BSOE-148 Solved Question Paper for June 2026 gives exam-length answers to all 8 questions IGNOU set in this paper.
BSOE-148 Social Stratification June 2026 key facts
- Course code: BSOE-148
- Course title: Social Stratification
- Programme: Bachelor of Arts (General), BAG; BA Applied Sanskrit, BAASK (3rd-year Minor M-4)
- Credits: 6 (as stated in IGNOU's BSOE-148 assignment booklet)
- Blocks / units: 4 blocks, 12 units (2 + 4 + 3 + 3)
- Maximum marks: 100
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the paper: 8 (attempt any 5, 20 marks each, about 400 words)
- Choice rule: any 5 of 8; no compulsory question, no short-answer section
- Marks split: 8 × 20 = 160 printed; 5 × 20 = 100 attempted
- Printed word limit: about 400 words per answer
- Paper language: English and Hindi versions printed together
- Assessment weightage: term-end exam 70%, three assignments 30%
- Not to be confused with: BSOC-110 Social Stratification, the BA Honours Sociology (BASOH) core course with its own paper
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q1 and Q8)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8, including 6 not shown on this page
- Exam session: June 2026 term-end examination
- WhatsApp: 9899436384
What the BSOE-148 Solved Question Paper June 2026 covers
BSOE-148 Social Stratification is a 6-credit sociology course in IGNOU's Bachelor of Arts (General), BAG, that explains how societies rank people through caste, class, ethnicity, gender and mobility.
The June 2026 paper mixed old favourites with one surprise. Parsons' functionalism, caste and class, ethnicity, gendered socialisation and mobility all return, while Question 6 on the sociology of the body appears for the first time in the papers we checked. Our file answers every one of them, so you are not caught out by the new topic.
If you are revising from the IGNOU BSOE-148 Question Paper itself, you already know the questions are short but open-ended. The hard part is deciding what to put into 400 words. Each of our answers solves that by naming the right thinker, the right Indian example and the right order of points.
Use this file next to the official papers in our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper section, so you can see how the same themes are worded across sessions.
BSOE-148 Social Stratification sample solved questions from June 2026
Two of the eight June 2026 answers are shown below in full; the other six are listed as question text only. Question numbers and wording are exactly as printed in the official BSOE-148 paper. Read both answers and judge the depth for yourself.
Question 1 (20 marks)
Q1 20 marks Block 1, Units 1 and 2 3 of 7 earlier papers
What do you understand by Social Stratification? Describe different types of social stratification with suitable examples. 20
Social stratification is the arrangement of people in a society into layers, or strata, that are ranked one above the other and receive unequal shares of wealth, power and prestige. Melvin Tumin described it as an arrangement of social positions that are unequal in property, power, social evaluation and psychological satisfaction. Sociologists borrowed the word from geology, where rock lies in layers, because inequality in society is also layered and lasting.
Stratification is different from simple differentiation. People differ in age, skill or appearance, but stratification begins only when these differences are ranked and rewarded unequally, and when the ranking passes from one generation to the next.
Main features. Stratification is social, not biological, because rules made by society decide who ranks higher. It is universal, found in tribal, agrarian and industrial societies alike, though its form changes. It is ancient, as early records of slaves, priests and kings show. It shapes life chances, from health and schooling to marriage. It is also supported by beliefs that make the ranking look natural and fair.
Slavery. Slavery is the most extreme form, where some people are owned by others as property. Slaves had no rights over their labour or their families, as in ancient Greece and Rome or on the cotton plantations of the American South. Movement out of slavery was rare, although some masters freed individual slaves.
Estate system. Feudal Europe was divided into estates: the nobility, the clergy and the commoners or serfs. Each estate had rights and duties fixed by law and custom, and serfs were tied to the land of a lord. Some movement was possible, for example when a commoner joined the clergy.
Caste system. Caste is a closed system based on birth. In India, castes are endogamous groups ranked by ideas of purity and pollution, with hereditary occupations and rules on food and contact, as G.S. Ghurye described. A person cannot normally change caste, although whole groups have tried to raise their rank through Sanskritisation, a process explained by M.N. Srinivas.
Class system. Class is the typical form in modern industrial societies. It rests on economic position, such as ownership, income and occupation. Karl Marx saw two main classes, owners and workers, while Max Weber added status and party as separate dimensions. Classes are relatively open, so a factory worker's daughter can become a doctor through education.
Open and closed systems. These four types can be placed on a scale. Slavery and caste are closed systems in which status is ascribed at birth. Class is an open system in which status can be achieved. Most real societies mix the two, as in India today, where caste and class overlap.
