GATE 2025 Sociology XH – C6 Question Paper (Available)- Download Solution PDF with Answer Key

Here are two analogous groups, Group-I and Group-II, that list words in their decreasing order of intensity. Identify the missing word in Group-II.


Abuse →  Insult → Ridicule
________ → Praise → Appreciate

• (A) Extol
• (B) Prize
• (C) Appropriate
• (D) Espouse

Had I learnt acting as a child, I __________ a famous film star.

Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence.

• (A) will be
• (B) can be
• (C) am going to be
• (D) could have been

The 12 musical notes are given as \( C, C^\#, D, D^\#, E, F, F^\#, G, G^\#, A, A^\#, B \). Frequency of each note is \( \sqrt[12]{2} \) times the frequency of the previous note. If the frequency of the note C is 130.8 Hz, then the ratio of frequencies of notes F\# and C is:

• (A) \( \sqrt[6]{2} \)
• (B) \( \sqrt{2} \)
• (C) \( \sqrt[4]{2} \)
• (D) \( 2 \)

The following figures show three curves generated using an iterative algorithm. The total length of the curve generated after 'Iteration n' is:

• (A) \( \left( \frac{5}{3} \right)^{\frac{n}{2}} \)
• (B) \( \left( \frac{5}{3} \right)^n \)
• (C) \( 2n \)
• (D) \( \left( \frac{5}{3} \right)^n(2n - 1) \)

Which one of the following plots represents \( f(x) = -\frac{|x|}{x} \), where \( x \) is a non-zero real number?

Note: The figures shown are representative.

Identify the option that has the most appropriate sequence such that a coherent paragraph is formed:

P: Over time, such adaptations lead to significant evolutionary changes with the potential to shape the development of new species.

Q: In natural world, organisms constantly adapt to their environments in response to challenges and opportunities.

R: This process of adaptation is driven by the principle of natural selection, where favorable traits increase an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction.

S: As environments change, organisms that can adapt their behavior, structure, and physiology to such changes are more likely to survive.

• (A) P \( \rightarrow \) Q \( \rightarrow \) R \( \rightarrow \) S
• (B) Q \( \rightarrow \) S \( \rightarrow \) R \( \rightarrow \) P
• (C) R \( \rightarrow \) S \( \rightarrow \) Q \( \rightarrow \) P
• (D) S \( \rightarrow \) P \( \rightarrow \) R \( \rightarrow \) Q

A stick of length one meter is broken at two locations at distances of \( b_1 \) and \( b_2 \) from the origin (0), as shown in the figure. Note that \( 0 < b_1 < b_2 < 1 \). Which one of the following is NOT a necessary condition for forming a triangle using the three pieces?

Note: All lengths are in meter. The figure shown is representative.

• (A) \( b_1 < 0.5 \)
• (B) \( b_2 > 0.5 \)
• (C) \( b_2 < b_1 + 0.5 \)
• (D) \( b_1 + b_2 < 1 \)

Eight students (P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W) are playing musical chairs. The figure indicates their order of position at the start of the game. They play the game by moving forward in a circle in the clockwise direction.

After the 1^st round, 4^th student behind P leaves the game. After 2^nd round, 5^th student behind Q leaves the game. After 3^rd round, 3^rd student behind V leaves the game. After 4^th round, 4^th student behind U leaves the game. Who all are left in the game after the 4^th round?

• (A) P; T; Q; S
• (B) V; P; T; Q
• (C) W; R; Q; V
• (D) Q; T; V; W

The table lists the top 5 nations according to the number of gold medals won in a tournament; also included are the number of silver and the bronze medals won by them. Based only on the data provided in the table, which one of the following statements is INCORRECT?





(A) France will occupy the third place if the list were made on the basis of the total number of medals won.

• (B) The order of the top two nations will not change even if the list is made on the basis of the total number of medals won.
• (C) USA and Canada together have less than 50% of the medals awarded to the nations in the above table.
• (D) Canada has won twice as many total medals as Japan.

An organization allows its employees to work independently on consultancy projects but charges an overhead on the consulting fee. The overhead is 20% of the consulting fee, if the fee is up to Rs. 5,00,000. For higher fees, the overhead is Rs. 1,00,000 plus 10% of the amount by which the fee exceeds Rs. 5,00,000. The government charges a Goods and Services Tax of 18% on the total amount (the consulting fee plus the overhead). An employee of the organization charges this entire amount, i.e., the consulting fee, overhead, and tax, to the client. If the client cannot pay more than Rs. 10,00,000, what is the maximum consulting fee that the employee can charge?

