August 2026 Edition
Start August Quiz
August 2026 Current Affairs MCQs & Solutions
Top national & international current affairs questions for CSS, PMS, FPSC, PPSC, and NTS screening tests.
#221
Which methodological approach did Auguste Comte advocate for the systematic study of society and human behavior?
(a) Scientific method
(b) Longitudinal study
(c) Comparative method
(d) Phenomenology
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the founder of positivism, argued that sociology should be studied using the same rigorous scientific methods employed in the natural sciences. He believed that by applying observation, experimentation, and comparison, sociologists could discover the universal laws governing social life and human behavior, thereby establishing sociology as a positive science.
#222
According to Auguste Comte's positive philosophy, upon what should the study of sociology be founded?
(a) None of these
(b) On authority
(c) On systematic observation and classification
(d) Sociology should be based on speculation
Explanation: Auguste Comte advocated for positivism, which rejects metaphysical speculation in favor of empirical evidence. He argued that sociology should be treated as a rigorous science, relying on the systematic observation, experimentation, and classification of social phenomena to uncover the underlying laws governing human society.
#223
In what year did Auguste Comte officially coin the term 'sociology'?
(a) 1834
(b) 1836
(c) 1838
(d) 1830
Explanation: Auguste Comte, often referred to as the father of sociology, first introduced the term 'sociology' in his work 'Cours de philosophie positive' published in 1838. He sought to create a scientific study of society that applied the methods of the natural sciences to social phenomena, marking the formal birth of the discipline as a distinct field of academic inquiry.
#224
How many volumes comprise Auguste Comte's seminal work, 'The Course of Positive Philosophy'?
(a) Four volumes
(b) Three volumes
(c) Five Volumes
(d) Six volumes
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the father of positivism, published his major work, 'Cours de philosophie positive' (The Course of Positive Philosophy), between 1830 and 1842. This extensive treatise is organized into six distinct volumes, where he outlines his law of three stages and establishes the foundation for sociology as a scientific discipline.
#225
How did Auguste Comte define the concept of 'positivism'?
(a) a theory that emphasizes the positive aspects of society
(b) an unscientific set of laws about social progress
(c) a theory that posits difficult s and sets out to answer them
(d) the precise scientific study of observable phenomena
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the father of sociology, introduced positivism as a philosophical system recognizing only that which can be scientifically verified or which is capable of logical or mathematical proof. He argued that society should be studied using the same rigorous methods as the natural sciences, focusing on observable facts and empirical data to understand social laws.
#226
When was Auguste Comte's foundational work, 'Positive Philosophy', originally published?
(a) 1838
(b) 1883
(c) All of above
(d) 1938
Explanation: Auguste Comte published his multi-volume work 'Course in Positive Philosophy' between 1830 and 1842, with 1838 being a key year in the publication sequence. This work introduced the term 'sociology' and proposed the positivist approach to studying social life.
#227
According to Auguste Comte's Law of Three Stages, what characterizes the first stage of societal development?
(a) Stage of scientific progress
(b) None of these
(c) Stage of disbelief
(d) Guided by supernatural wisdom
Explanation: Auguste Comte proposed the 'Law of Three Stages' to explain the evolution of human thought. The first stage is the Theological stage, where human beings explain natural phenomena through supernatural beings, divine intervention, or religious beliefs. This precedes the Metaphysical stage and the final Positivist or scientific stage, where observation and logic replace supernatural explanations.
#228
What was the national origin of the philosopher and sociologist Auguste Comte?
(a) British
(b) None of these
(c) French thinker
(d) American
Explanation: Auguste Comte (1798–1857) was a prominent French philosopher who is widely recognized as the father of sociology. He coined the term 'sociology' and developed the doctrine of positivism, which emphasizes the use of scientific methods to understand social phenomena. His work laid the foundational theoretical framework for the discipline, establishing it as a distinct field of study focused on social order and progress.
#229
According to Auguste Comte's 'Law of Three Stages,' what is the final stage of societal development?
(a) Evolutionary stage
(b) Metaphysical stage
(c) Positive stage
(d) Theological stage
Explanation: Auguste Comte proposed that human knowledge and society evolve through three stages: the theological stage (explaining phenomena through supernatural beings), the metaphysical stage (using abstract forces), and finally the positive stage. In the positive stage, society relies on scientific observation and empirical evidence to understand the world and social phenomena.
#230
According to Auguste Comte's Law of Three Stages, what characterizes the initial stage of human intellectual development?
(a) Stage of disbelief
(b) Guided by supernatural wisdom
(c) Stage of scientific progress
(d) None of these
Explanation: Auguste Comte proposed that human society progresses through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical, and the positive. The first stage, the theological stage, is characterized by the belief that all phenomena are the result of supernatural forces or divine intervention. In this stage, human understanding is guided by religious or supernatural explanations rather than empirical observation or scientific inquiry.
#231
What was the name given by Auguste Comte to the second stage of societal development, where society is viewed as a natural phenomenon?
