ESO-05

Bachelor’s Degree Programme

(BDP)

Elective Course in Sociology-05

(Society and Religion)

ASSIGNMENT 01 TO 03
2006

School of Social Sciences

Indira Gandhi National Open University
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110058
 Course Code: ESO-05
Assignment Code: ESO-05/AST/2006
ASSIGNMENTS 01 TO 03
Dear Student,
As we explained in the Programme Guide for Elective Course of Bachelor’s Degree Programme (BDP),
you will have to complete three assignments for an eight-credit elective course in Sociology. Of the three
assignments the first and second are Tutor Marked (TMAs) and the third is Computer Marked (CMA). The
blockwise distribution of the three assignments is as follows:

Assignment 01 (TMA) is based on Blocks 1,2,3&4

Assignment 02 (TMA) is based on Blocks 5,6&7
Assignment 03 (CMA) is based on Blocks 1 to 7

It is important that you write answers to all TMA questions in your own words. Your answers should be
within the approximate range of the word-limit set for a particular section. Remember, the constant practice
while writing answers to assignment questions help you to write better answers to questions in term-end
examination.

The TMAs are designed to enable you to write answers to different categories of questions. Descriptive
Category Questions (DCQs) are meant for writing essay type answers, with an introduction and a
conclusion. Here, the evaluator have been asked to judge your ability to describe that you know about the
topic in a systematic, to-the-point and coherent manner.

Middle (or analytical) Category Questions (MCQs) require you to first analyse the topic in terms of
arguments and explanations and then write the answers in a concise as well as precise manner. Here, the
evaluator has been asked to judge your ability to distinguish, compare and contrast, or, clear understanding
of concepts and processes.

Short Category Questions (SCQs) are meant to improve your skill of recall in brief the relevant/precise
information about persons, writing, events, exact definition to terms, or, clear understanding of concepts
and processes.

Questions in a Computer Marked Assignment are meant to improve your skill of absorbing/registering
specific information for purposes of recall at the required time.

Before attempting the questions in assignments, please read carefully the guidelines for doing assignments,
given in the Programme Guide of BDP.

Submission

The completed assignments should be sent as per the following schedule.

Schedule
Assignment Nos. Date of Submission Whom to send
To
Assignment 01 30th April, 2006 The Coordinator of the Study
Centre allotted to you
Assignment 02 30th June, 2006 -do-
Assignment 03 30th June, 2006 To
The Registrar
Evaluation Division
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Maidan Garhi
New Delhi – 10 068
 Indira Gandhi National Open University
Elective Course in Sociology-05
Society and Religion-ESO 05
Tutor Marked Assignment-01
(TMA)

Programme Code: BDP

Course Code: ESO-05
Assignment Code: ESO-05/AST-01/TMA/2006

Maximum Marks: 100

Answer all the question.

A) DCQ: Answer the following in about 500 words each.

1) Provide a sociological definition of religion.

20

2) Describe the essential features of the religious movement of

Veerasaivism

20

B) MCQ: Answer the following in about 250 words each.

3) Compare the birth rites of Hindus and Sikhs.

12
4) Examine the basic components of Birhor rituals.

12
5) Evaluate the role of the religion in the growth of capitalism, as was
elaborated by Max Weber.

12
6) Discuss the essential features of civil religion with regard to the Indian
context.

12

C) SCQ: Answer the following in about 50 words each.

7) Examine Turner’s understanding of ritual with reference to the rites of

“mukanda” held among the Ndembu.
6
8) Explain the social significance of religious festival.

6
 Indira Gandhi National Open University
Elective Course in Sociology-05
Society and Religion ESO - 05
Tutor Marked Assignment-02
(TMA-II)
Programme Code: BDP
Course Code: ESO 05
Assignment Code: ESO 05/AST-02/TMA/2006

Maximum Marks=100
Answer all the question.

A) DCQ: Answer all the questions in about 500 words.

1) In what way are bhakti and sufism similar?

20

2) Explain the functional approach of Malinowski to the study of rituals in

the everyday life of tribal society.

20

B) MCQ: Answer the following questions in 250 words each.

3) How is religious pluralism exhibited in India?

12
4) Assess the role of Christianity in modernization and economic
development.

12
5) Examine the nature and meaning of religious symbols.

12
6) Make a comparison between Jain and Hindu religious practices

12

C) SCQ: Answer all the questions in about 50 words each.

7) List any four dissimilarities between tribal religions of Birhor and

Khasi.

6
8) Differentiate between a shaman and prophet.