Conclusion. Social stratification means structured and lasting inequality between groups. Its type depends on whether a society ranks people by ownership of persons, by law, by birth or by economic position, and on how far it allows people to move between ranks.
Length check: this answer runs to about 490 words, well past the printed 400 and the 340 to 370 words a 31-minute hand-written answer allows. It is written for revision. In the hall, keep the definition with Tumin, stratification versus differentiation in one line, the four types with one example each and the open-closed contrast; the list of main features and the conclusion can each drop to one sentence.
Question 8 (20 marks)
Q8 20 marks Block 4, Units 10 and 11 5 of 7 earlier papers
What is social mobility? Discuss its main features. 20
Social mobility means the movement of individuals or groups from one social position to another within a system of stratification. Pitirim Sorokin, whose 1927 book Social Mobility was the first major study of the subject, saw it as any shift of a person, object or value from one social position to another. In simple words, mobility shows how far people can rise or fall in a society.
It takes place within a ranked structure. Mobility has meaning only where positions are ranked. A move from a clerk's job to a manager's post is mobility because the two posts differ in income, power and prestige.
It can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical mobility is a change in rank. It is upward when a labourer's son becomes an engineer and downward when a landlord family loses its land. Horizontal mobility is a change of position at the same level, such as a teacher moving from one school to another.
It can be measured across or within generations. Intergenerational mobility compares a person's position with that of the parents. Intragenerational mobility traces changes within one person's working life, from the first job to the last.
It may be individual or collective. In class societies individuals usually move on their own effort. In India mobility has often been collective. M.N. Srinivas showed how whole caste groups claimed higher status through Sanskritisation by adopting the customs of higher castes.
It may be structural or exchange mobility. Structural mobility happens when the economy itself changes, for example when industrial and service jobs grow and farm jobs shrink. Exchange or circulation mobility happens when some people rise and others fall while the overall structure stays the same.
It depends on how open the society is. Mobility is high in open class systems and low in closed systems such as caste or estate. Laws, reservation policies and the spread of schooling widen the chances to move.
It moves through channels. Sorokin named education, occupation, the army, religious bodies, political parties, marriage and wealth as the main channels of mobility. Migration from villages to cities is another important route in India.
It has social effects. Mobility can reduce tension by rewarding talent, but rapid movement can also bring stress, status inconsistency and a feeling of relative deprivation.
Conclusion. Social mobility is the dynamic side of stratification. It shows whether a society rewards birth or effort, and how freely its members can change their place over time.
Length check: this answer runs to about 410 words, just over the printed 400 and above the 340 to 370 words a 31-minute answer allows. If time is short, keep the definition with Sorokin and points 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7; points 5 and 8 can go.
Questions answered only in the full file
Q2 Discuss the functionalist theory of social stratification with reference to Talcott Parsons' theory. 20
Q3 Compare the attributional and the interactionist approaches to the understanding of caste in India. 20
Q4 Critically discuss caste and class as systems of social stratification. 20
Q5 Explain the notion of ethnicity as a form of social stratification. 20
Q6 What do you mean by the sociological study of [the] body? Discuss. 20
Q7 What is socialization? How does it lead to gendering of identities in society? 20
BSOE-148 Social Stratification block-wise syllabus map
BSOE-148 has 4 blocks and 12 units, moving from basic concepts, to approaches, to the dimensions of stratification, and ending with mobility. The table maps each block to its units, to topics IGNOU has actually examined and to the June 2026 questions.
| Block | Block title and units | Topics IGNOU has examined | June 2026 questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | Introducing Stratification: Units 1 to 2 (Basic Concepts; Bases of Social Stratification) | Organising principles; status, wealth and power; age, race and sex as bases | Q1 |
| Block 2 | Approaches: Units 3 to 6 (Marxian; Weberian; Functionalist; Attributional and Interactional) | Marx on class struggle; Weber on life chances; Davis-Moore and Parsons; Marriott's caste study | Q2, Q3 |
| Block 3 | Dimensions of Social Stratification: Units 7 to 9 (Caste and Class; Race and Ethnicity; Gender and Inequalities) | Caste and class nexus; dominant caste; ethnic nationalism; sex roles and the body | Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7 |
| Block 4 | Mobility and Reproduction: Units 10 to 12 (Concept and Forms; Factors and Forces; Cultural and Social Reproduction) | Intergenerational and intragenerational mobility; Pareto's elites; Bourdieu's habitus and field | Q8 |
Block 3 carries four of the eight June 2026 questions, so it deserves the most revision time. Note that Question 3 on attributional and interactionist views of caste sits in Unit 6 of Block 2, not in the caste unit, so read both blocks for caste.
