BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives complete answers to all 8 questions IGNOU set in the BSOE-146 term-end exam, from the meaning of marriage in kinship studies to gender discrimination in the family.
BSOE-146 key facts
- Course code: BSOE-146
- Course title: Marriage, Family and Kinship (June 2026 paper header prints Family, Marriage and Kinship)
- Programme: IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General), BAG, Sociology
- Credits: 6 (IGNOU assignment booklet 2025-26)
- Blocks / units: 4 blocks, 12 units
- Maximum marks: 100
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the paper: 8 (attempt any 5, 20 marks each, about 400 words each); no sections, no compulsory question
- Printed vs attempted marks: 8 × 20 = 160 printed, 5 × 20 = 100 attempted
- Printed word limit: about 400 words per 20-mark answer, 20 words per mark
- Assessment: term-end exam 70 per cent, three assignments 30 per cent
- Language: English and Hindi in one booklet
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Question 1 and Question 3)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8, including 6 not shown on this page
- Exam session: June 2026 Term-End Examination
What the BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper June 2026 covers
BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship is a six-credit sociology elective in the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) programme (BAG) that studies how marriage, family and descent shape social life in India and beyond.
The June 2026 paper carried 8 questions of 20 marks each. Students answer any five in about 400 words, within 3 hours, for 100 marks. This session moved across clan, lineage and gotra, fictive ties, classical theories of family, marriage and migration, and the way New Reproductive Technologies are changing motherhood.
One detail confuses many students. The June 2026 paper header prints the title as Family, Marriage and Kinship, while IGNOU's assignment booklet and the December papers print Marriage, Family and Kinship. It is the same course, with the same code and the same exam pattern.
If you only have the bare BSOE-146 Question Paper, you know what was asked but not how a 20-mark sociology answer should be built. Our file fills that gap: each answer opens with a definition, works through thinkers such as Gough, Leach and Lévi-Strauss, adds Indian examples and closes with a short conclusion.
8 questions × 20 marks = 160 marks printed; any 5 × 20 = 100 attempted. 180 minutes ÷ 5 = 36 minutes per answer.
BSOE-146 sample solved questions from the June 2026 paper
Two BSOE-146 answers are shown in full below, Question 1 and Question 3; the other 6 questions are answered only in the full file.
We picked these two because they test the two halves of the course: the meaning of marriage, and the descent groups that decide whom one can marry. Read them to judge the depth and length of every answer in the file.
Marriage: 4 of 5 earlier papers Block 1, Unit 1 20 marks
Question 1 (20 marks)
1. Explain the concept of marriage as understood in kinship studies. 20
Introduction
In kinship studies, marriage is treated as a social institution rather than a private bond between two people. Kinship rests on two kinds of ties: consanguinity, which comes from birth and descent, and affinity, which comes from marriage. Marriage is therefore the main source of affinal relations. It decides who counts as a legitimate child, which group the child belongs to and how two families or descent groups become linked.
The Notes and Queries definition
The Royal Anthropological Institute's Notes and Queries on Anthropology (1951) defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman such that children born to the woman are recognised as the legitimate offspring of both partners. The stress falls on legitimacy, not on romance or shared residence.
Kathleen Gough and the Nayar
Kathleen Gough's study of the Nayar of Kerala (1959) showed that this definition does not fit every society. Before puberty a Nayar girl went through the tali-tying rite with a ritual husband. Later she could have sambandham unions with visiting husbands, who did not live with her or support her children. Children belonged to the mother's matrilineal taravad.
Gough therefore offered a wider definition. Marriage, for her, is a relationship between a woman and one or more persons which ensures that a child born to her, in circumstances her society does not forbid, receives full birth-status rights.
Edmund Leach: marriage as a bundle of rights
Edmund Leach (1955) argued that no single definition can cover all societies. He saw marriage as a bundle of rights that differs from place to place: rights to establish a legal father and a legal mother, rights over a spouse's sexuality, labour and property, and a relationship of affinity between the spouses' groups. Each society stresses some of these rights more than others.
Descent and alliance views
For descent theorists such as A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, marriage is a rearrangement of social structure that creates new rights and duties between existing groups. Claude Lévi-Strauss, in The Elementary Structures of Kinship (1949), put marriage at the centre of kinship. The incest taboo forces groups to give their women in marriage to other groups, and this exchange builds alliances. Cross-cousin marriage is his classic example.
