and ideological consent