For chapter-level reading after you finish the solved answers, our BSOE-148 Study Material follows the same block order.
The official unit texts are on eGyanKosh under BSOE-148 Social Stratification.
Units: 2 + 4 + 3 + 3 = 12. June 2026 questions: Block 1 = 1, Block 2 = 2, Block 3 = 4, Block 4 = 1; total 8. Unit 9 alone gave two questions (Q6 on the body and Q7 on gendered socialisation).
Unit coverage: Units 3 (Marxian approach), 4 (Weberian approach) and 12 (cultural and social reproduction) gave nothing. Block 2 gave only its last two units, functionalism and the approaches to caste.
Order: Q1 to Q8 run forward through the units, from Block 1 to Block 4, the same unit-order layout seen on the BSOC-105, BSOC-113 and BSOC-134 June 2026 papers.
Block arithmetic: Block 3 was unavoidable. Blocks 1, 2 and 4 together offered only 4 of the 5 answers you need. Block 3 with Block 2 offered 6, one to spare; Block 3 with Block 1 or Block 4 offered exactly 5.
BSOE-148 question paper pattern and marks in June 2026
The BSOE-148 Question Paper for June 2026 had 8 essay questions, of which you answer any 5 for 20 marks each. There are no short-answer sections, so every attempt is a full 400-word essay written in three hours.
| Questions printed | 8 |
|---|---|
| Questions to attempt | Any 5 |
| Marks per question | 20 |
| Suggested length | About 400 words each |
| Maximum marks and time | 100 marks, 3 hours |
| Language of the paper | English and Hindi versions printed together |
| Theme | Questions | Marks on offer |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning and types of stratification | Q1 | 20 |
| Parsons and functionalism | Q2 | 20 |
| Caste approaches and caste with class | Q3, Q4 | 40 |
| Ethnicity | Q5 | 20 |
| Body, socialisation and gender | Q6, Q7 | 40 |
| Social mobility | Q8 | 20 |
With five answers in 180 minutes, you have about 36 minutes per question. A student strong on caste and gender could attempt Q3, Q4, Q6 and Q7 and still pick one theory question, which is why we answer all eight rather than a selection.
If you are comparing this paper with other BAG courses, see our BAG Question Paper page for the same pattern across subjects.
Printed 8 × 20 = 160 marks; attempted 5 × 20 = 100. Three questions are spare.
Is 400 words achievable? 180 minutes ÷ 5 answers = 36 minutes each. Keep about 5 minutes per answer for reading and planning, and 31 minutes at 11 to 12 handwritten words a minute gives roughly 340 to 370 words. The printed 400 (20 words a mark) is a fair upper target and matches BSOC-101 and BSOC-103.
Which BSOE-148 important questions keep coming back
Gender stratification and socialisation is the most repeated BSOE-148 topic, appearing in all 7 official papers we checked. Functionalism, Marx on class and social mobility follow with 5 appearances each.
We counted topics in seven official IGNOU papers: June 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025 and December 2025. The December 2022 paper was not available on IGNOU's sites, so it is not counted. Codes below: J for June, D for December.
| Topic | Sessions asked | Count | In June 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender stratification, sex roles and socialisation | J22, J23, D23, J24, D24, J25, D25 | 7 of 7 | Yes, Q7 |
| Functionalist theory and the Davis-Moore approach | J23, D23, D24, J25, D25 | 5 of 7 | Yes, Q2 (Parsons) |
| Marx on class and class struggle | J22, D23, J24, J25, D25 | 5 of 7 | No |
| Social mobility and its types | J22, J23, D23, J24, D25 | 5 of 7 | Yes, Q8 |
| Relationship and nexus of caste and class | D23, D24, J25, D25 | 4 of 7 | Yes, Q4 |
| Features of caste, dominant caste and caste change | J22, J24, D24, J25 | 4 of 7 | No |
| Meaning and organising principles of stratification | J22, J23, D24 | 3 of 7 | Yes, Q1 |
| Approaches to caste: Marriott, Dumont, interactional | J23, D23, D25 | 3 of 7 | Yes, Q3 |
| Ethnicity and ethnic stratification | D23, D24, J25 | 3 of 7 | Yes, Q5 |
| Weber on class, status and life chances | D23, J24, D24 | 3 of 7 | No |
| Concept of race | J22, J23 | 2 of 7 | No |
| Sociological study of the body | None | 0 of 7 | Yes, Q6 (new) |
Two patterns stand out. Marx and Weber, asked often before, were both skipped in June 2026, which makes them strong candidates for the next paper. The body question shows IGNOU is willing to open new ground, so reading the full syllabus still matters.
