Q.1 Who is often regarded as one of the leading figures in postmodern sociology?
Karl Marx
Jean Baudrillard
Émile Durkheim
Herbert Spencer
Explanation - Baudrillard is a key postmodern theorist known for ideas on simulacra and hyperreality.
Correct answer is: Jean Baudrillard
Q.2 Postmodern theory generally rejects the idea of:
Grand narratives
Cultural diversity
Social interaction
Symbolic meanings
Explanation - Postmodernists argue against universal explanations or 'grand narratives' of history and society.
Correct answer is: Grand narratives
Q.3 Which concept is central to Jean Baudrillard’s theory?
Habitus
Hyperreality
Rationalization
Anomie
Explanation - Baudrillard’s notion of hyperreality explains how media and signs can replace reality.
Correct answer is: Hyperreality
Q.4 Postmodernism emphasizes:
Fixed truth
Pluralism
Universalism
Determinism
Explanation - Postmodern theory stresses diversity, multiple perspectives, and pluralism.
Correct answer is: Pluralism
Q.5 Lyotard described postmodernism as an 'incredulity toward':
Science
Grand narratives
Politics
Religion
Explanation - Lyotard argued that postmodernism distrusts universal explanations of history or society.
Correct answer is: Grand narratives
Q.6 Postmodernists argue that knowledge is:
Objective
Neutral
Socially constructed
Universal
Explanation - According to postmodern theory, knowledge is shaped by cultural and social contexts.
Correct answer is: Socially constructed
Q.7 Which of the following best characterizes postmodern society?
Industrial production
Information and media saturation
Traditional community
Religious authority
Explanation - Postmodernists see society as dominated by media, symbols, and information flows.
Correct answer is: Information and media saturation
Q.8 Postmodern theory often critiques:
Cultural relativism
Meta-narratives
Local identities
Symbolic interaction
Explanation - Meta-narratives are large, overarching stories about progress or truth, which postmodernists reject.
Correct answer is: Meta-narratives
Q.9 According to Baudrillard, simulacra are:
Copies without originals
Authentic experiences
Traditional rituals
Historical facts
Explanation - Simulacra are images or signs that no longer refer to any real-world original.
Correct answer is: Copies without originals
Q.10 Postmodernists challenge the Enlightenment belief in:
Progress through reason
Religious truth
Traditional authority
Social order
Explanation - Postmodern theory critiques Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of linear progress.
Correct answer is: Progress through reason
Q.11 Which of the following is a feature of postmodern culture?
Authenticity
Fragmentation
Stability
Uniformity
Explanation - Postmodern culture is marked by fragmentation and diversity of experiences and identities.
Correct answer is: Fragmentation
Q.12 Michel Foucault’s work influenced postmodernism by focusing on:
Class conflict
Power and knowledge
Social solidarity
Economic systems
Explanation - Foucault argued that knowledge and power are intertwined, shaping truth and society.
Correct answer is: Power and knowledge
Q.13 Postmodernists argue that reality is:
Fixed
Objective
Constructed through discourse
Natural
Explanation - Postmodern theory sees reality as shaped by language, discourse, and culture.
Correct answer is: Constructed through discourse
Q.14 Baudrillard suggested that in postmodern society signs:
Point directly to reality
Become detached from reality
Lose all meaning
Remain unchanged
Explanation - Baudrillard argued that signs no longer represent reality but instead refer to other signs.
Correct answer is: Become detached from reality
Q.15 The postmodern critique of science emphasizes that science is:
Purely objective
Culturally situated
Beyond criticism
Always progressive
Explanation - Postmodernists argue science is influenced by cultural, social, and political contexts.
Correct answer is: Culturally situated
Q.16 Which sociologist is associated with the concept of 'liquid modernity,' overlapping with postmodern themes?
Zygmunt Bauman
Max Weber
Talcott Parsons
Anthony Giddens
Explanation - Bauman described a world of fluid, changing identities and unstable social structures.
Correct answer is: Zygmunt Bauman
Q.17 Postmodernism often emphasizes the role of:
Mass media
Traditional rituals
Religious authority
Industrial technology
Explanation - Postmodern theorists stress media’s central role in shaping perception and reality.
Correct answer is: Mass media
Q.18 In postmodern theory, identity is viewed as:
Stable and fixed
Constructed and fluid
Biologically determined
Based on tradition
Explanation - Postmodernism views identities as multiple, fragmented, and socially constructed.
Correct answer is: Constructed and fluid
Q.19 Which of the following is an example of postmodern architecture?
Gothic cathedrals
International style skyscrapers
Deconstructivist buildings
Baroque churches
Explanation - Postmodern architecture often uses playful, fragmented, and eclectic styles like deconstructivism.
Correct answer is: Deconstructivist buildings
Q.20 Postmodernists argue truth is:
Absolute
Relative
Universal
Objective
Explanation - Truth is considered relative to culture, language, and context in postmodern thought.
Correct answer is: Relative
Q.21 Which postmodern theorist focused on the relationship between discourse and power?
Anthony Giddens
Michel Foucault
Erving Goffman
Ulrich Beck
Explanation - Foucault analyzed how discourses construct knowledge and enforce power structures.
Correct answer is: Michel Foucault
Q.22 Postmodernists argue that globalization creates:
Homogeneity only
Hybrid cultures
Isolation
Stable traditions
Explanation - Globalization leads to mixing of cultural elements, producing hybrid identities.
Correct answer is: Hybrid cultures
Q.23 Which key idea of postmodernism challenges the modernist faith in progress?
Plurality of truths
Objective science
Linear development
Industrialization
Explanation - Postmodernism challenges the belief in one truth or universal progress.
Correct answer is: Plurality of truths
Q.24 According to postmodernists, media images often:
Represent reality accurately
Distort reality
Replace reality
Ignore reality
Explanation - In hyperreality, media images can replace or become more real than reality itself.
Correct answer is: Replace reality
Q.25 Postmodernism emphasizes cultural:
Unity
Diversity
Simplicity
Uniformity
Explanation - Diversity of cultures, lifestyles, and identities is central to postmodern thought.
Correct answer is: Diversity