Social Movements

Q: Which statement about Gandhi's use of khadi and the Salt March is correct? I. Khadi was worn to support Indian textile workers harmed by British mill-cloth policy II. The Salt March directly challenged British taxation policies on basic commodities III. Both khadi and salt were transformed into symbols of resistance against foreign capital

All three statements I, II, and III are correct. All three are correct: khadi supported Indian producers harmed by colonial policy, Salt March opposed taxation burden, and both items became powerful resistance symbols.

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Chapter Notes

Overview

This chapter explores the concept, features, types, and significance of social movements in bringing about social change. It explains how social movements are sustained, organized collective actions aimed at achieving specific goals, often against the state or entrenched interests. The chapter covers various types of movements—reformist, redemptive, revolutionary—and examines specific movements in India, including ecological, class-based, caste-based, tribal, and women's movements. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that social movements are not spontaneous protests but organized, sustained efforts that have historically shaped the rights and freedoms we enjoy today, and they continue to challenge inequality and injustice.

Key Concepts (13)

Social Movement

A sustained collective action over time, directed against the state or other powerful entities, demanding changes in policy or practice, marked by some degree of organization, shared objectives, and ideologies.

e.g. The Chipko Movement where villagers hugged trees to prevent deforestation, organized by the Dashauli Gram Swaraja Sangh (DGSS).

Counter Movement

A movement that arises in defence of the status quo, opposing the changes sought by a social movement.

e.g. When Raja Rammohun Roy campaigned against sati, defenders of sati formed the Dharma Sabha to petition the British not to legislate against sati.

Reformist Social Movement

A social movement that strives to change existing social and political arrangements through gradual, incremental steps.

e.g. The 1960s movement for the reorganisation of Indian states on the basis of language and the Right to Information campaign.

Redemptive Social Movement

A social movement that aims to bring about a change in the personal consciousness and actions of its individual members.

e.g. The Ezhava community in Kerala led by Narayana Guru to change their social practices.

Revolutionary Social Movement

A social movement that attempts to radically transform social relations, often by capturing state power.

e.g. The Bolshevik revolution in Russia that deposed the Tsar to create a communist state, and the Naxalite movement in India.

Old Social Movements

Social movements that functioned within the frame of political parties, focused on reorganisation of power relations, class-based issues like better wages, living conditions, and social security.

e.g. The Indian National Congress leading the Indian National Movement, or the Communist Party of China leading the Chinese Revolution.

New Social Movements

Social movements that focus on quality-of-life issues such as clean environment, identity politics, and cultural anxieties, often uniting participants across class boundaries and operating outside traditional party structures.

e.g. The Chipko Movement, women's movement, and regional movements for separate statehood.

Civil Society

A broader term used to refer to both old social movements represented by political parties and trade unions, and new non-governmental organisations, women’s groups, environmental groups, and tribal activists.

e.g. The World Social Forum that raises awareness about the hazards of globalisation.

Dalit

A term commonly used in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and many other Indian languages, meaning the poor and oppressed persons, first used in the new context in Marathi by neo-Buddhist activists, followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar in the early 1970s, referring to those who have been broken, ground down by those above them, inherently denying pollution, karma and justified caste hierarchy.

e.g. The Mahar Movement in Maharashtra and the Satnami Movement of the Chamars in Chhattisgarh.

Dikus

Migrant traders and moneylenders who settled in tribal areas and grabbed wealth, impoverishing the original residents, against whom adivasis shared a common hatred.

e.g. In Jharkhand, dikus were seen as exploiters who benefited from mining and industrial projects while adivasi lands were alienated.

Moral Economy

A concept used by historians like E.P. Thompson to show that the 'crowd' and 'mob' had their own shared understanding of right and wrong that informed their actions, and poor people had good reasons for protesting due to deprivation.

e.g. Food riots in England where poor labourers protested against inhuman living conditions.

