Q.1 In the context of economic sociology, how does Granovetter’s concept of 'embeddedness' primarily challenge classical economic theories of market behavior?
It argues that economic actions are fully independent of social relations and institutions
It suggests that economic behavior is deeply embedded within ongoing social networks and relationships
It claims that markets operate purely through state regulations and legal frameworks
It proposes that individual rationality is irrelevant in all economic decision-making contexts
Explanation - Granovetter’s embeddedness concept argues against the notion of atomized economic actors by emphasizing that economic behavior is shaped by social ties and networks.
Correct answer is: It suggests that economic behavior is deeply embedded within ongoing social networks and relationships
Q.2 Which mechanism best explains how social capital influences health outcomes in medical sociology?
By increasing genetic predisposition to chronic diseases through familial clustering
By reducing healthcare supply constraints in all public health systems universally
By shaping access to resources, information, and supportive social networks
By eliminating the need for institutional medical interventions entirely
Explanation - Social capital improves health outcomes by enabling access to supportive networks, healthcare information, and material resources.
Correct answer is: By shaping access to resources, information, and supportive social networks
Q.3 In economic sociology, what does the 'double movement' concept by Karl Polanyi refer to?
The simultaneous expansion of industrialization and digitalization in modern economies
The push for market liberalization and the counter-movement for social protection
The cyclical migration between rural and urban labor markets in developing economies
The dual role of firms in both production and consumption of goods
Explanation - Polanyi’s double movement describes how market expansion is countered by societal efforts to protect people from market dislocation.
Correct answer is: The push for market liberalization and the counter-movement for social protection
Q.4 Which concept best captures the role of 'status inconsistency' in stratification theory?
Alignment of all social roles into a single hierarchical structure
Uniform distribution of income across occupational categories
Mismatch between an individual’s social rankings across different dimensions
Complete absence of social mobility within rigid class systems
Explanation - Status inconsistency occurs when an individual occupies different ranks across income, education, and prestige hierarchies.
Correct answer is: Mismatch between an individual’s social rankings across different dimensions
Q.5 How does the concept of 'medicalization' in sociology affect the interpretation of deviant behavior?
It reframes deviance as purely criminal rather than socially constructed
It transforms non-medical issues into medical problems requiring clinical treatment
It eliminates the role of cultural norms in defining abnormal behavior
It restricts healthcare access to only infectious disease conditions
Explanation - Medicalization refers to the process by which non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical conditions.
Correct answer is: It transforms non-medical issues into medical problems requiring clinical treatment
Q.6 Which theoretical framework best explains labor market segmentation in economic sociology?
Human capital theory emphasizing individual skill accumulation exclusively
Dual labor market theory dividing primary and secondary labor sectors
Classical equilibrium theory assuming perfect labor mobility
Marginal utility theory focusing on consumption preferences only
Explanation - Dual labor market theory explains segmentation between stable, high-wage jobs and unstable, low-wage jobs.
Correct answer is: Dual labor market theory dividing primary and secondary labor sectors
Q.7 In epidemiological transition theory, what characterizes the third stage of population health development?
High mortality due to infectious diseases and famine prevalence
Decline in infectious diseases and rise in chronic degenerative diseases
Universal eradication of all communicable diseases globally
Dominance of genetic disorders as the primary cause of death
Explanation - The third stage reflects a shift from infectious to chronic diseases as leading causes of mortality.
Correct answer is: Decline in infectious diseases and rise in chronic degenerative diseases
Q.8 What is the primary sociological implication of 'network closure' in economic sociology?
It ensures complete absence of competition in open markets
It enhances trust and enforceable norms within tightly connected networks
It eliminates all forms of informal economic exchange
It guarantees equal distribution of wealth across societies
Explanation - Network closure increases trust and norm enforcement, facilitating cooperative economic behavior.
Correct answer is: It enhances trust and enforceable norms within tightly connected networks
Q.9 Which factor most significantly differentiates 'cultural capital' from economic capital in sociological theory?
Its direct convertibility into state taxation systems
Its embodiment in skills, education, and cultural competencies
Its exclusive association with financial wealth accumulation
Its dependence solely on genetic inheritance patterns
Explanation - Cultural capital refers to non-financial assets like education, skills, and cultural knowledge.
Correct answer is: Its embodiment in skills, education, and cultural competencies
Q.10 In medical sociology, what is the key critique of the biomedical model?
It overemphasizes social determinants of health over biological causes
It ignores biological mechanisms in disease causation entirely
It reduces health and illness to purely biological factors ignoring social context
It prioritizes preventive care over diagnostic accuracy
Explanation - The biomedical model is criticized for neglecting social, cultural, and psychological dimensions of health.
Correct answer is: It reduces health and illness to purely biological factors ignoring social context
Q.11 Which concept best explains informal economic practices within formal market systems?
Institutional isomorphism
Embedded informal economy
Perfect market equilibrium
Technological determinism
Explanation - Informal economic activities often operate within and alongside formal institutions, embedded in social relations.
