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In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 3 THE STORY OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 SOCIOLOGY PART B which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON THE STORY OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY

Question 1.
What is the importance of Panchayati Raj? Write in detail.
Answer:
1. Rule of the People. Panchayati Raj System can be called the rule of the people because people play the most important role at every level of Panchayati Raj. At the time of the election, everything is in the hands of the people who elect the representative of their choice. Those elected representatives will have to work to solve the problems of the people. Every level of Panchayati Raj will have to provide basic facilities of drinking water, electricity, health, education, etc., to the people. Elected representatives know about the fact that if they do not take care of the problems of the people then they will not be re-elected. In this way, the elected representatives will have to work for the welfare of the people and therefore the rule is always in the hands of the people.

2. Democracy. Panchayati Raj gives strength to democracy. The meaning of democracy is the rule of the people and Panchayati Raj has been made with the purpose that they should rule over themselves. People themselves elect their representatives and can meet them at any time and call for the solution of their problems. Gram Sabha exists at the village level whose members are all the adults of the village. It has to meet at least twice a year in which discussion takes place about the functions, planning, budget, and expenditure of the Panchayat. In this way, people come to know about the identity of their representatives which is a symbol of democracy.

3. To make the people self-reliant. Another important objective of Panchayati Raj is to make villages self-dependent. While making laws related to this, every care must be taken that all the levels of Panchayati Raj should get powers according to their needs. Every Panchayat has been given enough rights for the solution of the problems of the village. A village panchayat makes a number of developmental plans for the village and presents them before the Gram Sabha. The local self-government collects taxes from the village and uses them for the village’s development. In this way, the village becomes self-dependent.

4. Knowledge of Rights and Duties. Through Panchayati Raj System, people come to know about their rights and duties towards their village. Knowledge about their rights as voters and as members of Gram Sabha is known at the time of the election and at the meetings of Gram Sabha. If Gram Sabha imposes any taxes on the village then the villagers pay it willingly as they know that money will be used for the development of the village.

5. Development of Agriculture. Panchayati Raj has played an important role in the development of agriculture. One of the important functions of Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad is that they work for the development of agriculture and increase production in their respective area. They have many government officials at their disposal whose main work is to give information on new seeds, machines, urea, etc., to the people so that they could increase their production.

Apart from this, Panchayati Raj institutions also arrange for new seeds and fertilizers for their respective areas. With this, the country becomes self-dependent in the field of food production and people also develop economically. In this way, Panchayati Raj Institutions play an important role in the economic development of the people.

Question 2.
Which changes came in society due to different laws? Explain.
Answer:
1. Change in the Status of Women. The social status of women has been improved due to these laws. Females had very limited right over their husband’s property but after the Hindu Succession Act of, 1956 they got equal right in husband’s property. Widows got the right to remarriage under the Widow Remarriage Act. They got the right to adopt any child. Dowry Prohibition Act was made. Some seats have been kept reserved for them in Panchayati Raj Institutions. That is why many changes came in the status of women due to these laws.

2. Change in the forms of Marriage. Many customs of marriage prevailed in Indian Society for ages, like polygamy, polygyny, polyandry, etc. By Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 polygamy was declared illegal. Monogamy was given legal sanction and court marriage was also given legal sanction.

3. Decline in obsolete Conventions. Many social evils prevailed in Indian society like Sati Pratha, Dowry, Child marriage, Untouchability, etc., Sati Pratha has been declared illegal through Sati Prohibition Act. This Pratha has been eliminated from society. Taking and giving dowry has been declared as a crime through Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and 1986. Child marriage has been banned and the legal age of marriage has been fixed for boys and girls. Untouchability has also been eliminated through the Untouchability Offenses Act, 1955, and Civil Rights Protection, 1976.

4. Change in Inter-Caste Relations. Inter-caste relations have also been changed through social laws. Inter-caste marriages have been sanctioned through Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The government is giving encouragement to such types of marriages. Untouchability has been declared illegal. That is why interaction between all the classes has increased and they are living with each other with peace and harmony.

5. Change in Rules of Marriage. Traditionally, Hindu marriage has been considered a religious sacrament. But due to certain laws, it has been changed into a social contract. Other rules related to marriage have also been changed. Inter-caste marriage has been sanctioned by law and the minimum age for the marriage has also been fixed.

Question 3.
What can be done to bring reforms in Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
1. People of rural areas should know about their rights and duties to bring reforms in Panchayati Raj. If rural people become conscious about their rights then they will be able to participate in Gram Sabha which in turn will enable them to know about some of their other rights.

2. Another necessary step is that all the levels of Panchayati Raj should be given complete freedom so that they could be able to work for the development of their respective areas. The government should not interfere in their function so that they could work for their areas, without any fear.

3. Government should not keep unnecessary control over the functions of these institutions and on them as well. Control results in a decline of work and officials are unable to work in a proper way.

4. Government officials and members related to these institutions should be given training from governmental and non-governmental institutions so that they can work for the people. The advantage of this training should reach directly to the people so that they could use it on their agricultural land.

5. Officials working in these institutions should be given good salaries so that they work wholeheartedly for the development of the village and do not become corrupt.

6. There should be a good balance between all the three levels of Panchayati Raj so that they can develop in their respective areas in a proper way.

7. Gram Sabha should be made more powerful by giving more rights to it so that it can check the functioning of Panchayat and people’s participation could be increased.

8. Educated candidates should be appointed at those posts which are related to the institutions of Panchayati Raj so that they could be able to understand the problems of the villages.

9. These institutions should be given more grants by the state and central governments so that they can do their work without any problem of finance.

Question 4.
What are the advantages of Planned development?
Answer:
1. Saving of time. Time can be saved if development is done with planning. It is quite possible that time and resources could be wasted in the absence of planning and we can move away from our objectives. With planning, we know of the fact that in a direction in which we have to work. It not only saves time but saves our resources as well.

2. Achievement of objective in less duration. Some objectives are always determined while making the plan of any work. Even planners fix the time to achieve those objectives. If no plan is made then they will keep on working without any direction and may get distracted from their objective. Therefore, objectives can be achieved in less duration only through planned development.

3. All-round Development. If the work is done in a planned way then all the sectors can develop in a better way. If the work is done without proper planning, then it may happen that one sector can develop completely and the other sector remains undeveloped. Therefore, planned work is necessary for the development of any sector. That is why the whole area is taken as a unit and all of its sectors are kept in mind.

4. Industrial Development. If industries of our country are required to be developed then proper planning is necessary. We need planning to establish any industry. Capital required to establish industry, the raw material to manufacture goods, labor to make goods, the arrangement of the market to sell goods, etc., needs a lot of planning. The industry cannot run in a proper way in the absence of planning. If more capital will be required, if more raw material will be required, if goods will not be sold then what will happen? These are some of the questions which require planning. Therefore, planned development can lead to the industrial growth of the country.

5. For Agricultural Development. Agricultural development also requires proper planning. Arrangement of good seeds, urea, to arrange for good technology, to increase and sell the produce, etc., needs a lot of planning. Non-planning of one sector may spoil
the entire work. Therefore, planned development is essential for the development of the agricultural sector as well.

6. Development of Lower Classes. The lower classes of our country have been exploited for ages. So proper planning was required to uplift their status. The plan was made and a reservation was kept for them in the Constitution. Five Year Plans have also done a lot for their welfare. Today, lower castes people are standing with higher castes people and their status has improved a lot. All this has happened due to proper planning.

Question 5.
In what ways do pressure groups and movements exert influence on politics?
Or
What role do pressure groups play in Indian democracy?
Answer:
Pressure groups are organized and unorganized groups that try to influence governmental policies and promote their interests. Movements also try to influence politics but they both did not take part in direct elections. They both try to influence politics in one way or the other. They affect politics in the following ways:

1. These pressure groups and movements start to campaign on any particular issue so that public support could be gained. Both of them take the help of mass media so that more public attention could be given to them.
2. They generally call for a strike, march, or protest and try to disrupt the governmental programs. They often call for strikes and dharnas to raise their voice. Most of the federations and unions used to take this route to influence governmental policies.
3. Generally, business groups form a lobby of the people with common objectives so that the government could be pressurized to change its policies.

