11 NCERT CBSE Sociology Culture and Socialisation
Theme Analysis
Main ThemeCulture and Socialisation
Subject CategorySociology
Key Concepts
Question FocusQuestions cover the definitions and distinctions of culture from everyday to sociological perspectives, its dynamic nature, and its three dimensions (cognitive, normative, material). Socialisation is explored through its definition, types (primary/secondary), and key agencies. Concepts like ethnocentrism, cosmopolitanism, culture lag, and cultural change are also addressed. Questions are designed to test understanding, application, and analysis, with a mix of difficulty levels and Bloom's taxonomy categories, avoiding verbatim recall.
How do sociologists and anthropologists primarily view 'culture' compared to its everyday usage?
Hint: Consider the scope of culture as studied by social scientists versus common perception.
Answer
Sociologists and anthropologists study culture more broadly as a way of life, including social contexts and its dynamic, evolving nature, unlike the everyday usage which often limits it to arts or refined tastes.
Explanation
According to the text, what distinguishes humans from other animals in the context of culture?
Hint: Think about what is unique to human social interaction regarding shared understanding.
Answer
The text states that 'The capacity of individuals to develop a common understanding with others and to draw the same meanings from signs and symbols is what distinguishes humans from other animals.'
Explanation
The statement 'But cultures are never finished products. They are always changing and evolving' implies what about cultural elements?
Hint: Consider the continuous process of cultural development described in the text.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'Elements are constantly being added, deleted, expanded, shrunk and rearranged. This makes cultures dynamic as functioning units.'
Explanation
The example of the tribal communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the 2004 tsunami demonstrates that:
Hint: Recall the conclusion drawn from the comparison of different communities' responses to the tsunami.
Answer
The text contrasts the unpreparedness of mainland and island service personnel with the 'primitive' tribal communities who used experiential knowledge to save themselves, concluding that 'cultures cannot be ranked but can be judged adequate or inadequate in terms of their ability to cope with the strains imposed by nature.'
Explanation
What is the primary difference between primary and secondary socialisation, as mentioned in the text?
Hint: Think about the initial and subsequent phases of learning societal norms and roles.
Answer
The text states: 'What we learn in the family is primary socialisation, while that which happens in school and other institutions are secondary socialisation.'
Explanation
Edward Tylor's 1871 definition of 'culture or civilisation' is described as a 'complex whole' that includes:
Hint: Recall the specific components Tylor included in his comprehensive definition.
Answer
Edward Tylor's definition is quoted as: 'Culture or civilisation taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society'.
Explanation
What key aspect did Malinowski's definition of culture ('inherited artifacts, goods, technical process, ideas, habits and values') add that was notably less explicit in Tylor's definition, according to the text?
Hint: Compare the types of items each anthropologist listed in their definitions.
Answer
The text notes: 'Do you notice anything in Malinowski’s definition that is missing in Tylor’s? Apart from his mention of art, all the things listed by Tylor are non-material.' Malinowski's definition explicitly includes 'inherited artifacts, goods, technical process'.
Explanation
Clifford Geertz's view of culture as 'webs of significance he himself has spun' emphasizes:
Hint: Consider what Geertz's metaphor of 'webs of significance' implies about human activity and understanding.
Answer
Geertz suggested looking at human actions like words in a book, 'The search is not for a causal explanation, but for an interpretative one, that is in search for meaning'.
Explanation
Which dimension of culture refers to how we learn to process what we hear or see to give it meaning (e.g., recognizing a cell-phone ring as ours)?
Hint: Think about the mental processes involved in understanding and interpreting information.
Answer
The text defines the Cognitive dimension: 'This refers to how we learn to process what we hear or see, so as to give it meaning (identifying the ring of a cell-phone as ours, recognising the cartoon of a politician).'
Explanation
Rules of conduct, such as 'not opening other people’s letters' or 'performing rituals at death', fall under which dimension of culture?
Hint: Consider the aspect of culture that dictates 'how things should be done' or 'expected behavior'.
Answer
The text defines the Normative dimension: 'This refers to rules of conduct (not opening other people’s letters, performing rituals at death).'
Explanation
Activities made possible by tools, machines, and materials, such as internet 'chatting' or using rice-flour paste for 'kolam' designs, are examples of which cultural dimension?
Hint: Focus on the tangible elements and the technologies used in cultural practices.
Answer
The text defines the Material dimension: 'This includes any activity made possible by means of materials. Materials also include tools or machines. Examples include internet ‘chatting’, using rice-flour paste to design kolam on floors.'
Explanation
Walter Ong's observations on oral cultures suggest that material not written down tends to have:
Hint: Think about how information is preserved and transmitted in societies without widespread writing.
