Aspirants who prepare for BPSC Mains often face difficulty in finding previous years optional question paper , here we have compiled official Question Paper conducted by commission. Also This article will help all new Aspirants to decide whether Sociology is the right Optional .
BPSC Sociology Optional Strategy
Though Bihar Public Service Commission has only one optional in its BPSC mains examination yet the optional subject has been a decisive component in many ways.In this new scheme the optional now carries ,Marks and play a significant role in obtaining good score in mains.
The selection of optional,availability of Good Notes , preparation and securing good marks , finalizes the probability of selection . Well planned out courses with daily classes along with group discussions, all culminate to get to understand the subject in depth with utmost clarity .
Why one should go for Sociology Optional for BPSC?
The nature of sociology is such that it does not require any particular knowledge or prior bachelor masters academic background as students from various humanities and Science , Engg. fields can skim through the subject with ease . Prior results of BPSC mains have shown that even such students with contrasting subjects to their graduation have scored reasonably well and secured high rank in final result .
Advantages of Sociology:
(a) Scoring subject , having consistent performer , giving better marks as compared to other optional subjects.
(b) Sociology is a very fascinating subject as it involves study of mankind in social environment the evolution of society culturally biologically. Gives fresh perspective to understand contemporary society.
(c) The consistent results with Sociology have shown that it is easy to grasp especially for science graduates but also non-science students who have performed very well even with self study and some answer writing . Click Here to register for Sociology Answer writing Program with Maithli mam(UPSC mains qualified with High score in Sociology).
(d) Sociology once read properly with conceptual clarity, it is seen that large number of questions are fairly straight forward and direct in nature , thus giving chance to score better. With some answer writing as per latest trend integrating contemporary current context in answers , good high score is very much achievable .
(e) With Sociology as optional , aspirants have an edge in GS1 – society section – paper of UPSC mains . The essay paper also becomes manageable
BPSC Topper Marksheet with Sociology optional
BPSC Sociology marksheet of previous year toppers (for reference).
BPSC Sociology Syllabus PDF download
The syllabus for Sociology optional as per official latest notification is given below . Aspirants can also scroll through long notification , the link for which is given after this syllabus .
| Section-I GENERAL SOCIOLOGY | |
| 1. Scientific Study of Social phenomena- Emergence of Sociology and its relationship with other disciplines, their scope and approaches. Science and Study of social behavior, the problems of objectivity, reliability and validity. Scientific methods and scientific language; their meaning, goals, types; elements and features. Research Design Techniques of data collection and analysis, Attitude measurements; problems and scales. Concept of social causation with special reference to R.M.Mac’ver. | |
| 2. Pioneering Contributions to Sociology- Theoretical beginnings- Positivism and evolutionism with reference to Comte, Spencer and Morgan; Historical Sociology contributions of Karl Mark, Maxweber and P.A. Sorokin; Functionalism; E. Durkheim, P.areto. Parsons and Merton, Conflict School; Gumplowicz Dahrenderf and Coser; Recent approaches in Sociology, Micro Sociology, Macro Sociology, Middle Range theories, Neopostitvism, Exchange theories and Interactions Sociology. | |
| 3. Social Structure and Social Organçation; Concept and types approaches to Social Structure; Structural functionalist school, Structuralist school and Marxist School: Elements of Social Structure-Individual and society; social interaction; social groups, concept and types; concept of status and role, their determinants and types, dimensions of roles in simple and complex societies, role conflict; Social Network; Basic concepts and types, culture and personality, concepts of conformity and social control, agencies of social control; concept of Minority Groups, their relationship with majority; Secularism versus Integration. | |
| 4. Social Stratification and Mobility-Concept, consequences and types of stratification; inequality and stratification, Dimensions and bases of stratification; Theoretical approaches to the study of stratification, functionalist approach and conflict approach; Social Stratification and Social Mobility; Concept of Sankskritçation and Westernçation. Types of Mobility: intergenerational mobility, vertical versus horçontal mobility, open and closed models of mobility. | |
| 5. Family marriage and Kinship-Structure, functions and types of family marriage and kinship; social change and change in age and sex roles; change in marriage, family and kinship; significance of family in industrial society. | |
| 6. Formal organçation-Elements of formal and informal structures and organçations, bureaucracy functions, dysfunctions and characteristics, bureaucracy and political development, political socialisation and political participation, modes of participation, democratic and authoritarian forms, voluntary organçations. | |
| 7. Economic System-Property concepts, social dimensions of division of labour; type of exchange, social aspects of pre- industrial and industrial economic systems; industrialçation and changes in the political, educational religious, familiar and stratificational spheres; social determinants and consequences of economic development. | |
| 8. Political Systems-Concepts, elements and types of political systems: functions of a political system, institutions under the political system; political processes with reference to individuals, groups, political organçations, parties and other agencies. Concepts, bases and types of power, authority and legitimacy; Concept of Stateless societies; political socialçation versus political participation; properties of State. Power of elites, and masses in democracy and in totalitarian societies; political parties and voting, Leadership democratic order and democratic stability. | |
| 9. Educational Systems- Concepts and goals of education; Schools of philosophy;- Naturalism, Idealism and pragmatism, their bearing on education; importance of education in society, democracy, international understanding and nationalism. New trends in education; Role of various agencies-school home society state and religion in education and socialçation. Population Education- its concepts and components, Education as a medium of cultural reproduction, indoctrination, social stratification, mobility and modernisation. | |
| 10. Religion- The religious phenomenon; the concepts of sacred and protan, social functions and dysfunctions of religion, magic religion and science, social change and religious secularisation. | |
