Preparing for the UGC NET Sociology exam requires a strong grasp of Sociological Theory (s) , from classical foundations to contemporary debates. This comprehensive collection of 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on Sociological Theory is designed to test and strengthen your understanding of key concepts, theorists, and paradigms. Covering essential thinkers like Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Foucault, and Bourdieu, as well as Indian sociologists such as M.N. Srinivas and G.S. Ghurye, these questions align with the latest NET syllabus.
Each MCQ is crafted to reflect the exam’s pattern, helping you:
✔ Revise core concepts—Sociological Theory, functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminism, and postmodernism.
✔ Compare theorists—distinguish between Weber’s rationalization and Marx’s dialectical materialism.
✔ Apply theories to real-world issues—analyze caste, globalization, and digital society through sociological lenses.
✔ Avoid common pitfalls—with clear explanations for each answer.
Whether you’re starting your preparation or fine-tuning your knowledge, this question bank serves as an effective self-assessment tool. Use it to identify weak areas, simulate exam conditions, and reinforce retention.
Bonus: Includes Indian sociological thought and recent trends like risk society and reflexive modernity—critical for Paper II.
Score higher with strategic practice! Dive into these MCQs and boost your confidence for the UGC NET Sociology exam.
Section A: Classical Sociological Theory
1. Who is considered the ‘Father of Sociology’?
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Auguste Comte
Answer: d) Auguste Comte
2. The concept of ‘Social Facts’ was introduced by:
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Herbert Spencer
Answer: c) Émile Durkheim
3. Which of the following is NOT one of Karl Marx’s key concepts?
a) Class struggle
b) Alienation
c) Verstehen
d) Dialectical materialism
Answer: c) Verstehen (This is Max Weber’s concept)
4. Max Weber’s theory of ‘Protestant Ethic’ is associated with:
a) The rise of capitalism
b) The fall of feudalism
c) The decline of religion
d) The emergence of socialism
Answer: a) The rise of capitalism
5. Herbert Spencer is associated with:
a) Conflict theory
b) Structural functionalism
c) Social Darwinism
d) Symbolic interactionism
Answer: c) Social Darwinism
6. The concept of ‘Anomie’ refers to:
a) A state of normlessness
b) A form of social solidarity
c) A type of authority
d) A method of social research
Answer: a) A state of normlessness (Durkheim’s concept)
