Terms and Concepts MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Terms and Concepts - Download Free PDF

A primary group is a small social group whose members interact face-to-face and have close, personal relationships.

• These groups play a crucial role in socialization and are typically characterized by a sense of intimacy, closeness, and familiarity. They are essential for emotional support and social bonding.

Key PointsCharacteristic of Primary Group:

• Intimacy: Primary groups are characterized by intimate, close relationships where members share personal experiences.
• Closeness: In a primary group, members are emotionally close and care deeply about each other.
• Familiarity: Familiarity is a key characteristic of primary groups, as members know each other well and are frequently involved in each other's lives.

Hint

• Impersonality is not a characteristic of a primary group. Primary groups are defined by their personal, intimate, and emotional relationships, where members share personal feelings and experiences.
• Impersonality, on the other hand, refers to interactions that lack personal connection or emotional depth, which is more typical of secondary groups.

Hence, the correct answer is impersonality.

Key Points

• Marital Status
  • Marital status is considered an achieved status because it is a status that individuals can choose to enter through actions such as getting married or divorced.
  • Unlike ascribed statuses, which are assigned at birth or involuntarily later in life, achieved statuses are based on personal choice and effort.

Additional Information

• Ascribed Status
  • Statuses such as sex, age, and caste are examples of ascribed statuses, which are assigned at birth and are typically involuntary.
  • These statuses are generally not subject to personal change or choice.
• Achieved Status
  • Other examples of achieved statuses include educational attainment, occupational status, and personal accomplishments.
  • These statuses reflect personal skills, abilities, and efforts.
• Importance of Statuses
  • Understanding the difference between ascribed and achieved statuses is crucial for comprehending social structures and individual roles within society.
  • Recognizing these distinctions helps in analyzing social mobility and the impact of personal choices on one's social position.

Sumner has classified groups into In-group and Out-group.Important Points

• A social group is a collection of people who interact with each other and share similar characteristics and have a sense of unity. 
• Different sociologists have defined social groups into different categories based on their characteristics. 
• Sumner in his classic study of Folkways (1906) has classified social groups into in-groups and out-groups. 
• The groups in which the individual identifies himself are his in-group. For example one's family, one's school, etc. 
• On the other hand, out-groups are those groups with which an individual does not identify himself. For example, other's schools, and other's countries are our out-groups.

 Additional Information

• Ferdinand Tonnies, a German sociologist has classified societies into Gemeinschaft (communal society) and Gesellschaft (associational society).  
• Gemeinschaft means human community, and Tonnies said that a sense of community characterizes simple societies, where family, kin, and community ties are quite strong.
• As societies grew and industrialized and as people moved to cities, Tonnies said, social ties weakened and became more impersonal. Tonnies called this situation a  Gesellschaft and found it dismaying.
• CH Cooley an American sociologist has classified social groups into two primary and secondary groups in his book "Social Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind".
• Primary groups are small groups and the members of the primary group share intimate, close, and informal relations with each other. For example family is a primary group. 
• On the other hand, secondary groups are large groups where the relationships between the members of the groups are formal and impersonal. For example, the school, office, etc are a secondary group. 
• GC Homans has given the theory of group formation. 
• For Homans, the key elements for group formation are interaction, sentiments, and activities. 

The correct answer is Option 1.Important Points

• Social stratification is a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy.
• Social stratification is a process through which groups and social categories in societies are ranked as higher or lower than one another in terms of their relative position on the scales of prestige, privileges, wealth, and power.
• There are three major organizing principles of social stratification. These are status, wealth, and power. 
• Gisbert defined social stratification as a division of society into permanent groups of categories linked with each other by the relationship of superiority and subordination. 

Additional Information

• Lundberg has defined social stratification as a society marked by inequality, by differences among people that are evaluated by them as being lower and higher. 
• Ogburn and Nimkoff have defined social stratification as the process by which individuals and groups are ranked in a more or less enduring hierarchy of status.
• Caste, class, race, gender, and estate system are some of the forms of social stratification.

The correct answer is Out group.

