8/10/2019 Approach for Sociology Paper II

1/2

Approach for Sociology paper II

Sociology paper II is normally dubbed as easier and more scoring as compared to paper I. This is a sentiment

which has been echoed by most of the toppers who have opted for sociology as their optional. However, while

paper II has been giving more scores to the toppers, others who have missed the bus complain that it is the poor

performance in paper II which was responsible for their debacle and that it is very hard to fathom paper II as

there is very little study material available on it and that even the teachers do not pay adequate attention to it.

This sentiment brings to fore the nature of paper II. Most importantly, it needs to be realized that Sociology paper

II cannot be conquered simply by collecting extensive material related to India nor a student who has read Indian

Sociology extensively can claim to get good marks in paper II rather this paper is more about drawing

sociological concepts from paper I and using applying those concepts in Indian conditions. Therefore paper II can

only be mastered when both these conditions are satisfied i.e. one should be extensively thorough in concepts of

paper I and he should also be good in applying those concepts to Indian situations and making the most of them.

If both these things are mastered than there is no stopping in paper II and a student can easily get 200+ in paper

II. Therefore in absolute terms if you have simply developed the art of application there is very little that you need

to work upon in paper II, as the concepts part is already addressed while preparing for paper I, which makes

paper II easier and more scoring as you can get more marks in it by investing less time and effort on it.

However cultivation of the art of application is easier said than done, it requires an expert's eye of correlation and

an exceptional memory to see things in perspective and be able to separate the finer details and interpretations

from their very close relatives and paint a complete, authentic, factually correct and balanced picture. Sometimes

it has been observed that those students who do not take this exercise very seriously end up committing even

more serious errors in the form of weird correlation and very wild interpretations of totally indifferent nature. This

in-turn brings a situation that their precious hard-work is wasted and they end up getting even less than 50%marks which they could have managed in case they would have meticulously stuck to the basics instead of

improvising. This aspect assumes importance in the light of the fact that sociology is an interpretative discipline

and all the concepts in sociology therefore are subject to various interpretations in diverse perspectives. So, it

becomes a reasonably incisive job to draw the right inspiration and subsequently draw the relevant

interpretation from the right idea as per the situation.This is one job which is the heart and soul of Sociology

paper II in the civil services exam, which if mastered properly makes sailing a very smooth and pleasant and

result oriented experience.

However, this is an art which comes by practice which means one must be always interested in looking at the

practical aspects of whatever he has learned and should always be keen and least shy of assimilating theessence of diverse concepts to diverse situations. For example anomie is a concept in Durkheiminian sociology

which has its resonance in some or the other way in all important schools of sociology. Some people say that

anomie is not dealt with by Marx or Parsons or Weber for that matter, but if they have not mentioned this word

directly in their writings, does not mean that their writings could remain free from it. They all have addressed this

concept in some or the other way, for example the idea of armed revolution itself to bring about socialism has

resonances of anomie in the writings of Marx or for that matter the idea of cybernetics given by Parsons is

addressing the anomie generated in the society, though only in a controlled manner. Further the continuous state

of tension and conflict present in the society before the state of socialism is reached, is also a manifestation of

anomie, though again in a subtle or diluted manner. Thus if question on anomie is asked the answer cannot be

complete simply by writing Durkheim and Merton rather one should explicitly mention that 'though other classical

thinkers like Marx or Parsons does not directly mention this idea in their writings but there is an implicit

8/10/2019 Approach for Sociology Paper II

2/2

manifestation of this idea visible in their writings in the following form... Moreover in the Indian situation, it is not

needed to directly give a mention of Marx or Parsons rather a student can look for anomie and anomie like

situations in various interpretations of Marxian and Parsonian writers and use them as references in explaining

direct questions and as improvisations in related questions. Such an approach has the ability to usher in several

new insightful dimensions which could go a long way in making your answer not only holistic and balanced but

also introduce the element of freshness and novelty which is a hallmark of an expert.

Development of this skill has now become not only necessary but also essential given the depth and complexity

being continuously infused in the exam year after year and the only method to cultivate it is to study hard,

analyze holistically, remember inspirations and present explicitly.