This page reproduces both papers of the UPSC Sociology Optional 2017 in full, section by section, with the marks for every part. A solved model answer is linked beneath almost every question, so you can read the question as it was set and then check how it can be answered. For every other year, see the complete set of Sociology Optional question papers.
Quick Answer
The 2017 Sociology Optional exam had two papers of 250 marks each, with eight questions per paper in two sections, Q1 and Q5 compulsory, and long questions split 20 + 20 + 10. Paper-1 was strongly epistemological, on positivism, post-positivism, interpretative and phenomenological approaches, alongside Talcott Parsons, Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber. Paper-2 paired M.N. Srinivas and Yogendra Singh with current issues: farmers’ suicides, the creamy layer, DEMARU states, heritage tourism, PVTGs and cultural revivalism.
Model answers for this paper. 54 of the 56 questions in the 2017 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 2017: 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) |
| Questions to attempt | 5: Q1, Q5 and three more, at least one from each section | 5: Q1, Q5 and three more, at least one from each section |
| Compulsory | Q1 and Q5 | Q1 and Q5 |
| Short answers | Q1 and Q5: 5 parts each, 10 marks | Q1 and Q5: 5 parts each, 10 marks, about 150 words |
| Long answers | Q2–Q4 and Q6–Q8: 20 + 20 + 10 marks | Q2–Q4 and Q6–Q8: 20 + 20 + 10 marks |
| Total parts | 28 | 28 |
Sociology Optional Question Paper-1 (2017)
Section A
Q1. 10×5=50
- (a) Explain how sociology has emerged as a distinct discipline based on rationality and scientific temper. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine ethnomethodological and phenomenological perspective as critique of positivism. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Illustrate with example the significance of variable in sociology research. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Critically analyse Talcott Parsons’ conception of ‘pattern variables’. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Can we equate ‘poverty’ with ‘poor living’? Elaborate your answer. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2.
- (a) Discuss the changing equation of discipline of sociology with other social sciences. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the basic postulates of positivism and post-positivism. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Elaborate the main tenets of interpretative perspective in sociology. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3.
- (a) Discuss distinct sociological method adopted by Émile Durkheim in his study of ‘suicide’. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Analyse Marxian conception of historical materialism as a critique of Hegelian dialectics. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Examine epistemological foundation of qualitative methods of social research. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4.
- (a) What is Weberian critique of Marxist notion of social stratification? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine gender, ethnicity and race as major dimensions of social stratification. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) How can one resolve the issue of reliability and validity in the context of sociological research on inequality? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. 10×5=50
- (a) What do you understand by ‘informalisation of labour’? Write your answer with special reference to India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss the changing interface between state and civil society in post-independent India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Give an assessment of Durkheimian notion of ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ in sociology of religion. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Examine ‘patriarchal bargain’ as gendered division of work in contemporary India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Assess the role of mass media as an agent of social change. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6.
- (a) Trace the changing nature of organisation of work in capitalist society over the years. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) What is new in ‘new social movement’? Elaborate your answer with special reference to India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Examine the dynamics of pressure group in multi-party political system. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q7.
- (a) Examine the relationship between the contemporary trends in marriage and changing form of family. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss the regional variations of kinship system in Indian society. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Problematize the concept of secularism in the present context. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q8.
- (a) Examine any two theories of social change in detail. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically analyse the role of science and technology in bringing about social change. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Elaborate on various types of religious practices prevalent in Indian society. (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 (2017)
Section A
Q1. Write short answers with a sociological perspective on the following, in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) Write a critique of the structural and functional perspective used by M.N. Srinivas in the understanding of Indian society. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Which is more significant, the principle of ‘hierarchy’ or the principle of ‘difference’, in inter-caste relations in the present day? (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the distinct features of Islam as practised in India, and how have they changed over time? (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) How have the struggles against untouchability changed their forms and perspective from Gandhian to Ambedkarite positions? (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Write a short note on changing means of production and increased rural poverty. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2.
- (a) The main objectives of socio-religious movements during the colonial rule in India were reforming and synthesizing Hinduism. Write any two such important movements. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss Yogendra Singh’s thesis on Modernization of Indian Tradition, and evaluate its applicability in the present day context. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the changes in the cultural and structural aspects of the caste system since independence? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3.