Question 6.
Describe the forms of relationship between pressure groups and political parties.
Answer:
Generally, pressure groups are those groups of people who try to influence governmental policies. They make their aims and try to achieve those aims by exerting pressure on the government. Their main aim is to influence governmental policies. Generally, the members of these groups are those people who have some of their common interests, goals, aims, etc. They never try to contest the elections but form their own ideology. The forms of relationship between pressure groups and political parties are given below:

1. In many cases, these pressure groups are formed or led by political parties. These pressure groups act as extended arms of those political parties. For example, labor unions formed by different political parties.
2. Many a time, movements give birth to political parties. If the struggle of aims becomes too long then at times, it takes the form of a political party. For example, the roots of DMK and AIADMK can be seen from the movements.
3. Generally, political parties and interest groups stand against or in front of each other. Their relations are not direct but dialogue and negotiations are there. Their views and ideas are usually opposite to each other.

Question 5.
Explain how the activities of pressure groups are useful in the functioning of a democratic government.
Or
Is the influence of pressure groups and movements healthy for democracy? Comment.
Answer:
A pressure group is a group of people which tries to achieve its aims by influencing governmental policies. People with common aims, occupations, etc., form these groups. At the start, it seems that these pressure groups are not good for democracy because they try to influence the governmental policies to achieve the aims of one particular group. In a democracy, the government has to take care of the interests of all sections of society. Another factor against it is that these groups are trying to get powers but without taking any responsibility.

Like political parties, these groups are not bound to face the people in elections and are not accountable to anyone. They do not get any support or money from the masses. Many a time, due to their wealth, but little public support, they try to gain public sympathy in favor of their narrow agenda.

But on the other hand, pressure groups and movements are very much necessary for democracy. If everyone in the country is getting equal opportunity then it is not unhealthy for society. Generally, the government comes under pressure from these rich and influential people. Movements and public interest groups can play a useful role to reduce this undue control and they can tell the government about the needs of the ordinary people from time to time.

Every pressure group and interest group is generally associated with a political party. These groups help the political parties wholeheartedly at the time of elections so that their objectives could be achieved after elections.

Whenever any bill is introduced in Parliament then that bill is sent to permanent committees of the Parliament so that they could study the merits and drawbacks of that bill. These pressure groups influence the members of these committees so that the main features of this bill could be changed according to their interests.

Even different sectional interest groups can play an important role in it. If any interest group tries to influence the government to achieve its aims, then another interest group can also counterattack on the first group and can create hurdles in the desires of the first group. From this, the government can come to know about the needs of the people and can accommodate all of them with conflicting interests.

Question 6.
What is the difference between a pressure group and a political party?
Answer:
A pressure group can be an organized and unorganized group that tries to influence governmental policies and tries to promote its interests. They have some of their aims and they try to achieve those aims by exerting pressure on the government. Generally, the members of these groups are those people who have some of their common interests. They try to control the power with their influence.

But the political party is an organized body that tries to attain the political power of the country by contesting direct elections and by winning the majority. Members of one political party have their common goals and a common ideology.

The main difference between pressure groups and political parties is that pressure groups never try to contest the elections but they want to control the powers indirectly. On the other hand, the political party directly contests the elections to take power into its hands. A pressure group can be organized as well as unorganized but a political party is always an organized group.

Question 7.
What is Democracy? Explain its characteristics, merits, and demerits.
Answer:
Democracy is a form of government in which the people are supposed to govern. In it, the representatives of the people are elected by the voters on the basis of a universal adult franchise. It believes in the concepts like liberty, equality, and fraternity and these are its functional bases. In it, there should be maximum scope for the individual and collective development of society and personality. It has the following characteristics:

1. Rule of the people. Administration in a democracy is directly or indirectly run by the people and every decision in a democracy is taken by the majority.
2. The interest of the people. In a democracy, the administration is run in the interest of the people, and the interest of the weaker sections are properly taken care of by the government.
3. Principle of Equality. The basic principle of democracy is the principle of equality. In a democracy, every person is considered equal. No discrimination is done on the basis of birth, education, wealth, etc. All the citizens are given equal political rights. Every person has been given the right to vote through the universal adult franchise.
4. Rule of Majority. Democracy is the rule of the majority. Every decision in a democracy is taken by the majority. That party forms the government which gets a majority in elections.

Merits of Democracy-Democracy, in modern times, is considered as the best rule. That is why most of the countries have adopted this concept of democracy. It has certain merits which are given below:
1. It is based on public opinion. Democracy is that system of rule which is based on public opinion and the rule is being run according to the wishes of the people. No importance is given to public opinion in a monarchy and dictatorship and laws are also formed according to public opinion.

2. It is based on the principle of equality. All humans in a democracy are considered equal. No one gets special privileges on the basis of birth, caste, religion, sex, and wealth. General masses are given the right to take part in the decision-making process. All are considered equal.

3. Responsible government. Governments in monarchy and dictatorship are not responsive to anyone but the government in a democracy is responsive to people and the Parliament. Government has to work according to public opinion and cannot work against it as people can remove it from power in the next elections.

4.(iv) Strong and efficient government. The government in a democracy is strong and efficient. The administration is run by the representatives of the people who have the support of the public. Rulers are encouraged by the support of people with which they apply their decisions with full strength. Rulers are controlled by public opinion and they are responsive to the people for their decisions. In this way, it works in an efficient way.

Demerits of Democracy: After looking at the merits of democracy, it seems that this rule is the best but it is not so. This system also has certain demerits which are given below:
1. Principle of equality is unnatural. The main base of democracy is the principle of equality but critics say that equality is unnatural. Even nature has not kept equality among humans. Some are fools, some are wise, some are powerful and some are weak. If nature has kept this type of discrimination then how social, economic and political equality can be kept. This is the biggest demerit of equality that all are given equal rights.

2. Gives importance to quantity than quality. Quantity is given more importance than quality in democracy. In other words, every decision in a democracy is taken by the people. If 100 fools will say anything is right and 99 wises will say this is wrong then the decision of 100 fools will be considered. Representatives of the people are also elected by the majority. Every fool and wise has the right to vote and any wrong person can become the representative of the people.

3. It does not establish a responsive government. The government in a democracy is responsive to people but practically it is not. Leaders hardly care about the people after elections and come back to the public only at the time of the next elections. The majority party hardly cares about the opposition or minority parties.

4. Unstable and weak government. The government in a democracy is unstable and weak. Governments change frequently in a multi-party system. In the absence of a majority, many parties come together to make the government. This type of mixed government can be broken at any time. At the time of a problem, democratic governments prove to be weak. Decisions take a lot of time to be implemented.

Question 8.
What is meant by Political Party? Explain with definitions.
Answer:
Political parties have come to stay in every form of government. Their role is very significant in democracies, as compared with every other form of government. The scholars have attempted definitions of a political party in their own way but each good political party is required to have certain features or characteristics. Similarly, each political party is expected to perform some basic functions without which it cannot maintain its existence. Efforts have also been made to classify political parties but without much success. There are different types of party systems and each type has its own advantages as well as disadvantages.

Political parties have become an essential feature of every form of government. Being a link between the government and the people, these have assumed great significance. There are ideologically strong political parties that observe strong discipline. Although entry into such parties is difficult, those who once join it do not wish to leave it. On the other hand, ideologically weak political parties also exist whose members are not well disciplined.

Members can leave the party at any time. Whereas in some cases it is easy to enter a political party and rise as well, the reverse is the case in other systems. In some countries, there is a single-party system. In it, only one party dominates, and no other political party is allowed to be formed, whereas in other societies, there is the multi-party system and in still others, there is a mushroom of political parties.

