Q.1 What is culture in sociology?
The study of fossils
Shared beliefs, values, and practices
The legal system of a country
A government policy
Explanation - In sociology, culture refers to the shared ways of life, beliefs, norms, and practices of a group of people.
Correct answer is: Shared beliefs, values, and practices
Q.2 Which of the following is an example of material culture?
Language
Clothing
Beliefs
Traditions
Explanation - Material culture includes physical objects like clothing, tools, and architecture, while non-material culture refers to beliefs, values, and traditions.
Correct answer is: Clothing
Q.3 Which concept refers to judging another culture by one’s own cultural standards?
Cultural relativism
Ethnocentrism
Multiculturalism
Assimilation
Explanation - Ethnocentrism means evaluating other cultures based on the standards of one’s own, often leading to bias.
Correct answer is: Ethnocentrism
Q.4 What does cultural relativism promote?
Judging cultures as inferior
Viewing cultures neutrally
Rejecting other cultures
Making one culture dominant
Explanation - Cultural relativism promotes understanding and evaluating a culture within its own context rather than judging it.
Correct answer is: Viewing cultures neutrally
Q.5 Which of the following is a cultural universal?
Cooking
Driving cars
Using the internet
Wearing uniforms
Explanation - Cultural universals are practices found in all societies. Cooking is one such universal need for survival.
Correct answer is: Cooking
Q.6 What is a subculture?
The dominant culture of a society
A smaller cultural group within a larger culture
A culture found only in ancient times
The culture of the upper class
Explanation - Subcultures are smaller cultural groups within a larger society that maintain their own unique values and practices.
Correct answer is: A smaller cultural group within a larger culture
Q.7 Which of the following is an example of a counterculture?
Environmental activists
Mainstream media
High school students
Sports clubs
Explanation - Countercultures actively reject or oppose dominant societal norms. Radical environmental activists often oppose mainstream cultural practices.
Correct answer is: Environmental activists
Q.8 What does the term ‘norms’ mean in sociology?
Rules and expectations guiding behavior
Physical tools of a culture
Government laws
Religious beliefs
Explanation - Norms are the expected patterns of behavior in a society or group.
Correct answer is: Rules and expectations guiding behavior
Q.9 Which type of norm has strong moral significance and is strictly enforced?
Folkways
Mores
Taboos
Customs
Explanation - Mores are norms with strong moral significance, and breaking them often brings severe disapproval.
Correct answer is: Mores
Q.10 What are taboos?
Simple traditions
Religious festivals
Norms so strongly prohibited that they are unthinkable
Cultural achievements
Explanation - Taboos are the strongest norms, prohibiting certain behaviors that are considered extremely offensive.
Correct answer is: Norms so strongly prohibited that they are unthinkable
Q.11 What is the process of learning one’s culture called?
Enculturation
Assimilation
Acculturation
Modernization
Explanation - Enculturation is the process by which individuals learn and adopt the values and practices of their culture.
Correct answer is: Enculturation
Q.12 Acculturation refers to:
The loss of culture entirely
Adopting aspects of another culture while keeping one’s own
Rejecting all cultural practices
Only studying ancient cultures
Explanation - Acculturation involves adapting to elements of another culture while retaining key aspects of one’s original culture.
Correct answer is: Adopting aspects of another culture while keeping one’s own
Q.13 Which of the following is an example of non-material culture?
Clothes
Books
Language
Houses
Explanation - Non-material culture includes abstract human creations like language, beliefs, and values.
Correct answer is: Language
Q.14 What does cultural diffusion mean?
Isolation of cultures
Movement of culture traits from one society to another
Rejection of foreign ideas
Disappearance of traditions
Explanation - Cultural diffusion refers to the spread of cultural traits and ideas across societies.
Correct answer is: Movement of culture traits from one society to another
Q.15 What is globalization’s effect on culture?
Cultures remain completely isolated
Cultures become more interconnected
Cultures stop evolving
Cultures disappear overnight
Explanation - Globalization brings increased cultural contact, exchange, and interconnectedness across the world.
Correct answer is: Cultures become more interconnected
Q.16 The concept of 'cultural lag' refers to:
When material culture changes faster than non-material culture
When people resist technology
When cultures reject change
When societies evolve at the same pace
Explanation - Cultural lag happens when technological innovations outpace the adaptation of values and norms.
Correct answer is: When material culture changes faster than non-material culture
Q.17 Which of the following best describes symbols in culture?
Objects with no meaning
Anything carrying a specific meaning recognized by people
Strictly written laws
Traditional foods only
Explanation - Symbols are things like words, gestures, or objects that represent meanings within a culture.
Correct answer is: Anything carrying a specific meaning recognized by people
Q.18 Cultural diversity refers to:
The existence of many cultural groups within a society
A society with only one culture
The rejection of minority groups
Cultures not changing over time
Explanation - Cultural diversity means the presence of different cultural groups coexisting in a society.
Correct answer is: The existence of many cultural groups within a society
Q.19 Which type of society relies primarily on hunting and gathering?
Industrial society
Horticultural society
Hunting and gathering society
Agrarian society
Explanation - The earliest form of society was hunting and gathering, where people depended on wild resources.
Correct answer is: Hunting and gathering society
Q.20 Which of the following is a feature of industrial society?
Reliance on hand tools
Use of machines and factories
Nomadic lifestyle
Subsistence farming
Explanation - Industrial societies are characterized by advanced technology, factories, and large-scale production.
Correct answer is: Use of machines and factories
Q.21 What is cultural assimilation?
Keeping all aspects of original culture
Gradual adoption of the dominant culture by minority groups
Exchange of equal cultural traits
Creation of entirely new culture
Explanation - Cultural assimilation occurs when minority groups adopt dominant cultural traits, often losing their original culture.
Correct answer is: Gradual adoption of the dominant culture by minority groups
Q.22 What does multiculturalism promote?
One dominant culture
Equal respect for diverse cultures
Elimination of cultural practices
Complete assimilation
Explanation - Multiculturalism encourages recognizing and respecting diverse cultural traditions in a society.
Correct answer is: Equal respect for diverse cultures
Q.23 Which of the following is a sanction in sociology?
Reward or punishment for behavior
Religious belief
Traditional ritual
Economic system
Explanation - Sanctions are reactions to behavior, either positive (reward) or negative (punishment), to enforce norms.
Correct answer is: Reward or punishment for behavior
Q.24 Which of the following is an example of a positive sanction?
Being fined
Getting applause
Receiving criticism
Facing rejection
Explanation - Positive sanctions are rewards or approval for following norms, like applause or praise.
Correct answer is: Getting applause
Q.25 Which of the following is an example of a negative sanction?
A scholarship
Public praise
A jail sentence
Winning a prize
Explanation - Negative sanctions are punishments for breaking norms, like fines, imprisonment, or criticism.
Correct answer is: A jail sentence