Suffragettes

Women activists who took up the cause of all adult women’s right to vote, bitterly opposed and their movement violently crushed.

e.g. The movement for women's voting rights in Britain, which eventually led to women over 30 with property or university degrees getting the vote in 1918.

Chartism

A social movement for parliamentary representation in England that in 1839 collected over 1.25 million signatures for the People’s Charter asking for universal male suffrage, voting by ballot, and the right to stand for elections without owning property.

e.g. The Chartist movement collected 3.25 million signatures in 1842.

How It Works

Life Cycle of a Social Movement

A social movement begins with mass mobilisation and collective protest around a shared grievance or objective.
It develops a leadership and organizational structure that defines how members relate, make decisions, and carry them out.
Activists hold meetings to mobilize people, create shared understanding, and build consensus on how to pursue the collective agenda.
The movement charts out campaigns including lobbying with the government, media, and other makers of public opinion.
It develops distinct modes of protest such as candle processions, street theatres, songs, poetry, or innovative methods like Gandhi's satyagraha and the Dandi March.
Over time, the movement may become more institutionalized, moving towards 'social movement organisations'.
The orientation may shift, e.g., from revolutionary to reformist, or from mass protest to institutionalized lobbying.

💡 Students often forget that social movements are not static; their goals, methods, and level of organization can change over time. Also, a movement may start with revolutionary objectives and become reformist.

Distinction Between Social Change and Social Movements

Social change is continuous and ongoing, the sum total of countless individual and collective actions gathered across time and space.
Social movements are directed towards specific goals and involve long, continuous social effort and action by people.
Sanskritisation and westernisation are examples of social changes, while the 19th century social reformers' efforts to change society are examples of social movements.

💡 Students often confuse social change with social movements. Social change is a broad, ongoing process; social movements are deliberate, organized efforts aimed at specific changes.

Formation of a New State through Social Movement (Jharkhand Example)

A charismatic leader like Birsa Munda leads a major uprising against the British, becoming an icon.
After his death, stories and songs keep his memory alive, and Christian missionaries spread literacy among adivasis.
Literate adivasis research and write about their history and myths, documenting tribal customs and cultural practices.
This creates a unified ethnic consciousness and shared identity as Jharkhandis.
A middle-class adivasi intellectual leadership emerges, formulating the demand for a separate state and lobbying for it.
Shared hatred of dikus (migrant traders and moneylenders) and experiences of marginalization mobilize collective action.
The movement agitates against land acquisition, survey settlement issues, loan collection, and nationalisation of forest produce.
After more than a century of resistance, Jharkhand is carved out of south Bihar in the year 2000.

💡 Students often miss the role of literacy and documentation in creating ethnic consciousness. The movement was not just about economic exploitation but also about cultural identity and political representation.

Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes

⚠ Confusing Social Movement with Spontaneous Protest

✗ Any protest or riot is a social movement.

→ A social movement requires sustained collective action over time, some degree of organization, leadership, shared objectives, and ideology. Spontaneous, disorganized protest cannot be called a social movement.

✓ A social movement is a sustained, organized collective action with shared objectives and ideologies, directed towards specific goals, not a spontaneous outburst.

⚠ Mixing Up Reformist and Revolutionary Movements

✗ The Bolshevik revolution was a reformist movement because it changed society.

→ Reformist movements seek gradual, incremental change within the existing system, while revolutionary movements aim to radically transform social relations, often by capturing state power. The Bolshevik revolution overthrew the Tsar and created a communist state, making it revolutionary.

✓ The Bolshevik revolution was a revolutionary social movement because it aimed to radically transform social relations by capturing state power, unlike reformist movements that work through gradual steps.

⚠ Assuming All Dalit Movements Are the Same

✗ There is a single, unified Dalit movement in India.

→ The chapter explicitly states there has not been a single, unified Dalit movement. Different movements have highlighted different issues around different ideologies, though all assert a Dalit identity and share a common quest for equality, self-dignity, and eradication of untouchability.