The strength and Weakness of a political party, however, depends on the active participation and strength of its members. Its legitimacy depends on the way by which it has come to power. In a democracy, its popularity and mass base is reflected by the number of votes polled at the time of elections.

Definitions
Each political party consists of persons who have a common program on political issues to which they have agreed and are prepared to implement that on a common line of action. Each political party tries to seek political power either single-handedly or in cooperation with any other political party or parties.

1. According to Burke, “It is a body of men united for promoting by their joint endeavors the national interests upon some political principles in which they all are agreed.”
2. According to Gilchrist, “It is an organized group of citizens who profess to share the same political views and who by acting as a political unit try to control the government.”
3. According to Finer, “A political party is an organized body with voluntary membership its concerted energy being employed in the pursuit of political power.”
4. According to G. C. Field, “A political party is nothing else but a voluntary association of people for the purpose of attaining political power.”
5. According to Prof. Gettel,” A political party consists of a group of citizens more or less organized who act as a political unit and who by the use of their voting power aim to control the government and carry out their general policies.”

In this way on the basis of these definitions, we can say that a political party is an organized group that is tied with certain rules. Its membership is optional and can be attained or left at any time. It is the association of the people whose only aim is to obtain political power because of which they collectively make some efforts. Views of its members are common because they all belong to one party.

Question 9.
Explain certain features of the political party.
Answer:
1. In a democracy, every political party wants to create its own identity among other political parties of the country.

2. Since the Political interests and views of the members differ, therefore, policies and programs of each political party also differ. Each party separates itself from the other on the basis of its political program. The aim of each political party is to capture the power and if already in power, to retain it.

3. A political party should be well organized and its members should gladly accept the codes of conduct of the party. The members should keep party discipline above everything else.

4. Another characteristic of a political party is that its members should believe in some common program to which they have already agreed. They uphold the soundness of that at every stage.

5. It should have continuity in its activities and programs. It should organize itself on the basis of some programs because if the charisma of the leader is the basis of a party then it cannot remain in existence for long. It will end as soon as the charisma of the leader fades away.

6. The members of a good party should be agreeable on some common line of action for the implementation of their agreed programs. If that is not the case, then conflicts are bound to arise which can lead to its disintegration.

7. It should be prepared to shoulder responsibilities and should not be satisfied by having been in the opposition or by criticizing the party in power. It should be prepared to form the government either on its own or in coalition with other like-minded political parties. Not only this but it should use all legal means to capture the power and by all means try to convince the electorates that its programs are not only mere theories but if given a chance, these can be put into practice as well.

8. A political party should try to have the mass base or popular support because without that the electorates will never return it to power and it shall not be in a position to implement its political programs.

9. It should try to protect national over regional or local interests and for this purpose, it should try to get the support of citizens and not involve the foreigners or those who are anti-national. It is, however, left to each political party to identify the areas of national interest and fix its priorities.

10. It should always have faith in constitutional means a political party that beliefs in extra-constitutional means will never be allowed to function in any form of government and its activities will immediately be banned.

Question 10.
Explain different functions of political parties.
Answer:
1. Formation of Public Opinion. The electorates usually cannot have the same opinion. These may have constructive individual opinions that are of no use to the nation. It is the function of the political parties to consolidate public opinion and give that a constructive shape. If political parties do not come to the front there will be a multitude of opinions without any channels of expression. It is only through the change of these parties that multitudes of these ideas are molded, formulated, and given a definite and clear shape.

2. To Impart Political Education. The people are usually busy and have no resources to get proper political education. With ever-growing economic needs, the people are forced to devote much of their time and attention to solve their economic problems. It is only at the time of elections that the political parties organize vast and large-scale meetings, seminars, etc., by which the people get very much politically educated. They come to know about the various aspects of the problems facing the nation only through political parties.

3. Link between the Elected and Electorates. Political parties act as a link between the elected and the electorates. Without these parties, the elected have no methods of knowing the feeling of the electorates. Similarly, the electorates have no method to tell their grievances to the elected without this channel. The members of political parties always remain in close touch with the electorates, know their feelings, ideas, views, and opinions, and convey them on to their party leaders. Thus, they are a useful link between the elected and electorate.

4. Help in the Selection of Candidates. Political parties help in the selection of candidates at the time of general elections. The voters personally do not know the candidates and their views and ideas about political problems. Without them, it would have been rather impossible to select suitable candidates. It is through these parties that the candidates can most conveniently be selected. A candidate is known by the label of this political party. In fact, he is not voted for his individual views but for the views of his political party. He is responsible to the political party for all his deeds and misdeeds.

5. Help in Redressing the Grievances of the People. Each political party helps in getting the grievances of the people redressed. Parties try their best to see that the people do not feel very much hard-pressed about their problems. They also see that through their agency, the difficulties are redressed so that all credit goes to them. More particularly, the political party in power is very much careful about this. It knows completely well that even a little slackness on its part can result in the dissatisfaction of people who may not vote for them at the time of the next general elections, thereby unseating it from power and authority.

Similarly, parties in opposition are also careful in this regard. They are well aware that active work on their part can bring satisfaction to the people who will vote for them at the time of general elections and thus can bring them in power and authority.

6. These are responsive to Public Opinion. Political parties make the party in power responsive to public opinion. The party clearly knows that it must respect the sentiments of the public and its wishes if it is to enjoy the confidence of the masses. Any failure in this regard can result in serious troubles and consequences.

In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 2 CULTURAL CHANGE NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 SOCIOLOGY PART B which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON CULTURAL CHANGE

Question 1.
What were the conditions required in India to start a social reform movement?
Answer:
1. Western Education: When the British started to rule over India, then they started to spread western education here. When Indians came in contact with western education, they came to know about science and reasoning. They came to know that the prevailing customs of Indian society are useless and baseless. That’s why enlightened Indians started social movements here.

2. Development of means of transport: The British developed means of transport for their own convenience, but Indians took the maximum advantage of these means. With the advent of means of transport, Indians came in contact with each other. Enlightened and educated Indians reached different parts of the country and explained to the people that the prevailing customs are useless. People were already fed up with these customs. They responded well to these calls and conditions became conducive with the development of means of transport.

3. Advent of Indian Press: Press started in India after the advent of the British. Organizers of movements started to publish small newspapers and magazines so that Indians could read them and should understand that these evils are very harmful to society. It was necessary for them to throw these evils out of society. In this way, Indians came to know that it was necessary for them to remove these social evils.

4. Increasing impact of Missionaries: When the British came to India, Christian Missionaries also came with them. They were given help by the British. The main function of these missionaries was to propagate Christianity, but their way of propagating was somewhat different. First, they used to work for social welfare. They solved the problems of the people and then they propagated their religion. Gradually people started to adopt Christianity. When Indian social reformers came to know about this, then they also started reform movements in India. In this way, these movements were started due to the impact of Christian missionaries.

5. Evils of Indian Society: Most of the social reform movements were started to remove the social evils of the society. Sati Pratha, child marriage, restriction on widow remarriage, dowry system, untouchability, etc. are examples of some of the social evils of Indian society. People were fed up with the prevailing social evils. When these movements started to take place they were welcomed with both hands by the people. That’s why these movements got a conducive environment and social reform movements became successful.

Question 2.
What changes came in Indian society due to social movements? Explain them.
Answer:
1. End of Sati Pratha: Sati Pratha (system) prevailed in Indian society from the very beginning. Widows had to die with the death of her husband. She had to sit alive on the funeral pyre of her husband. This inhuman custom was started by higher castes. Due to social movements, the British government started to oppose this system and it passed a law called ‘Sati Prohibition Act’ in 1829. This law declared Sati Pratha as illegal. In this way, the custom of ancient times came to an end. All this happened due to social movements.

2. End of Child Marriage: Child marriages were taking place in Indian society. Due to child marriage, parents used to marry off their children at the age of 4-5 years. The parents gave no consideration if their child even knew the meaning of marriage. The British government fixed a minimum age of child marriage due to social movements. The British Government made a law in 1860 and fixed a minimum age of 10 years for marriage.