Answer
Walter Ong 'suggests that material that is not written down has certain specific characteristics. There is a lot of repetition of words, to make it simpler to remember.'
Explanation
According to Pierre Bourdieu, why should one be cautious about offering a return-gift too quickly when trying to show gratitude in another culture?
Hint: Recall Bourdieu's specific example about implicit cultural understandings of gift-giving.
Answer
Bourdieu's example illustrates that 'if a person wants to show gratitude for something s/he has been given, s/he should not offer a return-gift too quickly, or it seems like an attempt to get rid of a debt, not a friendly gesture.' This highlights implicit understandings in cultural norms.
Explanation
What is a key distinction between a 'norm' (like children not staying out after sundown in a family) and a 'law' (like private property theft) as described in the text?
Hint: Consider the scope, formality, and enforcement mechanisms for each.
Answer
The text states: 'While norms are implicit rules, laws are explicit rules. ... A law is a formal sanction defined by government as a rule or principle that its citizens must follow. Laws are explicit. They are applicable to the whole society. And a violation of the law attracts penalties and punishment.' It contrasts this with a family norm that 'is specific to your family and may not be applicable to all families.'
Explanation
What is 'culture lag' as defined in the text?
Hint: Think about the timing mismatch between different components of culture when change occurs.
Answer
The text explains: 'But when the material or technological dimensions change rapidly, the non-material aspects can lag behind in terms of values and norms. This can give rise to a situation of culture lag when the non-material dimensions are unable to match the advances of technology.'
Explanation
How are identities primarily fashioned, according to the text?
Hint: Consider the interplay between personal agency and social interaction in identity development.
Answer
The text states: 'Identities are not inherited but fashioned both by the individual and the group through their relationship with others.'
Explanation
What defines a 'sub-culture' within a larger culture?
Hint: Think about how smaller groups within a society create their own distinct characteristics.
Answer
The text defines sub-cultures as 'marked by style, taste, and association. Particular sub-cultures are identifiable by their speech, dress codes, preference for particular kind of music or the manner in which they interact with their group members.' The glossary further adds they 'borrow from and often distort, exaggerate or invert the symbols, values and beliefs of the larger culture to distinguish themselves.'
Explanation
Ethnocentrism is characterized by:
Hint: Consider the perspective one takes when judging another culture based on one's own standards.
Answer
The text defines ethnocentrism as 'the application of one’s own cultural values in evaluating the behaviour and beliefs of people from other cultures. This means that the cultural values projected as the standard or norm are considered superior to that of the beliefs and values of other cultures.'
Explanation
Thomas Babbington Macaulay’s 'Minute on Education' (1835), aiming to create a class 'Indian in blood and colour but English in tastes, in opinions, morals and intellect', is presented in the text as an example of:
Hint: Recall the historical example used to illustrate the concept of judging other cultures by one's own perceived superior standards.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'Thomas Babbington Macaulay’s famous Minute on Education (1835) to the East India Company in India exemplifies ethnocentrism'.
Explanation
Which of the following best describes a 'cosmopolitan outlook'?
Hint: Consider the opposite of ethnocentrism and its characteristics.
Answer
The text states: 'Cosmopolitanism... values other cultures for their difference. A cosmopolitan outlook does not seek to evaluate the values and beliefs of other people according to one’s own. It celebrates and accommodates different cultural propensities within its fold and promotes cultural exchange and borrowings to enrich one’s own culture.'
Explanation
What are the two primary sources of impetus for cultural change?
Hint: Think about where the driving forces for change originate, either from within a society or from outside.
Answer
The text states: 'The impetus for change can be internal or external.' It then gives examples for both.
Explanation
When a culture is transformed rapidly and its values and meaning systems undergo a radical change, what type of cultural change is taking place?
Hint: Consider the speed and depth of the transformation.
Answer
The text explains: 'Along with evolutionary change there can also be revolutionary change. When a culture is transformed rapidly and its values and meaning systems undergo a radical change then revolutionary change takes place.'
Explanation
What is the definition of socialisation provided in the text?
Hint: Recall the process by which an infant learns to function within society.
Answer
The text defines socialisation as 'the process whereby the helpless infant gradually becomes a self-aware, knowledgeable person, skilled in the ways of the culture into which s/he is born.'
Explanation
The story of the 'Wolf-children of Midnapore' is used to illustrate that:
Hint: Consider what the 'wolf-children' lacked and how it relates to human development.
Answer
The text uses the example of the 'Wolf-children' to support the statement: 'Indeed without socialisation an individual would not behave like a human being.'
Explanation
The text emphasizes that socialisation is a life-long process, even though the most critical stage is primary socialisation. This means that:
Hint: Think about how people's roles and responsibilities change over time, and what that requires.