Rules and forms
Kinship studies also examine the rules that govern marriage. Endogamy requires marriage within a group such as caste, while exogamy requires marriage outside the gotra, clan or, in much of north India, the village. Preferential rules favour particular partners, such as cross-cousins in south India. Forms include monogamy, polygyny and polyandry, such as fraternal polyandry among the Todas.
Conclusion
In kinship studies, then, marriage is understood through legitimacy, rights and alliance. Definitions widened from Notes and Queries to Gough and Leach so that matrilineal, polyandrous and other non-Western arrangements could be included.
Hall length: this answer runs to about 440 words. If time is short, cut the rules-and-forms paragraph to two lines.
Descent groups: 3 of 5 earlier papers Block 2, Unit 4 20 marks
Question 3 (20 marks)
3. Differentiate between clan, lineage and gotra. 20
Introduction
Clan, lineage and gotra are all units based on descent. Each places a person in a wider group, decides whom he or she may marry and gives a shared identity. They differ in how descent is traced, in size and in the work they do in everyday life.
Lineage
A lineage is a unilineal descent group whose members can trace their descent, step by step, from a known common ancestor. Anthropologists call this demonstrated descent. A patrilineage traces descent through men and a matrilineage through women. Lineages are usually small, shallow and local, and act together in property, inheritance, ancestor rites and mutual help.
E.E. Evans-Pritchard's study of the Nuer (1940) showed how lineages split into segments that unite against outsiders, which is why lineage is often called the working unit of descent.
Clan
A clan is a larger unilineal group whose members believe they share a common ancestor but cannot trace the actual links. This is stipulated descent. The ancestor may be mythical, and many clans carry a totem, an animal or plant treated as sacred. A clan is usually dispersed, contains several lineages and is exogamous. Among the Oraon of Jharkhand clans carry totemic names, and among the Munda the clan is called killi.
Gotra
Gotra is a Hindu category, first associated with Brahmins, whose members claim descent from an ancient rishi such as Kashyapa, Bharadwaja or Vasishtha. It works mainly as an exogamous unit: marriage within one's own gotra is avoided, and some north Indian castes avoid more than one gotra. Gotra passes through the father, and a woman customarily takes her husband's gotra at marriage.
Many non-Brahmin castes adopted gotras over time. A gotra has no corporate life; its members are spread across regions and may never meet. The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 does not prohibit sagotra marriage, though custom still discourages it in many communities.
| Basis | Lineage | Clan | Gotra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descent | Demonstrated, links known | Stipulated, links assumed | Claimed from a rishi |
| Ancestor | Known human ancestor | Often mythical or totemic | Ancient sage |
| Size | Small, often local | Larger, dispersed | Very large, spread across India |
| Main role | Property, inheritance, rites | Exogamy, identity, ritual | Exogamy and ritual identity |
| Example | Nuer segmentary lineages | Oraon and Munda clans | Kashyapa, Bharadwaja |
Conclusion
A lineage rests on descent that can be traced, a clan on descent that is believed, and a gotra on descent claimed from a sage within Hindu tradition. All three regulate marriage, but only the lineage usually acts as a close-knit corporate group in daily life.
Questions answered only in the full file
2. Explain the characteristics of family as a social institution. 20
4. Discuss the factors responsible for the formation of fictive ties. 20
5. Explain the concept of family as understood in classical sociological theories. 20
6. Write a note on marriage and migration. 20
7. How have [are] New Reproductive Technologies redefining motherhood? Explain. 20
8. Discuss the nature of gender discrimination in the family. 20
These six include the most repeated theme of the course, fictive ties, along with the newer questions on classical theories of family and on how New Reproductive Technologies are redefining motherhood.
BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship block and unit wise syllabus
BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship has 4 blocks and 12 units, moving from marriage, family and kinship to descent, alliance and fictive kin, then to changing families and present-day issues.
| Block | Units | Topics IGNOU has asked from it |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | Unit 1 Marriage; Unit 2 Family; Unit 3 Kinship | Meaning of marriage in kinship studies, features of family, family versus household, types of kinship |
| Block 2: Studying Kinship | Unit 4 Descent; Unit 5 Alliance; Unit 6 Fictive | Descent theory, clan, lineage and gotra, Lévi-Strauss on exchange, formation of fictive ties |
| Block 3 | Unit 7 Structure and Change: Factors and Dynamics; Unit 8 Reimagining Families | Joint-nuclear continuum, post-modern family, modern versus traditional family in India |
| Block 4 | Unit 9 Choice and Regulation in Marriage; Unit 10 Power and Discrimination in the Family; Unit 11 New Reproductive Technologies; Unit 12 Marriage and Migration | Live-in relationships, gender discrimination, NRT and motherhood, marriage and migration |
Block 4 carries the newest questions. The June 2026 paper drew three of its eight questions from it: gender discrimination in the family, New Reproductive Technologies and motherhood, and marriage and migration.
For unit-wise reading notes that follow this same 12-unit layout, see our BSOE-146 Study Material page.
June 2026 by block: Block 1 gave 3 questions (Q1, Q2, Q5), Block 2 gave 2 (Q3, Q4), Block 3 gave 0, Block 4 gave 3 (Q6, Q7, Q8). 3 + 2 + 0 + 3 = 8. Blocks 1 and 4 alone give six answers, one to spare; Blocks 1 and 2, or Blocks 2 and 4, give exactly five. Block 3 could be skipped entirely this session.
BSOE-146 question paper pattern and marks
The BSOE-146 question paper has 8 essay questions of 20 marks each, and you answer any five in about 400 words within 3 hours for 100 marks.
| Feature | BSOE-146 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 8 |
| Questions to attempt | Any 5 |
| Marks per question | 20 |
| Suggested length | About 400 words each |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Maximum marks | 100 |
| Compulsory questions or sections | None |
| Paper language | English and Hindi in one booklet |
| Weightage | Term-end exam 70 per cent, assignments 30 per cent |
Because there is no short-answer section, five full essays decide your score. That leaves about 35 minutes per answer, so it pays to choose questions you can support with thinkers and examples, such as Gough on the Nayar or A.M. Shah on the household dimension of the family.
Every IGNOU BSOE-146 Question Paper we checked since June 2023 has followed this same pattern. You can compare older sessions on our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper page.
The official BSOE-146 assignment booklet confirms the six credits and the 70:30 split between the term-end exam and the three tutor-marked assignments.
Word limit check: 400 words ÷ 11.5 words a minute ≈ 35 minutes of writing, against 36 minutes per answer. The limit can be met, but only just. Any 5 of 8 gives 56 legal combinations; a sixth answer earns nothing.
Which BSOE-146 topics does IGNOU repeat most?
Fictive kinship is the most repeated BSOE-146 topic: IGNOU asked it in all five earlier papers we checked, from June 2023 to December 2025, and again in June 2026.
We read six official IGNOU papers: June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025, June 2026. The December 2024 paper was not available on IGNOU's website, so it is not counted.
| Topic | Earlier sessions asked | Times asked (of 5) | In June 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fictive kin and the formation of fictive ties | Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q4 |
| Concept and rules of marriage | Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | Yes, Q1 |
| Joint-nuclear family continuum | Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | No |
| Characteristics and functions of family | Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025 | 3 | Yes, Q2 |
| New Reproductive Technologies and surrogacy | Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2025 | 3 | Yes, Q7 |
| Descent theory and descent groups (clan, lineage, gotra) | Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 3 | Yes, Q3 |
| Kinship systems and types (Dravidian, North Indian) | Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024 | 3 | No |
| Changing family forms (post-modern, household, live-in) | Dec 2023, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 3 | No |
| Gender discrimination and violence in the family | Jun 2023, Jun 2024 | 2 | Yes, Q8 |
| Kathleen Gough and Nayar marriage | Jun 2023, Dec 2023 | 2 | No |
| Marriage and migration | Jun 2025 | 1 | Yes, Q6 |
| Feminist and classical theories of family | Dec 2023 | 1 | Yes, Q5 |
The wording changes every session. Fictive kin has come as formation of fictive ties, cultural manifestations of fictive kinship and the difference between pure and fictive kinship, so learn the concept, not one fixed answer.
For a ready shortlist across courses, our IGNOU Solved Guess Paper page groups high-frequency topics like these.
Hit rate: 8 of the 12 tracked topics came back in June 2026 = 67%, all as full 20-mark questions. The four that did not, the joint-nuclear continuum, kinship systems, changing family forms and Gough's Nayar study, add up to 12 earlier appearances.