Key Points

• An in-group is a social group to which a person mentally identifies as a member in sociology and social psychology.
  • An illustrative example of the way this phenomenon takes place can be demonstrated just by arbitrarily assigning a person to a distinct and objectively meaningless novel group; this alone is sufficient to create intergroup biases in which members of the perceiver’s own group are preferentially favored.
• An out-group, on the other hand, is a social group with which a person does not identify.
  • Discrimination between in-groups and out-groups is a matter of favoritism towards an in-group and the absence of equivalent favoritism towards an out-group
• People may identify with their peers, families, communities, sports teams, political parties, gender, race, religion, or nation, for example.
• It has been discovered that psychological participation in social groups and categories is linked to a wide range of events. 
• William Graham Sumner (October 30, 1840 – April 12, 1910) was a classical liberal American social scientist. who gave this terminology of the group as in group and out the group. 
• He taught social sciences at Yale, where he held the nation's first professorship in sociology. 

The correct answer is aspiration group.

Key Points

• The aspiration group is a subcategory of the reference group.
• An aspiration group is a group of people whom particular audience respect, admire and desire to be like.
• In other words, it is a group in which people are not members but want to become one in the future.

Important Points

• Reference groups give points of comparison by which to evaluate behaviour and attitudes.

According to Max Weber, Sociology is the interpretative understanding of social action.Important Points

• Sociology, according to Weber, is a field of study that aims to interpretively grasp social action to provide a causal explanation for its causes and outcomes.
• Here, the social activity must be viewed as a purposeful, meaningful, and symbolic action that is reciprocally directed. We can say that the phrase alludes to interaction in modern sociology.
• Interpretive sociology is the study of social phenomena from the perspective of those who are a part of them. It involves making an effort to put oneself in another person's shoes and view the world from their perspective.
• Thus, the goal of interpretive sociology is to comprehend the significance that the people being studied attach to their ideas, values, deeds, mannerisms, and interpersonal connections.
• Because he recognized a gap in the positivistic sociology formed by Émile Durkheim, Weber created interpretive sociology.

Thus we know that according to Max Weber, Sociology is the interpretative understanding of social action. 

The correct answer is Status set.​
Key Points

• A status set encompasses all the statuses a person holds at any given time. These statuses represent positions within society or a social group.

• Variety of Sources: Statuses can originate from various aspects of life, including one’s profession, family roles (parent, child, spouse), education level (student, graduate), and even hobbies (club member, athlete).

• Dynamic Nature: An individual's status set changes over time as they enter or exit different roles. For example, graduating from college, becoming a parent, or retiring from a job all alter one's status set.

• Influence on Identity and Interactions: The combination of statuses influences how individuals see themselves and how they are perceived by others. It also affects their interactions within different social circles.

Thus, Robert K. Merton has defined "the complex of different and distinct statuses occupied by a single individual" is called Status set.

The correct answer is organicism.Key Points

• Herbert Spencer is famous for his doctrine of social Darwinism, which asserted that the principles of evolution, and applies to human societies, social classes, and social structure present in society.
• In The Principles of Sociology, Spencer defined sociology as the study of super-organic phenomena—that is, of relations among organisms.
• Thus, sociology could study nonhuman societies, such as ants and other insects, but the paramount super- organic phenomenon is human society.
• Thus, he gave theory of survival of fittest.

Additional Information

• Functionalist considers every structure in society has importance.
• Conflict theory focus on dysfunctions present in society.

Thus correct answer is Option 4.

The correct answer is It is a characteristic of hierarchical society only.

Important Points

• Social status means recognition of the position of an individual in the social system and the authority he holds in consequence is the basis of status system. 
• It means the location of the individual within the group – his place in the social network of reciprocal obligations and privileges, duties and rights.
• It is a position in a social group or grouping, in relation to other positions held by other individuals in the same group or grouping.
• Some of the features or characteristics of social status are:
  • The status is determined by the cultural situation of the particular society.
  • The status is determined only in relevance of the other members of the society.
  • The status is governed by norms and values.
  • Every individual has to play certain role in accordance with the status.
  • Every status has rights and duties that a individual has to perform.
  • As a result of status, the society is divided into various groups.
  • Every status carries with it some prestige.

  • An individual may have several statuses.