| 11. Social change and development- Factors of social change, economic, biological and technological; Theories of social change- evolutionary, functional and conflict; social change, modernisation and development; Democratisation equality and social justice; social reconstruction. |
| Section- 1I SOCIETY OF INDIA | |
| 1. Indian Society- Features of traditional Hindu Social Organisation, Socio-cultural dynamics through the ages, impact of Buddhism, Islam and West on Indian Society, factors in continuity and change. | |
| 2. Social Stratification- Caste system and its transformation, Economic Structural and Cultural view about Caste, origin of the Caste system, issues of inequality and social justice among Hindu and Non-Hindu castes, Caste mobility, Casteism, Backward caste versus Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste and untouchability, changes among Scheduled Castes, eradication of untouchability, industrial and agrarian class structures, rising trends in inter caste relations in Bihar under the impact of Mandal Commission and its reservation policy. | |
| 3. Family, Marriage and Kinship: Regional variation in Kinship system and its socio-cultural correlates, changing aspects of Kinship, The joint family system its structural and functional aspects, its changing form and disorgançation, Marriage among various ethnic groups, economic and Caste categories, its changing trend in future, impact of legislation and socioeconomic changes upon family and marriage, inter caste marriages-causes and consequences in Bihar intergeneration gap and youth unrest, changing status of women, women and social development. | |
| 4. Economic System: Jajmani System and its bearing on the traditional society, Market economy and its social consequences, occupational diversification and social structure, professional Trade Unions, Social determinants and consequences of economic development, Economic inequalities, exploitation and corruption; causes of economic backwardness in Bihar, potentialities of economic growth in Bihar, Relationship between economic growth and social development with specific reference to Bihar. | |
| 5. Political System: Functioning of a democratic political system in a traditional society, political parties and their social composition, origin of political elites and their social orientation, decentralçation of power, political participation, voting pattern in Bihar, relevance of Caste, community and economic factor in voting behaviour in Bihar, its changing trends, Functions dysfunctions and characteristics of India Bureaucracy, Bureaucracy and political development in India, concept of mass society, Socio-political sources of mass movement in India. | |
| 6. Educational System: Education and society in the traditional and modern contexts, educational inequality and change, education and social mobility, educational problems of women, Backward Classes and the Scheduled Castes, causes of educational backwardness in Bihar, Functional and dysfunctional aspects of Mushroom growth of institutions in Bihar; Prospects and problems of higher education in Bihar, New educational Policies, Mass. | |
| 7. Religion: Demographic dimensions, geographical distribution and neighbourhood, living patterns of major religious categories; Interreligiousinter-actions and its manifestations in the problems of conversion Minority status, communications and secularism; impact of various religious Movernment in India. (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Brahmoism and Arya Samaj movement on caste system in India; westernçation and modernçation in Bihar; the cohesive and decisive factors, impact of growing religious and politics interrelationship of India’s social organisation. | |
| 8. Tribal societies: Major tribal communities in India, their distinctive features; tribe and case their acculturation and integration; problem of Bihar tribes (social, economic and Political), different approaches to tribal welfare, constitutional and governmental safeguards; tribal movements in India. The Tanabhagat movement, the Birsa movement and the Jharkhand movement, their significance in tribal development. | |
| 9. Rural social system and community development: Sociocultural dimensions of the village community, traditional power structure, democratçation and leadership, poverty, indebtedness and bonded labour, social consequences of land reforms, community Development Programme and other planned development projects of Green Revolution, New strategies of rural development. | |
| 10. Urban Social Organçation: Continuity and change in the traditional causes of social organçation, namely Kinship, Caste and religion in the urban context, stratification and mobility in urban communities, ethnic diversity and community integration, urban neighbourhoods; rural urban differences in demographic and sociocultural characteristics and their social consequemces. | |
| 11. Population dynamics: Theories of population growth Malthusian, biological, demographic transition, optimum population socio-cultural aspects of population composition (sex, age, martial status), determinants of fertility, mortality and migration. Need of population policy in India; population explosion and other determinants factors; social psychological cultural and economic determinants behind population acceptance of family planning practices in India. Family Planning Programmer through first to eighth five year plans; population education; concept, goals, aspects, agencies and techniques of population education. | |
| 12. Social Change and modernçation: Problems of role conflict youth unrest- intergenerational gap, changing status of women. Major sources of social change and of resistance to change, impact of west reform movements, social movements, industrialçation and urbançation pressure groups, factors of planned change, five year plans legislative of executive measures; process of change sanskritçation, westernçation and modernçation means of modernçation man media and education, problems of change and modernçation, structural contradictions and break-downs. Current social evils-corruption and Nepotism Smugglling, Black Money. |
Sociology Optional Question Paper PDF
BPSC Sociology Previous Year Question Paper for past 5 years , as per official exam conducted by commission is compiled below .
| BPSC Sociology Mains 66th (2021) | Download PDF |
| BPSC Sociology Mains 65th (2020) | Download PDF |
| BPSC Sociology Mains 64th (2020) | Download PDF |
| BPSC Sociology Mains 63rd (2019) | Download PDF |
| BPSC Sociology Mains 60-62 (2018) | Download PDF |
BPSC Sociology Optional Books Recommended
| An introduction to sociology by DS Sachdev | Buy@Amazon |
| Indians social problem by CN Sankar Rao | Buy@Amazon |
| Social problem in India by Ram Ahuja | Buy@Amazon |
| Oxford dictionary of Sociology | Buy@Amazon |
Sociology – Kinship Lecture
5. Family marriage and Kinship-Structure, functions and types of family marriage and kinship; social change
and change in age and sex roles; change in marriage, family and kinship; significance of family in industrial
society.
If you are planning to take BPSC mains with Sociology as optional Click Here to register for Sociology Answer writing Program with Maithli mam(UPSC mains qualified with High score in Sociology). Holistic in-depth coverage is key to ace the BPSC Mains with keystone Optional.