Correct answer is: Embedded informal economy
Q.12 What does 'social gradient in health' refer to in public health sociology?
Random variation in health outcomes across populations
Linear relationship between social position and health status
Exclusive link between genetics and disease prevalence
Equal health outcomes across all socioeconomic groups
Explanation - The social gradient shows that higher socioeconomic status is associated with better health outcomes.
Correct answer is: Linear relationship between social position and health status
Q.13 In institutional theory, what does 'isomorphism' primarily describe?
Divergence of organizational practices over time
Homogenization of organizational structures under similar pressures
Random evolution of institutional frameworks without pattern
Complete independence of organizations from external influence
Explanation - Isomorphism refers to similarity among organizations due to coercive, mimetic, or normative pressures.
Correct answer is: Homogenization of organizational structures under similar pressures
Q.14 Which mechanism best describes 'adverse selection' in health insurance markets?
Healthy individuals disproportionately enrolling in insurance plans
Sick individuals more likely to purchase insurance than healthy ones
Equal participation of all risk groups in insurance markets
Insurance companies eliminating all risk-based pricing strategies
Explanation - Adverse selection occurs when higher-risk individuals are more likely to seek insurance coverage.
Correct answer is: Sick individuals more likely to purchase insurance than healthy ones
Q.15 What is the central idea of 'institutional bricolage' in economic sociology?
Strict adherence to formal institutional rules without deviation
Creative recombination of existing institutional elements in new contexts
Elimination of informal institutions in favor of formal systems
Replacement of all institutions through technological innovation
Explanation - Institutional bricolage refers to adaptive use of existing structures to solve new problems.
Correct answer is: Creative recombination of existing institutional elements in new contexts
Q.16 In sociology of health, what does the 'sick role' concept emphasize?
Legal responsibility of patients for healthcare financing
Social expectations attached to being recognized as ill
Biological classification of disease severity levels
Economic productivity of hospitalized individuals
Explanation - Parsons' sick role defines normative expectations of rights and responsibilities of the sick.
Correct answer is: Social expectations attached to being recognized as ill
Q.17 Which theory best explains persistence of inequality in global labor markets?
World-systems theory emphasizing core-periphery relations
Behavioral economics focusing on individual biases
Functionalist equilibrium theory of stratification
Pure neoclassical wage equalization theory
Explanation - World-systems theory explains inequality through structural dependency between core and peripheral nations.
Correct answer is: World-systems theory emphasizing core-periphery relations
Q.18 What role does 'normative pressure' play in institutional isomorphism?
It enforces identical pricing strategies across firms
It arises from professionalization and shared standards
It eliminates competition between organizations
It restricts access to international markets
Explanation - Normative isomorphism is driven by professional norms and shared educational backgrounds.
Correct answer is: It arises from professionalization and shared standards
Q.19 Which concept best describes unequal exposure to environmental health risks?
Health equity convergence
Environmental justice
Biological determinism
Clinical universalism
Explanation - Environmental justice examines how disadvantaged groups face disproportionate environmental risks.
Correct answer is: Environmental justice
Q.20 In economic sociology, what does 'relational work' refer to?
Purely contractual exchange between anonymous actors
Efforts to establish, maintain, and negotiate economic relationships
Automation of economic transactions through AI systems
Elimination of trust in market-based interactions
Explanation - Relational work involves managing social relations underlying economic exchanges.
Correct answer is: Efforts to establish, maintain, and negotiate economic relationships
Q.21 Which factor most strongly explains variation in healthcare utilization in social epidemiology?
Uniform biological susceptibility across populations
Socioeconomic status and access to resources
Random distribution of illness events
Exclusive dependence on genetic inheritance
Explanation - Healthcare utilization is strongly shaped by socioeconomic inequalities and access barriers.
Correct answer is: Socioeconomic status and access to resources
Q.22 What does 'path dependency' imply in institutional economic analysis?
Institutions evolve randomly without historical influence
Past decisions constrain future institutional development
All institutions converge toward optimal efficiency
Technological innovation eliminates institutional constraints
Explanation - Path dependency emphasizes how historical choices shape current institutional trajectories.
Correct answer is: Past decisions constrain future institutional development
Q.23 Which concept best captures the commodification of healthcare services?
Transformation of health services into marketable goods
Elimination of pricing mechanisms in healthcare systems
Universal free access to all medical treatments
Replacement of hospitals with community-based care only
Explanation - Commodification refers to treating healthcare as tradable market commodities.
Correct answer is: Transformation of health services into marketable goods
Q.24 In economic sociology, what does 'trust production' primarily involve?
Government enforcement of all economic transactions
Social mechanisms that reduce uncertainty in exchanges
Elimination of informal networks in markets
Replacement of human actors with automated systems
Explanation - Trust production relies on social norms, reputation, and networks to facilitate exchange.
Correct answer is: Social mechanisms that reduce uncertainty in exchanges