7. Which theorist emphasized the importance of ‘Rationalization’ in modern society?
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: b) Max Weber
8. The ‘Iron Cage’ metaphor was introduced by:
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: b) Max Weber
9. Who introduced the concept of ‘Mechanical and Organic Solidarity’?
a) Auguste Comte
b) Herbert Spencer
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Karl Marx
Answer: c) Émile Durkheim
10. The ‘Dialectical Materialism’ approach is associated with:
a) Max Weber
b) Karl Marx
c) Émile Durkheim
d) George Herbert Mead
Answer: b) Karl Marx
Section B: Modern and Contemporary Sociological Theory
11. Who developed the concept of the ‘Looking Glass Self’?
a) Charles Horton Cooley
b) George Herbert Mead
c) Erving Goffman
d) Herbert Blumer
Answer: a) Charles Horton Cooley
12. The ‘Dramaturgical Approach’ in sociology was introduced by:
a) Erving Goffman
b) Talcott Parsons
c) Robert K. Merton
d) Anthony Giddens
Answer: a) Erving Goffman
13. Which sociologist is known for the ‘Theory of Structuration’?
a) Jürgen Habermas
b) Pierre Bourdieu
c) Anthony Giddens
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: c) Anthony Giddens
14. The concept of ‘Cultural Capital’ was introduced by:
a) Max Weber
b) Karl Marx
c) Pierre Bourdieu
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: c) Pierre Bourdieu
15. Who proposed the idea of ‘McDonaldization of Society’?
a) George Ritzer
b) Zygmunt Bauman
c) Ulrich Beck
d) Manuel Castells
Answer: a) George Ritzer
16. The ‘Risk Society’ thesis is associated with:
a) Anthony Giddens
b) Ulrich Beck
c) Jürgen Habermas
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: b) Ulrich Beck
17. Which feminist theorist introduced the concept of ‘Gender Performativity’?
a) Simone de Beauvoir
b) Judith Butler
c) Dorothy Smith
d) Patricia Hill Collins
Answer: b) Judith Butler
18. The ‘Conflict Theory’ in sociology was most influenced by:
a) Max Weber
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Karl Marx
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: c) Karl Marx
19. Who introduced the concept of ‘Total Institution’?
a) Erving Goffman
b) Michel Foucault
c) Robert K. Merton
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: a) Erving Goffman
20. The ‘Sociological Imagination’ was conceptualized by:
a) C. Wright Mills
b) Talcott Parsons
c) Robert K. Merton
d) Anthony Giddens
Answer: a) C. Wright Mills
Section C: Sociological Concepts and Debates on Sociological Theory
21. Which paradigm focuses on micro-level interactions?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Feminism
Answer: c) Symbolic interactionism
22. The ‘Latent Function’ of education, according to Robert Merton, is:
a) Skill development
b) Social networking
c) Cultural transmission
d) Hidden curriculum
Answer: b) Social networking
23. Who introduced the concept of ‘Ideal Type’?
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: b) Max Weber
24. The ‘Thomas Theorem’ states that:
a) Social facts are external to individuals
b) Situations defined as real become real in their consequences
c) Society is a web of interactions
d) Power is centralized in modern states
Answer: b) Situations defined as real become real in their consequences
25. Which theory critiques the ‘Grand Narratives’ of modernity?
a) Functionalism
b) Postmodernism
c) Conflict theory
d) Rational choice theory
Answer: b) Postmodernism
Section D: Applied Sociological Theory
26. Which theory would best explain social movements like #MeToo?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Exchange theory
Answer: b) Conflict theory
27. The ‘Digital Divide’ can be analyzed using:
a) Weber’s rationalization theory
b) Marx’s class struggle
c) Durkheim’s anomie
d) Goffman’s dramaturgy
Answer: b) Marx’s class struggle
28. Which perspective would study ‘Facebook interactions’ as a form of social behavior?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Feminist theory
Answer: c) Symbolic interactionism
Section D: Classical Theorists on Sociological Theory
29. Who coined the term “Survival of the Fittest” in social evolution?
a) Auguste Comte
b) Herbert Spencer
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Karl Marx
Answer: b) Herbert Spencer
30. The concept of “Double Consciousness” was introduced by:
a) W.E.B. Du Bois
b) Booker T. Washington
c) Karl Marx
d) Max Weber
Answer: a) W.E.B. Du Bois
31. Which sociologist analyzed suicide rates in terms of social integration?
a) Max Weber
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Karl Marx
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: b) Émile Durkheim
32. The “Theory of Bureaucracy” was developed by:
a) Karl Marx
b) Max Weber
c) Robert Michels
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: b) Max Weber
33. Who introduced the concept of “The Communist Manifesto”?
a) Friedrich Engels
b) Karl Marx
c) Both a & b
d) Max Weber
Answer: c) Both a & b (Marx & Engels)
34. “The Division of Labor in Society” was written by:
