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Unit 3 — Class Structure: Model Answers & Practice Questions

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OPSC OAS Sociology Paper II, Unit 3: Class Structure. 19-section notes on Unit 3 — Class Structure: Model Answers & Practice Questions.

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    ← Unit 3: Class Structure

    1. Q: Elite formation in India

    OPSC 2006, Q1(c) | 20 marks | ~200 words

    DefinitionAn elite is the small group commanding disproportionate power, wealth or prestige. Pareto spoke of the circulation of elites between lions and foxes, Mosca of a ruling class, and C. Wright Mills of a power elite drawn from political, economic and military institutions.

    Bases of elite formation in India
    - Traditional: Ritual status and landownership; the Brahmin-landlord combination that Beteille found aligned in Sripuram before the disjunction of caste, class and power set in.
    - Colonial: English education after Macaulay's Minute (1835) produced a professional elite of lawyers, teachers and officials. B. B. Misra traces the Indian middle class and its leadership to this source; the Bengal bhadralok, Chitpavan and Tamil Brahmins are the classic instances.
    - Post-independence: The bureaucratic and planning elite, the PSU managerial class, and the scientific establishment.
    - Agrarian: The Green Revolution created Rudolph and Rudolph's bullock capitalists and a dominant-caste rural elite.
    - Political: Vernacularisation after Mandal; Jaffrelot's silent revolution transferred power to plebeian castes.
    - New economy: IT, finance and corporate elites after 1991.
    - Reservation: A Dalit and tribal elite, what Sachidanand called the Harijan elite.
    Assessment
    Indian elite formation is marked by heterogeneity, dynastic recruitment and a persistent caste-class overlap. Circulation has widened the social base of elites without correspondingly widening the distribution of power.

    Key pointCirculation has widened the social base of elites without correspondingly widening the distribution of power.
    RememberT-C-P-A-P-N-R — Traditional, Colonial, Post-independence, Agrarian, Political, New economy, Reservation
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    In these notes
    1. Q: Elite formation in India
    2. Q: The concept of the middle class
    3. Q: Emergence of classes among tribes
    4. Q: Describe the process of emergence of middle class in India. What role has the middle class played in National Development?
    5. Q: What accounts for the emergence of middle classes in modern India? Elucidate.
    6. Q: Discuss the industrial class structure in India.
    7. Q: What do you understand by elite formation? Discuss the process of elite formation in India.
    8. Q: Analyse the emergence of classes among tribes in India.
    9. Q: Discuss the agrarian class structure in India.
    10. Q: Distinguish between the old and the new middle class in India.
    11. Q: Examine the changing nature of class structure in India since liberalisation.
    12. Q: "The middle class is the principal beneficiary of economic reforms in India." Discuss.
    13. Q: Analyse the relationship between caste and class in the Indian social structure.
    14. Q: Write a note on the changing roles of middle-class women in India.
    15. Q: How has the New Economic Policy (1991) affected the lifestyle and life chances of the new middle class in India?
    16. Q: Discuss the changes taking place in the industrial class structure in India.
    17. Q: Describe the main features of Indian new middle class. How is it different from the old middle class?
    18. Q: "Industrial class structure is a function of social structure of Indian society." Do you agree with this statement? Analyze.
    19. Q: Elaborate the salient features and the role of the middle class in India's democracy and development.

    Sourced from the Odisha Public Service Commission where applicable. opsc.gov.in. EduSaint is not affiliated with OPSC.