• (A) Rs. 7,01,438
• (B) Rs. 7,24,961
• (C) Rs. 7,51,232
• (D) Rs. 7,75,784

Which one of the following numbers is odd one out?

31541 \quad 42651 \quad 53791 \quad 64871 \quad 75981

• (A) 31541
• (B) 42651
• (C) 53791
• (D) 75981

Ankit, Arun, and Ankur have one apple each. Ankur also has one banana. Alam has one mango and one kiwi. Ankit has just bought one pineapple. Who has the least number of fruit(s)?

• (A) Ankit
• (B) Arun
• (C) Ankur
• (D) Alam

If each vowel in the word RESIDE is changed to its previous letter in the English alphabet and each consonant is changed to the next letter in the English alphabet, which one of the following options will be the third from the right?

• (A) T
• (B) D
• (C) S
• (D) H

Vipul, Ahmad, Santosh, and David are playing Carrom. Vipul and Ahmad are partners sitting opposite to each other. David faces towards South. If Vipul faces towards West, then who faces towards the North?

• (A) Alam
• (B) Santosh
• (C) David
• (D) Vipul

Consider the following sentence:

"What the country needs ___\ accordingly."

First and last parts of the sentence are given. P, Q, R, and S are the remaining parts of the sentence, not necessarily in that order.

P: and change tactics

Q: who would encourage players

R: are coaches and officials

S: to read the game as it progresses

Which one of the following options is correct that gives the most appropriate order and meaning to the sentence?

• (A) QSPR
• (B) RQSP
• (C) RQPS
• (D) SPRQ

A car started from city P at 9:40 AM. The time taken for the car to reach city Q is 4 hours and 50 minutes. The time of arrival of the car at city Q is:

• (A) 15:10 Hours
• (B) 14:20 Hours
• (C) 14:30 Hours
• (D) 14:10 Hours

P is three years younger than R but one year older than S. S is one year older than Q but 4 years younger than R. R is 15 years old. The age of Q is ____ years.

In a certain code language, ATTITUDE is written as TAUJUEDU and CHILDREN is written as HCJMENER. How is LANGUAGE written in that code language?

• (A) ALOHVEGA
• (B) ALHOVAGA
• (C) LAVOHEGA
• (D) ALHOVGEA

The table shows the data of 450 candidates who appeared in the examination of three subjects – Social Science, Mathematics, and Science.
How many candidates have passed in at least one subject?





How many candidates have passed in at least one subject?

• (A) 48
• (B) 162
• (C) 390
• (D) 425

If \( \times \) means \( + \), \( + \) means \( \div \), \( - \) means \( \times \), and \( \div \) means \( - \), then evaluate:

8 \( \times \) 7 \( - \) 8 \( + \) 40 \( \div \) 2.

• (A) \( 3 \frac{8}{5} \)
• (B) \( 7 \frac{2}{5} \)
• (C) \( 2 \frac{7}{5} \)
• (D) \( 8 \frac{3}{5} \)

Given a series \( 5, 8, 11, 14, \dots \), if the \( n \)-th term of the given series is 320, then find \( n \) (where \( n \geq 1 \)):

• (A) 104
• (B) 105
• (C) 106
• (D) 107

Suppose, your last year taxable income was Rs. 22000. Due to hike in salary, your taxable income this year is Rs. 34200. The details for tax calculation are given in the table below.





Consider the appropriate tax slab corresponding to your income. What is theadditional amount of tax you need to pay this year compared to last year?

• (A) 1970
• (B) 1060
• (C) 910
• (D) 420

Anand, Hari, and Chris are engaged in one of the three types of occupations – clerk, teacher, and plumber, not necessarily in that order. Each person is assigned only one type of occupation. No two or more persons can be assigned the same type of occupation. Clerk is Chris’s cousin. Hari lives next door to the plumber. Anand, who knows more facts than the teacher, has to drive more than 1 hour to reach Hari’s home. Identify each of the person’s correct type of occupation, and accordingly, which one of the following options is correct?

• (A) Anand is teacher and Chris is clerk.
• (B) Hari is clerk and Anand is plumber.
• (C) Chris is teacher and Hari is clerk.
• (D) Anand is clerk and Chris is plumber.

