Ncert Solutions for Class 12 Sociology Chapter 3: Social institutions continuity and change questions and answers
| Textbook | Ncert |
| Class | Class 12 |
| Subject | Sociology |
| Chapter | Chapter 3 |
| Chapter Name | Social Institutions Continuity and Change ncert solutions |
| Category | Ncert Solutions |
| Medium | English |
Are you looking for Sociology Class 12 chapter 3 questions and answers? Now you can download social institutions continuity and change questions and answers pdf from here.
Question 1: What is the role of the ideas of separation and hierarchy in the caste system?
Answer 1: The ideas of separation and hierarchy are fundamental to the caste system, shaping its structure and functioning. Separation emphasizes strict boundaries between castes, particularly concerning social interactions, food consumption, and marriage. These boundaries ensure the preservation of caste purity, with rigid rules prohibiting intermixing.
Hierarchy, on the other hand, establishes a graded inequality, where castes are ranked based on their perceived purity and occupation, often sanctioned by religious texts and traditions. The upper castes typically hold privileges, while lower castes face discrimination and exclusion. Together, these principles reinforce social stratification, limit upward mobility, and perpetuate systemic inequalities within the society, ensuring the persistence of caste-based divisions over generations.
Question 2: What are some of the rules that the caste system imposes?
Answer 2: The caste system imposes a range of strict rules that govern social behavior, interactions, and relationships. Some of these rules include:
- Restrictions on Marriage: Marriages are typically confined within the same caste (endogamy), prohibiting inter-caste unions to maintain caste purity.
- Occupational Boundaries: Specific castes are traditionally associated with particular occupations, with individuals expected to follow their caste’s hereditary profession.
- Social Interaction: Rules dictate the level of interaction between castes, with lower castes often being excluded from sharing food, water, or physical spaces with higher castes.
- Dietary Regulations: Certain foods and eating practices are prescribed or prohibited for different castes, with strict taboos against sharing food between castes.
- Access to Resources and Spaces: Lower castes may be denied access to temples, wells, schools, or public spaces used by higher castes.
- Purity and Pollution: Caste rules emphasize maintaining ritual purity, with lower castes often considered “polluted” and subjected to practices like untouchability.
Question 3: What changes did colonialism bring about in the caste system?
Answer 3: Colonialism brought significant changes to the caste system in India, both reinforcing and transforming its traditional structures. The British administration categorized and documented castes extensively through censuses, giving caste identities a more rigid and institutionalized character. They used caste as a basis for governance, recruitment in the army, and defining legal and administrative frameworks, inadvertently solidifying caste distinctions.
Economic changes during colonial rule, such as the introduction of new land revenue systems, disrupted traditional occupations linked to castes. This allowed some individuals to rise economically, challenging the rigid occupational hierarchy. At the same time, Western education introduced by the British enabled lower-caste groups to gain access to new opportunities, fostering awareness and movements against caste-based oppression.
Social reform movements emerged during this period, led by figures like Jyotirao Phule, B.R. Ambedkar, and others, who sought to dismantle caste discrimination. The colonial period also saw the formation of caste associations, which helped various groups organize for social and political rights.
However, the British reliance on caste for administrative convenience also entrenched its relevance, leaving a complex legacy of both continuity and change in the caste system.
Question 4: In what sense has caste become relatively ‘invisible’ for the urban upper castes?
Answer 4: The changes in the caste system benefited the most were urban middle and upper class. Caste status ensured these groups the necessary economic and educational resources and they took full advantage of the opportunities offered by rapid development. Particularly the upper caste elite were able to benefit from subsidised public education, specially professional education in science, technology, medicine and management.
They were also able to take advantages of the expansion of state sector jobs in the early decades after independence. Because of this earlier load over the rest of the society in terms of education ensured a privileged status.
For the so called SC and ST and backward castes this change became detrimental. For these the caste became all too visible. They had not inherited educational and social capital and they had to compete with already established upper caste group. They cannot afford to abandon their caste identity. They continue to suffer from discrimination of various kinds.
Question 5: How have tribes been classified in India?
Answer 5: Tribes have been classified according to their permanent and acquired traits. Classification of Tribal societies: • Permanent traits • Acquired traits
Permanent traits are language, region, physical characteristics and ecological habitat.
Classification on the basis of size: In terms of size, tribals range between seven million to less than 100 person (In Andaman Nicobar Islands). The biggest tribes are the Gonds, Bhils, Santhals, Oraons, Minas, Bodos, and Mundas each at least a million people. The tribals in India shared 8.2% of total population i.e. 85 million people according to 2001 census.
