UPSC Indian Society – Chapter 7: Processes of Social Change in India (20 MCQs)

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UPSC Indian Society – Chapter 7: Processes of Social Change in India (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: Indian Society. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The term "Sanskritisation" was introduced by:

Correct Answer: D [M.N. Srinivas]

Explanation:

1952.

2.  

Sanskritisation mainly brings about:

Correct Answer: A [positional change of a group within the hierarchy]

Explanation:

Sanskritisation lets a caste raise its own rank, but the caste hierarchy itself stays unchanged – positional, not structural, change.

3.  

According to Srinivas, Westernisation was first adopted mainly by:

Correct Answer: D [upper castes]

Explanation:

through English education.

4.  

The Chipko movement began in 1973 in:

Correct Answer: C [the Garhwal Himalaya]

Explanation:

Chipko began in 1973 in Chamoli district of the Garhwal Himalaya, now Uttarakhand, against the commercial felling of forests.

5.  

The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan is associated with the campaign for:

Correct Answer: D [the right to information]

Explanation:

The MKSS, formed in 1990 at Devdungri, Rajasthan, demanded access to official records, a campaign that led to the RTI Act, 2005.

6.  

Modernization of Indian Tradition (1973) was written by:

Correct Answer: B [Yogendra Singh]

Explanation:

Yogendra Singh's Modernization of Indian Tradition (1973) traced modernisation in India through exogenous and endogenous sources.

7.  

The public hearings held by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in villages of Rajasthan in the 1990s, which helped to bring about the Right to Information Act, 2005, were called:

Correct Answer: A [jan sunwais]

Explanation:

the MKSS held jan sunwais (public hearings) where official records were read out to villagers.

8.  

Which of the following is a "new social movement"?

Correct Answer: C [An environmental movement against a large dam]

Explanation:

A movement against a large dam, like the Narmada Bachao Andolan, is built around environment and rights rather than class.

9.  

Consider the following statements:

1. The Right to Information Act was passed in 2005.
2. The Appiko movement took place in Karnataka.
3. Old social movements were organised mainly around identity and environment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

The RTI Act is of 2005 and Appiko was in Karnataka; statement 3 fails because old movements were class-based.

10.  

Assertion (A): Sanskritisation did not end the caste hierarchy.

Reason (R): It allowed groups to move up while keeping the hierarchy itself in place.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true, and R explains A: groups moved up in rank while the hierarchy stayed, so the caste hierarchy did not end.

11.  

"Cultural lag" refers to:

Correct Answer: B [values changing more slowly than material conditions]

Explanation:

Ogburn's cultural lag is the gap that arises when values and norms change more slowly than material conditions such as technology.

12.  

The rejection of Brahminical rituals by the Self-Respect Movement is an example of:

Correct Answer: A [de-Sanskritisation]

Explanation:

Rejecting Brahminical models to assert one's own identity, as the Self-Respect Movement did, is de-Sanskritisation.

13.  

The Silent Valley movement sought to protect a forest in:

Correct Answer: B [Keralam]

Explanation:

Silent Valley, an evergreen forest in Palakkad district of Keralam, was saved from a hydroelectric project by a public campaign.

14.  

A movement that seeks to change the whole social system is called:

Correct Answer: A [revolutionary]

Explanation:

Revolutionary movements aim to transform the entire social order, unlike reformist (parts) or redemptive (individuals) movements.

15.  

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed in:

Correct Answer: B [2009]

Explanation:

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed in 2009, making schooling a right for ages 6–14.

16.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Right to Information Act
2. Chipko movement
3. Self-Respect Movement
4. Srinivas's study of the Coorgs

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [3-4-2-1]

Explanation:

1925, 1952, 1973, 2005.

17.  

Which of the following is NOT an example of Sanskritisation?

Correct Answer: B [Getting an English education]

Explanation:

that is Westernisation.

18.  

In sociology, secularisation means:

Correct Answer: A [the declining influence of religion on public life]

Explanation:

Sociologists use secularisation for the declining influence of religion on public life, law and education.

19.  

Social Change in Modern India (1966) was written by:

Correct Answer: A [M.N. Srinivas]

Explanation:

M.N. Srinivas wrote Social Change in Modern India (1966), where he developed Sanskritisation and Westernisation.

20.  

The anti-arrack movement of rural women in 1992 began in:

Correct Answer: D [Nellore, Andhra Pradesh]

Explanation:

Rural women of Dubagunta village in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, began the anti-arrack movement in 1992.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U07 · Indian Society (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-indian-society

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