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Sociology Optional Paper I and Paper II by Smriti Rao

  • Category
    Optional
  • Test Date
    18-06-2022 07:00 AM
  • Evaluated
    Yes

To participate in answer writing program, Register yourself for the test. Copies will be evaluated only for the registered students. Registration will be closed after the scheduled date.

48 Hrs. Answer Writing, Copy Evaluation and Marks Improvement Cycle

  • Step 1 (Answer Writing): Questions will be uploaded on the portal on the scheduled date at 7:00 AM.  You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on the UPSC pattern. Mention your name on the 1st page and page number on each page. After writing the answer, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF and upload in the comment section of the same question. Answers should be uploaded before 7:00 PM on the same day.
  • Step 2 In Next 48 Hrs (Copy Evaluation & Discussion): After evaluation, the first 50 copies will be uploaded on the same comment box and will be sent to you. In the evening 8:00 PM marks improvement sessions for the test with respective faculty in a group will be conducted online. So that students can get a wider perspective of the topics. Here you can discuss your evaluated copies also with the faculty.

Instruction:

  • Attempt both questions
  • The test carries 30 marks.
  • Write Each answer in 150 words.
  • Any page left blank in the answer-book must be crossed out clearly.
  • Evaluated Copy will be re-uploaded on the same thread after 2 days of uploading the copy.
  • Discussion of the question and one to one answer improvement session of evaluated copies will be conducted through Google Meet with concerned faculty. You will be informed via mail or SMS for the discussion.

Question #1. Pressure Groups play an important role in a vibrant democracy. Critically Analyze.

Question #2. Critically analyze Ghurye’s perspective on the study of Indian Society.

(Examiner will pay special attention to the candidate's grasp of his/her material, its relevance to the subject chosen, and to his/ her ability to think constructively and to present his/her ideas concisely, logically and effectively).

Model Answer

Question #1. Pressure Groups play an important role in a vibrant democracy. Critically Analyze.

Democratic values translate to active inclusion of citizen participation, collective decision making, and striving for a world based on the principles of equality and justice. The Indian constitution is the bedrock of Indian democracy. The preamble to the constitution brings to fore the ideal of economic freedom, social justice and equality of rights coupled with political freedom.

 Upholding the democratic values, a plurality of groups has come to espouse the principle of political, social and economic justice. It is in this light that pressure groups are particularly significant. Pressure groups can be understood as forms of organizations consisting of active citizenry that exert pressure on the state apparatus in order to bring about or resist change. Pressure groups are differentiated from political parties as they do not contest elections or aim for political power.

Robert Mckenzie define pressure groups of 2 types:

A) Protective groups : Those that defend the interests of particular sections in the society.

For example:

B) Promotional groups : Those that champion a social cause.

For Examples

(You may insert a diagram for this)

Gabriel Almond Classifies them into

  • Institutional – Organized groups that consist of professionally employed persons. These groups resort to institutional means to voice their concerns. Eg: FICCI, ASSOCHAM, IAS Association etc.  
  • Non Institutional – These groups are marked by informal structure and they voice their interests through loose collectivities. Eg: Bhartiya Kisan Union,
  • Associational – These are organized groups that pursue specific and limited goals. Eg: AITUC, CII etc.
  • Anomic – These groups exert undue pressure through non-institutional means. They often engage in rioting, prolonged demonstrations, and even lead to attacks. Eg: ULFA, Naxalites etc.

Function of pressure groups :

Policy feedback – Pressure groups keep a close watch on the government’s movements and engage in active policy feedback.

Grievance redressal - Often act as medium for the most underprivileged, disadvantaged sections to articulate their concerns to the ruling government.

Accountability – By exposing the lacunae in governance, the pressure groups hold political parties accountable to the nation.

Active intervention – Pressure groups are credited with mobilizing people, educating and empowering different sections of the society.

Conduit between public and government – They shape the dialogue and debate between the people and their chosen leaders.

Challenges

Vested interests – Many a times, they share a covert intention to grab power. This may cause further mistrust and instability.

Backdoor funding – Since the pressure groups voice concerns, they are often not under the radar for speculation, however backdoor funding seems to be prevalent.

Mouthpiece of political parties – Although defined to be independent and egalitarian, often pressure groups become an appendage to political parties, thereby furthering propaganda.

Block progressive changes – It has been noted that in the bid to extend woes, sometimes, they block progressive changes in the good of larger public interest.

Nonetheless, pressure groups play a vital role in a vibrant democracy. It is only through parallel channels of grievance redressal, articulation, and debate discussion that a participative democracy like India can stay true to being the largest and effective democracy in the world.   