3. Widow Remarriage: Widows in our society were not allowed to remarry and this custom was going on from the very beginning. They were not allowed to take part in family functions. They had no right to live a happy life. Due to the efforts of

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the British Government passed an act in 1856 called “Widow Remarriage Act, 1856’ with which widows got permission to remarry. In this way, they got the legal right to remarry and to live a happy life.

4. End of Purdah System: Purdah system prevailed among the Muslims. Females always had to live behind purdahs. They were not allowed to move anywhere without a Purdah. Gradually, this system spread all over the country. Social reformers raised their voice against the purdah system. Even Sir Syed Ahmed Khan raised his voice against this system. In this way, this system started to decrease and with the passage of time, it came to an end.

5. Change in Custom of Dowry System: Dowry is the gift that the father of the bride gives the groom at the time of her marriage. But many problems also came along with it. Parents of bridegrooms started to demand dowry because of which parents of the girls had to face a number of problems. Many movements were started against this. That’s why the British government and later on in 1961, the Indian Government declared it illegal.

6. End of Untouchability: The custom of untouchability was prevalent in Indian society from the very beginning. In this, lower castes were not allowed to touch the people of higher castes. So voices were raised in social movements against untouchability. That’s why an atmosphere was created for declaring it illegal. After independence, the Indian government passed an act with which it was declared illegal.

Question 3.
Describe the women’s movements that were started in India.
Answer:
Many movements, in the Indian Society, were initiated with the objective to improve the status of women. Indian Society is basically a male-dominated society and that’s why Indian women raised their voices against their exploitation. Women, from ancient times, were the victims of many social evils like Child marriage, Sati system, Purdah system, restrictions on widow remarriage, etc. To remove all these social evils, many social reformers initiated movements from time to time. Social reformers of these movements have done a commendable job.

These were started in the early 19th century. Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Dayanand Saraswati, Kashavehandra Sen, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Annie Besant, etc. have done a remarkable job. Raja Ram Mohun Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 and ‘the Sati Prohibition Act, 1829 was made just because of his efforts. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar helped the British to pass the Widow Remarriage Act, 1856. In the same way, reformers also convinced the British to pass a ‘Child Marriage Restraint Act’. Similarly, many efforts were made by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. which positively affected the lives of the Indian women.

Maharishi Karve was in favor of women’s education and widow remarriage. In the same way ‘The special Marriage Act 1872, was passed because of the efforts of Keshav Chandra Sen, and intercaste marriages were sanctioned by this law. With this, many women organizations also started many movements for the security of women. Annie Besant, Madam Kama, Ramabai Ranade, Margret Nobel, etc. played a great role in it. Ahilyabai and Laxmibai started a movement to organize the women of their respective areas. Pandita Ramabai started a movement in 1878 in Karnataka and Saroj Nalini also played a great role in it.

Just because of the efforts of all these movements, the Indian government passed certain laws to improve the status of women. Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Dowry Prohibition

Act, 1961 and others are prominent laws that were made to achieve this objective. Under these Acts, women are given equal rights with males, the right of separation and divorce, right of inheritance, etc. By this, many social movements were started from time to time, which aimed at the security of women from this exploitation.

Question 4.
What was the impact of westernization on Indian Society? Explain them.
Or
What changes took place in Indian Society due to Westernisation? Explain them in detail.
Answer:
1. Impact on Family: Traditionally, joint families exist in our country in which three to four generations were living with each other. But westernization has encouraged individualism and materialism in our country. It has reduced the community feeling and the sense of sacrifice among the members of the family. Educated youth became conscious about their rights. They started to disobey their elders. Females became conscious to maintain their identity. Joint families started to disintegrate very quickly due to this consciousness among females and young people. Nuclear families started to replace joint families.

2. Impact on Marriage: The Indian marriage system also came under the influence of westernization. Before the British, many traditional customs prevailed in the Indian society like marriage within the caste, restriction on widow remarriage, child marriage, hypergamy, etc. Marriage was considered a religious sacrament. Rules of Spinda, Gotra, and Sparvara were obeyed by the people in marriage and there was no concept of divorce. But many changes came in the institution of marriage due to western culture, ideas, views, etc. Child marriages were legally stopped, late marriages started, widow remarriages started, love marriages and court marriages started divorces increased and polygamy was stopped.

3. Impact on Caste System: The caste system is one of the important bases of Indian society but it has also changed due to westernization. The British established large scale industries in India and developed means of transport and communication. With this, they made the Indians familiar with facilities like a post, telegraph, television, newspapers, press, roads, planes, railways, etc. Large scale industries were established and people of different castes started to work with each other in these industries. They started to use means of transport to move from one place to another. This development reduced the sense of superiority and inferiority. People of one caste started to adopt occupations of other castes as well.

4. Impact on untouchability: Untouchability was an indispensable part of the Indian, caste system. But caste discriminations were reduced due to the spread of western values of equality, liberty, and fraternity. Untouchability declined due to a number of reasons like permission to take admission in educational institutions, same educational system for everyone, same job for similar capable persons, etc. Britishers encouraged industrialization and urbanization. People of different castes started to use all the public places. So untouchability was reduced due to westernization.

5. Impact on religious life: Many religious beliefs, superstitions prevailed in Indian society before the advent of the British. But many religious and reformist movements were started in India due to the impact of western education and Christian missionaries. That’s why many religious evils and superstitions came to an end. Many people changed their religion and became Christians. Elements of equalitarianism and humanism were encouraged in the Hindu religion. Many evils came to an end due to this western impact. With this, religious beliefs and their impact were also decreased. Fundamentalism of the Hindu religion declined and the Indianisation of Christianity took place.

6. Change in status of women: The status of women was very low when the Britishers came to India. Their status was very pitiable due to the Sati System, Purdah System, Child Marriage, restriction on widow remarriage, etc. The British declared Sati System illegal and gave permission for widow remarriage. The Purdah system also declined due to the spread of western education. Westernized women started to wear formed attain like shirts and trousers. Lakhs of women became conscious about their rights and they started to work in offices by leaving their traditional work of taking care of the house.

Question 5.
What is the meaning of Secularisation? Explain its different elements.
Answer:
Srinivas has defined the term Secularisation in this way, “The term secularisation implies that what was previously regarded as religious is now ceasing to be such, and it also implies as a process of differentiation which results in the various aspects of society, economic, political, legal and moral becoming increasingly discrete in relation to each other.”

In this way, on the basis of the given definition, we can say that secularisation is that process in which the explanation of human behavior is not done on the basis of religion but is based upon rationalism. Phenomena are understood on the basis of their reason with function. The effect of religion is decreasing in our daily life. Now the impact of science and objectivity has increased.

Essential elements of secularisation

M.N. Srinivas gave three essential elements of secularisation which are given below:
1. Lack of religiousness: First and the important element of secularisation is the decline in the importance of religion. An increase in secularisation will automatically bring change in religious beliefs. A person starts to feel that those religious beliefs or traditions in which he believes, are unable to fulfill any one of his needs. People start to create an atmosphere of pomp and show while performing religious activities. Now humans don’t have any internal religious feelings. In this way, religious views start to decline. Now every person wants to take advantage of even religious activities.

2. Rationality: Through rationality, humans start to examine every type of superstitions, beliefs, etc. on the basis of rationality. According to Srinivas, “In rationality, with other things traditional beliefs and views were changed into modern knowledge.” In this way, rationality increased in humans with the development of modern ideas and values.

3. Process of differentiation: The process of differentiation is also related to the process of secularisation. Every sector of society i.e. social, moral, political, etc. is different from each other. Occupation of the person, in modern society, is not decided on the basis of religion but is determined on the basis of his/her ability. Now everyone is equal before the law. The impact of religion has decreased in every sector of society. A person started to get everything on the basis of his ability, not on the basis of religion.