Answer
The text states: 'Socialisation is a life-long process even though the most critical process happens in the early years, the stage of primary socialisation. Secondary socialisation as we saw extends over the entire life of a person.' This implies continuous learning and adaptation.
Explanation
Which of the following is NOT listed as a primary agency of socialisation in the text?
Hint: Recall the common social institutions and groups that influence an individual's development.
Answer
The text lists 'family, school, peer group, neighbourhood, occupational group and by social class/caste, region, religion' as agencies of socialisation. Government bureaucracy is not explicitly listed as a primary agency.
Explanation
In traditional societies, how does the family into which a person is born often influence their social position?
Hint: Consider the long-term impact of family background in less mobile societies.
Answer
The text states: 'In most traditional societies, the family into which a person is born largely determines the individual’s social position for the rest of his/her life.'
Explanation
How do peer group interactions differ from family interactions in terms of enforcing codes of conduct, according to the text?
Hint: Focus on the power dynamics and the nature of rule-testing in each group.
Answer
The text explains: 'Because of their power, parents are able (in varying degrees) to enforce codes of conduct upon their children. In peer groups, by contrast, a child discovers a different kind of interaction, within which rules of behaviour can be tested out and explored. Peer relationships often remain important throughout a person’s life.' It also mentions 'a greater amount of give and take compared to the dependence inherent in the family situation.'
Explanation
Besides the formal curriculum, what other aspect of schooling contributes to children's socialisation, according to sociologists?
Hint: Think about the informal lessons and values conveyed in a school environment.
Answer
The text states: 'Alongside the formal curriculum there is what some sociologists have called a hidden curriculum conditioning children’s learning.'
Explanation
Regarding the influence of mass media, what is certain, even if the specific outcomes (like violence and aggression) are debated?
Hint: Consider the undeniable reach and scope of media's impact, regardless of specific behavioral effects.
Answer
The text says: 'If one cannot predict how media influences people, what is certain is the extent of the influence, in terms of both information and exposure to areas of experience distant from one’s own.'
Explanation
While socialisation conditions personalities and values, it is also presented as being at the origin of individual freedom because:
Hint: Think about how learning about society helps shape a unique self.
Answer
The text states: 'Yet socialisation is also at the origin of our very individuality and freedom. In the course of socialisation each of us develops a sense of self-identity, and the capacity for independent thought and action.'
Explanation
The excerpt 'The Bell' illustrates gendered socialisation through the girl's experience, particularly her desire to ring the temple bell, which is contrasted with Thangam's permission. This highlights:
Hint: Consider why Thangam had permission and the girl did not, and how it relates to societal expectations.
Answer
The girl argues 'If Thangam can ring it, so can I,' but is told 'Thangam is the daughter of the temple priest, she is permitted to touch the bell.' This shows a conflict between her desire (individual will) and the normative rules based on Thangam's ascribed status and likely gendered roles within the temple.
Explanation
According to the Glossary, what is the definition of Socialisation?
Hint: Refer to the glossary entry for 'Socialisation'.
Answer
The Glossary defines Socialisation as: 'This is the process by which we learn to become members of society.'
Explanation
What does the Glossary define as a 'Subculture'?
Hint: Look for the definition of a distinct group within a broader culture.
Answer
The Glossary defines Subculture as: 'It marks a group of people within a larger culture who borrow from and often distort, exaggerate or invert the symbols, values and beliefs of the larger culture to distinguish themselves.'
Explanation
The text suggests that 'culture is the common understanding, which is learnt and developed through social interaction with others in society.' This highlights culture as:
Hint: Focus on the origin and transmission of culture as described.
Answer
The phrase 'learnt and developed through social interaction with others in society' directly supports the idea of culture as a socially constructed and shared framework.
Explanation
The text explains that humans adapt different strategies to cope with natural and social conditions in various environments, leading to 'the emergence of diverse ways of life or cultures.' This implies that cultural diversity is a result of:
Hint: Consider the relationship between human groups and their surroundings.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'In different environments, people adapt different strategies to cope with the natural and social conditions. This leads to the emergence of diverse ways of life or cultures.'
Explanation
A vegetable-seller asking why he needs to know the alphabet when he can mentally calculate what customers owe him is an example of:
Hint: Relate the example to how people understand and apply knowledge based on their daily lives.
Answer
This example shows that the perceived value and application of cognitive skills like literacy are deeply intertwined with an individual's specific social and occupational context, demonstrating how culture shapes 'how we make sense' of information.
Explanation
The statement 'While different schools may establish different norms for students, laws would apply to all those accepting the authority of the State' highlights that normative rules can vary based on:
Hint: Consider the scope of application for school rules versus state laws.
Answer
This statement illustrates that norms are often specific to particular groups or institutions (like schools or families), whereas laws, deriving from state authority, have broader, universal applicability within that state.