Question 6: What evidence would you offer against the view that ‘tribes are primitive communities living isolated lives untouched by civilisation’?
Answer 6: There is no reason to believe that tribes are out of contact with the rest of world or have always been the oppressed section of the society. This can be said because of the following reasons:
1.Gond Kingdoms in central India such as that of Garha Mandla or Chanda.
2.Many of the Rajput Kingdoms of central and western India emerged through a process of stratification among adivasi communities themselves.
3.Adivasi often exercised dominance over the plains people through their capacity to raid them and through their services as local militias.
4.They also occupied a special trade niche, trading forest produce, salts and elephants.
Evidences substantiating tribes as primitive communities:
1.Tribes have not a state or political form of the normal kind.
2.They have no written rules on religion.
3.They are neither Hindus nor peasants.
4.Primarily they are engaged in activities like food gathering, fishing, hunting, agriculture etc.
5.The habitat of tribes is in dense forests and mountainous regions.
Question 7: What are the factors behind the assertion of tribal identities today?
Answer 7: Sеvеral factors contributе to thе assеrtion of tribal idеntitiеs today:
- Historical Injusticеs: Tribеs havе historically facеd discrimination and еxploitation, lеading to a dеsirе to assеrt thеir distinct idеntity and rights.
- Lеgal Provisions: Constitutional safеguards and affirmativе action policiеs havе еmpowеrеd tribеs and еncouragеd thеm to assеrt thеir idеntity for protеction and bеnеfits.
- Cultural Pridе: Many tribal communitiеs takе pridе in thеir uniquе cultural hеritagе and arе kееn to prеsеrvе and showcasе it.
- Global Indigеnous Movеmеnts: Thе global Indigеnous rights movеmеnt has inspirеd tribal communitiеs to assеrt thеir idеntity and dеmand rеcognition.
Question 8: What are some of the different forms that the family can take?
Answer 8: Family is a very important sodal institution. In either form i.e. nudear or extended, it has post to perform. Lately, a lot of changes have come about in the structure for example, those people employed in the software industry have odd working to this, grandparents have shifted in as caregivers to young.
A family could be headed by a male or female; descent could be traced from the mother or the father. This structure and composition of the family is based on various fadors ‘ such as economy, polity, culture and education.
The changes in the structure of family that we see today could be
- (i)Same sex marriage
- (ii)Love marriage
But history and contemporary times suggest that such changes are met with violent reactions.
Nuclear Family: It consists of one set of parents and their children.
Extended Family: It consisted of more than one couple and, often, more than two generations live together. The extended family is symptomatic of India.
Diverse forms of family
- Matrilocal-patrilocal (based on residence)
- Matrilineal and patrilineal (based on rules of inheritance)
- Matriarchal and patriarchal (based on authority)
Question 9: In what ways can changes in social structure lead to changes in the family structure?
Answer 9: Changеs in social structurе can impact family structurе in sеvеral ways:
- Economic Changеs: Economic shifts can affеct thе family’s financial dynamics, lеading to changеs in rolеs and rеsponsibilitiеs within thе family.
- Urbanization: Urbanization oftеn lеads to smallеr family sizеs as pеoplе movе away from еxtеndеd family sеtups to urban arеas with nuclеar familiеs.
- Educational Attainmеnt: Highеr lеvеls of еducation may dеlay marriagе and childbеaring, lеading to changеs in thе timing of family formation.
- Gеndеr Rolеs: Changing gеndеr rolеs and womеn’s еmpowеrmеnt can influеncе family structurеs, such as a shift toward morе еgalitarian rеlationships.
Question 10: Explain the difference between matriliny and matriarchy.
Answer 10: Matriliny.
- Societies of Meghalaya Khasi, Jaintia, Garo tribes and societies of Kerala, Nayyar family property inheritance goes from mother to daughter whereas control passes from maternal uncle to Nephew.
- It means a women inherits property from mother and passes on to her daughter while a man controls his sister’s property and passes on control to his sister’s son.
- This matriliny generates intense role conflict for men because they are in conflict between their responsibilities to their own house on the one hand and to their wife and children on the other-“Should I pay more attention to my family or my sister’s family.” This role conflict is for woman also. She possesses only token authority, men are the defacto powerholders. Despite matriliny men are the powerholders.
Matriarchy
- In such societies the women exercise authority and play dominant role.
- Practically it is only a theoretical concept as it never allows the women to have real power of dominance.
- Realistically it is not existed even in matrilineal families.