2013 was the first year of the revised UPSC Mains scheme, with each Sociology paper carrying 250 marks across eight questions. Both papers are reproduced below in full, section by section, with marks, and a solved model answer is linked beneath almost every question. For every other year, see the complete set of Sociology Optional question papers.
Quick Answer
The 2013 Sociology Optional papers each carried 250 marks across eight questions in two sections, with Q1 and Q5 compulsory sets of five 10-mark notes. Paper-1 leaned on the classical thinkers (Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, G.H. Mead, Talcott Parsons) alongside stratification, family, civil society and religion versus science. Paper-2 was largely direct and topic-based: tribes, caste thinkers such as B.R. Ambedkar, Louis Dumont and M.N. Srinivas, classes, social movements and policy themes such as MGNREGS and the Green Revolution.
Model answers for this paper. 55 of the 56 questions in the 2013 papers have a full model answer in Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions. Look for the Solved answer link under each question. The course files 1,500+ solved PYQs from 1985 to 2026 topic-wise, across every syllabus unit of Paper-1 and Paper-2.
Sociology Optional 2013: paper pattern at a glance
| Feature | Paper-1 | Paper-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Total marks | 250 | 250 |
| Questions | 8 in two sections (A and B) | 8 in two sections (A and B) |
| Compulsory | Q1 and Q5, plus three more (at least one from each section) | Q1 and Q5, plus three more (at least one from each section) |
| Short answers | Q1 and Q5: 5 notes × 10 marks, not exceeding 150 words | Q1: 5 × 10 marks in 150 words; Q5: 5 × 10 marks in 100 words |
| Long answers | Q2–Q4, Q6–Q8: three parts each, 20 and 10-mark splits as printed | Q2–Q4, Q6–Q8: three parts each (20+20+10 or 20+15+15), not more than 200 words |
Sociology Optional Question Paper-1 (2013)
Section A
Q1. Write short notes on the following: (Each note should not exceed 150 words) 10×5=50
- (a) “Sociology emerged in Europe and flourished to begin with on social reformist orientation in the U.S.A.” — Comment. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Compare and contrast Sociology with Anthropology. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Critically examine positivistic approach in sociological studies. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Examine science and technology as agents of social change. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Analyse the contemporary trends in family with examples. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2.
- (a) Analyse the limitation of quantitative methods in social research. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically examine the functionalist tradition in Sociology. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Analyse the salient features of historical materialism. (20 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3.
- (a) Compare Karl Marx with Émile Durkheim with reference to the framework of ‘division of labour’. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically analyse the contribution of G.H. Mead to ‘symbolic interactionism’. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Examine the salient features of Weberian bureaucracy. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4.
- (a) How are open and closed system of stratification undergoing transformation in the emergence of new hierarchical social order in societies? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Is patriarchy a universal phenomenon? Critically examine how does patriarchy affect sexual division of labour in societies. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Examine the role of pressure groups in parliamentary democracy. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. Write short notes on the following: (Each note should not exceed 150 words) 10×5=50
- (a) Distinguish between people being socially excluded and people excluding themselves socially in societies. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Define social movement. Elucidate the role of reformist movements in social change. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) “Science has empirical means to logical ends and religion has non-empirical means to logical ends.” — Comment. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Examine the social dimensions of displacement induced by development. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Analyse the gender bias in the present society with examples. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6.
- (a) How do Karl Marx and Max Weber differ in terms of their analysis of social stratification? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the social impact of globalisation on labour and society. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Examine the relevance of Parsonian Social System in the present society. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q7.
- (a) Evaluate how do civil society and democracy mutually reinforce each other. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the emerging trends in marriage and family as a response to the change in economic and social order. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Critically examine the role of civil society in democracy. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q8.
- (a) Illustrate the conflict and tensions experienced by societies undergoing social change. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically examine the cultural theories of social change with suitable examples. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Is religion antithetical to science? Comment. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Checked your Paper-1 answers yet? In Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions each of these questions sits inside its syllabus unit, next to every earlier UPSC question on the same theme, newest year first. You see how the examiner keeps returning to a topic, and a written model answer for each one.