Question 6.
Which factors affected the process of Secularisation? ,
Answer:
(a) Modern Education: With modern education, traditional ideas started to decline. That’s why people started to accept new values of society. Rationalism started to develop in society. Modern education started to be given to both boys and girls. Earlier females were confined to the four walls of the house and they had to spend their whole life in the house. But with modem education, females started to get education and jobs in every sphere. In this way, the discrimination of untouchability came to an end because everyone started to get an education.

(b) Development in the means of transportation and communication: British government started to develop means of transport and communication to develop mutual contacts in the Indian states. With this development, people started to come in contact with each other. People of higher and lower castes started to travel with each other in buses and rails. With this, the feeling of sacredness and non-sacredness, and untouchability started to decline.

(c) Westernization: With the advent of the Britishers in India, Indian people started to come in contact with the western culture and it has encouraged values like materialism and individualism. Restrictions of the caste system started to decline. The supremacy of Brahmins declined because the British started to treat everyone on equal terms. Western culture has developed the process of secularisation. In this way, the process of secularism was greatly affected by the factors of westernization.

(d) Urbanisation and Industrialisation: The process of secularisation has also been greatly affected by the process of urbanization and industrialization. People had to emerge out of their houses in search of work. Domestic production came to an end. The population of cities started to increase. People of every caste started to five in cities and started to work together in factories. In this way, at this type of place, it was very difficult to work according to the rules of the caste system. Occupation in cities is given not on the basis of caste but on the basis of ability.

(e) Governmental Efforts: The Indian Constitution was implemented in the Indian society after Independence. The Indian government made a new legal system. The Constitution tried to remove the discriminations on the basis of religion, color, caste, creed, etc. New laws were implemented, some of which are given below:

1. Special Marriage Act:-1954
2. Hindu Marriage and Divorce Act:-1955
3. Hindu Succession Act:-1956
4. Dowry Prohibition Act:-1961
5. Widow Remarriage Act:-1856.

In this way, many laws have been passed to remove the social problems of society. Inter caste marriages have been accepted. Now everyone is being treated equally before the law. In this way, the process of secularisation was encouraged by the policies of secularism.

Question 7.
What changes came in the Indian society due to secularisation?
Answer:
1. Change in the concept of purity and impurity: In ancient Hindu society, different castes were given respect according to their high or low position in the society. There were no social relations among the people of higher and lower castes. People of lower castes were considered as impure and the occupation of the Shudras was to serve the people of the higher three castes. A person had to live in that caste in which he was born. They had to adopt the occupation of their own caste, even against their wish.

But the process of Secularisation has tried to remove the concept of pure and impure. Now people are taking the concept of pure and impure by cleanliness and non-cleanliness. If the house of people of higher caste is not clean then he is known as impure. Every type of utensil is considered pure. Brahmins have also changed themselves according to western culture. Restrictions of occupation no more remain in the society. Today, brahmins have adopted other occupations under the effect of secularisation. It means that today no occupation is considered as low or high. They are adopting that occupation in which they see more profit. The widow is no more considered as impure. Even widow remarriage is completely approved by society and is legally sanctioned.

2. Change in the Status of Women: The status of women has been changed completely. Nowadays, the impure word is not used for a literate woman. This type of view has been changed completely. Now everyone can go to the kitchen with shoes on and they take their meals while sitting at the dining table. In this way, we can see that the concept of purity and impurity has been completely changed with the process of secularisation.

3. Changes in life cycles and rituals: With the process of secularisation, the rituals of the Hindu Society have completely changed. Many rituals like upanayana, Namkarna, challah, etc. were popular in Indian society. Some of these rituals were completely wiped out. Some rituals like Sharadha, Namkarna, etc. still exist in our society. In earlier times, marriage was a religious sacrament. Although the people have become modem in their outlook, they are still traditional in their thoughts. Marriage is still considered as sacred. With the development in the field of education, the outlook of people towards marriage has changed completely. Now they want to get married according to their own wish and are opposing the dowry system. Now educated woman considers herself as a dowry.

Literate and employed females even think of not getting married for the sake of their poor parents. Sometimes after the death of her father, a literate female takes the responsibility of her family members.

4. Effect on Dowry System: Under the effect of secularisation, the importance of the dowry system has decreased. Now all sections of society are working against this. Even many institutions have been made against the caste system. Now marriage is a social and religious sacrament. Intercaste marriages are now common. The government has made laws against the Dowry System to eradicate this social evil from society.

Question 8.
What is Sanskritisation? Give some of its main features.
Answer:
Prof. Srinivas gave the name of Sanskritisation to the process of changes that comes with indefinite aspects of human life in Indian Society. He wrote a book named ‘Social Change in Modern India’ and in this book he wrote that the process of Sanskritisation in the Indian Society is going on from the very beginning and is still going on. In his book, he wrote about this process and explained, “Sanskritisation means not only the adoption of new customs and habits but also the exposure to new ideas and values which have been frequently expressed in the vast body of Sanskrit literature, sacred as well as secular. Karma, Dharma, Paap, Maya, Sansar, and Moksha are examples of some of the most common Sanskrit theological ideas, and when people become Sanskritised these words are used frequently.”

In another context, M.N. Srinivas wrote, “Sanskritisation is the process by which a low Hindu caste or group changes its customs, rituals, ideology, and ways of life in the direction of a higher and frequently twice-born caste.”

In this way, the process of Sanskritisation remained in the caste system and through this process, people of lower castes try to adopt and imitate the lifestyle, habits, ways of living, etc. of higher castes and were able to do so. After one or two generations they mixed among the people of higher castes. In this way, people of lower castes try to uplift their social status through this process.

Features of Sanskritisation
1. Sanskritisation is a universal process: This process has influenced the whole Indian Society. This process was not only related to the caste system but this process has exerted its impact even on Muslims and Jains. Even tribal society is very influenced by this. Generally, tribal people and Shudras are given the lowest place in the hierarchy of Indian society. That’s why many tribal groups have adopted the lifestyles of different Hindu castes.

2. Sanskritisation is not merely Brahmanisation: Srinivas and Yogendra Singh both have accepted that Sanskritisation is not merely Brahmanisation. People of lower castes not only adopt the living styles of Brahmins, but they adopt the living styles of Kshatriya and Vaishyas as well. Actually, they adopt living styles and habits of that caste which has more influence in that particular society.

3. Sanskritisation has many models: Varna is not the only model of Sanskritisation but it has many models. Milton Singer says that Sanskritisation does not have one or two models but has three or four models.

4. Imitation of High Castes: People of lower castes, tribes, and other groups adopt the traditions, folkways, ideology, and ways of behavior of Hindu castes. They also perform the rituals done by ‘DWIJAS’, yet this thing is restricted for lower castes. Sanskritisation is a process of imitation of the lifestyle of higher castes by the lower castes.

5. Sanskritisation is related to the group: The status of the group changes through Sanskritisation. It is not related only to a person or family because if any person or family of the lower family tries to say that he belongs to a higher caste then it is quite possible that he might be opposed by that particular caste.

Question 9.
What was the impact of Sanskritisation on lower castes?
Answer:
The process of Sanskritisation has greatly affected the caste system of Indian society. This process has reduced the impact of the caste system and lower castes tried to uplift their social status with this process. Sanskritisation has greatly affected lower castes because of which many changes took place in their status and this is given below:
1. The process of Sanskritisation has increased mobility among lower castes. Census report of 1921 says that Ahirs of North India put sacred thread (Upnayaha) and started to call themselves Kshatriyas.

2. This process has improved the status of lower castes. People of lower castes adopt the traditions, rituals, ideals, and lifestyle of higher castes and start to call themselves members of higher castes. When they are able to achieve the desired place in the local caste hierarchy then their position changes automatically.

3. This process has brought about many changes in the occupational status of lower castes. They started to leave those occupations which were considered impure and started to adopt pure occupations. Yet they were not allowed to adopt pure occupations but due to increasing consciousness towards purity, they started to adopt occupations of higher castes.

