STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK
BA EXAMINATION
SOC 1301-11: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SW 1303 -11: SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL WORKERS

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 100 Time: 3 HRS

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. The Paper has 3 Sections
2. Answer ALL questions in Section A on the Question Paper. Each question
carries 2 marks.
3. Answer any five (5) questions in Section B
4. Answer One (1) question in Section C
5. No question paper should leave the examination room.

SECTION A
• Answer ALL Questions. Each question carries 2 marks.
• Circle the correct Answer.

1. Who is considered the founder of sociology?

(a) Max Weber
(b) Emile Durkheim
(c) Auguste Comte
(d) Karl Marx

2. Which sociological perspective takes a small-scale approach to sociology?

(a) Functionalist perspective
(b) Conflict perspective
(c) Integrationist perspective
(d) Feminist perspective

3. _________ is the process by which individuals and groups are ranked in

hierarchy based on the access to resource and opportunities?
(a) Socialization
(b) Stratification
(c) Social change
(d) Social mobility

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STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

4. Which of the following is an example of social institution?

(a) Family
(b) Personality
(c) Intelligence
(d) Deviance

5. ___________ is a group of people who share a common culture.

(a) Organization
(b) Community
(c) Society
(d) Association

6. Which of the following is NOT part of intellectual forces that contributed to the
development of sociology?
(a) Urbanization
(b) Political revolution
(c) Industrial revolution
(d) Social stratification

7. Social change is responsible for __________

(a) Social progress
(b) Social evolution
(c) Social disorganisation
(d) All the above

8. Jean Piaget’s theory is best described as _________

(a) Adult understanding
(b) Cognitive development in children
(c) Preoperational stage
(d) Germ theory

9. Deviance can be defined in relation to __________

(a) A particular standard
(b) From time to time
(c) From Place to place
(d) All of the above

10 While the law is silent about drunkenness in some countries, in other countries
such as Botswana and many developed countries, being visibly drunk (public
intoxication) is a criminal offense. This illustrates -----
a) that deviance allows a zone of permissible variation
b) the relativity of deviance
c) deviance is defined by governments and law offices

2
STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

d) Both A and B

11 Which of the following is not a component of social structure?

a) Social groups
b) Roles
c) Crime
d) Social institutions

12 Steven`s closest friends surprised him with a large birthday party. This group of
friends is an example of a:
a) Primary group
b) Formal group
c) Reference group
d) Secondary group

13 According to Durkheim, which of the following is a form of social cohesion that

is based on division of labour is known as:
a) Social bond
b) Mechanical solidarity
c) Organic solidarity
d) Social unity

14 “Social structure constrains our activities to constructed frameworks and

patterns of organisation and directs our behavior” Name the thinker.
a) Weber
b) Durkheim
c) Marx
d) Comte

15 Any group to which a person does not belong to or identify with is called
______
a) Formal group
b) Informal group
c) In-group
d) Out-group

16 The choices an individual makes/has in life in terms of schools they attend,

clothes they wear, and food they consume are determined by______
a) Status
b) Role

3
STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

c) Prestige
d) All the above

17 Messages reading ‘Keep NUL Clean’ around the NUL campus are good
example of:
a) Appropriate behaviour among NUL students
b) Informal culture
c) Formal culture
d) Mores, that is, everyday customs that may be violated without serious
consequences

18 Culture relativism can best be described as:

a) The belief that people should not judge other cultures as superior or
inferior to another culture
b) The process where individuals or groups come to accept other cultural
practices.
c) The process of getting people to understand that cultural practices are
different.
d) Cultural practices and perspectives spread from one culture to other
areas.

19 Upon hearing news about the birth of Thabo’s first-born daughter, women in
the village gathered around with buckets of water to pour over Thabo to
congratulate him. What is the sociological perspective of the women’s actions?
a) Rituals and ceremonies
b) Values
c) Customs
d) Both A and C
e) Both B and C

20 Which among the following is true about socialization?

a) It socializes the individuals
b) It makes society above individual
c) It brings individuals into the social
d) All of the above

21 Which of the following is correct in the context of socialization?

a) A school is a primary socialization agent and parents are secondary
agents
b) School is a secondary agent of Socialization and family is a primary
socialization agent