a) Max Weber
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Karl Marx
d) Herbert Spencer
Answer: b) Émile Durkheim
35. Which classical theorist focused on “Social Action” and subjective meaning?
a) Émile Durkheim
b) Karl Marx
c) Max Weber
d) Auguste Comte
Answer: c) Max Weber
36. The concept of “Iron Law of Oligarchy” was given by:
a) Vilfredo Pareto
b) Robert Michels
c) Gaetano Mosca
d) Max Weber
Answer: b) Robert Michels
37. Who among the following is associated with “Positivism”?
a) Auguste Comte
b) Max Weber
c) Karl Marx
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: a) Auguste Comte
38. The book “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” was written by:
a) Karl Marx
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Max Weber
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: c) Max Weber
Section E: Modern Sociological Theories on Sociological Theory
39. The “Labelling Theory” is associated with:
a) Howard Becker
b) Erving Goffman
c) Robert K. Merton
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: a) Howard Becker
40. Who developed the “Strain Theory” of deviance?
a) Robert K. Merton
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Howard Becker
d) Edwin Sutherland
Answer: a) Robert K. Merton
41. The concept of “Reference Group” was introduced by:
a) George Herbert Mead
b) Charles Horton Cooley
c) Robert K. Merton
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: c) Robert K. Merton
42. “The Social System” (1951) was written by:
a) Talcott Parsons
b) Robert K. Merton
c) C. Wright Mills
d) Anthony Giddens
Answer: a) Talcott Parsons
43. Who introduced the concept of “Manifest and Latent Functions”?
a) Robert K. Merton
b) Émile Durkheim
c) Max Weber
d) Karl Marx
Answer: a) Robert K. Merton
44. The “Theory of Middle-Range” was proposed by:
a) Talcott Parsons
b) Robert K. Merton
c) C. Wright Mills
d) Anthony Giddens
Answer: b) Robert K. Merton
45. The “Power Elite” theory was given by:
a) C. Wright Mills
b) Max Weber
c) Karl Marx
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: a) C. Wright Mills
46. Who introduced the concept of “Feminist Standpoint Theory”?
a) Judith Butler
b) Dorothy Smith
c) Simone de Beauvoir
d) Patricia Hill Collins
Answer: b) Dorothy Smith
47. The “Sociology of Knowledge” is associated with:
a) Karl Mannheim
b) Max Weber
c) Émile Durkheim
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: a) Karl Mannheim
48. The “Civilizing Process” theory was proposed by:
a) Norbert Elias
b) Michel Foucault
c) Jürgen Habermas
d) Pierre Bourdieu
Answer: a) Norbert Elias
Section F: Contemporary Sociological Theories
49. The “Liquid Modernity” concept was introduced by:
a) Zygmunt Bauman
b) Anthony Giddens
c) Ulrich Beck
d) Manuel Castells
Answer: a) Zygmunt Bauman
50. The “Network Society” theory is associated with:
a) Manuel Castells
b) Anthony Giddens
c) Ulrich Beck
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: a) Manuel Castells
51. The “Reflexive Modernization” thesis was given by:
a) Anthony Giddens
b) Ulrich Beck
c) Both a & b
d) Zygmunt Bauman
Answer: c) Both a & b (Giddens & Beck)
52. The “Panopticon” concept was used by:
a) Michel Foucault
b) Jeremy Bentham
c) Both a & b
d) Max Weber
Answer: c) Both a & b (Bentham designed it, Foucault analyzed it)
53. The “Postmodern Condition” was analyzed by:
a) Jean-François Lyotard
b) Michel Foucault
c) Jacques Derrida
d) Zygmunt Bauman
Answer: a) Jean-François Lyotard
54. The “Structuration Theory” was developed by:
a) Pierre Bourdieu
b) Anthony Giddens
c) Jürgen Habermas
d) Michel Foucault
Answer: b) Anthony Giddens
55. The “Habitus” concept was introduced by:
a) Pierre Bourdieu
b) Michel Foucault
c) Anthony Giddens
d) Jürgen Habermas
Answer: a) Pierre Bourdieu
56. The “Public Sphere” theory is associated with:
a) Jürgen Habermas
b) Michel Foucault
c) Anthony Giddens
d) Zygmunt Bauman
Answer: a) Jürgen Habermas
57. The “Simulacra and Simulation” concept was introduced by:
a) Jean Baudrillard
b) Michel Foucault
c) Jacques Derrida
d) Gilles Deleuze
Answer: a) Jean Baudrillard
58. The “Actor-Network Theory” (ANT) is associated with:
a) Bruno Latour
b) Michel Foucault
c) Anthony Giddens
d) Pierre Bourdieu
Answer: a) Bruno Latour
Section G: Applied Sociological Theory
59. Which theory best explains “Caste Discrimination in India”?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict Theory
c) Symbolic Interactionism
d) Exchange Theory
Answer: b) Conflict Theory
60. The “Jajmani System” in India can be analyzed using:
a) Weber’s status groups
b) Marx’s class struggle
c) Durkheim’s organic solidarity
d) Merton’s latent functions
Answer: a) Weber’s status groups
61. The “Green Revolution” can be critiqued using:
a) Modernization Theory
b) Dependency Theory
c) World Systems Theory
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Section H: Miscellaneous (Debates & Concepts)
62. The “Structure vs. Agency” debate is central to:
a) Functionalism
b) Structuration Theory
c) Conflict Theory
d) Symbolic Interactionism
Answer: b) Structuration Theory (Giddens)
