Introduction
Preparing for the UGC NET Sociology exam requires a strong understanding of classical and modern sociologists, and among them, Robert K. Merton holds a special place. Known for his contributions to functionalism, middle-range theory, sociology of science, and theories of deviance, Merton’s ideas continue to shape sociological research and practice. To help aspirants strengthen their preparation, we have designed 100 MCQs on Robert K Merton with answers that cover his life, works, and theoretical contributions in detail.
This practice set includes questions on Merton’s key concepts such as manifest and latent functions, role strain, reference group theory, self-fulfilling prophecy, and his famous strain theory of deviance. It also covers his contribution to the sociology of science, including the CUDOS norms and the Matthew Effect. By practicing these objective-type questions, UGC NET candidates can not only test their knowledge but also develop conceptual clarity on important sociological theories.
The 100 MCQs on Robert K Merton are structured to enhance exam-oriented preparation, making them useful for quick revision, mock tests, or self-assessment. Whether you are revising for UGC NET, SET, or any sociology-related competitive exam, this comprehensive collection will help you master one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century.
Here is all 100 MCQs on Robert K Merton
Section A: Life and Works (Q1–10)
- Robert K. Merton is best known as a representative of which sociological perspective?
a) Conflict theory
b) Structural functionalism
c) Symbolic interactionism
d) Feminism
Answer: b - Robert K. Merton was a student of:
a) Talcott Parsons
b) Max Weber
c) Pitirim Sorokin
d) Herbert Spencer
Answer: c - Merton was mainly associated with which country’s sociology?
a) France
b) Germany
c) United States
d) England
Answer: c - Merton’s full name is:
a) Robert Kenneth Merton
b) Robert Karl Merton
c) Robert King Merton
d) Robert Keith Merton
Answer: c - Merton was awarded the National Medal of Science in which year?
a) 1990
b) 1994
c) 1997
d) 2000
Answer: b - Which of the following is NOT a major work of Merton?
a) Social Theory and Social Structure
b) Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth Century England
c) The Structure of Social Action
d) On Theoretical Sociology
Answer: c - Merton was influenced by which European sociologist’s functionalism?
a) Emile Durkheim
b) Auguste Comte
c) Karl Marx
d) Georg Simmel
Answer: a - Which concept did Merton popularize in sociology of science?
a) Paradigm shift
b) Ethnomethodology
c) Self-fulfilling prophecy
d) Verstehen
Answer: c - Merton’s theory of deviance is often called:
a) Opportunity theory
b) Strain theory
c) Differential association
d) Labeling theory
Answer: b - Merton served most of his academic career at:
a) Harvard University
b) Columbia University
c) University of Chicago
d) London School of Economics
Answer: b
Section B: Middle-Range Theory (Q11–25)
- Merton’s theoretical orientation is known as:
a) Grand theory
b) Middle-range theory
c) Conflict theory
d) Interactionist theory
Answer: b - Merton opposed which sociologist’s emphasis on “grand theory”?
a) Weber
b) Parsons
c) Mead
d) Marx
Answer: b - Middle-range theory lies between:
a) Empirical research and abstract theory
b) Conflict and consensus theory
c) Qualitative and quantitative research
d) Individual and society
Answer: a - Example of middle-range theory according to Merton:
a) Theory of social action
b) Theory of evolution
c) Theory of deviance
d) Theory of dialectical materialism
Answer: c - The book where Merton elaborated middle-range theories:
a) Social Theory and Social Structure
b) On Social Structure and Science
c) The Sociology of Science
d) Contemporary Social Problems
Answer: a - Middle-range theory is best described as:
a) Highly speculative
b) Abstract and universal
c) Testable and empirically grounded
d) Ideological and normative
Answer: c - Merton’s middle-range theory is mainly a critique of:
a) Durkheim’s positivism
b) Parsons’ grand theory
c) Marx’s historical materialism
d) Mead’s symbolic interactionism
Answer: b - Middle-range theories aim to:
a) Explain everything in society
b) Provide narrow case studies
c) Link empirical research with limited theories
d) Reject scientific method
Answer: c - Merton suggested that middle-range theories can accumulate into:
a) Grand theories
b) Ideologies
c) Political doctrines
d) Universal truths
Answer: a - Middle-range theory is suitable for:
a) Abstract metaphysical analysis
b) Empirical testing of hypotheses
c) Rejecting scientific methods
d) Literary criticism
Answer: b - An example of Merton’s middle-range theory in education is:
a) Role conflict theory
b) Strain theory
c) Reference group theory
d) Self-fulfilling prophecy
Answer: d - Merton contrasted middle-range theory with:
a) Symbolic interactionism
b) Grand theory of Parsons
c) Conflict approach
d) Ethnomethodology
Answer: b - Merton’s middle-range theories were meant to:
a) Replace all sociology
b) Bridge theory and research
c) Eliminate statistics
d) Serve as ideology
Answer: b - Which of the following is NOT an example of middle-range theory?