4
STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

c) Peers are primary social agents and family is secondary socialization

agent
d) Family and mass media are both secondary socialization agents

22 Which among the following is not a secondary group?

a) Political party
b) Students in a class
c) Labour union
d) A city

23 _________ perceives socialization in terms of social control

a) Conflict perspectives
b) Functionalism
c) Interactionists
d) Both A & B

24 Social mobility can be in numerous forms. Which of the following statements

shows horizontal mobility?
a) An employee working as a cashier at U-Save located at Popanyane
village in Roma taking up a new job as a cashier at Shoprite in the city
centre, Maseru.
b) A migrant labourer working as a machine operator being promoted to a
messenger
c) An older woman getting married to a wealthy and powerful man of her
dreams d) All the above

25 The system of social inequality which involves ownership of persons by the

others is called: a. Caste
b. Slavery
c. Class
d. None of the above

SECTION B
Write short notes on five (5) of the following sociological concepts:
(a) Sociology [5]
(b) Cultural diversity [5] (c) Looking glass self [5]
(d) Deviance [5]
(e) Enlightenment [5]
(f) Role Conflict [5]

5
STUDENT NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

SECTION C
Answer only ONE question in this section.

1. Give a brief discussion of the functional analysis of culture in the society.

[25 marks]

2. Discuss any two manifest and latent functions of Education. [25

marks]

3. Using relevant examples, discuss four basic assumptions about sex and
sexuality. [25 marks]

6
 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK BA EXAMINATIONS SOC2301-
11: INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

January 2024 Marks: 75 Time: 3 hours

INSTRUCTIONS
• Section A is compulsory.
• Answer any two (2) questions in Section B.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

SECTION A
Answer ALL questions

1. Write short notes on the following terms:

a) Individual [5]
b) Social constraint [5]
c) Secondary socialization [5]
d) Symbolic interactionism [5]
e) Collective Identity [5]

SECTION B
Answer any two (2) questions

2. Deliberate on the sociological approaches to the self.

3. Discuss any three (3) sociological theories of individual and society.

4. With relevant examples, differentiate between socialization and internalization.

5. Explain ways in which modern culture has influenced individual identity.

 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK BA EXAMINATIONS SOC 2302–11:
INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS:
DATA COLLECTION

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 75 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer any three questions.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

1. Write short notes on any five of the following research concepts:

a) Pilot study [5]
b) Abstract [5]
c) Conceptualisation [5]
d) Hypothesis [5]
e) Operationalisation [5]
f) Justification of the study [5]
g) Variables [5]

2. Identify and discuss the six steps of research process.

3. Examine any four ethical considerations that researchers ought to abide by when
conducting quantitative research.

4. Choose a quantitative research topic and explain in detail how you can conduct an
experiment to test one hypothesis.

5. Using examples, discuss four levels measurement in quantitative research.

6. Deliberate on any five key issues to consider when designing a questionnaire.

 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK BA EXAMINATIONS SOC 2303-11:
SOCIAL INEQUALITY

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 100 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Section A is Compulsory.
• Answer any other three questions in Section B.

SECTION A
Answer all questions

1a) Define the following concepts:

(i) Social inequality (2)
(ii) Social stratification (2)
(iii) Ascribed status (2)
(iv) Achieved status (2)
(v) Feminization of poverty (2)

b) Discuss Marian Young’s (1990) five social processes that are at work in the
stratification of societies into hierarchical orders. (15) c) Examine the traditional
caste system of India, and how it is today (15) SECTION B

• Answer any three questions.

• All questions carry 20 marks.

2 Consider Karl Marx’s work on stratification centred around the concept of class.
Discuss.
3 Using Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (1945), critically discuss the functionalist
theory of stratification.

4 The conflict perspective assumes that education reinforces the existing inequalities.
Show how this is the case.

5 Discuss the various reasons behind gender inequalities in health.

 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO FACULTY OF SOCIAL
SCIENCES BA EXAMINATIONS SOC 3302-11: ORIGINS OF
SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 100 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTION:
• Answer three questions
• Questions 1 & 2 are compulsory
• Answer any other question in Section B

SECTION A

QUESTION ONE (Compulsory) 40 Marks

Answer Q1(a) OR Q1(b)

a) The development of sociological theory did not happen in a vacuum. If you agree with this
assertion, discuss the social forces that contributed to is development.

OR
b) Examine the role of Enlightenment intellectual force and conservative reactions in the
development of sociological theory.