Question #2. Critically analyze Ghurye’s perspective on the study of Indian Society.

Indian society was seen to be unmoving, fixed, and microcosmic by various western sociologists. In response to this contention, Indian sociologists rose to the occasion and produced important insight into the nature and culture of Indian society, this time with much more nuance. GS Ghurye is one such early Indian sociologist who produced a corpus of significant work and has been rightly termed, the ‘Father of Indian Sociology’.

 Ghurye espoused the indological perspective which is characteristed by systematic evaluation of ancient texts such as upanishads, purans, smritis to understand the complex and unique nature of India. He believed that Indian society is unique and study needs to be contextualized. For this reason, this perspective can be called the ‘Textbook’ view.

According to Pramanick, the following broad categories of groups, institutions, processes, and practices were studied in great detail by Ghurye: 

  • Caste
  • Tribes
  • Religion
  • Kinship, family, marriage
  • Culture and Civilization (Rural-Urbanization)
  • Sociology of conflict and integration

Caste : (You may insert a diagram here)

 The Caste system is understood as a salient feature of the Indian society which is based on the following characteristics :

 Segmental Division, Hierarchy, Hereditary Occupations, Endogamy, Restrictions on Commensality and other privileges and disabilities.

It is rooted in the concept of purity and pollution, and provides an integrative framework  in the kinship structure. Keeping the process of continuity and change in mind, Ghurye also spoke about new castes such as Khammas and Reddys in the Andhra region with specific reference to ‘Caste patriotism’ an elevated sense of class consciousness and solidarity and their relevance in the political system of India.

Tribes

Ghurye opined that tribal groups are nothing more than an extension of backward Hindus. He quoted the likes of Santhal, Bhils and Gonds to drive him to his observation. He was criticized by Verrier Elvin who regarded the tribal communities to have a distinct identity and vehemently opposed the assimilationist stand.  Furthermore, his work on the Kolis in Maharashtra, locates the historical moorings, administrative and social dimensions.

Ghurye’s work has been criticized for being a textbook view, more so, a Hindu sociology. It has been argued that his work could be rooted in bias as he relied on scriptural and textual data. Additionally, he failed to recognize the qualitative changes that occurred in modern India. Even though he was criticized for relying solely on the past, Ghurye believed that the past is an important conjunction to understand the present.

Despite shortcomings, Ghurye contributed significantly to the evolution of Indian sociology and even introduced empiricism in social anthropology. His work initiated enquiry into unexplored dimensions of Indian society, for which he was regarded as a pioneer.   

Procedure of Answer Writing:

To participate in the answer writing program, Register yourself for the test. Copies will be evaluated only for the registered students. Registration will be closed after the scheduled date.

Answer Writing, Copy Evaluation, and Marks Improvement Cycle:

Step 1 (Theme, Details & Its Topics):

  1. Every round of Answer writing initiative will be around a theme related to the Subject/Topic.
  2. Please read the theme and its description, and try to cover the topics given within the theme before writing the answer along with the sources.

Step 2 (Answer Writing):

  1. Questions will be uploaded on the portal on the scheduled date at 7:00 AM.
  2. You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on the UPSC pattern.
  3. Mention your name, email id, location, and phone number on the 1st page in the top right corner and the page number on each page.
  4. After writing the answers, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF and upload them in the upload section of the same question.
  5. Kindly submit your written answers before 7:00 PM. Only the first 100 copies will be considered for evaluation. No request for late submission or evaluation will be entertained once the 100 mark is reached.

Note: Answer sheets without the proper guidelines given above will not be accepted for evaluation.

Step 3 (Copy Evaluation): Copies will be evaluated in the next 72 hours of the test date. After evaluation, copies will be uploaded into your account. During the copy evaluation period, doubt clearing and discussion about the theme or topic of the test with respective mentors of the test will be done in the telegram group

Step 4 (Mentorship): Evaluated copies will be sent to you via mail and also uploaded into your account on the website. After that a mentorship session for the marks improvement with respective faculty will be conducted on the Google Meet, so that students can get a wider perspective of the topics. Here you can discuss your evaluated copies also with the faculty. Top 5 copies of every test will be shared in the telegram group for reference.

Note: Aspirants who have not written the test can also participate in the mentorship session.

For Updates and Mentorship of the session, you will be notified through SMS or Telegram Group.

For Notification And Update About the Program Join Telegram Group at: https://t.me/gsscoreopendailyanswerwriting

Note: You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on UPSC pattern. Mention Your Name on 1st page and Page Number on each page. After writing the answer, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF and upload in the Your Answer Copy section of the same question.

Copy submission is closed now for this test.

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