a) Theory of deviance
b) Theory of role conflict
c) Theory of nuclear family evolution
d) Theory of paradigm shift
Answer: d - Middle-range theory emphasizes:
a) Ideology
b) Empirical generalization
c) Absolute truth
d) Pure philosophy
Answer: b
Section C: Anomie and Strain Theory (Q26–45)
- Merton reformulated Durkheim’s concept of:
a) Social facts
b) Collective conscience
c) Anomie
d) Division of labor
Answer: c - According to Merton, deviance results from a gap between:
a) Social structure and culture
b) Role and status
c) Science and technology
d) Individual and society
Answer: a - The cultural goals emphasized in American society are mainly:
a) Wealth and success
b) Harmony and peace
c) Equality and justice
d) Tradition and rituals
Answer: a - Merton outlined how many modes of individual adaptation?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
Answer: c - Which is NOT one of Merton’s modes of adaptation?
a) Conformity
b) Innovation
c) Ritualism
d) Displacement
Answer: d - The most common adaptation in society according to Merton:
a) Conformity
b) Innovation
c) Ritualism
d) Retreatism
Answer: a - Adaptation involving acceptance of goals but rejection of means:
a) Ritualism
b) Innovation
c) Conformity
d) Retreatism
Answer: b - Ritualism refers to:
a) Abandoning goals but rigidly following means
b) Rejecting both goals and means
c) Creating new goals and means
d) Accepting both goals and means
Answer: a - Retreatism is shown by:
a) Revolutionaries
b) Monks, drug addicts, dropouts
c) Bureaucrats
d) Business innovators
Answer: b - Rebellion involves:
a) Acceptance of existing norms
b) Rejection and replacement of goals and means
c) Passive withdrawal from society
d) Excessive conformity
Answer: b - Innovation is common among:
a) Bureaucrats
b) Criminals and entrepreneurs
c) Priests and monks
d) Scientists
Answer: b - The gap between goals and means is called:
a) Relative deprivation
b) Strain
c) Anomie
d) Alienation
Answer: b - Merton considered deviance as:
a) Pathological
b) Functional
c) Dysfunctional only
d) Non-existent
Answer: b - Merton’s strain theory was criticized for ignoring:
a) Economic structures
b) Power relations
c) Cultural diversity
d) Symbolic interaction
Answer: b - Strain theory is mainly applied to study:
a) Gender roles
b) Crime and deviance
c) Religion
d) Caste system
Answer: b - Merton’s concept of “innovation” in deviance is linked to:
a) White-collar crime
b) Role conflict
c) Reference groups
d) Self-fulfilling prophecy
Answer: a - Retreatism is rare because:
a) Most people innovate
b) Society doesn’t allow withdrawal
c) Few reject both goals and means
d) Bureaucracy controls it
Answer: c - Rebellion is most likely during:
a) Political stability
b) Economic crisis
c) Religious festivals
d) Social harmony
Answer: b - According to Merton, conformity ensures:
a) Social equilibrium
b) Social conflict
c) Class struggle
d) Alienation
Answer: a - Which concept is central in Merton’s deviance theory?