✓ Dalit movements are diverse; they include the Satnami Movement, Adi Dharma Movement, Mahar Movement, and Anti-Brahman Movement, each with different ideologies but a common quest for equality and dignity.

⚠ Thinking Old Social Movements Are Only About Class

✗ Old social movements only focused on economic inequality and class issues.

→ While old social movements clearly saw reorganisation of power relations as a central goal, they also included nationalist movements, anti-colonial struggles, and civil rights movements. The chapter mentions the Indian national movement, socialist movements, and the civil rights movement in the US as old social movements.

✓ Old social movements focused on reorganisation of power relations, including class-based issues, but also included nationalist, anti-colonial, and civil rights movements.

⚠ Confusing 'Redemptive' with 'Reformist'

✗ A redemptive social movement aims to change society gradually.

→ Redemptive movements aim to change personal consciousness and actions of individual members, not society at large. Reformist movements aim to change existing social and political arrangements through gradual steps.

✓ A redemptive social movement aims to bring about a change in the personal consciousness and actions of its individual members, such as Narayana Guru's efforts to change social practices of the Ezhava community.

Compare & Contrast

Focus and organization

Old Social Movements

New Social Movements

Old social movements functioned within the frame of political parties and focused on reorganisation of power relations and class-based issues like wages and social security. New social movements focus on quality-of-life issues like environment, identity politics, and cultural anxieties, often uniting participants across class boundaries and operating outside traditional party structures.

Method and goal of change

Reformist Social Movement

Revolutionary Social Movement

Reformist movements strive to change existing social and political arrangements through gradual, incremental steps within the existing system. Revolutionary movements attempt to radically transform social relations, often by capturing state power and overthrowing the existing order.

Nature and demands

Peasant Movements (pre-1947)

New Farmer's Movements (post-1970s)

Pre-1947 peasant movements were often localised, disjointed, and confined to particular grievances like indigo plantation or moneylenders, and were partially linked to the Independence movement. New farmer's movements from the 1970s are regionally organized, non-party, involve market-oriented farmers, and focus on 'price and related issues' like procurement prices, taxation, and loan repayment, using novel methods like blocking roads and railways.

Exam Focus

Marks pattern: Typically 2-3 MCQs (1 mark each), 1-2 Short Answer questions (3 marks each), and 1 Long Answer question (5 marks) from this chapter. The chapter is often combined with other chapters in value-based or case-based questions.

Most asked: Features of a social movement · Types of social movements (reformist, redemptive, revolutionary) · Difference between old and new social movements · Chipko Movement and ecological movements · Dalit movement and its characteristics · Women's movement in India · Peasant and farmer's movements · Tribal movements (Jharkhand and North East)

Don't skip: Long answer question on types of social movements with examples (5 marks); Comparison between old and new social movements (3 or 5 marks); Case study on Chipko Movement or Dalit movement (5 marks); Features of a social movement (3 marks)

One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)

A social movement requires sustained collective action over time, with organization, leadership, shared objectives, and ideology.
Counter movements arise in defence of the status quo, opposing the changes sought by social movements.
Reformist movements seek gradual change; redemptive movements change individual consciousness; revolutionary movements aim to transform society by capturing state power.
Old social movements functioned within political parties and focused on power relations; new social movements focus on quality-of-life issues and identity.
The Chipko Movement in the Himalayan foothills combined ecological sustainability, livelihood needs, and resentment against a distant government.
The Dalit movement is a struggle for recognition, self-dignity, and eradication of untouchability, not a single unified movement.
The Jharkhand movement for a separate state was built on a shared ethnic consciousness, hatred of dikus, and a century of resistance.
The women's movement in India includes both 19th century reform movements and post-1970s second phase focusing on violence against women and legal changes.
Peasant movements before independence were localised and linked to specific grievances; new farmer's movements are regionally organized and focus on price issues.
Social movements can shift from revolutionary to reformist over time, and often have a mix of redemptive, reformist, and revolutionary elements.
The French Revolution and industrial revolution protests were early influences on the sociological study of social movements.
E.P. Thompson's concept of 'moral economy' shows that crowds had shared understandings of right and wrong, not anarchic intentions.
The term 'Dalit' means the poor and oppressed, first used by neo-Buddhist followers of Ambedkar, denying pollution, karma, and caste hierarchy.
New social movements often unite participants across class boundaries, such as the women's movement including urban middle-class and poor peasant women.
The Chipko Movement highlighted the conflict between the economy of subsistence and the economy of profit.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. Which of the following is a defining feature of a social movement?

