This page reproduces both papers of the UPSC Sociology Optional 2021 in full, section by section, with marks where the paper prints them. A solved model answer is linked beneath almost every question, so you can read each question as it was set and then see how it can be answered. For every other year, see the complete set of Sociology Optional question papers.
Quick Answer
The 2021 Sociology Optional exam had two papers of 250 marks each, with eight questions in two sections, Q1 and Q5 compulsory and five to be answered. Paper-1 stressed sociology as a science and research methods, and named Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Marx, Robert K. Merton, Vilfredo Pareto and Talcott Parsons. Paper-2 was dominated by caste, with B. R. Ambedkar, Yogendra Singh, G. S. Ghurye and Verrier Elwin, and it drew on the pandemic through lockdown migration and reverse migration.
Model answers for this paper. 54 of the 56 questions in the 2021 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 2021: 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, about 150 words | 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 (2021)
Section A
Q1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) Europe was the first and the only place where modernity emerged. Comment. (10 marks)
- (b) Do you think ethnomethodology helps us in getting reliable and valid data? Justify your answer. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss the challenges involved in collecting data through census method. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Explain whether Durkheim’s theory of Division of Labour is relevant in the present day context. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Critically examine Max Weber’s theory of Social Stratification. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2.
- (a) From the viewpoint of growing importance of multidisciplinarity, how do you relate sociology to other social sciences? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) How far are sociologists justified in using positivist approach to understand social reality? Explain with suitable illustrations. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) How is sociology related to common sense? (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3.
- (a) How do qualitative and quantitative methods supplement each other in sociological enquiry? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Do you agree with Max Weber’s idea that bureaucracy has the potential to become an iron cage? Justify your answer. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4.
- (a) Explain the concept of social mobility. Describe with suitable illustrations how education and social mobility are related to each other. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) How has the idea of ‘Work From Home’ forced us to redefine the formal and informal organisation of work? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) With suitable examples, explain how conformity and deviance coexist in a society as propounded by R. K. Merton. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) Explain the emerging challenges in establishing gender equality in the informal sector. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Critically examine the relevance of Vilfredo Pareto’s theory of Circulation of Elites in the present scenario. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Critically compare the views of E. B. Tylor and Max Müller on Religion. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) What is cult? Explain the growth of cults in the contemporary world. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Do you think Talcott Parsons gave an adequate theory of social change? Justify your answer. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6.
- (a) Elucidate the main problems and challenges faced by the migrant labourers in the recent ‘Lockdown period’. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Explain how political parties and pressure groups are dialectically related to each other in terms of achieving their goals. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present day context.
Solved answer →
Q7.
- (a) Explain how the pattern of patriarchy is being altered in a family and at the workplace in the present context.
- (b) Critically examine the contribution of dependency theories in understanding the present global scenario.
Solved answer → - (c) Explain the growing salience of ethnicity in the contemporary world with illustrations.
Solved answer →
Q8.
- (a) Discuss the changing nature of kinship relations in the contemporary world.
Solved answer → - (b) Describe the role of Science and Technology in enabling us to face the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Solved answer → - (c) Highlight the roles and functions of civil society in a democratic system.
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 (2021)
Section A
Q1. Write short answers, with a sociological perspective, of the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) Caste system studies in India have been dominated by the “book-view” initially. How did the entry of “field-view” bring about a balance in the study of Indian caste system? Discuss. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) What does Dr. B. R. Ambedkar mean by the concept of “Annihilation of caste”? (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss different forms of kinship system in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Critically examine briefly the phrase “Little Republics” as used to denote India’s villages. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Caste-like formations are present in Non-Hindu religious communities as well. Discuss with examples. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q2.
- (a) What is identity politics? Discuss the main trends in Dalit movements in India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Is Indian society moving from “Hierarchy” towards “differentiation”? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss the salient features of ‘new middle class’ in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q3.
- (a) Discuss in detail the major contribution of Prof. Yogendra Singh in theorizing India’s modernization. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Examine the factors responsible for the rural unrest in contemporary India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Discuss the changing dimensions of family structure in urban India. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q4.
- (a) What are the sociological reasons and implication of “reverse migration” during the recent pandemic in India? (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Discuss the main features of the debate between G. S. Ghurye and V. Elwin on tribal development. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) What are the various forms of untouchability in India? Critically examine. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Section B
Q5. Write short answers, with sociological perspective, of the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
- (a) Analyze the idea of developmental planning in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Comment on the role of co-operatives in rural development. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Urban slums are sites of social exclusion – explain. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (d) Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate your answer with relevant examples. (10 marks)
Solved answer → - (e) Discuss the role of technology in agrarian change in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q6.