The skipped topics and the empty units agree. June 2026 used 7 of the 12 units and left all of Block 3 empty. The joint-nuclear continuum (Unit 7) and changing family forms (Units 8 and 9) sit in units that gave nothing, and so do kinship systems (Unit 3) and alliance (Unit 5). Unit 2 alone gave two questions, Q2 and Q5.
The five earlier papers hold three June and two December papers, so the window is too lopsided for a June-against-December comparison. No session pattern is claimed here.
Topics to revise first for December 2026
Block 3 is the clearest gap: it gave nothing in June 2026, and its main topic was asked in four of the five earlier papers.
- Joint-nuclear family continuum (Unit 7): 4 of 5 earlier papers, including both 2025 papers, skipped in June 2026, unit empty. The top pick.
- Changing family forms: post-modern family, household, live-in relationships (Units 8 and 9): 3 of 5 earlier papers, including both 2025 papers, skipped, units empty.
- Kinship systems and types (Unit 3): 3 of 5, skipped, unit empty, but not asked since June 2024.
- Alliance theory and Lévi-Strauss (Unit 5): unit empty. Not tracked as its own row in the repeat table above, so its earlier count still needs checking.
- Fictive kinship (Unit 6): not a gap, but now 6 of 6. Keep it ready every session.
How our BSOE-146 answers are written and checked
Every BSOE-146 answer is written from the official June 2026 paper, in about 400 words, and checked by Sheetal Kirola before it goes into the file.
We start from the exact wording of each June 2026 question. The answer then follows the build IGNOU sociology evaluators reward: a clear definition, two or three thinkers or studies, Indian examples and a short conclusion. Where a comparison helps, as in Question 3, we add a small table.
The IGNOU BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper draws on standard kinship scholarship, including Kathleen Gough, Edmund Leach, Claude Lévi-Strauss, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown and E.E. Evans-Pritchard, along with Indian material on gotra, the joint family and the household.
Answers are written by the Unnati Educations subject team led by Prateek Talwar, Academic Head of Unnati Educations, and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola, who holds an M.Ed. and has 7 years of experience. She checks each answer for accuracy, length and fit with the question.
BSOE-146 solved file index: all 8 June 2026 questions
The BSOE-146 solved file answers all 8 June 2026 questions: 2 are on this page and 6 are in the full file only.
| Q. no. | Question | Block and unit | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explain the concept of marriage as understood in kinship studies. | Block 1, Unit 1 Marriage | On this page |
| 2 | Explain the characteristics of family as a social institution. | Block 1, Unit 2 Family | Full file only |
| 3 | Differentiate between clan, lineage and gotra. | Block 2, Unit 4 Descent | On this page |
| 4 | Discuss the factors responsible for the formation of fictive ties. | Block 2, Unit 6 Fictive | Full file only |
| 5 | Explain the concept of family as understood in classical sociological theories. | Block 1, Unit 2 Family | Full file only |
| 6 | Write a note on marriage and migration. | Block 4, Unit 12 Marriage and Migration | Full file only |
| 7 | How have [are] New Reproductive Technologies redefining motherhood? Explain. | Block 4, Unit 11 New Reproductive Technologies | Full file only |
| 8 | Discuss the nature of gender discrimination in the family. | Block 4, Unit 10 Power and Discrimination in the Family | Full file only |
Each question carries 20 marks, so the full file covers the whole 160 marks set in the paper, of which you need 100. Other BAG sociology papers are listed on our BAG Question Paper page.
Programmes that include BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship
BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship is offered in the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General), BAG, as a six-credit sociology elective.
Every question paper header and the assignment booklet name BAG as the programme. Read more about the programme structure on our IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) page.
IGNOU's assignment portal lists BSOE-146 among the discipline specific electives offered for BAG and Honours students, so it may also appear in your choice list if you study in an Honours programme. Check your programme guide to confirm.
Do not confuse this course with BSOC-109 Sociology of Kinship, a core course in the BA (Honours) Sociology programme. The themes overlap, but the papers, credits and question styles are different.
How to get the full BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
The full BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper June 2026 has answers to all 8 questions and is sent on WhatsApp at 9899436384.