QUESTION TWO (Compulsory) 30 Marks

a) What is a Theory? Briefly explain how a social theory differs from any other theory?
b) Distinguish between classical social theory and contemporary social theory.
SECTION B
Answer only ONE question in this section

QUESTION THREE 30 Marks

Select any two of the following classical scholars and elaborate on their contexts and
contributions to the development of sociological thought. The two selected scholars
should not be from the same region.

August Comte;
Emile Durkheim;
Max Weber;
Herbert Spencer;
Harriet Martineau;

QUESTION FOUR 30 Marks

Select any one of the following sociological theories (Functionalist Theory, Social Action
Theory, Interactionist Theory). Discuss its main assumptions and how the theory applies in
understanding how any society system works.

QUESTION FIVE 30 Marks

a) Briefly elaborate on the main postulations of classical Marxist theory in understanding
conflict in human society

b) Neo-Marxist and Feminist theories are related to classical Marxist in some ways, but
also differ substantially in understanding human society. Provide some explanations to this
assertion.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY &
SOCIAL WORK BA EXAMINATIONS SOC3303-11: SOCIOLOGY OF
GENDER

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 75 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer any three questions.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

1. Define the following concepts:

(i) Gender
(ii) Sexism
(iii) Gender Role
(iv) Gender Stereotypes
(v) Patriarchy

2 Discuss Sylvia Walby’s (1990) five patriarchal structures

3 Give a brief discussion of the conflict analysis of gender roles in

contemporary society.

4 Critically discuss the radical feminist perspective

5 Examine the impact of development on women in developing countries.

 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK BA

EXAMINATIONS SOC 3304-11: SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH AND
ILLNESS

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 75 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer any three questions.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

1. Using the example of gender-based violence among Southern African women,

a) Examine three stressors they experience. [15]
b) Suggest two coping mechanisms employed to overcome the stress. [10]

2. Deliberate on any four factors that influence the individual’s response to illness
symptoms.

3. The Lesotho DHS 2014 estimated that 10 % of women and 0 % men aged 15-49 had
a clinical breast cancer examination in the past 12 months. Using any theoretical
framework, discuss the likelihood that these numbers (10% and 0%) will change in the
next survey.

4.
a) Discuss two safety concerns about the use of Traditional/Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (TM/CAM). [10 marks]
b) Using relevant examples, describe three types of Traditional/Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (TM/CAM) used in any African country. [15 marks]

5. Discuss the illness experience of patients and survivors living with cervical cancer.
 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL WORK BA

EXAMINATIONS SOC 4302–11: CONTEMPORARY THEORIES IN
SOCIOLOGY

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 75 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer any three questions.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

1. Briefly describe the contributions of any five of the following to Early American
Sociological Theory.
a) William Graham Sumner [5]
b) Lester Ward [5]
c) William Isaac Thomas [5]
d) Robert Park [5]
e) Charles Horton Cooley [5]
f) Thorstein Veblen [5]

2. Discuss any three of critical school’s critiques of social and intellectual life.

3. Using any organisation or institution in Lesotho, discuss Davis and Moore’s (1945)
Functional Theory of Stratification.

4. Discuss Niklas Luhman’s concept of Autopoietic Systems.

5. Examine Don Zimmerman’s (1988) five basic principles of conversation analysis.

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES BA EXAMINATIONS SOC 4303-
11: SOCIOLOGY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 100 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

• Answer ONE question in Section A

• Answer TWO questions in Section B

SECTION A
Answer Q1(a) OR Q1(b) OR Q1(c)
Each question is worth 40 marks

Question 1
a) Provide a detailed discussion of Lesotho’s land question and the main approaches
to rural development.
OR
b) Discuss the three rights to land in South Africa. Explain why South Africa’s land
reform project has failed to improve the livelihoods of rural communities.
OR
c) Critically discuss how the Cold War dynamics impacted the various phases of the
Zimbabwean land reform project since independence in 1980.
SECTION B
• Answer two questions from this section
• Each question is worth 30 marks

Question 2
Critically discuss Tonnies’s main arguments in theorising how the Industrial Revolution
and urbanisation impacted social relations.

Question 3
Deliberate on the emergence of the modernisation theory and the main arguments by
modernisation theorists.

Question 4
Examine the impacts of Structural Adjustment Plans (SAPs) in African countries.