6
 Indira Gandhi National Open University
Elective Course in Sociology - 05
Society and Religion – ESO 05
(CMA)

Programme Code: BDP

Course Code: ESO 05
Assignment Code: ESO 05/AST 03/CMA/2006
Maximum Marks=100
Note:

i) This assignment has 50 questions, Each question carries two marks. All questions are compulsory.
ii) Every question has four alternative answers, of these only one is correct. Select the correct answer
and write in the appropriate box in the answer sheet according to the method described in the
instructions.
iii) Use only black lead pencil to fill in the answer sheet.

1) Who among the following held that man is a symbol making animal?
1) Ernst Cassirer
2) Edmund Leach
3) Victor Turner
4) Sigmund Freud.

2) Who among the following argued that religion might vanish when its explanatory function is taken
over by science?
1) E. Durkheim
2) Herbert Spencer
3) Paul Radin
4) Max Weber.

3) Who among the following was an evolutionary thinker?

1) Emile Durkhiem
2) Max Weber
3) Mary Douglas
4) Edward Tylor.

4) Which of the following statement is a part of Durkheim’s theory of Totemism?

1) Totem is not sacred to everyone in the community, it is sacred only for some
2) Totemism is not necessarily a clan religion
3) Totem is at once the symbol of god and society
4) All of the above.

5) A conscious and overt intention of injury through the use of magical power is termed as
1) prayer
2) deviation
3) sorcery
4) magic.

6) Which of the following religion encourages the development of capitalism according to

Weber?
1) Hinduism
2) Buddhism
3) Confucianism
4) Christianity.
7) A kind of sign which has many associations of a complex nature may be termed as
1) symbol
2) signal
3) index
4) icon

8) The rituals that are concerned with the changes of social status and the interaction of social groups
are termed by Evans Pritchard as
1) piacular rituals
2) confirmatory rituals
3) revitalization rituals
4) protective rituals.

9) An important point in the physical or social development of an individual is marked by a

1) life-crises rituals
2) rituals of affliction
3) initiation ritual
4) divination rituals.

10) Which of the following is a stage performed in the Mukunda ritual of Ndembu of North-West Zambia?
1) Kung’ la
2) Kwing’ ula
3) Kwidisha
4) All of the above.

11) Among the Javanese ‘Slamet’ refers to

1) the special offering made to the spirits
2) the physical and mental equilibrium
3) the speech given by the host during the Slametan ceremony
4) All of the above.

12) The new conception of political state which implies a paternal or fatherly regard of its citizens emerged
during the enlightenment period was termed by French philosophers as
1) Patric
2) Civil religion
3) City state
4) State religion

13) Which aspect of Calvinism holds the key to the understanding of capitalist spirit?
1) Asceticism
2) Doctrine of predestination
3) Economic ethic
4) Savings

14) Who among the following held the mistaken assumption that Hinduism is homogeneous?
1) Karl Marx
2) Max Weber
3) Radcliffe Brown
4) Louis Dumont.

15) A secular State is the one which

1) supports only one religion
2) supports and favours dominant religion of the state
3) does not support or favour any single religion
4) support the minority religion.
16) The Ecclesia is headed by the
1) Bishop
2) Pope
3) Queen of England
4) Cardinal.

17) A dissent within parent religion is known as :

1) sect
2) denomination
3) cult
4) order

18) An individual who is capable of proclaiming a religious doctrine or a divine commandment because of
his charismatic qualities shall be called as
1) pope
2) prophet
3) bhagat
4) priest.

19) Which of the following is a feature of a shaman?

1) He is found to use his magical abilities for purpose of well-being as well as harming
2) He does not use any magic
3) He is greatly feared by the community
4) He is employed by the king

20) Who is the head of the Protestant Anglican Church of England?

1) Pope
2) Queen of England
3) King of France
4) Bishop.

21) In the European history secularization implies

1) not to have a State religion
2) acceptance of Christianity as State religion
3) separation of church and State
4) the reconstitution of church and its authority.

22) The very foundation of Indian secularism is

1) religious pluralism
2) religious fundamentalism
3) religious tolerance
4) religious intolerance.

23) The economy of the tribe Birhors is

1) hunting and gathering
2) pastoral
3) settled agriculture
4) jhum cultivation.

24) A formal organisation of the indigenous religion, called Seng Khasi, was formed among the Khasis for
1) their educational upliftment
2) representing Khasis at the national level
3) safeguarding the Khasi tradition
4) all of the above.

25) Which of the following is a objective of marriage according to ancient Hindu texts?
 1) Dharma
2) Praja
3) Rati
4) all of the above.