Explanation
The text states that 'For integrated functioning of a culture the material and non-material dimensions must work together.' This implies that a rapid change in one dimension without the other adjusting can lead to:
Hint: Think about the consequence of one part of a system changing much faster than another interdependent part.
Answer
The text directly follows this statement by introducing 'culture lag': 'But when the material or technological dimensions change rapidly, the non-material aspects can lag behind in terms of values and norms. This can give rise to a situation of culture lag'.
Explanation
How do sub-cultural groups contribute to the identity of their members?
Hint: Consider the role of shared goals and belonging within a sub-group.
Answer
The text states: 'Sub-cultural groups can also function as cohesive units which impart an identity to all group members. Within such groups there can be leaders and followers but group members are bound by the purpose of the group and work together to achieve their objectives.'
Explanation
The popularity of Hindi film music attributed to its borrowings from Western pop and Indian folk forms is an example of how a cosmopolitan outlook:
Hint: Think about how diverse elements can be integrated into an existing cultural form.
Answer
The text uses this example to illustrate that 'A modern society is appreciative of cultural difference and does not close its doors to cultural influences from abroad. ... The absorption of diverse styles, forms, sounds and artifacts provides an identity to a cosmopolitan culture.'
Explanation
Changes in the natural environment, contact with other cultures, or processes of adaptation are all listed as ways in which:
Hint: Consider the various factors that can alter a society's way of life.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'Cultural change can occur through changes in the natural environment, contact with other cultures or processes of adaptation.'
Explanation
The French Revolution (1789), which transformed French society by destroying the estate system and inculcating values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, is provided as an example of:
Hint: Recall the definition of a rapid and radical cultural transformation.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'The French Revolution (1789) transformed French society... When a culture is transformed rapidly and its values and meaning systems undergo a radical change then revolutionary change takes place.'
Explanation
The text emphasizes that socialisation is not merely 'cultural programming' because:
Hint: Think about the active role individuals, even infants, play in their social environment.
Answer
The text states: 'While socialisation has an important impact on individuals it is not a kind of ‘cultural programming’, in which the child absorbs passively the influences with which he or she comes into contact. Even the most recent new-born can assert her/his will. S/he will cry when hungry. And keep crying until those responsible for the infant’s care respond.'
Explanation
Why are infants' socialisation experiences not standard across cultures, even within families?
Hint: Consider the different structures and members within families.
Answer
The text explains: 'Since family systems vary widely, the infants’ experiences are by no means standard across cultures. While many of you may be living in what is termed a nuclear family with your parents and siblings, others may be living with extended family members. In the first case, parents may be key socialising agents but in the others grandparents, an uncle or a cousin may be more significant.'
Explanation
The text mentions that 'Many factors encourage conflict' in socialisation, including conflicts between socialising agencies like school and home or home and peer groups. What is a likely outcome of such conflicts?
Hint: Think about what happens when an individual receives conflicting messages from different social groups.
Answer
While the text doesn't explicitly state the 'outcome', conflicts between agencies imply that individuals are exposed to diverse viewpoints and expectations. This exposure, rather than leading to complete rejection or conformity, often necessitates negotiation and can foster a more complex understanding of social rules and self-identity, aligning with the idea that socialisation doesn't 'completely reduce people to conformity'.
Explanation
The text explains that cultural knowledge 'expands and rearranges itself' when one encounters new social situations, such as learning new greeting customs. This indicates that cultural knowledge is:
Hint: Consider how individuals adjust their understanding of social rules over time.
Answer
The text explicitly states: 'Your cultural knowledge thereby expands and rearranges itself.' This directly points to its dynamic and adaptable nature, learned through experience.
Explanation
What is the core idea of 'Cultural Evolutionism' as defined in the Glossary?
Hint: Refer to the glossary entry for 'Cultural Evolutionism' and its biological analogy.
Answer
The Glossary defines Cultural Evolutionism as: 'It is a theory of culture, which argues that just like natural species, culture also evolves through variation and natural selection.'
Explanation
The Glossary defines 'Social Roles' as:
Hint: Consult the glossary for the definition of 'Social Roles'.
Answer
The Glossary defines Social Roles as: 'These are rights and responsibilities associated with a person’s social position or status.'
Explanation
The text notes that students of Indian classical music are still discouraged from writing down what they learn, preferring memory. This practice suggests an emphasis on:
Hint: Connect this practice to the earlier discussion about oral societies and knowledge transmission.
Answer
The practice described aligns with the earlier discussion of oral cultures, where 'material that is not written down has certain specific characteristics' and 'There are specialist practitioners of oral tradition who are trained to remember and narrate'. This highlights the enduring value of memory and oral transmission in certain cognitive cultures.
Explanation
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