For predicted questions built on this kind of count, see our IGNOU Solved Guess Paper collection.
Hit rate: of the 11 topics with an earlier record, 7 came back in June 2026 = 64%, all as full 20-mark essays. The sociology of the body was the only question with no earlier paper.
Two signals agree, four for four: Marx (Unit 3) and Weber (Unit 4) sit in dead units, while features of caste (Unit 7, which gave the caste and class question) and race (Unit 8, which gave ethnicity) are the unasked halves of units that gave something else.
Session split (4 June and 3 December papers in the window): no topic with three or more appearances scores zero on either side, so no topic is locked to one session. Race scores 2 of 4 June and 0 of 3 December, but it has not been asked since June 2023. Both samples on this page draw on topics asked in both sessions.
December 2026 shortlist: what June 2026 left out
- Marx on class and class struggle (Unit 3). 5 of 7 earlier papers, including 2 of the 3 December papers, and Unit 3 gave nothing in June 2026.
- Features of caste, dominant caste and caste change (Unit 7). 4 of 7 earlier papers. June 2026 took only the caste and class question from Unit 7.
- Weber on class, status and life chances (Unit 4). 3 of 7 earlier papers, including 2 of the 3 December papers, and Unit 4 was dead in June 2026.
- Cultural and social reproduction: Bourdieu's habitus and field (Unit 12). The syllabus table lists it as examined but it has no row in the repeat table. Unit 12 was dead in June 2026, so check its earlier record before ranking it.
- Concept of race (Unit 8). 2 of 7 earlier papers, both June papers before 2024. The weakest of the five.
Coverage: these five come from Units 3, 4, 7, 8 and 12. Add gender and socialisation (7 of 7) and mobility (5 of 7), and a student has seven prepared areas for a five-answer paper.
How our BSOE-148 Social Stratification answers are written and checked
Each BSOE-148 answer is written from the official June 2026 paper, checked against IGNOU's own course themes and reviewed before it goes into the file. We do not copy answers from other websites.
Our writers first read the question the way an examiner would. Question 3, for example, asks for a comparison, so the answer sets attributional features beside interactionist ones, with Marriott's village study and Dumont's purity and pollution placed where they belong.
Next, each answer is shaped to about 400 words: a definition with its thinker, five to eight numbered points, Indian examples such as Sanskritisation or the caste and class overlap, and a short conclusion. This is the structure that earns marks under IGNOU's evaluation.
Finally, Sheetal Kirola, our reviewer, reviews every answer for accuracy and clear English. The IGNOU BSOE-148 Solved Question Paper is written by Prateek Talwar's team at Unnati Educations, founded in Delhi in 2008.
BSOE-148 June 2026 solved file index
The BSOE-148 June 2026 solved file answers all 8 questions: 2 are shown on this page and 6 are in the full file only. BSOE-148 is a theory course with no practical work, so this index replaces a practical file index.
| Question | Topic | Block | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Meaning and types of social stratification | Block 1, Units 1 to 2 | On this page |
| Q2 | Parsons and the functionalist theory | Block 2, Unit 5 | Full file only |
| Q3 | Attributional and interactionist views of caste | Block 2, Unit 6 | Full file only |
| Q4 | Caste and class as systems of stratification | Block 3, Unit 7 | Full file only |
| Q5 | Ethnicity as a form of stratification | Block 3, Unit 8 | Full file only |
| Q6 | Sociological study of the body | Block 3, Unit 9 | Full file only |
| Q7 | Socialisation and gendered identities | Block 3, Unit 9 | Full file only |
| Q8 | Social mobility and its main features | Block 4, Units 10 to 11 | On this page |
The six full-file answers are the ones most students find hardest: Parsons needs care to separate from Davis and Moore, and the body question has no earlier paper to copy from.
Programmes that include BSOE-148 Social Stratification
BSOE-148 Social Stratification is taken by students of two IGNOU programmes: Bachelor of Arts (General), BAG, and Bachelor of Arts (Applied Sanskrit), BAASK. Both groups sit the same term-end paper, even though the paper prints only BAG on its cover.
Students of the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) programme choose BSOE-148 as a sociology course and sit this exact paper in June and December.
In BAASK, BSOE-148 is a 6-credit Minor course (M-4) in the third year, offered as an alternative to BPYG-172. IGNOU's BAASK third-year assignment page lists the two side by side, so Sanskrit students who pick sociology write the same BSOE-148 paper as BAG students.