A. Spontaneous, disorganised protest against any grievance
B. Sustained collective action over time with some degree of organisation ✓
C. Individual action by a single charismatic leader
D. Short-term emotional outburst without shared ideology

Answer: B — Social movements require sustained action, organisation (leadership, structure), and shared objectives—spontaneous protest alone does not qualify as a movement.

Q2. Who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and what was its primary concern?

A. Medha Patkar; opposing tribal displacement caused by Sardar Sarovar dam ✓
B. Sunderlal Bahuguna; preventing deforestation in Western Ghats
C. Kanshi Ram; demanding reservations for OBCs in education
D. Mayawati; establishing BSP political party in Maharashtra

Answer: A — Medha Patkar led NBA from the 1980s-1990s specifically to oppose the Sardar Sarovar dam project due to massive displacement of tribal populations.

Q3. What is a counter-movement and why does it arise?

A. A movement that follows a successful reform movement
B. Opposition movement defending status quo against reform threats ✓
C. A movement led by government to suppress activism
D. An international movement supporting social change

Answer: B — Counter-movements arise to defend entrenched interests and traditional values threatened by reform; example: Dharma Sabha defending sati against Ram Mohan Roy's campaign.

Q4. Which of the following represents the correct distinction between social change and social movements?

A. Both are identical concepts referring to modifications in society
B. Social change is continuous and historical; social movements are goal-directed and organised collective action ✓
C. Social movements cause all social change; change cannot occur without movements
D. Social change is planned by government; social movements are spontaneous protests

Answer: B — Social change is the broad, ongoing historical process; social movements are specific, organised efforts directed at particular public issues—they are one form of change-making.

Q5. Which statement about Gandhi's use of khadi and the Salt March is correct? I. Khadi was worn to support Indian textile workers harmed by British mill-cloth policy II. The Salt March directly challenged British taxation policies on basic commodities III. Both khadi and salt were transformed into symbols of resistance against foreign capital

A. Only I and II are correct
B. Only II and III are correct
C. All three statements I, II, and III are correct ✓
D. Only I and III are correct

Answer: C — All three are correct: khadi supported Indian producers harmed by colonial policy, Salt March opposed taxation burden, and both items became powerful resistance symbols.

Q6. The Chipko Movement of 1973 is best described as which type of social movement?

A. Revolutionary movement to overthrow the state
B. Reform movement seeking specific environmental protection through non-violent protest ✓
C. Counter-movement defending traditional logging practices
D. Redemptive movement focusing on personal spiritual transformation

Answer: B — Chipko was a reform movement targeting specific environmental protection goals through innovative non-violent protest (tree-hugging) led by Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi.

Q7. Which of the following is NOT a method of social movement activism mentioned in the chapter?

A. Holding meetings to mobilise people and build shared understanding
B. Using modes of protest like street theatre, songs, and candle marches
C. Lobbying government, media, and public opinion makers
D. Individual purchase boycotts without collective coordination or organisation ✓

Answer: D — Individual consumer choices without coordination are not social movement activism; movements require organised collective action, shared ideology, and sustained effort.

Q8. The text mentions that when reformers campaigned for girls' education and widow remarriage, there was social opposition. This opposition came from: I. People with entrenched interests in maintaining patriarchal structures II. Those defending traditional values and social hierarchies III. Counter-movements protecting the status quo

A. Only I is the cause of opposition
B. Only II explains the resistance
C. I and II explain some opposition, but III fully describes the organised response
D. All three (I, II, and III) together explain why opposition to reform movements arises ✓

Answer: D — Opposition to reform movements comes from entrenched interests (I), traditional value defenders (II), and organised counter-movements (III) all working to defend status quo.