Sociology Optional Question Paper-2 (2013)
Section A
Q1. Write short notes with sociological perspective on the following in not more than 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) André Béteille’s definition of class. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) M.N. Srinivas’s concept of westernization. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Satyashodhak movement of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Classes in agrarian society in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Other Backward Classes. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2. Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20+20+10=50
- (a) What are the features that distinguish tribes from the rest of the population? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Write a note on ethnicity and integration in the context of tribes. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) How does the new Forest Act affect tribals? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3. Write short notes with sociological perspective on the following in not more than 200 words each: 20+20+10=50
- (a) What are the main features of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s views on annihilation of caste? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically evaluate Louis Dumont’s Homo Hierarchicus. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the features of M.N. Srinivas’ concept of dominant caste? How effective is it in understanding today’s reality? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4. Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20+15+15=50
- (a) Distinguish between formal and informal sectors in India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the influence of industrialization on caste. (15 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss the salient features of Indian middle class. (15 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. Write notes on the following. Your answer should have a sociological perspective. (Maximum length of answers: 100 words each) 10×5=50
- (a) Five Year Plans. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Green Revolution. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Child Labour. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Sex Ratio. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6. Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20+15+15=50
- (a) Bring out the main features of farmers’ movement in Modern India. (15 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss the sociological aspects of movements for separate States. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Explain the inter-linkages between poverty, deprivation and inequality. (15 marks)
Solved answer →
Q7. Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20+15+15=50
- (a) Write an analytical note on slums in cities. (15 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss the problems of working women in India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the main causes of female mortality in India? (15 marks)
Solved answer →
Q8. Answer the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20+15+15=50
- (a) Analyse the role of communalism in undermining democracy in India. (15 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) What is the Dalit Movement? Examine the issues highlighted by it. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss the salient features of the right to education. (15 marks)
What the 2013 Sociology Optional papers tested
The 2013 papers set the template for the new scheme: short, direct prompts, with Paper-1 anchored in classical theory and Paper-2 in Indian social structure and policy.
Syllabus units in the 2013 papers
| Paper | Syllabus unit | Parts asked |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-1 | Stratification and Mobility | 5 |
| Paper-1 | Sociological Thinkers | 5 |
| Paper-1 | Social Change in Modern Society | 4 |
| Paper-1 | Politics and Society | 4 |
| Paper-1 | Systems of Kinship | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Sociology: The Discipline | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Religion and Society | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Sociology as a Science | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Science, Technology and Social Change | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Research Methods and Analysis | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Social Movements | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Works and Economic Life | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Social Movements in Modern India | 4 |
| Paper-2 | Industrialization and Urbanisation in India | 4 |
| Paper-2 | Social Classes in India | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Tribal Communities in India | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Caste System | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Challenges of Social Transformation | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Population Dynamics | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Rural and Agrarian Social Structure | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Visions of Social Change in India | 1 |
Counts are based on the 55 questions with a linked model answer; a question filed under two units is counted in both.
Classical thinkers carried Paper-1
Karl Marx’s ideas run through three parts (historical materialism, division of labour with Émile Durkheim, and stratification with Max Weber), and Weberian bureaucracy, G.H. Mead’s symbolic interactionism and the Parsonian social system each get a part. Theory-ready aspirants had a clear advantage.
Themes asked twice in one paper
Paper-1 repeated ideas within itself: civil society and democracy appear in both Q7(a) and Q7(c), and religion versus science in both Q5(c) and Q8(c). Family and marriage trends also recur in Q1(e) and Q7(b).
Caste thinkers dominated Paper-2 Section A
Q3 was built entirely on thinkers of caste: B.R. Ambedkar on annihilation of caste, Louis Dumont’s Homo Hierarchicus and M.N. Srinivas on dominant caste. Srinivas also returns in Q1(b) on westernization, alongside André Béteille on class.
Tribes got a full question
Q2 of Paper-2 was devoted entirely to tribal communities: distinguishing features, ethnicity and integration, and the new Forest Act. The last part rewarded awareness of forest-rights legislation.
Policy and programme notes in Section B
Paper-2 Q5 asked 100-word notes on Five Year Plans, MGNREGS, the Green Revolution, child labour and sex ratio. Later questions on the right to education, slums and female mortality kept the paper close to contemporary India.
Practise the 2013 paper with a model answer beside every question
Reading a question paper tells you what UPSC asked. It does not show you how a 10-mark or 20-mark answer should be built. Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions does, question by question:
- 1,500+ solved PYQs from 1985 to 2026, covering every unit of Paper-1 and Paper-2
- Filed topic-wise, newest exam year first, so every question on a theme sits together
- A full model answer for each question: introduction, argument and conclusion, shaped to 10 or 20 marks
- Thinkers applied, not name-dropped, with Indian examples and current data where the question needs them
- Online access on lotusarise.com plus PDF download, 12 months from the day you enrol, one-time payment
Attempt the 2013 paper under timed conditions, then open the linked answers and compare structure, not just content.
Sociology Optional Question Paper 2013: FAQs
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