63. The “Micro-Macro Link” in sociology refers to:
a) Connecting individual actions to larger structures
b) Economic determinism
c) Social Darwinism
d) Feminist epistemology
Answer: a) Connecting individual actions to larger structures
64. Which of the following is a “Metatheoretical” debate in sociology?
a) Positivism vs. Interpretivism
b) Capitalism vs. Socialism
c) Modernity vs. Postmodernity
d) Both a & c
Answer: d) Both a & c
Section I: Feminist and Critical Theories
- The concept of “hegemonic masculinity” was developed by:
a) Judith Butler
b) Raewyn Connell
c) Simone de Beauvoir
d) Patricia Hill Collins
Answer: b) Raewyn Connell - Which feminist theorist emphasized “intersectionality” in analyzing oppression?
a) Dorothy Smith
b) Patricia Hill Collins
c) Judith Butler
d) bell hooks
Answer: b) Patricia Hill Collins - The “second shift” concept in feminist theory refers to:
a) Women’s unpaid domestic labor after paid work
b) The feminist movement’s second wave
c) Workplace discrimination against women
d) Gender socialization in schools
Answer: a) Women’s unpaid domestic labor after paid work
Section J: Postmodern and Poststructural Theories
- Michel Foucault’s concept of “biopower” refers to:
a) State control over populations through biological means
b) Corporate control of genetic technologies
c) Biological determinism in social theory
d) Power relations in medical institutions
Answer: a) State control over populations through biological means - Jean Baudrillard’s concept of “hyperreality” suggests:
a) Media representations become more real than reality
b) Globalization creates uniform cultural experiences
c) Digital technology enhances human perception
d) Postmodern architecture reflects social fragmentation
Answer: a) Media representations become more real than reality
Section K: Indian Sociological Thought
- Who among the following is considered a pioneer of Indian sociology?
a) M.N. Srinivas
b) G.S. Ghurye
c) A.R. Desai
d) Irawati Karve
Answer: b) G.S. Ghurye - The concept of “Sanskritization” was introduced by:
a) Yogendra Singh
b) M.N. Srinivas
c) A.R. Desai
d) Andre Beteille
Answer: b) M.N. Srinivas
Section L: Research Methodology in Theory
- Which theoretical perspective emphasizes “verstehen” (interpretive understanding)?
a) Positivism
b) Symbolic interactionism
c) Phenomenology
d) Both b and c
Answer: d) Both b and c - The “ideal type” methodology is associated with:
a) Emile Durkheim
b) Max Weber
c) Karl Marx
d) George Herbert Mead
Answer: b) Max Weber
Section M: Recent Developments in Theory
- The “anthropocene” concept in social theory refers to:
a) Human domination of geological processes
b) Post-human technological development
c) Globalization of cultural forms
d) Ecological modernization
Answer: a) Human domination of geological processes - “Affect theory” in contemporary sociology emphasizes:
a) Emotional dimensions of social life
b) Cognitive processes in social interaction
c) Biological foundations of behavior
d) Economic determinants of emotion
Answer: a) Emotional dimensions of social life
Section N: Comparative Theoretical Analysis
- Which theoretical perspective would emphasize “social facts” as external constraints?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Rational choice theory
Answer: a) Functionalism - A study of “how people construct meaning through everyday interactions” would likely use:
a) Durkheimian theory
b) Weberian theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Marxist theory
Answer: c) Symbolic interactionism
Section O: Theoretical Applications
- Which theory would best explain the persistence of gender wage gap?