4. The process of Sanskritisation also brought about many changes in their culture – folkways, traditions, customs, beliefs, values, behavior, and mannerism. They started to imitate the lifestyle of upper castes due to which their lifestyle also changed.

5. Sanskritisation has also affected the religious life of the lower caste. They started to adopt religious rituals of higher castes. They started to do Yagyas, puja, etc. They left the impure occupations and adopted pure occupations. They started to celebrate Hindu festivals as well.

6. Their economic status was also affected by this. They entered the industrial sector and government jobs with which their income improved. They started to receive technical and occupational education and achieved higher posts. Their incomes increased due to modem occupations with which their economic status improved.

7. Social life of lower castes also changed with this. Members of lower castes started to receive education to improve their status. They got jobs in industries, offices, administration, etc. They started to interact with people of higher castes which resulted in the reduction of caste differences.

8. Their ways of living also changed with the improvement of economic status, education, use of means of transport, jobs, etc. They started to make concrete houses. They started to use means of leisure like furniture, chairs, table, TV, Fridge, Fans, Kitchen Gas, A.C., etc.

Question 10.
What is westernization? State some of its features.
Or
What is meant by westernization? Describe its different aspects.
Answer:
Generally, the meaning of westernization is taken by the impact of western countries on India. England, France, Germany, and U.S.A. are those western countries that greatly influenced our Indian Society. The educated class of India tried to imitate the lifestyle of the people of these countries. Prof. M.N. Srinivas gave a detailed description of westernization.

Other sociologists also tried to explain westernization but they mainly concentrated on giving an explanation of the impacts of westernization on Indian Society. Srinivas wrote a book called ‘Social Change in Modern India’ and in this book he wrote, ‘1 have used the term westernization to characterize the changes brought about in the Indian Society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule and the term subsume changes occurring at different levels, technology, institutions, ideology, and values.”

So from this definition, it is clear that the concept of westernization includes the changes which came in institutions and ideology of our Indian Society and which took place due to political and cultural contacts with the western countries. Westernization can have many ideals like England, U.S.A., or another European country.

Characteristics of westernization
1. Continue after Independence: The process of westernization hardly came to an end even when the British left our country. This process is continuously evolving even after independence. From modern Indian Culture, ways of living, eating habits, new ways of mannerism, the spread of western education, etc. We can tell that India is westernizing even in today’s age.

2. Westernisation is different from modernization: Yet the process of modernization is encouraged by westernization but both concepts are different from each other. Westernization is related to all good or bad effects over the Indian society which were exerted due to the British contacts but the process of Modernisation includes positive impacts of western and other countries like England, Germany, France, Russia, U.S.A., Japan, China, etc. over the Indian Society. Except this, the impact of modern science and technology, information, and science on Indian Society is also known as modernization.

3. Impact of the British culture on Indian Society: Westernisation is the impact of the British culture over Indian Society. India is also influenced by other western countries but the process of westernization does not include the impact of other western countries. To clarify this statement Srinivas wrote that, “I have used the term westernization to characterize the changes brought about in our Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule.”

4. Westernisation is not confined to urbanites: The impact of westernization was not confined only to urban areas during the British empire. Whoever came in their contact like rural farmers, smaller officials, military men, etc. became westernized. It was spread even in rural areas as well.

5. Conscious and Unconscious process: The process of westernization is a conscious as well as an unconscious process. Some of the aspects of culture, like language, technology, etc. were consciously adopted by the Indians. But many westernized ideas, values, eating habits, and living habits were unconsciously adopted by the Indians. Eating on a dining table, saying good morning or good night, etc. are some of its examples.

6. Ethically Neutral: Many good, bad, positive, negative, organizational, and disorganization changes came in our Indian Society through westernization. Westernization is not related to positive and negative aspects of change. All the changes taking place under this concept means ethically westernization is a neutral concept.

In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 1 STRUCTURAL CHANGE NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 SOCIOLOGY PART B which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON STRUCTURAL CHANGE

Question 1.
What are the features of Industrialisation? Explain in detail.
Or
What are the prime features of industrial societies today?
Answer:
There are certain features of industrialisation which are given below:
1. Production through machines: Production, in the process of industrialisation, is being done by the machines and not manually. New machines are being invented in this process and these machines help in increasing production. Production in ancient times was being done manually. That’s why industrialisation was not at its developed stage. But production in this process is being done with new machines and is being done on a large scale.

2. Industrialisation is related to the process of production: The relation of industrialisation is with the process of production because production increases in this process. Production in this process is being done with machines.

3. Traditional power is not used in industrialisation: Traditional power is that power which is based upon human force or animal power. Instead of human or animal power, petrol, diesel, coal, electricity or nuclear power is used in industrialisation because this power gives more force to machines as compared to traditional power. Today’s machines are running with this type of power.

4. Production in industrialisation is done on a large scale: This process helps to increase the production. Production in ancient times was being done manually and that’s why it’s the rate was very low. But it is being done with machines in industrialisation and that’s why it is being done on a large scale. Machines are being used to fulfil the needs of the increasing population so that more and more production should take place.

5. Economic development is there in industrialisation: Economic development is a must in this process. Many industries are established in this which not only fulfils the needs of their own countries but they fulfil the needs of other countries as well. That’s why they earn profit for themselves and money for the country. They also pay taxes to the country, which increases the income of the country. This income is used for the development of the country. People get employment in these industries which uplifts their standard of living. It leads to the economic development of the country.

6. Industrialisation leads to breaking of old traditions: This process helps in disorganization of old traditions. For example, joint families in India disintegrate due to this process and nuclear families emerge. In the same way, many changes are also taking place in institutions like the caste system, marriage, etc. So we can say those old traditions are not prevalent due to this process.

7. New classes came into being due to industrialisation: Many new classes came into being due to this process. Rich class, middle class, poor class, capitalist class, labourer class, etc. are some of the examples of these new classes. Some people earn a lot of money due to this and some become poor. Many classes like Trade Unions emerge which are necessary for our society.

Question 2.
What problems are emerging due to industrialisation? Explain them.
Or
What are the consequences of the process of industrialisation? Explain them in detail.
Answer:
1. Economic problems: Many times, industrialisation leads to an economic problem instead of economic development. Production, in this, is done on a large scale, but many times consumption is constant or reduces due to one or another reason. Production continues at the same pace but less consumption leads to blockage of goods. That’s why many times, industry suffers economic depression.

2. Unemployment: Industrialisation also leads to the increasing problem of unemployment. Production in ancient times was done manually with which everyone was employed. But this process leads to new inventions and the advent of new machines. Owners try to reduce manpower and start to take more work from machines. One machine does the work of 10-20 labourers. The labourers become unemployed. In this way, this process leads to unemployment.

3. Destruction of small scale industries: This process also leads to the destruction of small scale and cottage industries. Production through machines is cheaper and is of good quality. But cottage industries are unable to produce things of good quality because they are made manually. In this way, things produced by industries take the place of things of the cottage industry in the market. It leads to non-consumption of things of cottage industry and economic depression over the cottage industry. In this way, industrialisation leads to the destruction of cottage industries.

4. Disorganization of Joint families: The process of industrialisation becomes one of the reasons for the disorganization of joint families. Industries are being established in cities because of which people from rural areas leave their joint families and move towards the cities. Gradually their family also move towards cities. With this, they form their own nuclear family. In this way, the joint family, which was one of the important features of Indian society, disorganizes and its reason is industrialisation.

5. Weakening of Caste System: If we look at the ancient Indian society then we see that the caste system was very strong, but now it has been weakened to a great extent. The main reason behind its weakness is industrialisation, as one of the features of the caste system that there were restrictions of social interaction between different castes. But these restrictions have been broken by industrialisation. People use to work with each other in factories and hardly care about the fact that with which caste other people belong.