Hence, It is a characteristic of hierarchical society only is not true about the social status.

Additional Information

• A social status may be divided into two types: ascribed status and achieved or earned status.
• Ascribed status:
  • The status which is given to an individual on the basis of the situation in the society or by other members of the society is called ascribed status. 
  • Such a status may be given by birth or by placement in a social group. 
  • For example, a person may enjoy a particular status because of birth in a rich family. 
• Achieved status or earned status:
  • The status or the position that a person has earned out of his own personal efforts is called achieved status. 
  • This status is given by the ability, capacity and the efforts of the individuals.
  • For example, a person who is able to display his ability in the field of social service, sports, education etc. is given higher and better status.

The correct answer is George Simmel

Key Points

• A small group is typically one where the collection of people is small enough that all members of the group know each other and share simultaneous interaction, such as a nuclear family, a dyad, or a triad.
• George Simmel was one of the first sociologists to look at how the size of a group affects interactions among its members.  
• George Simmel (1858–1915) wrote extensively about the difference between a dyad, or two-member group, and a triad, which is a three-member group. 
• In a 'dyad', if one person withdraws, the group can no longer exist. We can think of a divorce, which effectively ends the “group” of the married couple or of two best friends never speaking again.
• In a 'triad', however, the dynamic is quite different. If one person withdraws, the group lives on. 

• A triad has a different set of relationships. If there are three in the group, two-against-one dynamics can develop, and there exists the potential for a majority opinion on any issue.

Therefore, the correct answer is - George Simmel

A primary group is a small social group whose members interact face-to-face and have close, personal relationships.

• These groups play a crucial role in socialization and are typically characterized by a sense of intimacy, closeness, and familiarity. They are essential for emotional support and social bonding.

Key PointsCharacteristic of Primary Group:

• Intimacy: Primary groups are characterized by intimate, close relationships where members share personal experiences.
• Closeness: In a primary group, members are emotionally close and care deeply about each other.
• Familiarity: Familiarity is a key characteristic of primary groups, as members know each other well and are frequently involved in each other's lives.

Hint

• Impersonality is not a characteristic of a primary group. Primary groups are defined by their personal, intimate, and emotional relationships, where members share personal feelings and experiences.
• Impersonality, on the other hand, refers to interactions that lack personal connection or emotional depth, which is more typical of secondary groups.

Hence, the correct answer is impersonality.

The correct answer is Food habits.Key Points

• According to anthropologists, a tribe is a group of people living in isolated forests and hills. Their language is different from the language spoken by the mainstream people.
• The major characteristics of tribal societies are as follows: Tribal societies are completely united by kinship bonds.
• Tribal societies have a communitarian basis of landholding.
• the tribe has a definite territory in which its members reside.

Additional Information

• A common dialect, occupying or professing to occupy a common territory and is not usually endogamous though originally it might have been so.
• The term “tribe” originated around the time of the Greek city-states and the early formation of the Roman Empire.
• Kinship ties are bonds between people based upon many factors and which also depend upon the culture in which someone lives. The most common form of kinship is through what is called blood relations. This means people who are related biologically are usually based on descent and parentage.
• The territory is a theoretical and methodological concept that explains and describes the spatial unraveling of social relationships that human beings establish in cultural, social, political, or economic areas; it is an empirical reference, but it also represents a theoretical concept

Thus,  Food habits are NOT a defining feature of tribe.

The correct answer is Social change.
Key Points

• Human beings are social animals, hence constant social interactions occur, and these interactions evolve with time.
• thus bringing new structures and functions into society. For instance, the shift from an authoritarian regime to a democracy is a social change.

Additional Information

• Social control is a system or institution trying to maintain order in society.
• Socialization is a process of how a new member learns the norms of society.

​Thus, in this case the correct answer is social change.

The correct answer is The Primary Group.
Key Points

• In Interpersonal communication two or more person behave with a specialized interest and guided by consideration, such groups are primary groups.
• Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, ideal types of social organizations signifies primary group in traditional and modern times.
• Reference groups as per Merton is the group which individual aspires to join.
• Closed group is one with no entry of new members. Eg. Caste system in India.

Thus here, correct answer is Primary group.