a) Structural functionalism
b) Feminist theory
c) Exchange theory
d) Phenomenology
Answer: b) Feminist theory - The “digital divide” can be best analyzed through:
a) Weber’s rationalization theory
b) Marx’s concept of class struggle
c) Durkheim’s anomie concept
d) Goffman’s dramaturgy
Answer: b) Marx’s concept of class struggle
Section P: Theoretical Debates
- The “structure vs. agency” debate is central to:
a) Giddens’ structuration theory
b) Parsonian functionalism
c) Marxist dialectics
d) Foucauldian discourse analysis
Answer: a) Giddens’ structuration theory - The “micro-macro linkage” problem refers to:
a) Connecting individual actions to social structures
b) Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods
c) Reconciling conflict and functional perspectives
d) Combining biological and social explanations
Answer: a) Connecting individual actions to social structures
85. Which theorist famously described religion as “the opiate of the masses”?
a) Émile Durkheim
b) Max Weber
c) Karl Marx
d) Sigmund Freud
Answer: c) Karl Marx
Section Q: Final MCQs (86-100)
86. Durkheim’s study of suicide demonstrated:
a) Biological causes of self-harm
b) Psychological trauma as primary factor
c) Social causes of individual behavior
d) Economic determinants of suicidal tendencies
Answer: c) Social causes of individual behavior
87. Max Weber’s three types of authority include all EXCEPT:
a) Traditional
b) Charismatic
c) Rational-legal
d) Bureaucratic
Answer: d) Bureaucratic
88. The “self-fulfilling prophecy” concept was developed by:
a) Erving Goffman
b) Robert K. Merton
c) Howard Becker
d) Talcott Parsons
Answer: b) Robert K. Merton
89. Which perspective emphasizes the “social construction of reality”?
a) Functionalism
b) Conflict theory
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Rational choice theory
Answer: c) Symbolic interactionism
90. Gramsci’s concept of “cultural hegemony” refers to:
a) Military domination by the state
b) Dominant group’s ideological control through consent
c) Economic exploitation by capitalists
d) Religious influence on politics
Answer: b) Dominant group’s ideological control through consent
91. Habermas’ “communicative action” emphasizes:
a) Power struggles in discourse
b) Rational consensus through dialogue
c) Media manipulation of public opinion
d) Linguistic determinism
Answer: b) Rational consensus through dialogue
92. Pierre Bourdieu’s “symbolic violence” refers to:
a) Physical coercion by institutions
b) Unconscious acceptance of social hierarchies as natural
c) State censorship of dissent
d) Gender-based violence in media
Answer: b) Unconscious acceptance of social hierarchies as natural
93. Foucault’s “archaeology of knowledge” examines:
a) Biological roots of human cognition
b) Historical development of discourses and power-knowledge systems
c) Ancient civilizations’ intellectual traditions
d) Library sciences in modernity
Answer: b) Historical development of discourses and power-knowledge systems
94. Ulrich Beck’s “risk society” thesis emphasizes:
a) Natural disasters as social threats
b) Manufactured uncertainties (e.g., climate change, nuclear war) in late modernity
c) Financial market volatility
d) Health risks in urban slums
Answer: b) Manufactured uncertainties in late modernity
95. Manuel Castells’ “network society” highlights:
a) Rural-urban migration patterns
b) Information technology’s transformative impact on social structures
c) Bureaucratic organizational models
d) Traditional kinship systems
Answer: b) Information technology’s transformative impact on social structures
96. Anthony Giddens’ “runaway world” concept refers to:
a) Accelerated globalization processes beyond control
b) Climate change effects
c) Decline of nation-states
d) Spread of pandemics
Answer: a) Accelerated globalization processes
97. Zygmunt Bauman’s “liquid modernity” describes:
a) Stable industrial societies
b) Fluid, unstable contemporary social relations and identities
c) Post-colonial economic systems
d) Digital currency trends
Answer: b) Fluid, unstable contemporary social relations
98. Which Indian sociologist studied the concept of “dominant caste”?
a) A.R. Desai
b) Yogendra Singh
c) M.N. Srinivas
d) Irawati Karve
Answer: c) M.N. Srinivas
99. The “world systems theory” was developed by:
a) Immanuel Wallerstein
b) Andre Gunder Frank
c) Samir Amin
d) Karl Polanyi
Answer: a) Immanuel Wallerstein
100. “Reflexive modernization” refers to:
a) Traditional societies adopting technology
b) Modernization critiquing and adapting to its own unintended consequences
c) Postmodern rejection of science
d) Globalization of consumer culture
Answer: b) Modernization critiquing its own effects
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