Do not confuse it with BSOC-110, also titled Social Stratification, which is a core course in BA Honours Sociology, BASOH. The two have separate question papers and different weightings of topics.
How to get the full BSOE-148 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Message WhatsApp 9899436384 to get the full BSOE-148 solved file with answers to all 8 June 2026 questions. You have read 2 of them here; the file adds the other 6, from Parsons to gendered socialisation.
Ordering takes three steps. Send a WhatsApp message with the course code BSOE 148, pay using the details our team shares, and receive the solved file on the same WhatsApp chat. Questions about the file are answered on the same number.
BSOE-148 Social Stratification FAQs
How do I get the full BSOE-148 Solved Question Paper for June 2026?
Send a message on WhatsApp to 9899436384 and ask for the BSOE-148 June 2026 solved paper. The full file contains answers to all 8 questions printed in the paper: the 2 answers shown on this page plus 6 more for Questions 2 to 7. Our team replies with the payment steps, and the file reaches you on WhatsApp once payment is confirmed.
How many questions must I attempt in the BSOE-148 Social Stratification exam?
You must attempt any five of the eight questions in the BSOE-148 paper. Each question carries 20 marks, the paper is worth 100 marks and you get three hours. IGNOU asks for about 400 words per answer, so plan roughly 35 minutes for each one and keep a few minutes at the end to read through your script.
Which BSOE-148 topics are asked most often in IGNOU papers?
Gender stratification and socialisation is the most repeated BSOE-148 topic; it appeared in all seven official papers we checked from June 2022 to December 2025. The functionalist theory, Marx on class and the types of social mobility each appeared in five of those seven papers. The caste and class relationship came up in four. December 2022 was not available to us.
Is BSOE-148 Social Stratification the same as BSOC-110 Social Stratification?
No. Both IGNOU courses share the title Social Stratification, but they are separate papers. BSOE-148 is taken in the BAG and BAASK programmes, while BSOC-110 belongs to the BA Honours Sociology programme, BASOH. Each has its own term-end question paper, so check the course code on your hall ticket before you buy or revise from any solved paper.
How long should a BSOE-148 Social Stratification answer be?
Aim for about 400 words per BSOE-148 answer, because the paper itself sets that length. Start with a definition and the name of the thinker linked to it, then give five to eight numbered points with Indian examples, and end with two or three lines of conclusion. Our sample answers on this page follow exactly this structure and length.
How many credits is BSOE-148 and how is it assessed?
BSOE-148 Social Stratification is a six-credit course. IGNOU's assignment booklet states that the three tutor-marked assignments carry 30 percent weightage and the term-end examination carries 70 percent in the final result. You must submit the assignments on time to be eligible for the term-end exam, where you answer five of eight questions for 100 marks.
Which BSOE-148 June 2026 questions are answered on this page?
Two BSOE-148 June 2026 answers are shown in full on this page: Question 1 on the meaning and types of social stratification, and Question 8 on social mobility and its main features. The remaining six questions, covering Parsons, caste approaches, caste and class, ethnicity, the body and gendered socialisation, are answered only in the full file shared on WhatsApp.
Will the BSOE-148 June 2026 answers help in the December 2026 exam?
Yes, they help with revision, though no one can promise which BSOE-148 questions IGNOU will set. Seven of the eight June 2026 questions sit on topics that have repeated in earlier papers, such as functionalism, caste and class, ethnicity, gender and mobility. Practising these answers prepares you for the same themes even when the wording changes.
Who prepared these BSOE-148 answers
The BSOE-148 answers on this page and in the full file were written by the Unnati Educations sociology team from the official June 2026 paper, the 12 eGyanKosh units of the course and seven earlier BSOE-148 papers from June 2022 to December 2025.
Prateek Talwar, Academic Head at Unnati Educations, led the analysis on this page: mapping the June 2026 questions to units and finding that Block 3 was unavoidable, matching the skipped topics to the dead Units 3 and 4 and the half-used Units 7 and 8, separating the seven repeat topics from the new body question, and building the December 2026 shortlist led by Marx, the features of caste and Weber.
Sheetal Kirola reviewed the page. She checked every row of the repeat table against the sessions listed, the 2 + 4 + 3 + 3 unit structure, the corrected repeat count (seven of the eight June 2026 questions, not six, sit on earlier topics), and the facts in both samples: Tumin's definition and features of stratification, Ghurye on caste, Srinivas on Sanskritisation, Marx and Weber on class, Sorokin's Social Mobility (1927) and his channels of mobility, and the structural and exchange forms.