Q9. According to the chapter, Chartism (1839-1842) and the suffragette movement shared which core objective? (A) Universal voting rights for all adults regardless of property or gender (B) Establishing trade unions and workers' rights (C) Achieving independence from colonial rule (D) Implementing land reform and peasant protection

A. Universal voting rights for all adults regardless of property or gender ✓
B. Establishing trade unions and workers' rights
C. Achieving independence from colonial rule
D. Implementing land reform and peasant protection

Answer: A — Chartism (1839) demanded universal male suffrage and property-independent voting; suffragettes later extended this to demand voting rights for all women, both movements fought for democratic representation.

Q10. HOTS: The chapter states that social movements have shaped the world and shaped the Indian Constitution. How does this illustrate the relationship between movements and democratic institutions? (A) Movements are irrelevant after democracy is established (B) Movements mobilise people around issues, influence policy, and constitutional provisions are shaped by collective struggle, which then enables further movements (C) The Constitution limits the power of social movements (D) Democratic institutions exist independent of any social movement activity

A. Movements are irrelevant after democracy is established
B. Movements mobilise people around issues, influence policy, and constitutional provisions are shaped by collective struggle, which then enables further movements ✓
C. The Constitution limits the power of social movements
D. Democratic institutions exist independent of any social movement activity

Answer: B — The chapter explicitly shows that nationalist movements shaped India's Constitution (Chapter 3 connection), which in turn enabled further movements—a cyclical relationship between struggle and institutional change.

Flashcards

What is a social movement? (Definition)

Sustained collective action by organised people sharing ideologies, directed at public issues to bring about or prevent social change.

Distinguish: social change vs social movement

Social change is continuous, broad, historical; social movements are directed towards specific goals with organised effort by people.

What are the three key features of a social movement?

Sustained collective action over time, organised structure with leadership, and shared objectives and ideologies.

Define counter-movement with an example

Opposition movement defending status quo against reform; example: Dharma Sabha defending sati when Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against it.

What is the 'repertoire of protest'?

Distinct modes or methods of protest used by movements, such as satyagraha, picketing, candle marches, street theatre, songs, and poetry.

Who led the Chipko Movement and what was its goal?

Led by Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi in 1973 Uttarakhand; movement to prevent deforestation by hugging trees.

What was the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) fighting against?

Led by Medha Patkar, NBA opposed the Sardar Sarovar dam project due to displacement of tribal populations without adequate compensation.

What role do social movements play in democracy?

Movements mobilise people around public issues, build consensus, lobby government, shape policy, and inspire constitutional change like Indian independence.

Why do counter-movements arise against social reform?

Counter-movements defend entrenched interests and traditional values threatened by reform; they oppose changes to power structures and social hierarchies.

What is the significance of Gandhi's use of khadi and salt march?

Gandhi transformed everyday mass consumption items (khadi, salt) into symbols of resistance against British colonial economic policies and foreign capital exploitation.

Important Board Questions

Define social movement and state three essential features that distinguish it from spontaneous protest. Give one Indian example. [2 marks]

State: sustained collective action + organised structure + shared ideology + directed at public issues. Example required: Chipko Movement, NBA, Tebhaga, or Dalit Panthers with one defining feature.

Explain what counter-movements are and why they arise. How did counter-movements respond to 19th-century social reforms in India? Provide two specific examples from the chapter. [5 marks]

Define counter-movement as organised opposition defending status quo and entrenched interests. Explain: sati reform faced Dharma Sabha; girls' education faced backlash; widow remarriage faced social boycott; upper-caste families withdrew children from schools when lower-caste children enrolled. Discuss why traditions and power are threatened by reform.

