Thinker
M. N. Srinivas
M. N. Srinivas is central to 133 previous-year questions, spanning 2009 to 2025 across Paper I and Paper II. Everything below is drawn from the official papers — the questions themselves, the concepts they test, and where they sit in the syllabus.
133Questions
2009–25Years tested
I & IIPaper
21Syllabus topics
Concepts asked alongside M. N. Srinivas
What the examiner actually wants you to know when this name appears.
sanskritisation 23dominant caste 19little and great tradition 8social mobility 8modernisation 7politicisation of caste 7purity and pollution 7sanskritization 6westernisation 6hierarchy 5orthogenetic and heterogenetic change 5secularisation 5ascription and achievement 4composite culture 4cultural unity of india 4differentiation 4graded inequality 4identity politics 4
Where M. N. Srinivas appears in the syllabus
Every question on M. N. Srinivas
Each links to a full breakdown — how to approach it, a model answer, and the examiner’s perspective.
2025
- 'Industrial class structure is a function of social structure of Indian society.' Do you agree with this statement? Analyze.
- 'Textual perspective is important in understanding of Indian Social System.' Discuss.
- Discuss the social bases of political mobilization in Independent India. Has some change occurred in these during the last 60-70 years?
- Do you think that in a society like India orthogenetic changes take place through differentiation? Do you observe continuities in the orthogenetic process ? Elaborate your answer with suitable examples.
- Give an account of the recent trends of marriage in the Indian context. How are these different from traditional practices?
- How would you appropriate to characterise G. S. Ghurye as a practitioner of 'theoretical pluralism'?
- Justify that the Indian traditions are modernizing. Also discuss its contributing factors.
- Who is said to be the pioneer of village studies in India? Illustratively describe contributions of some Indian sociologists on village studies. How their approaches are distinct from each other?
2024
- Analyse the changing nature of caste as a status group.
- Differentiate between 'Western' and 'Indological' perspectives on the study of Indian society. Bring out the major aspects of G. S. Ghurye's contribution to 'Indological' approach.
- Do you think that family bondings are being affected by the changing kinship patterns in India? Comment.
- Do you think that the constitutional provisions for women have led to their uplift? Give reasons for your answer.
- Highlight the major contributions of the reform movements in pre-independent India.
- How do religious communities contribute to the cultural diversity of India?
- What are the different forms of untouchability still practised in India? Discuss with suitable illustrations.
- What do you understand by decentralisation of power? What is its role in strengthening the roots of democracy in India? Elaborate.
- What is social mobility ? Critically examine the classification of 'closed' and 'open' models of social stratification.
- What, according to you, are the factors responsible for the continuance of caste system in India? Explain.
2023
- 'The decade of 1950s was the golden period of village studies in Indian Sociology.' Explain the statement.
- Analyse the differences between the attributional and interactional approach in studying the caste system.
- Are Tradition and Modernity antithetical to each other ? Comment.
- Contextualize Louis Dumont's concept of 'binary opposition' with reference to caste system in India.
- Critically examine the concept of Sanskritization with suitable illustrations.
- Do you agree with the view of Andre Beteille that India's villages are representative of Indian society's basic civilizational values ? Present a sociological overview.
- Examine the concept of 'Cultural Pluralism' in the context of India's Unity in Diversity.
- Examine the role of science and technology in addressing age-old taboos and superstitions.
2022
- Are traditional social institutions getting weakened as agents of social change in the contemporary society ? Substantiate.
- Bring out the various issues involved in Dalit movements in India.
- Critically examine G.S. Ghurye's Indological approach to the understanding of Indian society.
- Critically examine Yogendra Singh's thesis on 'Modernisation of Indian Tradition'.
- Discuss social mobility in open and closed system.
- Discuss the challenges during village studies in India.
- Elaborate on M.N. Srinivas's structural-functionalist approach to the study of Indian society.
- Elaborate on the changing nature of caste system with suitable illustrations.
- Explain different forms of untouchability in India.
- How do little tradition and great tradition coexist in contemporary Indian society ?
- In the context of the changing Indian society, how do you view Andre Beteille's conceptions of harmonic and disharmonic social structures ?
2021
- Analyze the idea of developmental planning in India.
- Caste system studies in India have been dominated by the “book-view” initially. How did the entry of “field-view” bring about a balance in the study of Indian caste system? Discuss.
- Caste-like formations are present in Non-Hindu religious communities as well. Discuss with examples.
- Critically examine briefly the phrase “Little Republics” as used to denote India's villages.
- Discuss in detail the major contribution of Prof. Yogendra Singh in theorizing India's modernization.
- Explain the sociological significance of the New Education Policy and its thrust on vocationalization and skill development.
- Is Indian society moving from “Hierarchy” towards “differentiation”? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
- Urban settlements in India tend to replicate its rural caste-kinship imprints. Discuss the main reasons.
- What is identity politics? Discuss the main trends in Dalit movements in India.
2020
- “Indian caste system is unique and has been unhealthy for the growth of sociology of India.” How far do you agree with this view?
- “Indian rural society is a faction-ridden society.” Discuss.
- Critically assess social mobility in closed and open systems.
- Discuss in detail the main issues of development planning in mixed economy like India.
- How can skill development programme induce social change? Illustrate.
- In the context of globalisation, has the scope of sociology been changing in India ? Comment.
- Write a note on 'cultural pluralism' in multi-religious society like India.
2019
- Critically examine Dube's contributions to the study of Indian villages.