a) Social mobility
b) Strain
c) Authority
d) Culture
Answer: b
Section D: Functionalism (Q46–60)
- Merton’s contribution to functionalism is:
a) Dialectical materialism
b) Manifest and latent functions
c) Surplus value
d) Organic analogy
Answer: b - Manifest functions are:
a) Intended and recognized
b) Hidden and unintended
c) Dysfunctional
d) Political propaganda
Answer: a - Latent functions are:
a) Always harmful
b) Intended outcomes
c) Unintended consequences
d) Purely economic
Answer: c - Dysfunctions are:
a) Always beneficial
b) Consequences harmful to society
c) Planned and useful
d) Symbolic rituals
Answer: b - Example of latent function of education:
a) Teaching skills
b) Producing labor force
c) Social networking and marriage market
d) Curriculum design
Answer: c - Example of manifest function of religion:
a) Group solidarity
b) Economic networking
c) Psychological comfort
d) Worship of deities
Answer: d - Example of latent function of religion:
a) Providing meaning of life
b) Strengthening moral order
c) Political mobilization
d) Ritual worship
Answer: c - Merton’s functionalism was a critique of:
a) Parsons’ functional unity assumption
b) Weber’s ideal type
c) Marx’s class struggle
d) Mead’s interactionism
Answer: a - Merton rejected the assumption that all social elements are:
a) Functional for all groups
b) Dysfunctional
c) Latent
d) Manifest
Answer: a - Merton distinguished between:
a) Structure and agency
b) Function and dysfunction
c) Bourgeoisie and proletariat
d) Primary and secondary groups
Answer: b - Merton considered that not all structures have:
a) Functions
b) Manifest consequences
c) Dysfunctional effects
d) Material base
Answer: a - Example of dysfunction of bureaucracy:
a) Efficiency
b) Red tape
c) Rule clarity
d) Social order
Answer: b - Functional alternatives are also known as:
a) Substitutes
b) Equivalents
c) Deviations
d) Innovations
Answer: b - Functional alternatives mean:
a) Only one structure can perform a function
b) Different structures can fulfill same function
c) No structure performs any function
d) Dysfunction is always present
Answer: b - Merton argued functional analysis must consider:
a) Historical roots
b) Universal truths
c) Class struggle
d) Role conflict
Answer: a
Section E: Sociology of Science (Q61–75)
- Merton’s sociology of science emphasizes:
a) Religion as the base of science
b) Normative structure of science
c) Capitalist funding of science
d) Magic as a precursor to science
Answer: b - The four norms of science described by Merton are called:
a) Paradigms
b) CUDOS norms
c) Ideologies
d) Research ethics
Answer: b - In CUDOS, “C” stands for:
a) Communism (communalism)
b) Capitalism
c) Control
d) Creativity
Answer: a - In CUDOS, “U” stands for:
a) Unity
b) Universalism
c) Utility
d) Uniqueness
Answer: b - In CUDOS, “D” stands for:
a) Disinterestedness
b) Discovery
c) Discipline
d) Determinism
Answer: a - In CUDOS, “OS” stands for:
a) Organized Skepticism
b) Objective Science
c) Operational Standards
d) Observational System
Answer: a - Merton linked the rise of modern science in England with:
a) Catholic theology
b) Puritanism
c) Marxist materialism
d) Romanticism
Answer: b - Merton’s book on Puritanism and science:
a) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
b) Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth Century England
c) The Sociology of Science
d) Social Theory and Social Structure
Answer: b - Merton’s “Matthew Effect” in science refers to:
a) Equal recognition of all scientists
b) Greater recognition to already famous scientists
c) Institutional funding for science
d) Religious bias in science
Answer: b - The Matthew Effect is named after:
a) A biblical parable in the Gospel of Matthew
b) A famous scientist named Matthew
c) Merton’s student
d) A Puritan priest
Answer: a - Which of the following is an example of the Matthew Effect?