Question 3.
What are the effects of industrialisation on society?
Answer:
The industrialization has some good and bad effects on society which are given below:
1. Division of labour: During ancient times, production was completed only in the family. Everyone was aware of every type of work related to production and they used to produce things while cooperating with each other. But due to industrialisation, production work is done on machines because of which the concept of division of labour came in front of us. Things are produced in stages and every stage has different types of work. Now every one performs different work. For example, one runs machine to make cloth, one does work of colouring and so on. All these works are related to the division of labour and specialisation. In this way, labour has been divided. Everyone does any specific work and specialisation of every work takes place. It is all because of industrialisation.

2. Development of means of transport: Means of transport have also been developed due to industrialisation. We need raw material in factories for production. To bring raw material from far off places, means of transport like trains and trucks were developed. Except these, we need means of transport to take produced things from factories to markets and they were developed very slowly. In this way, the means of transport were developed due to industrialisation.

3. Increase in production of factories: Production from houses has gone in the hands of factories, due to industrialisation, where production takes place with machines. Production with hands takes a lot of time but production with machines takes place very quickly. Yet consumption has also been increased due to growth in population but new inventions also took place with this and production was also increased. In this way, the increase in production also took place due to industrialisation.

4. Increase in the size of cities: Size of the cities were also increased due to industrialisation. Industries have been established in cities because of which rural people migrated to urban areas. It was not possible for them to go back to villages daily and that’s why they have brought their rural family to cities. Increase in population led to the construction of more houses which resulted in an increase in the size of cities. Gradually the concept of urbanization emerged.

5. Capitalism: Capitalism also came into being due to industrialisation. When production was taking place in the houses then there was no need for more capital because production was very less. But industrialisation gave birth to the factory system. A lot of capital is required to make any factory to buy raw material, to sell the finished product in the market, to give salary to labourers and for so many other things. Rich people, with a large amount of money, established large factories and with the help of their capital, started to earn more and more money.

With this many other classes like businessmen, owners, labourers, middlemen, etc. came into being and business increased. They started to send their produce to other countries which resulted in making more money. This wealth has resulted in the occupation of other countries and imperialism came into being. It has led to the exploitation of other countries. In this way, capitalism came into being and many other problems took place.

6. Elimination of cottage industries: Industrialisation led to the elimination of cottage industries from the villages. Production through machines is cheaper and is of good quality. But production in cottage industries is being done with hands which is not as good as the production of machines. In this way, things produced in the factories started to be sold in the market at cheaper rates. Then people stopped buying things of the cottage industry. In this way, the cottage industry faced economic depression and it came to a stage of the lockout. In this way, industrialisation led to the elimination of the cottage industry.

Question 4.
Explain some problems which are being faced by urban people.
Answer:
1. Problem of places of living: One of the major problems of urban areas is the problem of the place of living. Rural people are moving continuously towards urban areas because of which urban population is increasing rapidly. The population is increasing rapidly but places of living remain the same. That’s why either jungle are cleared to make places of living or many people start to five in one single room. Except this new slum areas are emerging and living there is another problem in itself.

2. Health problem: Urban people also have to face a health problem. Pollution due to the emission of smoke from large industries, pollution of vehicles, noise pollution, slums, etc. is some of the reasons which create a lot of health problem. Everyone comes under the trap of diseases. In the same way noise, the problem of sanitation, non-hygienic water, etc. also affects the health of the people. When people move towards cities then their health is in good shape but within a few years, their health also starts to be affected by the polluted environment of urban areas.

3. Growth of population: Urban population keeps on growing which creates a lot of problems for the people. Population increases due to difference of birth and death rate and it also increases due to the emigration of rural people towards the urban areas. It leads to the growth of population at a rapid pace. Growth in population has led to many other problems like the problem of the place of living, lack of civic facilities, etc.

4. Problem of crimes: Crimes prevails more in urban areas than in rural areas. Crimes in rural areas are generally related to small quarrels or are related to land. But they are of different nature in urban areas. Many types of crimes prevail in urban areas like theft, dacoity, rape, murder, white-collar crimes, etc. People have formal relations among them. Even neighbours hardly know anything about their neighbours. That’s why crimes take place quietly. Planned crimes exist in urban areas. In this way, people have to face the problem of crimes in urban areas.

Question 5.
Which features of modernisation can be seen in India? Explain them in detail.
Answer:
1. Industrialisation: There were very few industries before independence in India. But these industries increased very quickly after independence because industries got favourable conditions after 1947. Yet industrialisation is not a feature of modernisation but still, it is necessary for modernisation, because more industries will bring more money, economic development and employment for the people. Today, > the Indian industries are expanding very rapidly. India’s place in the world is 10th from the industrial point of view. In this way, the first necessary condition of modernity is an industry, which is increasing rapidly in our country

2. Secularism: When India was divided into the kingdoms, different kings used to promote one religion and the other religions were generally hated by them. This situation changed after the interference of the British. They hardly gave importance to any religion because their main motive was to earn money. After independence, the Indian government and the Constitution adopted the policy of Secularism so that none of the religions of the country could be given more importance and all the religions of the country should get equal importance. This is one of the conditions of modernity that a country should be secular and this policy has been adopted in India. So we can say that our country fulfils the next condition of modernity i.e. secularism.

3. Urbanisation: Next feature of Modernisation is urbanisation or increasing the Urban area and this thing can be applied in our country. In 1901, 90% of our population was rural but it decreased very rapidly after independence. According to the census of 1991, 25% of people lived in urban areas and according to the census of 2011, 32% of people lived in cities. It means that the rural population is moving very quickly towards urban areas and urban areas are developing rapidly.

4. Education: It has been said that a country is a modem whose literacy rate is 4 higher because education is directly related to modernity. If we look at western countries, they are considered as modern but we should look at their literacy rate as well. Literacy rate of Japan is 100%, the U.K. 99%, Russia 99.2% and the U.S.A. 98%. Except for this, the literacy rate of European countries is also very high because they spend a lot of money on education. These countries spend around 19-20% on the education of their total budget but our country spends only 3-3.5%. But this percentage is increasing slowly gradually.

5. Westernization: If we look carefully, then westernisation is generally considered as modernisation. Britishers ruled over India for around 200 years and they started the process of westernisation. They implemented western education in India, started industries on western lines, started trains and means of communication. They also changed the administrative system and started to run administration on western lines. A revolution came in India in the fields of transport, communication, education, etc. and this revolution is still underway. Our country has also developed a means of transport, communication, education, etc. on western lines. So after looking at this we can say that India is moving towards modernity.

Question 6.
What is meant by social change? Give some of its definitions.
Answer:
The word ‘Change’ is a value-free word. It never tells us about good or bad about any rule. In a general sense, change is that difference which is there in the present state and earlier state of anything. Like anyone has money today but was poor yesterday. His position has been changed due to money. Comparison is necessary for change because if we want to clarify any change then it can be clarified only by comparison. In this way, social change is related to society. When any change comes in the society or social relationship, then it is known as social change.

Definitions
Many sociologists have given the definitions of social change which are given below:
1. According to Gillin and Gillin, “Social change as variations from the modes of life, whether due to alteration in geographical conditions in cultural equipment, the composition of the population or ideologies, and whether brought by diffusion or invention within the group.”

2. According to Kingsley Davis, “By social change, I meant only such alterations as occur in social organization that is structure and function of society.”

So on the basis of a given description, we can say that social change is collective and is also related to cultural change. When any change comes in human behaviour then we can say that social change is underway. In short, we can say that social change is those differences which exist in ways of life of humans. Whatever we are looking in society these days, that is changed from earlier times. For example, the institutions of family and religion in modern times, have been changed as compared to earlier times.

Question 7.
Explain briefly the characteristics of social change.
Answer:
1. Social change is universal: Social change is that change which occurs in every society. No society is completely static because change is a law of nature. It doesn’t matter which society it is, whether it is ancient or modem, it exists in every culture and society. Demographic change in society, change because of inventions, change in values and ideals, etc. always exists in society. It is right that the speed of social change is different in a different society, but change is always universal. Social change is a universal phenomenon which occurs in all societies and in all ages. The time when human society started, changes have taken place and will remain forever. Every stage of a human society gone through changes, yet the speed of change in them might be different. Change is the law of nature and no one can be prevented from this.