Analyse the relationship between social movements and social change in India, illustrating how movements have transformed society. Discuss: (i) why social movements face resistance, (ii) the role of innovative protest modes (Gandhi's khadi, Salt March, satyagraha), and (iii) how movements inspire constitutional and policy change. Use three movement examples from the chapter. [6 marks]

Structure: Define and distinguish movement from change. Explain resistance due to entrenched interests + value threats + power redistribution fears (e.g., sati defenders, upper-caste opposition to lower-caste education). Analyse Gandhi's symbolic protest strategy transforming everyday items into resistance symbols. Connect to Indian Constitution shaped by nationalist struggle (Chapter 3). Use examples: Chipko (environmental), NBA (tribal rights), Tebhaga (peasant), Dalit Panthers (caste annihilation). Conclude: slow change but movements force systemic shifts over time.

Assertion-Reason Questions for Social Movements

Q1. Assertion (A):

Social movements require sustained collective action over time with shared objectives and some degree of organizational structure.

Reason (R):

Spontaneous and disorganized protests, even if large in scale, cannot be classified as social movements because they lack the necessary continuity and coordination.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true, and the reason correctly explains why the assertion is true. The chapter explicitly distinguishes social movements from spontaneous protests based on sustained, organized action with shared goals.

Q2. Assertion (A):

Counter movements arise to oppose social reform movements that challenge existing social hierarchies and values.

Reason (R):

The Dharma Sabha's opposition to sati abolition demonstrates that defenders of traditional practices resist reform movements because they threaten established social interests and belief systems.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both statements are accurate, and the reason provides a specific historical example that explains why counter movements emerge. The chapter uses multiple examples (sati, girls' education, widow remarriage) to show this pattern.

Q3. Assertion (A):

Gandhi's adoption of khadi and the Dandi March salt production represented innovative modes of protest that transformed everyday items into political symbols.

Reason (R):

These methods were adopted because they focused attention on the economic exploitation of common people by British colonial policies rather than addressing political representation.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — The assertion is true—Gandhi did develop novel symbolic protest methods using everyday items. However, the reason is incomplete or misleading: while economic exploitation was part of the issue, these methods also addressed political power and independence, not just economics. Both statements are true, but the reason does not fully explain the assertion's significance.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for Social Movements

Case Study:

In 1992, a spontaneous gathering of around 500 women in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, marched to liquor shops in their neighborhood demanding they be closed. The women, mostly from low-income families, were distressed by the economic hardship caused when husbands spent money on alcohol instead of supporting families. What began as an isolated protest in one town rapidly spread to other villages and towns across Andhra Pradesh. Women's groups organized regular mobilization meetings, created a 10-point charter of demands addressing alcohol consumption, wages, and women's rights, conducted sustained non-violent agitations for months, and gradually expanded their organizational structure with local leadership. Though initially faced with ridicule and occasional violence, the movement persisted. Within three years, several state governments had implemented liquor prohibition policies in villages, and the movement had transformed women's consciousness about collective action and economic justice.

Q1. Which characteristic distinguishes the 1992 Nellore women's action from a social movement in its initial stages?

A. It had a clear organizational structure from the beginning
B. It started as spontaneous action but developed sustained organization, shared objectives, and leadership over time ✓
C. It achieved immediate policy success without requiring sustained effort
D. It only focused on individual family issues without collective demands

Answer: B

Q2. According to the chapter's framework, what would the government policies enacted to support liquor prohibition represent in relation to the women's movement?

A. A counter movement opposing women's demands
B. An independent action unrelated to the women's mobilization
C. A response to sustained collective action and policy lobbying by the social movement ✓
D. An automatic government welfare policy not influenced by public pressure

Answer: C

Q3. How does the rapid spread of the Nellore women's action from one town to multiple villages illustrate the chapter's concept about social movements?