(a) Theological
(b) Metaphysical
(c) Scientific
(d) None of these
Explanation: Auguste Comte's Law of Three Stages outlines the evolution of human thought. The first is the Theological stage (supernatural), the second is the Metaphysical stage (abstract forces/nature), and the third is the Scientific or Positivist stage (empirical observation). The Metaphysical stage represents the transition between the theological and the scientific.
#232
Auguste Comte's theory of social dynamics is primarily based upon which foundational concept?
(a) Social statics
(b) The Law of three stages
(c) Hierarchy of Sciences
(d) Social physics
Explanation: Comte's Law of Three Stages (theological, metaphysical, and positive) is the cornerstone of his social dynamics. This theory explains how human knowledge and social organization evolve over time. While social statics examines the conditions of social order, social dynamics focuses on the laws of progress and the historical development of human society through these distinct intellectual phases.
#233
Which scientific discipline did Auguste Comte believe would eventually encompass all other sciences?
(a) Sociology
(b) Economics
(c) Biology
(d) History
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the founder of positivism, proposed a hierarchy of sciences. He argued that sociology, which he initially termed 'social physics,' was the 'queen of the sciences.' He believed that by applying the scientific method to the study of society, sociology would eventually synthesize the findings of all other disciplines to provide a comprehensive understanding of human progress and social order.
#234
Auguste Comte proposed that human knowledge and societal understanding evolve through which three distinct stages?
(a) theological metaphysical positive
(b) functionalist marxist interactionist
(c) philosophical biological sociological
(d) ignorance understanding truth
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the founder of positivism, introduced the 'Law of Three Stages' to explain the evolution of human thought. He argued that society progresses from the theological stage, where phenomena are explained by divine intervention; to the metaphysical stage, where abstract forces are invoked; and finally to the positive stage, where knowledge is based on scientific observation, empirical evidence, and the discovery of universal laws governing social phenomena.
#235
In the context of Auguste Comte's Law of Three Stages, which position does the 'scientific' or 'positive' phase occupy?
(a) First phase
(b) Last Phase
(c) Second Phase
(d) None of these
Explanation: Comte's Law of Three Stages describes the evolution of human thought. The first is the theological stage, where phenomena are explained by divine intervention. The second is the metaphysical stage, relying on abstract forces. The third and final stage is the positive or scientific stage, where society relies on observation, experimentation, and logical analysis to understand the laws governing the physical and social worlds.
#236
What was the original term Auguste Comte used to describe the discipline that would later be known as Sociology?
(a) Social dynamics
(b) Social system
(c) Social science
(d) Social physics
Explanation: Auguste Comte, often called the father of sociology, initially coined the term 'Social Physics' in the 1830s to describe the scientific study of society. He later adopted the term 'Sociology' to distinguish his work from the competing theories of Adolphe Quetelet, who also used the term 'social physics' for statistical studies.
#237
Which of the following is not included in Auguste Comte's 'Law of Three Stages' of societal development?
(a) The Metaphysical stage
(b) The Metamorphic stage
(c) The Theological stage
(d) The Positive Stage
Explanation: Auguste Comte proposed that human knowledge and society evolve through three distinct stages: the Theological stage, where phenomena are explained by supernatural forces; the Metaphysical stage, where abstract forces replace supernatural ones; and the Positive stage, where scientific observation and logic explain the world. 'Metamorphic' is not part of this theoretical framework, making it the incorrect option in the context of Comte's historical progression.
#238
What was the core objective of Auguste Comte's positivist approach to sociology?
(a) Sociology should incorporate statistical evidence.
(b) Sociology should follow the same methods utilized by the natural sciences
(c) Sociology should maintain an optimistic outlook on human accomplishments.
(d) Sociology should contribute to a government's social policy.
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the founder of positivism, argued that sociology should be a 'social physics' that applies the same rigorous, empirical, and observational methods used in the natural sciences. By focusing on observable facts and identifying universal laws of social development, Comte believed sociology could achieve the same level of scientific certainty and predictive power as physics or biology.
#239
Auguste Comte categorized the study of sociology into which two primary analytical domains?
(a) Science and scientific methods
(b) Social approach and methods
(c) Sociological study and interpretation
(d) Social statics and social dynamics
Explanation: Auguste Comte, the father of sociology, proposed that the discipline should be divided into 'social statics,' which studies the forces that hold society together (order and stability), and 'social dynamics,' which examines the processes of social change and progress over time.
#240
According to Auguste Comte, what are the three sequential stages through which human knowledge progresses?
(a) Primitive – feudal – capitalistic
(b) Theological – metaphysical –positive
(c) Tribal – Industrial – Capitalistic
(d) Barbarian – Agricultural – Industrial
Explanation: Comte's Law of Three Stages posits that human intellectual development moves from the theological stage (explaining phenomena through supernatural beings), to the metaphysical stage (using abstract forces), and finally to the positive stage, where knowledge is based on scientific observation and empirical evidence.