- (a) Indebtedness is one of the serious issues leading to farmers’ suicides. Discuss reasons and suggest solutions. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Clarify the distinction between “household” and “family” and evaluate whether joint families have completely disintegrated. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Compare the North Indian kinship system with the South Indian kinship system. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4.
- (a) Explain the concepts of ‘dominant caste’ and ‘vote bank’ giving examples from specific regions. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) What is the nature of religious change among tribal communities? Illustrate with two examples from colonial and post-independence times. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Compare the pressing problems of a Dalit poor family living in an urban slum with a similar type of family living in a rural setting. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. Write short answers with a sociological perspective on the following, in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) What are the reasons for the escalation of violence against women in the public domain? (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Write a note on education and equality in India. (10 marks)
- (c) Give an account of the problems relating to the “creamy layer”. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Do you agree that the issue of child labour raises questions about and beyond the informal sector? Give reasons. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) What are the emerging concerns on women’s reproductive health? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6.
- (a) Discuss some of the striking issues of development induced imbalances that need urgent attention. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the impact of heritage tourism on urban socio-spatial patterns in India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the causes and solutions for the low female sex-ratio in the DEMARU States of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, and Gujarat? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q7.
- (a) Despite gains from the women’s gender movement and state’s policy of women empowerment, gender equality is far from achieved. Identify two major challenges that prevent this goal from being reached. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) To what extent does nation building depend on strengthening of pluralities in Indian society? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Explain the issue relating to ethnicity and sub-ethnicity. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q8.
- (a) What is cultural revivalism? Give some examples from performing arts, language dissemination and arts and crafts in recent times. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) What, according to you, are the two fundamental axes of social discrimination in Indian society? Are they changing? (20 marks)
- (c) Why have we started using another category of tribes called the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)? Why are they so called? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
What the 2017 Sociology Optional papers tested
The 2017 papers were more conceptual than the year before in Paper-1 and more issue-driven in Paper-2. Several questions demanded comparison or evaluation rather than description.
Syllabus units in the 2017 papers
| Paper | Syllabus unit | Parts asked |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-1 | Sociology as a Science | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Research Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Sociological Thinkers | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Stratification and Mobility | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Politics and Society | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Religion and Society | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Systems of Kinship | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Social Change in Modern Society | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Sociology: The Discipline | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Works and Economic Life | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Social Movements | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Science, Technology and Social Change | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Challenges of Social Transformation | 5 |
| Paper-2 | Caste System | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Politics and Society in India | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Industrialization and Urbanisation in India | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Impact of Colonial Rule on Indian Society | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Systems of Kinship in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Tribal Communities in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Population Dynamics | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Religion and Society in India | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Social Movements in Modern India | 1 |
Counts are based on the 54 questions with a linked model answer; a question filed under two units is counted in both.
Epistemology took centre stage
Paper-1 asked about ethnomethodology and phenomenology as critiques of positivism, the postulates of positivism and post-positivism, the tenets of the interpretative perspective and the epistemological foundation of qualitative methods. Reliability and validity in research on inequality completed a methods-heavy Section A.
Classical thinkers in critical pairings
Karl Marx’s historical materialism was set against Hegelian dialectics and Max Weber’s view of stratification against Marx. Émile Durkheim appeared twice, for his method in Suicide and for the sacred and profane, and Talcott Parsons for pattern variables.
Comparison built into Paper-2
Paper-2 repeatedly asked candidates to compare: hierarchy versus difference in caste relations, Gandhian versus Ambedkarite struggles against untouchability, North versus South Indian kinship and an urban slum Dalit family against a rural one.
Current issues in Section B
Paper-2 Section B drew on live debates: violence against women in public spaces, the creamy layer, child labour, reproductive health, low sex ratios in the DEMARU states, heritage tourism and PVTGs. Answers needed recent examples as well as concepts.
Family and household again
For the second year running, Paper-2 asked about the distinction between household and family, this time linked to whether joint families have disintegrated. Paper-1 also asked about marriage trends, changing family forms and regional variations of kinship.
Gender beyond the obvious
Gender questions went past definitions: the patriarchal bargain in the gendered division of work, challenges to gender equality despite the women’s movement, violence in the public domain and reproductive health. Gender and ethnicity also appeared as dimensions of stratification in Paper-1 Q4(b).
Practise the 2017 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 2017 paper under timed conditions, then open the linked answers and compare structure, not just content.
Sociology Optional Question Paper 2017: FAQs
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