A. Social movements always immediately succeed in all their goals
B. Social movements inspire and mobilize people in other areas around similar grievances and shared objectives ✓
C. Government always prevents movements from expanding beyond their origin
D. Successful movements use only violent confrontation methods

Answer: B

Q4. The passage mentions that women faced ridicule and occasional violence. How does the movement's persistence despite this opposition reflect concepts discussed in the chapter?

A. Opposition is impossible when movements have large public support
B. Social movements easily succeed without facing resistance from entrenched interests
C. Entrenched interests and traditional values create opposition to movements, but sustained effort can bring change over time ✓
D. Violence against movements always causes them to immediately cease activity

Answer: C

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Previous Year Questions (PYQ) for Social Movements

Real CBSE board exam questions from past papers — free to attempt.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 1 mark

Very few people who relax on their day off realise that this holiday is the outcome of a long struggle by workers. That the work-day should not exceed eight hours, that men and women should be paid equally for doing the same work, that workers are entitled to social security and pension — these and many other rights were gained through social movements.

How have social movements shaped the world we live in?

In the 19th century, reform movements did not influence caste and gender.
Asia and Africa had nationalist movements, which ended colonialism.
The Civil Rights Movement in the USA did not bring equal rights.
Anti-apartheid struggle did not change society in South Africa.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 1 mark

Which of the following is not true about Karl Marx's view on violent collective action?

'Crowds' and 'mobs' were not made up of anarchic hooligans out to destroy society.
Poor people in urban areas had a good reason for protesting.
They often resorted to public protest because they had no other way of expressing their anger against deprivation.
'Crowds' and 'mobs' have no shared understanding of right and wrong.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 1 mark

The term 'Adivasi' connotes political awareness and the assertion of rights. Literally meaning 'original inhabitants', the term was coined in the 1930s as part of the struggle against the intrusion by the colonial government and outside settlers and moneylenders.

Which of the following is not true about Adivasis?

Their economic conditions were better than the non-Adivasis.
They are found mainly in the north-eastern parts of India.
They were believed to be the people of the forest.
They had practised shifting cultivation.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 1 mark

Write the following statements in the correct order: (I) The resource extraction in areas inhabited by tribes can be traced to the British Government. (II) Since the 1990s, when economic liberalisation policies were officially adopted by the Indian Government, the process of resource extraction in Adivasi areas has become even more powerful. (III) The term 'Adivasi' was coined in the 1930s as part of the struggle against intrusion by the colonial government and outside settlers. (IV) The most significant achievement of Adivasi movements includes attainment of statehood for Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in the year 2000.

(III), (I), (II), (IV)
(I), (II), (III), (IV)
(IV), (I), (III), (II)
(III), (II), (IV), (I)

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 2 marks

In our current information age, social movements around the globe are able to join together in huge regional and international networks.

Give suitable examples to support the statement.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 6 marks

How have the women's movements evolved over the period of history?

CBSE 2025 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

Assertion (A) : The old social movements functioned within the frame of political parties. Reason (R) : Old social movements were national.

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

CBSE 2025 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

Why is the study of Social Movements important in Sociology ?

Social movements were about protests which were perceived by elites as a major threat to the established order of society.
Social movements were not seen as forces that led to disorder.
Participants of social movements do not have their own shared understanding of right and wrong.
Participants did not often resort to public protest.

CBSE 2025 · Set 62_Sociology · 6 marks

Discuss the classification of Social Movements.

CBSE 2024 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

Which of the following is/are the characteristics of Ecological movements?

Only I and II
Only II
Only III
I, II, III and IV

CBSE 2024 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

Which of the following is/are true for New Movements?

Only I
I and II
I, III and IV
II and III

CBSE 2024 · Set 62_Sociology · 2 marks

There has not been a single, unified Dalit movement in the country, now or in the past. Different movements have highlighted different issues related to the Dalits, around different ideologies. Notwithstanding differences in the nature of Dalit movements and the meaning of identity, there has been a common quest for equality, self-dignity and eradication of untouchability. (Shah 2001 : 194)

Write any two examples of Dalit Movement.

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