Read the following passage and answer the following questions:
The scope of sociological study is extremely wide. It can focus its analysis of interactions between individuals such as that of a shopkeeper with a customer, between teachers and students, between two friends or family members. It can likewise focus on national issues such as unemployment or caste conflict or the effect of state policies on forest rights of the tribal population or rural indebtedness. Or examine global social processes such as: the impact of new flexible labour regulations on the working class; or that of the electronic media on the young; or the entry of foreign universities on the education system of the country. What defines the discipline of sociology is therefore not just what it studies (i.e. family or trade unions or villages) but how it studies a chosen field.
A study of village does not only mean the study of different social groups, but, it also includes-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Study of the society in its entirety along with studying its link with outside world
Option (3) Study of the society in its entirety along with studying its link with outside world — Correct. A study of a village does not only mean the study of its different social groups; it must also take into account the ways the village society is linked to the outside world. A sociologist cannot study society as though it were an isolated entity, because the compression of space and time has tied villages, families and castes to global changes.
Note: The sentence on what the study of a village means was there in the section on the sociological perspective of the chapter ‘Globalisation and Social Change’ in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. It has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter is still there and keeps the point that society cannot be studied as an isolated entity.
NCERT (2025-26): “…The sociologist or social anthropologist cannot study society as though it was an isolated entity. The compression of space and time has changed this. Sociologists have to study villages, families, movements, child rearing practices, work and leisure, bureaucratic organisations or castes taking this global interconnection into account. Studies will have to take into account the impact of WTO rules on agriculture and therefore on the farmer.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…Sociology has been often defined as the discipline that studies ‘society’. You would remember from your discussions in Book 1, Class XI that the boundaries of ‘society’ are not easy to draw. A study of a village not only meant study of different social groups and their ‘societies’ but would also have to take into account, the ways the village society was linked to the outside world. This linkage is more valid today than ever before.…” |