Many countries are facing water shortage crises in the past few years. A report of the United Nations has named India among the worst countries for poor quality of water. The report ranks 122 countries according to the quality of their water as well as their commitment to improve the situation. Some countries in Europe are considered the worst because of the quality of its groundwater. Rain failed in some parts of India in the past. The vast areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh were affected by severe drought. People without water turn desperate and violent. Consequently, the food godowns were attacked in some of the states. Based on the details given in the passage, which of the following option(s) is/ are correct statement(s)?

• (A) There is no proof that India is affected by poor quality of water.
• (B) A few European countries are suffering due to the occurrence of drought.
• (C) Lack of access to water can lead to social unrest.
• (D) Intense shortage of water is visible in some states of India.

In the following figure, four overlapping shapes (rectangle, triangle, circle, and hexagon) are given. The sum of the numbers which belong to only two overlapping shapes is ______.

Consider a square field ABCD. The diagonal AC is 50 meter. The cost of laying grass in the field is Rs. 5 per square-meter. The total cost for laying grass in the field ABCD is Rs. ________ (rounded off to two decimal places).

Fill in the blank with the CORRECT option.

The term _______ was coined by Francis Galton in 1883. It promotes positive selection of people with particular genes who are thought to be intelligent and negative selection of people considered to be inferior or defective.

• (A) Evolution
• (B) Survival
• (C) Selective
• (D) Eugenics

In the book Suicide: A Study in Sociology, Durkheim states, “Those experiencing either downswing or uplift in their material circumstances are placed in a situation in which their habitual expectations come under strain.” This could lead to _______

• (A) Fatalistic suicide
• (B) Anomic suicide
• (C) Egoistic suicide
• (D) Altruistic suicide

Match Talcott Parsons’ functional pre-requisites in Column I with the associated social institutions in Column II.

• (A) M-3; N-1; O-4; P-2
• (B) M-4; N-3; O-2; P-1
• (C) M-1; N-2; O-3; P-4
• (D) M-2; N-3; O-4; P-1

This founder of the Lucknow Department of Economics and Sociology called upon the discipline of Sociology “to combat the tyranny of Economics”. He argued, ‘No choice in the economic field can be appropriate or “rational” which is inconsistent with human norms and values in political, familial and other fields of man’s institutional life.’ Identify this sociologist from the following options:

• (A) T. N. Madan
• (B) D. P. Mukerji
• (C) Irawati Karve
• (D) Radhakamal Mukerjee

Who developed the concept of ‘seed and earth’ as a way to understand the gendered division of labour and cultural construction of gender?

• (A) Robin Fox
• (B) Claude Levi-Strauss
• (C) Leela Dube
• (D) A. M. Shah

Fill in the blank with the CORRECT option.

The __________ opposed deforestation in the northern Indian tracts. This movement started in the early 1970s to prevent destruction of the forest by timber contractors and was carried forward by women, who were traditionally responsible for fuel, food and water in the family.

• (A) Jungle Bachao Andolan
• (B) Indigo movement
• (C) Chipko movement
• (D) Save Silent Valley movement

Match the scholars in Column I with their approaches in Column II:

• (A) M-1; N-3; O-4; P-2
• (B) M-2; N-1; O-4; P-3
• (C) M-1; N-3; O-2; P-4
• (D) M-3; N-1; O-2; P-4

Match the following authors in Column I with their books on caste in Column II.

• (A) M-4; N-1; O-2; P-3
• (B) M-2; N-1; O-3; P-4
• (C) M-3; N-2; O-4; P-1
• (D) M-4; N-2; O-1; P-3

Which one of the following is defined by M. N. Srinivas as “the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule”?

• (A) Colonisation
• (B) Sanskritisation
• (C) Brahminisation
• (D) Westernisation

Match the authors in Column I with their books in Column II.

• (A) L-2; M-1; N-4; O-3
• (B) L-2; M-5; N-3; O-4
• (C) L-2; M-3; N-4; O-5
• (D) L-4; M-1; N-2; O-3

Match the following national leaders in Column I with their views on village in Column II.

• (A) L-2; M-3; N-1
• (B) L-3; M-2; N-1
• (C) L-1; M-2; N-3
• (D) L-1; M-3; N-2

Match the following sociologists in Column I with sociological theory/concept in Column II.

• (A) L-3; M-5; N-1; O-4
• (B) L-3; M-4; N-2; O-1
• (C) L-4; M-3; N-2; O-1
• (D) L-1; M-3; N-5; O-4

Which one of the following refers to an approach that was originally devised to understand or interpret theological texts?