- (a) Explain the sociological significance of the New Education Policy and its thrust on vocationalization and skill development. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Is ‘ageing’ an emerging issue in Indian society? Discuss the major problems of the old age people in India. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Underline the socio-cultural factor(s) responsible for India’s skewed sex-ratio. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q7.
- (a) The problem of displacement is inherent in the idea of development. Analyze the statement critically. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Rising ‘ethnocentrism’ is leading to conflict in our society. Assess this statement with appropriate reasons. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Is social democracy a precondition for political democracy? Comment. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
Q8.
- (a) Discuss the role of social media in communal polarisation. Suggest ways to combat it. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (b) Urban settlements in India tend to replicate its rural caste-kinship imprints. Discuss the main reasons. (20 marks)
Solved answer → - (c) Does “economic empowerment” automatically bring about “substantive empowerment” for women? Briefly describe the main issues in women empowerment in India. (10 marks)
Solved answer →
What the 2021 Sociology Optional papers tested
The 2021 papers were direct and syllabus-bound, with a clear COVID-19 imprint on work, migration and technology. Paper-1 rewarded depth on methods and classical thinkers; Paper-2 rewarded a firm grasp of caste and of Indian scholars’ debates.
Syllabus units in the 2021 papers
| Paper | Syllabus unit | Parts asked |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-1 | Sociological Thinkers | 4 |
| Paper-1 | Works and Economic Life | 4 |
| Paper-1 | Stratification and Mobility | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Religion and Society | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Social Change in Modern Society | 3 |
| Paper-1 | Sociology as a Science | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Research Methods and Analysis | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Sociology: The Discipline | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Politics and Society | 2 |
| Paper-1 | Education System and Social Change | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Systems of Kinship | 1 |
| Paper-1 | Science, Technology and Social Change | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Caste System | 5 |
| Paper-2 | Rural and Agrarian Social Structure | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Visions of Social Change in India | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Challenges of Social Transformation | 3 |
| Paper-2 | Social Movements in Modern India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Industrialization and Urbanisation in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Politics and Society in India | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Population Dynamics | 2 |
| Paper-2 | Systems of Kinship in India | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Social Classes in India | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Impact of Colonial Rule on Indian Society | 1 |
| Paper-2 | Tribal Communities in India | 1 |
Counts are based on the 54 questions with a linked model answer; a question filed under two units is counted in both.
Methods and science carried Paper-1
Ethnomethodology, the census method, positivism and the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods took four parts, and two more asked how sociology relates to other social sciences and to common sense. Together with Q1(a) on modernity in Europe, the discipline-level units had a large share.
Classical thinkers asked directly
Émile Durkheim (division of labour), Max Weber (stratification and bureaucracy as an iron cage), Karl Marx (modes of production), Robert K. Merton (conformity and deviance), Vilfredo Pareto (circulation of elites) and Talcott Parsons (social change) were all named. Most asked for relevance or a critical view rather than description.
The pandemic shaped several questions
Work from home, migrant labourers in the lockdown, science and technology against COVID-19 and reverse migration during the pandemic all appeared across the two papers. These required theory on work, migration and technology to be applied to a very recent event.
Caste dominated Paper-2
Five parts were on caste: the book-view and field-view, Ambedkar’s annihilation of caste, caste-like formations among non-Hindus, hierarchy versus differentiation and forms of untouchability. Q2(a) on Dalit movements and Q8(b) on caste-kinship imprints in cities added to this weight.
Religion given three parts in Paper-1
E. B. Tylor and Max Müller on religion, the growth of cults and religious revivalism formed a cluster in Section B of Paper-1. Paper-2 did not return to religion directly, apart from caste among non-Hindu communities and communal polarisation through social media.
Indian thinkers through debates
Paper-2 asked for Yogendra Singh on modernisation, the Ghurye–Elwin debate on tribal development and the colonial image of villages as ‘little republics’. Questions framed as debates or contested phrases rewarded knowing both sides of an argument.
Practise the 2021 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 2021 paper under timed conditions, then open the linked answers and compare structure, not just content.
Sociology Optional Question Paper 2021: FAQs
Sociology Optional question papers: other years
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