A student is worried that she may not get a job after graduation. Which statement best reflects the sociological imagination advocated by C. Wright Mills?

This concern may be a personal trouble, but it can also be linked to wider patterns of employment and economic opportunities.

The correct answer is Option 3: This concern may be a personal trouble, but it can also be linked to wider patterns of employment and economic opportunities.

One of the key contributions of Sociology is helping individuals connect their personal experiences with broader social forces. C. Wright Mills argued that problems experienced by individuals should not always be viewed in isolation. A student's concern about getting a job may appear to be a personal trouble, but if large numbers of young people face similar difficulties, the issue may be linked to wider economic conditions, educational systems, or labour market structures. Sociology helps reveal these connections between individual experiences and social realities.

Option 1: This concern should be understood only in terms of her individual abilities and efforts. Incorrect. This reflects an individualistic explanation. Mills argued that many personal troubles can be understood properly only when linked to broader social conditions.

Option 2: This concern becomes a social issue only when it affects members of her family. Incorrect. A social issue concerns large groups and social structures, not merely a family or a small set of individuals.

Option 4: This concern cannot be studied sociologically because it relates to an individual's future. Incorrect. Sociology studies both personal experiences and the larger social processes that shape them.

NCERT: "But sociology can do more than simply help to locate you or others in this simple sense of describing the places of different social groups. As C. Wright Mills, a well-known American sociologist has written, sociology can help you to map the links and connections between 'personal troubles' and 'social issues'. By personal troubles Mills means the kinds of individual worries, problems or concerns that everyone has. So, for example, you may be unhappy about the way elders in your family treat you or how your brothers, sisters or friends treat you. You may be worried about your future and what sort of job you might get. Other aspects of your individual identity may be sources of pride, tension, confidence or embarrassment in different ways. But all of these are about one person and derive meaning from this personalised perspective. A social issue, on the other hand, is about large groups and not about the individuals who make them up."