2. Definite prediction is not possible in social change: Any type of definite prediction is impossible in social change. It is so because social relationships are not definite. They keep on changing. For example, if we predict that caste system, untouchability or dowry system etc. will come to an end in the coming ages and maybe we’ll not be able to find the complete end of these evils in the society. That’s why if we will predict definitely then it can be proved wrong. We cannot imagine definitely about the behaviour of a person. That’s why a prediction is impossible in social change. Social change is a community change. It doesn’t mean that there is no rule of social change or we cannot imagine about it.

3. Speed of social change is not uniform: Yet social change is universal but its speed is different in different societies. It comes very quickly in some societies and in some societies, its speed is very slow. For example, if we compare ancient and modem societies then we can see that speed of change is very fast in modern societies as compared to ancient societies. Even this speed is very fast in big cities and very slow in smaller cities. The reasons for the difference in speed is that the factors, which bring social change, are different in different societies. We can notice the change by comparing the two societies.

4. Change is the law of nature: Existence of social change is the law of nature. Change comes even against our wish. We cannot control natural forces which often brings change. Man is dynamic by nature. Change in society either comes because of natural forces or because of planned ways of humans to fulfil their needs. We always want new things and try to achieve them. So the dynamic nature of the person is also responsible for social change. For example, if we are forced to eat the same vegetable daily then we will be bored after one or two days. We love to eat new things daily for our taste. In this way, the way in which need arises for anything in that same way change comes in society. In this way, we can see that change is the wish of every person.

Question 8.
What are the social consequenc.es of Industrialisation? Explain in detail.
Answer:
After 1947, the increase in industrialisation has greatly affected the life of Indian people and its description is given below:
1. Change in community feelings: The process of industrialisation has greatly affected both rural and urban communities. But we can see great community feeling in rural areas as compared to urban areas. The urban population has increased due to industrialisation and that’s why the community feeling has loosened its impact in urban areas.

2. Decline in Social Control: As the population increases due to industrialisation then the power of social and caste organisations has declined. Due to the decline of this power of social organisations, community feeling has decreased and social control has also declined.

3. Development of the process of urbanisation: The main reason behind the development of the process of urbanisation is the process of industrialisation. Cities started to develop due to progress in industries. Wherever industries are established, people move to that place, from rural areas, in search of employment and start to live there. Gradually, that area takes the form of a city.

4. Development of means of transport and communication: Means of transport and communication in India were developed rapidly due to the development of large scale industries. Means of transport like rails, buses, roads, means of the naval system were developed and it has become easy for people to conduct business with far off places or to move from one place to another. The mechanisation of industries also increased the production of industries.

5. Decline in the importance of religion: Importance of religion, in the Indian society, also declined due to the process of industrialisation. People go to urban areas from rural areas to find work in industries and start to live in urban areas. Materialism is of great importance in urban areas because of which even rural people start to move away from the impact of religion upon their lives. In this way, the importance of religion has declined.

6. Change in family system: Due to the development of industries and urban areas, rural people started to find employment in urban areas. Even they had to leave their ancestral houses and property to earn bread and butter in urban areas. It has resulted in the disorganization of the joint family in rural areas. Nuclear families have started to take the place of joint families. Functions of the family were taken away by other institutions of society. Head of the family lost its hold and control over the family. Modem families are becoming smaller due to family planning.

7. Division of Labour: In rural cottage industry, all the members of the family did every type of work. But when machines started to produce things, then the whole process of production was divided into small parts. As a result, the division of labour started to develop. One person only performs one small work of the whole process in the process of division of labour. For example, any car is made up of thousands of parts and every part is made by a different person or persons. A person only gets that work in which he is specialized. In this way, the division of labour and specialisation is developed due to the development of industries.

Question 9.
What is Modernisation? Give its definitions.
Answer:
The process of modernisation came with the development of modern societies. The process of modernisation started in India after the advent of the British. It means that when people came in contact with the people of western culture, then many changes took place. Modernisation is the main feature of our modem society.

According to M.N. Srinivas, “Difference exists in the processes of modernisation and westernisation. Concept of westernisation is morally a more neutral concept than the concept of modernisation. We cannot come to know about the good or bad features of any culture in it. But modernisation is not a value-free concept because modernisation is always considered as good and better.” That’s why Srinivas has given more importance to westernisation than modernisation. He has not given the difference in them but according to him, the results of modernisation are always good and better. So from the views of Srinivas, it is clear that the process of modernisation is always progressive. Different sociologists have expressed different views about it which are given below-

1. According to Marrion J. Levy, “My definition of modernisation hinges on the use of inanimate (non-living) tools to multiply the effect of effort. I conceive each of these two elements as the basis of continue. A society will be considered more or less modernise to the extent that its members use inanimate sources of power and or use tools to multiply the effects of these efforts. Neither of these elements is either totally absent from or exclusively present in any society.”

2. According to Weener, “There are many aspects of modernisation-

1. Political Modernisation: In this, important institutions, political parties, parliaments, right to vote, development of secret vote which are capable of reaching any participant decision, etc. are included.
2. Cultural Modernisation: Which produces likeness with ideologies and secularisation.
3. Economic Modernisation: It is different from industrialisation.

3. According to Dr Yogender Singh, “Modernisation includes rational attitude, universalistic viewpoint, sympathy, scientific world view, humanity, technological advancement etc.”
So we can say that the process of modernisation is that process in which change takes place in the old system and new and better system takes place of the old system. This process exists in any society but its degree is different in different societies.

Question 10.
Explain briefly the different characteristics of modernisation.
Answer:
1. It leads to the development of urbanisation and industrialisation. Industrialisation also exists with urbanisation. Wherever big industries were established, cities were also developed there. With this process, the population of villages started to move towards cities. Means of communication and transport brought about many changes in urban society, like changes in institutions like family, religion and caste, etc. This led to a change in urbanisation. That is why we believe that urbanisation and modernisation are interrelated. Wherever cities are developed modernisation exists. Hence, we can see more progress in urban society as-compared to the rural community.

2. This process develops the education: With the process of modernisation, the educational sector developed very quickly. A lot of development has taken place in technical education. In ancient times, only higher castes were given religious education. But with the progress of society, the need was felt of technical institutions and hence technical institutions were opened. Except this, the importance of occupational education was increased because every person started to get work according to his/her ability. The process of specialisation was also increased. A person who receives technical education got a job or function. In this way, the process of modernisation has brought about many changes in the educational sector.

3. It increases international relations: Cooperation is increased in different countries with the process of modernisation. Every country receives security with the advents of U.N.O. To produce a peaceful atmosphere in the world, mutual relations in different countries were necessary. The U.N.O. has tried to protect human rights. It has also given its view to resolving the personal problems of any country. Its main aim is to maintain peace in the world. If a conflict starts between two countries then the U.N.O. tries to resolve their dispute. In this way, the process of modernisation has developed an atmosphere of love and cooperation at the international level,

4. This process develops and increases the process of social differentiation: With the process of modernisation, our society becomes complex and the process of differentiation has increased. With the material development of society, social differentiation has increased. By this process, we have come to know about that process with which the society is divided into different parts. This process never allows the feeling of hardness to come in humans and groups. In this way, when society moves from a simple situation to a complex situation, then differentiation definitely exists in a society. Without this process, we can’t divide the functions in society.

By this, the way in which this process of modernisation develops, similarly every sector of society i.e. religious, economic, educational, etc. starts to develop. That’s why the process of differentiation attains the pace and speed.

5. It increases social mobility: Social mobility is the main feature of modem societies. Specialisation, division of labour in urban societies, differentiation of occupations, business, industries, facilities of means of communication and transport has brought about a great pace in social mobility. Now every person can become successful with his/her ability and brain. Now they can choose an occupation in which they see more profit. People even change their place of residence due to occupation. In this way, with the process of social mobility, new values were developed instead of traditional values.