Question 5
Critically discuss the arguments by Thayer Scudder and Michael Cernea in the way they
have theorised the impacts of resettlements on rural communities.

Question 6
Using relevant examples, discuss Rob Nixon’s concept of ‘slow violence’ and
demonstrate the importance of his theory in understanding the lived experiences of rural
communities.
 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO FACULTY OF
SOCIAL SCIENCES BA EXAMINATIONS SOC 4304-11: SOCIAL
POLICY

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 75 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Answer any three questions.

• All questions carry 25 marks each.

1. Examine the four areas of social policy by showing how different countries have
attempted to solve problems of their citizens in these areas.

2. Critically analyse the relationship between social policy and solidarity.

3. Using appropriate examples, describe the first two stages in the policy life cycle.

4. Critically analyse the Neo-liberal ideology, showing its impact on equality.

5. Critically discuss the arguments for and against the welfare state.
 THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

BA EXAMINATIONS

SOC 3301-11: INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

JANUARY 2024 MARKS: 100 TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Answer four questions.
• All questions carry 25 marks each.

Question 1
Using examples, discuss five (5) main ethical principles to be followed when conducting
research [25].

Question 2
a) What are the variables and constructs in quantitative research? [4].
b) Using examples, discuss what operationalisation is in quantitative research [3].
c) Explain the different approaches to instrument validity and reliability in quantitative
research [8].
d) Discuss the two main types of data analysis in quantitative research methods
[10].
Question 3
Imagine you are an independent consultant based in Maseru, in Lesotho. The World
Health Organisation (WHO) with the Government of Lesotho have approached you to
research the prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) among young people between the ages of
18 to 35 in Lesotho. As an independent consultant, you are expected to assemble a team
of young researchers and conduct a quantitative study on this matter.

a) Construct (5) questions for your questionnaire for your survey [10].
b) Explain how you would code and process data [7].
c) Describe the steps you will take to produce a Histogram using SPSS software [4].
d) Describe the steps you will take to a Scattergram/Scatterplot using the SPSS
software [4].

Question 4
a) Explain how a codebook in quantitative research is created [5].
b) Discuss the four common methods used in inferential statistics [8].

Table 1 below shows the data collected by a doctor from his patients
Respondents Gender Weight
1 Male 70
2 Male 70
3 Female 86
4 Male 97
5 Female 81
6 Female 66
7 Male 88
8 Male 70
9 Female 71
10 Male 88
11 Female 89
 c) Based on the table above, calculate the following:
i) Mean [2]. ii) Median [2]. iii) Mode [2]

d) Define the following:

i) Univariate analysis [2]. ii) Bivariate analysis [2].
iii) Multivariate analysis [2].

Question 5
Table 2 below is a sample of data from research on wealth distribution among males and
females in Maseru, Lesotho. Demonstrate how you would analyse this data using SPSS
software.
Responden Gender Monthly Height Do you Age Attended Marital
ts income have School Status
Savings
1 Male M1000 60 Yes 28 Yes Single
2 Male M3000 68 No 41 No Married
3 Female M4000 64 Yes 32 Yes Single
4 Male M500 51 No 60 No Married
5 Female M12000 55 Yes 49 Yes Single
6 Male R6000 60 No 47 No Single
7 Female R28000 70 Yes 42 Yes Single
8 Male M6000 62 Yes 48 No Married
9 Female M7000 67 Yes 49 Yes Married
10 Female M24000 69 Yes 50 No Married

a) Explain any 5 functions of the SPSS software and how they help you enter data
[10].
 b) Using the information in Table 2 above, explain the quantitative data analysis
steps you will take to perform the following on SPSS using any variables of your
choice:
(i) Measures of Central Tendency [5].
(ii) Frequency distribution [5].
(iii) Measures of Variability/Variance [5].

Question 6
A teacher has observed poor academic performance of students who participate in
extramural activities such as sports, debate, and other activities. To ascertain the
correlation between poor academic performance and partaking in extramural activities,
he conducted a survey comparing students who do not partake in extramural activities
and those who do.

a) Formulate a null and alternative hypothesis using the scenario given above [4].
b) Demonstrate how you will test the hypothesis using the following hypothesis testing
methods on the SPSS software:
(i) Chi-square [5].
(ii) Phi and Cramer’s V [5].
(iii) T-test [one sample T-Test] [5]
(iv) ANOVA [6].