NCERT Class 11 Sociology Understanding Society: Chapter 2 — SOCIAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL ORDER IN RURAL AND URBAN SOCIETY
This chapter, 'Social Change and Social Order in Rural and Urban Society,' from NCERT's Understanding Society for Class 11, explores the pervasive nature of change in modern life. It highlights that while change is constant, its pace has dramatically accelerated over recent centuries and decades. Sociology itself emerged to understand these rapid transformations. The chapter defines social change as significant alterations that fundamentally transform the underlying structure of society, affecting a large scale of people. It distinguishes between evolutionary change, which is slow and gradual, and other forms of change. The text emphasizes that social change is a broad term requiring specific qualification to be useful in sociological theory, focusing on changes that are both intensive and extensive in their impact.
Quick info
| Board | CBSE / NCERT |
|---|---|
| Class | Class 11 |
| Subject | Sociology |
| Book | Understanding Society |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 — SOCIAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL ORDER IN RURAL AND URBAN SOCIETY |
| Language | English |
| PDF type | NCERT Textbook |
| Session | CBSE 2026 |
| Reading time | 5 minutes |
| Word count | 848 |
Learning outcomes
- Understand the concept of social change and its significance in modern society.
- Recognize the accelerating pace of social change over time.
- Differentiate between evolutionary change and other forms of social change.
- Appreciate the sociological effort to define and analyze social change.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sociology | The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. |
| Social Change | Significant alterations in the underlying structure of an object or situation over a period of time. |
| Evolution | A kind of change that takes place slowly over a long period of time. |
| Social Darwinism | A theory that emphasized the importance of adaptive change, adapted from Darwin's theory of evolution. |
| Civilisation | The stage of human social and cultural development and organization that is considered most advanced. |
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Practice questions
- According to the chapter, what is considered the only unchanging aspect of society? Answer: Change is considered the only unchanging aspect of society.
- What does social change refer to at its most basic level, according to sociologists? Answer: At its most basic level, social change refers to changes that are significant and transform things fundamentally.
- What is the term for change that takes place slowly over a long period of time? Answer: Evolution is the term for change that takes place slowly over a long period of time.
Practice MCQs
Q1. Sociology emerged as an effort to understand changes in which region's society?
Explanation: The chapter states that sociology emerged as an effort to make sense of the rapid changes experienced by Western European society between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.
Q2. The chapter suggests that the pace of change has been increasing steadily, especially in the last:
Explanation: The text indicates that the pace of change has accelerated significantly, particularly in the last 100 years.
Q3. For social change to qualify, it must have a big impact spread over a large sector of society, meaning it must be:
Explanation: The chapter defines social change as needing to be both intensive (significant impact) and extensive (affecting a large section of society).
Q4. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution primarily referred to:
Explanation: Darwin's theory of evolution, as mentioned in the text, referred to natural processes of how living organisms change over time.
Q5. What is 'social Darwinism' an adaptation of?
Explanation: Social Darwinism is described as a theory adapted from Darwin's theory of natural evolution to the social world.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main idea of the chapter 'Social Change and Social Order in Rural and Urban Society'?
The chapter discusses how change is a constant and accelerating feature of modern society, defining social change as significant transformations that affect a large part of society.
Why is the term 'social change' considered broad by sociologists?
Sociologists find 'social change' broad because it can refer to almost any kind of change. They work to make the term more specific for sociological theory.
What are the two key aspects that measure the 'bigness' of social change?
The 'bigness' of social change is measured by its intensity (how much it transforms things) and its extensiveness (how large a section of society it affects).
How does the chapter describe evolutionary change?
Evolutionary change is described as a type of change that occurs slowly over a long period, similar to natural evolution as proposed by Charles Darwin.
What is 'social Darwinism'?
Social Darwinism is a theory that adapted Darwin's ideas of natural evolution to the social world, emphasizing the importance of adaptive change.
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NCERT Class 11 Sociology — Understanding Society — Chapter 2 — SOCIAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL ORDER IN RURAL AND URBAN SOCIETY. Verified by NCERT Help Editorial Team. Reviewed on 29 Jul 2026. Last updated 10 Aug 2026.