a) Einstein receiving credit for ideas developed by collaborators
b) Darwin citing Wallace
c) Marx acknowledging Engels
d) Newton admitting Hooke’s contributions
Answer: a - Merton’s sociology of science stresses:
a) Science is purely individual
b) Science is shaped by social norms
c) Science is unrelated to culture
d) Science is irrational
Answer: b - Disinterestedness in science means:
a) Scientists should not care about research
b) Scientists seek truth over personal gain
c) Science is always profitable
d) Science is only funded by state
Answer: b - Organized skepticism requires:
a) Acceptance without question
b) Critical scrutiny of all claims
c) Blind faith in authority
d) Religious approval
Answer: b - Merton’s CUDOS norms are criticized for:
a) Ignoring real power and politics in science
b) Being too critical
c) Favoring Marxist ideology
d) Rejecting empirical work
Answer: a
Section F: Concepts and Theories (Q76–90)
- The term “self-fulfilling prophecy” means:
a) Prediction that creates conditions for its realization
b) Dream that comes true
c) False belief that stays false
d) Scientific law
Answer: a - Example of self-fulfilling prophecy:
a) Bank runs caused by fear of collapse
b) Evolution by natural selection
c) Political revolutions
d) Social mobility
Answer: a - “Reference group theory” is associated with:
a) Marx
b) Weber
c) Merton
d) Mead
Answer: c - Reference group refers to:
a) Groups to which people do not compare themselves
b) Groups that provide standards for self-evaluation
c) Only family members
d) Only peer groups
Answer: b - Positive reference groups:
a) Groups we admire and want to join
b) Groups we reject
c) Groups with no standards
d) Groups based on ethnicity only
Answer: a - Negative reference groups:
a) Groups we admire
b) Groups we reject as undesirable
c) Groups without members
d) Groups based on religion only
Answer: b - Merton’s “role set” concept means:
a) A single role for each person
b) Multiple roles attached to a single status
c) Conflict between roles of different people
d) Play-acting roles in theater
Answer: b - Role conflict occurs when:
a) A single role has contradictory expectations
b) Multiple roles of one person are incompatible
c) Roles are always harmonious
d) Society assigns no roles
Answer: b - Role strain means:
a) Tension among expectations within one role
b) Conflict between two different roles
c) Lack of role expectations
d) Freedom from all roles
Answer: a - Example of role strain:
a) A teacher balancing discipline and encouragement
b) A student working and studying simultaneously
c) A mother being an employee
d) A politician being both minister and party leader
Answer: a - Example of role conflict:
a) A police officer enforcing law against family member
b) Teacher balancing multiple tasks in class
c) Student choosing subjects
d) Child obeying parents
Answer: a - Merton’s idea of “functional alternatives” refers to:
a) No substitutes possible for social functions
b) Multiple structures can perform the same function
c) Only manifest functions exist
d) Every dysfunction is necessary
Answer: b - Which concept reflects unintended benefits of social institutions?
a) Manifest function
b) Latent function
c) Dysfunction
d) Role strain
Answer: b - Which of the following is Merton NOT directly associated with?
a) Latent and manifest functions
b) Reference group theory
c) Self-fulfilling prophecy
d) Looking-glass self
Answer: d - The “anomie-strain” theory of Merton is primarily applied in:
a) Religion studies
b) Crime and deviance studies
c) Economic inequality studies
d) Gender studies
Answer: b
Section G: Criticism, Applications & Legacy (Q91–100)
- Merton criticized which of Parsons’ assumptions?
a) Functional unity of society
b) Value consensus
c) Pattern variables
d) Social action
Answer: a - Merton argued that not all structures are:
a) Functional
b) Dysfunctions
c) Social facts
d) Cultural
Answer: a - One criticism of Merton’s strain theory is that it:
a) Ignores crime
b) Overemphasizes cultural goals of success
c) Rejects scientific analysis
d) Supports Marxist determinism
Answer: b - Critics argue Merton’s functionalism is:
a) Too deterministic
b) Too Marxist
c) Too relativistic
d) Too individualistic
Answer: a - Merton’s theories remain important because they:
a) Ignore empirical research
b) Provide testable middle-range concepts
c) Reject science
d) Deny functionalism
Answer: b - Which contemporary area uses Merton’s self-fulfilling prophecy?
a) Physics
b) Education and labeling theory
c) Agriculture
d) Medicine only
Answer: b - Merton’s “reference group theory” is foundational in:
a) Political sociology
b) Social psychology
c) Historical sociology
d) Economic sociology
Answer: b - Merton’s idea of dysfunction influenced the study of:
a) Social problems
b) Religious rituals
c) Family traditions
d) Political campaigns
Answer: a - Which of the following best describes Merton’s legacy?
a) Builder of grand theory
b) Advocate of empirical middle-range sociology
c) Purely Marxist thinker
d) Rejecter of scientific sociology
Answer: b - Merton is often called:
a) Father of symbolic interactionism
b) Architect of middle-range theory
c) Founder of conflict theory
d) Father of ethnomethodology
Answer: b
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