26) In the Indian perspective, a religious group primarily originates in

1) Mat
2) Sangh
3) Math
4) Panth.

27) In Jainism ascetic world view is confined to

1) the body
2) the Guru
3) discipline and study
4) all of the above.

28) The Buddhists of Tibet belong to the sect

1) Vijrayana
2) Mahayana
3) Hinayana
4) none of the above.
29) The new recruits were admitted to Christianity with a simple ceremony called
1) confession
2) lent
3) baptism
4) none of the above.

30) Social order implies

1) the arrangement of institutions in the society
2) arrangement of roles and statuses in the society
3) a smooth, well coordinated functionary of social structure
4) all of the above.

31) Which of the following can be said as the basic principle of the Christian social order?
1) Egalitarian outlook
2) Universal brotherhood
3) Service of the underprivileged
4) all of the above.
32) According to the Shiah Muslim the legitimate “Khalifa” is
1) Abu Baker
2) Omar
3) Osman
4) Ali.

33) What is considered as the nucleus of the total Islamic order?

1) Family
2) Community
3) Mosque
4) Clan.

34) Guru Nanak was contemporary of

1) Babbar Lodhi
2) Sikander Lodhi
3) Ibrahim Lodhi
4) All of the above.
35) In 1970s and 80s the religious right movement tried to evoke fundamentalists religious value in
the general and political life of
1) Iran
2) America
3) France
4) Germany.

36) A yellow triangular flag having symbol of ‘khanda’ marks the religious place of which religion?
1) Hinduism
2) Sikhism
3) Buddhism
4) Jainism.

37) Which of the following Bhatki saint played a major role in the establishment of Mathura as a
bhakti centre?
1) Tukaram
2) Surdas
3) Mirabai
4) Chaitanya

38) ‘Akkamahadev’ is the name associated with

1) Sufiism
2) Veerasaivism
3) Arya Samaj
4) Rama Krishna Mission.

39) Among of the Veerasaivas the personal lingam is worn by

1) all believers
2) priests only
3) males only
4) females only

40) The ten principles of Arya Samaj was accepted at the foundation of
1) Bombay Samaj
2) Calcutta Samaj
3) Lucknow Samaj
4) Lahore Samaj.

41) During the freedom struggle the secular ideology of the national leaders by keeping religion at a
distance was challenged by
1) B. G. Tilak
2) Aurobindo Ghosh
3) Lajpat Rai
4) All of the above.

42) Among the Hindus the prenatal rite of Simantonnayana is done in the
1) first month of pregnancy
2) third month of pregnancy
3) fifth month of pregnancy
4) seventh month of pregnancy.

43) Buddha passed into the state of nirvana at

1) Lumbini
2) Sarnath
3) Kushinagar
4) Bodh Gaya.
44) Presently in India, Buddhists are localised in the States of
1. Ladakh
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Sikkim
4. all of the above.

45) Socially, religious festivals are related to

1) group identity
2) group solidarity
3) intra and inter group differentiation
4) all of the above.

46) Which of the following factor can not be a remedy for the communal divide in India?
1) Separation of religion from politics
2) Banning of communal bodies
3) Extending the freedom of press of spreading of communal ideas
4) Denouncing communalism by the political leaders.

47) Which of the following Hindu deity have tribal origin?

1) Siva
2) Hanuman
3) Krishna
4) All of the above

48) The Birhor social organisation and religious beliefs are essentially concerned with
1) conquering the economy
2) protection from outsiders
3) success or luck in securing food
4) all of the above.

49) Who among the following delivered a speech at Chicago in the Assembly of world Religions?
1) Swami Dayanand
2) Swami Vivekananda
3) Sree Ramakrishna
4) Satya Sai Baba.

50) Which of the following is not of a ‘rite of passage’ as identified by Van Gennep?
1) separation
2) segregation
3) transition
4) incorporation.
 INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY
RESPONSE SHEET FOR COMPUTER MARKED ASSIGNMENT

Enrolment No. Programme: BDP

Course Code: ESO-05
Assignment Code: ESO-05/AST-03/CMA/2004
Name &
Address
(Block Letters)
Signature
Pin Code:
Date:

Question No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Answer

Question No. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Answer

Question No. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Answer

Question No. 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Answer

Question No. 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Answer

For Office use only

Entered By: ______________________ Total Questions Attempt: ________________

Verified By: ______________________ Wrong Answer: ________________

Total Marks: ________________

Grade Obtained: ________________

Mail to: The Director (SR&E), Block-12, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi – 110 058