• (A) Hermeneutics
• (B) Epistemology
• (C) Ontology
• (D) Phenomenology

Which of the following option(s) is/are CORRECT?

• (A) Polyandry refers to a marriage system in which one woman has two or more husbands
• (B) Polyandry refers to a marriage system in which one man has two or more wives
• (C) Polygyny refers to a marriage system in which one man has two or more wives
• (D) Polygyny refers to a marriage system in which one woman has two or more husbands

Which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT?

• (A) Andre Gunder Frank is criticizing the modernisation theories while analysing the dual economy model professed for Latin America
• (B) Classical Marxism analyses colonial capitalism using the conceptual category of mode of production, while dependency theory analyses it through the category of unequal exchange and exploitation
• (C) Although classical Marxism is critical of colonial capitalism’s exploitative role, it is also positive about its regenerative role in colonised societies
• (D) The concept of dependence means the coloniser’s economy cannot survive without being linked to the economy of the colonised

Which of the following is/are characteristic feature(s) of ethnography?

• (A) Immersion in a social setting for an extended period of time
• (B) Experimental and controlled group
• (C) Make regular observations in the field
• (D) Develop understanding of people and groups within their cultural context

In post-development theories, M. K. Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj is understood as a text that represents:

• (A) Critique of modernisation
• (B) Critique of industrialisation
• (C) Critique of Varna system
• (D) Critique of honour killings

Which of the following is/are qualitative data analysis software?

• (A) NVivo
• (B) MAXQDA
• (C) ATLAS.ti
• (D) SPSS

From the excerpt by Flavia Agnes (2013), which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT?

• (A) Only ii
• (B) ii and iii
• (C) i and ii
• (D) i and iii

Fill in the blank with the CORRECT option.

_____ is a non-probabilistic form of sampling that samples cases/participants relevant to research questions. This sampling does not allow the researcher to generalize to a population.

• (A) Stratified sampling
• (B) Random sampling
• (C) Cluster sampling
• (D) Purposive sampling

In Das Kapital, Volume 1, Marx states that exchange value of three different commodities such as corn, iron and linen ________

• (A) cannot be calculated as different kinds of human labour are necessary to produce them
• (B) cannot be calculated as their use value and exchange value are different
• (C) can be calculated using abstract labour time which provides their respective exchange value
• (D) can be calculated using abstract labour time which provides their respective use value

In the Economic and Political Manuscripts of 1844, Marx states that alienation occurs ______

• (A) due to the devaluation of the human world in direct proportion to the increase in the value of the world of things
• (B) due to the decrease in value of both the human world and the world of things
• (C) due to the increased valuation of the human world with increase in the value of the world of things
• (D) due to the lack of any correlation between the world of things and the human world

Match the authors from Column I with their approaches in Column II.

• (A) M-2; N-3; O-1; P-4
• (B) M-3; N-1; O-4; P-2
• (C) M-1; N-2; O-4; P-3
• (D) M-3; N-1; O-2; P-4

The concept of ‘footloose’ labour is associated with ________

• (A) A. R. Desai
• (B) Jan Breman
• (C) Barbara Harris-White
• (D) Karl Marx

Match the following scholars in Column I and their contributions in Column II.

• (A) M-1; N-2; O-4; P-3
• (B) M-4; N-1; O-2; P-3
• (C) M-1; N-2; O-3; P-4
• (D) M-4; N-3; O-1; P-2

Patriliny is a kinship term that refers to ______

• (A) the practices of marriage patterns wherein the father or the next male head exercises authority in the family and there is an unequal power relation between men and women
• (B) the system of tracing of kinship descent and inheritance through male line
• (C) the practices of marriage system and residence pattern wherein married couples reside with or near the husband’s family
• (D) the system of tracing of kinship descent and inheritance through mother’s brother

In a class of 60 students, mathematics examination was conducted. All the students obtained 20 marks each. What would be the mean and standard deviation of marks in mathematics?

• (A) 1200 and 20
• (B) 120 and 1
• (C) 20 and 0
• (D) 20 and 60

Which of the following statement(s) about Arturo Escobar’s work Encountering Development is/are CORRECT?

• (A) He was highly inspired by the 1949 inaugural address by U.S President Harry Truman, which proposed that U.S.A should play an active role in solving global poverty
• (B) He stated that development was a top-down, ethnocentric and techno-centric approach, which treated people and cultures as abstract concepts, statistical figures to be moved up and down in the chart of progress
• (C) He stated that opponents of the development discourse were also forced to articulate their critiques within the ‘development’ framework
• (D) He did not see much hope in autonomous peasant development strategies as they would be very limited in their scope

Which of the following statement(s) about tribes is/are CORRECT?