- Discuss the challenges in implementing the Rural Development Programmes in India.
- Discuss the issues of access and exclusion in higher education in India.
- Do you think that the Indian saints have brought about social reform and awareness in Indian society? Explain.
- Elaborate Srinivas's views on religion and society among the Coorgs.
- Modernisation presupposes class society; however caste, ethnicity and race are still predominant. Explain.
- What is caste politics? Substantiate your answer with examples of how identities are defined by caste dynamics.
- Write a note on Ghurye's conception of caste in India.
2018
- Assess the role of the State in promoting education of girl child.
- Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection with suitable examples from Indian society.
- Give a critical analysis of Andre Beteille's study of Tanjore village.
- Has caste system hindered democracy and adult franchise in India? Discuss.
- Is social mobility possible in closed systems of stratification ? Illustrate from research work.
- With increase in education and economic development is Indian society becoming more secular?
- Write a note on G. S. Ghurye's Indological perspective of understanding Indian society.
2017
- Discuss Yogendra Singh's thesis on Modernisation of Indian Tradition, and evaluate its applicability in the present day context.
- Elaborate on various types of religious practices prevalent in Indian society.
- Explain the concepts of 'dominant caste' and 'vote bank', giving examples from specific regions.
- Give an account of the problems relating to the 'creamy layer'.
- The main objectives of socio-religious movements during the colonial rule in India were reforming and synthesizing Hinduism. Write on any two such important movements.
- To what extent does nation building depend on strengthening of pluralities in Indian society?
- What are the changes in the cultural and structural aspects of the caste system since independence?
- What is Cultural Revivalism? Give some examples from performing arts, language dissemination and arts and crafts in recent times.
- What is the nature of religious change among tribal communities? Illustrate with two examples from colonial and post independence times.
- Which is more significant, the principle of ‘hierarchy’ or the principle of ‘difference’, in intercaste relations in the present day?
- Write a critique of the structural and functional perspective used by M.N. Srinivas in the understanding of Indian society.
2016
- “Social change can be brought about through development.” Illustrate from the contemporary situation of India.
- “Vertical mobility brings structural change even in a closed social system.” Comment.
- Comment on the factors behind the changing status of women in urban India.
- Comment on the increasing significance of caste in politics.
- Discuss Andre Beteille's account of the relationship between caste, class and power as a change from symmetrical to asymmetrical one.
- How has B.R. Ambedkar identified the features of caste system? How is it different from the mainstream treatment of caste features?
- Significance of Village Studies in Indian Sociology
2015
- “No society can either be absolutely open or absolutely closed.” Comment.
- Caste ideology appears to have strengthened democracy. Comment.
- Discuss the paradigm of modernization of Indian tradition in analyzing social change in India.
- Examine the dialectical relation between tradition and modernity in the study of social change.
- How far Srinivas’ Sanskritization is modernizing force or traditionalizing force in understanding the changes in caste system?
- Is caste system changing, weakening or disintegrating in India?
- Louis Dumont's perspective on Indian caste system
- What are the basic tenets of Hindu religion? Is Hinduism based on monotheism or polytheism?
2014
2013
- Compare and contrast Sociology with Anthropology.
- Critically evaluate Louis Dumont's Homo Hierarchicus.
- Examine the influence of industrialisation on caste.
- How are open and closed systems of stratification undergoing transformation in the emergence of new hierarchical social order in societies?
- Illustrate the conflicts and tensions experienced by societies undergoing social change.
- M.N. Srinivas's concept of westernisation.
- Other Backward Classes.
- What are the features of M.N. Srinivas' concept of dominant caste? How effective is it in understanding today's reality?
- What are the main features of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's views on annihilation of caste?
2012
- Challenges to institution of marriage.
- Changing rural power structure.
- Discuss the factors which contributed to industrial modernization in India. What are the salient features of new industrial class structure ?
- Examine the impact of secularization on various religious communities in India.
- Has geographic and economic mobility impacted the tribal culture and social structure ? Give examples.
- How have social reform movements in colonial India contributed to modernization of Indian society ?
- In our society Hierarchical relations are influenced by social mobility. Explain how ?
- Positional change and structural change.
- Westernization and institutional changes in India.
2011
- 'Casteism is the modern edition of the caste system.' Do you agree with this statement ? Discuss with arguments.
- “Tradition and modernity are misplaced polarities in the study of social change in India.” Elucidate.
- Distinguish between 'secularism' and 'secularisation'. Analyse the nature and extent of secularisation in contemporary India.
- Perspectives on the study of caste by M.N. Srinivas and Andre Beteille.
- The book-view and the field-view in Indian sociology.
2010
- Critically assess the forms in which untouchability continues to be practised.
- Discuss the inter-relationships between caste, class and power.
- Dumont's concept of homohierarchicus.
- Examine how open and closed systems of stratification are undergoing transformation in the emergence of new hierarchical social order in societies.
- Highlight the important dimensions of inter-caste conflict in India.
- How far is the structural functional perspective helpful in understanding changes in contemporary Indian society?
- The heterogenic features that influenced Indian tradition, according to Yogendra Singh.
- The Parsi community and its contribution to Indian society.
- With reference to their understanding of the Indian village, compare the perspectives of M. N. Srinivas and S. C. Dube.
2009
- Can religion form a sufficient basis of forming cultural identity in India?
- Indological perspective of G.S. Ghurye
- New rural elite and leadership
- What are the main principles of the structural-functional perspective? Comment on the suitability of applying this perspective to the study of Indian society.
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