Unit 1: The rise of sociology and social anthropology in India - Practice Quiz

1 Which subject studies society, social relationships, and social institutions?

2 In which Indian university was sociology formally introduced as a subject in 1919?

3 Who is widely regarded as the founder of sociology in India?

4 Social anthropology mainly focuses on the study of:

5 Which colonial institution encouraged early studies of Indian society and culture?

6 Early anthropological studies in India were closely connected with the study of:

7 What does professionalization of a discipline mean?

8 Which scholar is associated with the development of sociology at the University of Bombay?

9 Which method became important in social anthropology for studying communities directly?

10 Which organization helped promote anthropological research in India after the 1940s?

11 Which of the following was a major feature of the early professionalization of sociology in India?

12 Who is known for important studies of caste and social change in India?

13 The post-independence period in India began after:

14 After independence, Indian sociology increasingly focused on:

15 Which institution was established in 1969 to support social science research in India?

16 Which area became important in post-independence anthropological research?

17 Which concept is associated with M. N. Srinivas's study of social mobility in India?

18 A major future area for sociology and social anthropology in India is the study of:

19 How can sociology and social anthropology contribute to public policy?

20 Which contemporary issue is especially relevant to the future of Indian sociology?

21 A researcher uses colonial census reports, district gazetteers, and ethnographic surveys to examine how communities were classified. Which feature of the origin of sociology and anthropology in India does this approach best illustrate?

22 Why did the study of caste become central to early social research in India?

23 An early Indian scholar combines textual analysis of classical sources with observations of contemporary village life. What does this combination indicate about the development of Indian sociology?

24 A scholar criticizes a colonial description of a tribe by comparing it with the community's own accounts of kinship and customary practices. Which methodological concern is being addressed?

25 Which situation best explains why sociology and social anthropology initially developed along partly different lines in India?

26 The establishment of a sociology department at the University of Bombay in 1919 was significant primarily because it:

27 A university appoints specialized teachers, introduces degree courses, and creates research seminars in sociology. Which aspect of professionalization is most directly represented?

28 G. S. Ghurye's work is often associated with the development of Indian sociology because he:

29 A researcher studies a village through repeated visits, household interviews, participant observation, and local genealogies. This approach reflects the growing importance of:

30 Why were village studies important in the professionalization of Indian sociology after the early institutional phase?

31 A sociologist compares Sanskrit texts about caste with evidence from contemporary village interactions and finds significant differences. What conclusion is most appropriate?

32 After independence, sociologists increasingly studied land reform, urbanization, education, and industrialization. This shift mainly reflected:

33 A post-independence study examines how a development project changes displacement, employment, and kinship relations in a rural community. Which feature of the period does it represent?

34 M. N. Srinivas used the concept of Sanskritization to explain a process in which a lower-status group:

35 A study finds that electoral democracy changes local leadership but does not eliminate caste-based networks. Which conclusion best fits post-independence sociological analysis?

36 The expansion of women's studies, Dalit studies, and tribal studies after independence contributed most directly to:

37 A researcher combines digital media analysis, interviews, and neighborhood observation to study migrant networks. Which prospect of the discipline does this illustrate?

38 Climate migration, public health, and platform-based employment are studied jointly by sociologists, economists, and environmental researchers. What does this collaboration demonstrate?

39 When studying an indigenous community, a researcher obtains informed consent, protects confidential information, and shares findings with participants. These practices primarily strengthen:

40 Which research agenda would best demonstrate the future relevance of sociology and social anthropology in India?

41 Which combination best explains why sociology and social anthropology in India developed through both colonial knowledge systems and indigenous intellectual traditions?

42 What is the most defensible interpretation of colonial censuses for the history of Indian sociology?

43 Why is the study of caste by early Indian sociologists best understood as an analytical negotiation rather than a simple adoption of Western sociology?

44 Which research design would most directly correct the weakness of explaining Indian social institutions only through classical texts?

45 The contribution of colonial ethnography to Indian anthropology is most accurately characterized as:

46 Why was the establishment of university departments more significant than the mere presence of individual social thinkers for professionalization?

47 Which development most clearly illustrates the distinctive role of Patrick Geddes in the early institutionalization of sociology in India?

48 G. S. Ghurye's position in the development of Indian sociology is best evaluated as:

49 Why should the early growth of sociology and anthropology in India not be described simply as a diffusion of European disciplines?

50 A researcher claims that the first generation of Indian sociologists was either wholly nationalist or wholly colonial. What is the strongest criticism of this claim?

51 Why did village studies become especially influential in Indian sociology after independence?

52 What methodological limitation can arise when post-independence village studies treat the village as a self-contained social unit?

53 Which shift best represents the broadening of Indian sociology after the early post-independence period?

54 How did the expansion of development planning affect the post-independence relationship between sociology and the state?

55 A study of affirmative action examines official policy, caste associations, household narratives, and electoral campaigns. Which post-independence methodological tendency does this best represent?

56 Why did feminist and Dalit scholarship significantly challenge established approaches in Indian sociology?

57 Which research strategy best reflects a decolonizing prospect for sociology and social anthropology in India?

58 What is the principal sociological risk of relying on large digital datasets to study Indian society?

59 Which combination most strengthens the future relevance of sociology and social anthropology in India?

60 A future research project studies climate displacement by combining satellite data, oral histories, community mapping, and analysis of state compensation rules. What is its strongest disciplinary advantage?