• (A) G. S. Ghurye suggests that tribes are backward Hindus
• (B) M. N. Srinivas suggests that hill tribes of the northeast India who belong to Tibeto-Burman family identify themselves as Adivasis
• (C) Verrier Elwin propounded an approach of non-interference administration of the tribes
• (D) Verrier Elwin was the architect of the Philosophy of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency)

Which of the following statement(s) about the concept of intersectionality as developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw is/are CORRECT?

• (A) It challenged the notion that ‘gender’ was the only primary factor determining a woman’s fate
• (B) Structural intersectionality deals with how non-white women experience domestic violence in a qualitatively different manner from white women
• (C) Political intersectionality examines how laws and policies intended to increase equality have paradoxically decreased the visibility of violence against non-white women
• (D) Representational intersectionality deals with how pop culture’s portrayals of non-white women can obscure their own inauthentic lived experience

Which of the following option(s) is/are CORRECT about Max Weber’s argument(s) about bureaucracy?

• (A) The spread of bureaucratic specialisation is mainly promoted by its technical superiority over other types of organization
• (B) The conduct of rational capitalism entails unavoidable consequences in the sphere of social organisation and inevitably forces the spread of bureaucracy
• (C) The more the bureaucracy is humanised, society is characterised by mechanised petrification
• (D) The charismatic rebirth of new gods could counter mechanised petrification

In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber’s finding(s) is/are:

• (A) There is no direct causal relation between Calvin’s preaching and the emergence of the Protestant Ethic
• (B) The belief in predestination is unique to Calvinism and is not present in other religions
• (C) The phenomenal isolation experienced by believers and the anxieties it created led to certain interpretations by the pastors which created this ethic
• (D) More Catholics were business leaders than Protestants

Which of the following proposition(s) is/are part of the argument that B. R. Ambedkar makes in his Caste in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development?

• (A) In transitioning from the open door character of the class system to the caste system, some groups closed the door; others found it closed against them
• (B) Classes became castes through imitation and excommunication
• (C) Creation of castes means the superposition of endogamy on exogamy
• (D) Function and function alone was the foundation upon which the whole system of caste in India was built up

Which of the following statement(s) about the modernisation theory is/are INCORRECT?

• (A) Both evolutionism and diffusionism have shaped the early growth of the modernisation theory
• (B) Hoselitz focused on the role of deviants as innovators and entrepreneurs in shaping the economic growth of a country
• (C) M. J. Levy states that less stress should be given to Parsonian pattern variables in explaining the modernisation process and more to the impact of colonialism
• (D) One of the components of Alex Inkeles’ concept of ‘Modern Man’ is a belief in ‘punitive’ justice

Which of the following core idea(s) is/are central to postmodernism?

• (A) Anti-foundationalism
• (B) Critique of Enlightenment and reason
• (C) Critique of cultural relativism
• (D) Critique of meta-narratives

Which of the following aspect(s) is/are CORRECT about Dalit Panthers in Maharashtra?

• (A) They drew inspiration from Black Panthers
• (B) They merged issues of caste and class
• (C) They participated actively in the Unification movement of Maharashtra
• (D) Madhav Gadgil was an important leader of this movement

Much before M. N. Srinivas’s concept of ‘sanskritisation’, which of the following scholar(s) framed caste as a process of imitation and social closure?

• (A) B. R. Ambedkar
• (B) Irawati Karve
• (C) Radhakamal Mukerjee
• (D) Herbert Risley

Which of the following is/are CORRECT with reference to the concept of ‘Little and Great traditions’?

• (A) Little and Great traditions was used by Robert Redfield in his studies on the Mexican communities
• (B) Little tradition refers to oral folk traditions
• (C) There is no interaction between Little and Great traditions
• (D) Great tradition refers to elite, literate and reflective few

Which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT?

• (A) Assimilation refers to a social process where a minority cultural group or community gets absorbed into the dominant culture
• (B) Acculturation is a one-way process and it is not an exchange of cultural patterns
• (C) Acculturation refers to a process where transmission of values, norms and cultural changes takes place through the process of social interactions between cultural groups and communities
• (D) In acculturation people retain their original culture while adapting to another culture