Ordering takes three steps. Message us on WhatsApp at 9899436384 with the code BSOE 146 and the session June 2026. We share the price and payment details. After payment you receive the complete file with all 8 answers, including the 6 not shown on this page.
BSOE-146 FAQs
How can I get the full BSOE-146 Solved Question Paper June 2026 on WhatsApp?
Send a message on WhatsApp to 9899436384 with the course code BSOE 146 and the session June 2026. Our team will share the price and payment details, and once payment is confirmed you receive the complete file. It contains solved answers to all 8 questions of the June 2026 paper, including the 6 answers that are not shown on this page, each written in about 400 words.
How many questions are in the BSOE-146 June 2026 question paper?
The BSOE-146 June 2026 paper has 8 questions of 20 marks each, and you must answer any five of them in about 400 words each. There are no sections and no compulsory question, so the choice is entirely yours. The exam lasts 3 hours for 100 marks, which leaves roughly 35 minutes for each answer, including a few minutes to plan it.
Which BSOE-146 topics are asked most often in IGNOU exams?
Fictive kinship is the most repeated BSOE-146 topic: it appeared in all six IGNOU papers we checked from June 2023 to June 2026. The concept and rules of marriage came in five papers. Family characteristics, the joint-nuclear continuum, New Reproductive Technologies and descent groups came in four each. The December 2024 paper was not available on IGNOU's site, so it is not counted.
Is the BSOE-146 course called Marriage, Family and Kinship or Family, Marriage and Kinship?
Both titles refer to the same BSOE-146 course. IGNOU's assignment booklet and the December 2023 and December 2025 papers print Marriage, Family and Kinship, while the June 2023, June 2025 and June 2026 papers print Family, Marriage and Kinship. The course code, credits and exam pattern are the same, so our solved file applies whichever title appears on your paper.
How long should each answer be in the BSOE-146 exam?
Each BSOE-146 answer should be about 400 words, as the instruction on the paper says. A good 20-mark answer opens with a clear definition, explains the concept through two or three thinkers or studies, adds Indian examples such as the Nayar, gotra exogamy or the joint family, and ends with a short conclusion. Our solved answers follow this length and structure throughout.
Will the BSOE-146 June 2026 answers help in the December 2026 exam?
Yes, the BSOE-146 June 2026 answers are useful for December 2026 preparation because IGNOU repeats themes heavily in this course. Fictive kinship has appeared in every paper we checked, and marriage, family and New Reproductive Technologies return often. Questions are reworded each session, so read the answers to understand the concepts rather than memorising them word for word.
Which programme includes BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship?
BSOE-146 Marriage, Family and Kinship is a sociology elective in the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) programme, code BAG. IGNOU's assignment booklet describes it as a six-credit course, so students submit three tutor-marked assignments, which carry 30 per cent weightage, while the term-end exam carries 70 per cent. Check your programme guide if you study it under another programme.
Who writes and checks the BSOE-146 solved answers?
The BSOE-146 answers are written by the Unnati Educations subject team led by Prateek Talwar, Academic Head, and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola, who holds an M.Ed. Every answer is checked against the wording of the June 2026 question, the 400-word guidance and the thinkers and studies used in the BSOE-146 course before it goes into the paid file.
Who wrote and reviewed this page
This page was prepared by the Unnati Educations sociology team, which writes solved papers, guess papers and study notes for IGNOU BAG Sociology learners, including the companion electives BSOE-141, BSOE-142 and BSOE-144.
Prateek Talwar, Academic Head, led the answers and the analysis on this page: the repeat table restated over the five earlier papers, which moved the joint-nuclear continuum up to 4 of 5 and showed it was skipped; the unit count showing that 7 of 12 units were used and all of Block 3 was left empty, matching the skipped family topics; the block arithmetic showing Blocks 1 and 4 alone gave six answers; and the December 2026 shortlist.
Sheetal Kirola, M.Ed., with seven years' experience, reviewed the page. She checked the 1951 Notes and Queries definition of marriage, Gough's 1959 Nayar study with the tali-tying rite, sambandham and the taravad, Leach's 1955 bundle-of-rights argument, Lévi-Strauss's The Elementary Structures of Kinship (1949), Evans-Pritchard's The Nuer (1940), the Munda term killi for clan, the position of sagotra marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the title printed on each paper, and the session lists in all 12 repeat-table rows.