From 'Ritzer' To 'Putzer': Why UGC NET's Sociology Paper Is In The Spotlight
From 'Ritzer' To 'Putzer': Why UGC NET's Sociology Paper Is In The Spotlight Published By, Last Updated: July 02, 2026, 17:52 IST One of the
From 'Ritzer' To 'Putzer': Why UGC NET's Sociology Paper Is In The Spotlight Published By, Last Updated: July 02, 2026, 17:52 IST One of the errors involved renowned American sociologist George Ritzer, best known for introducing the concept of "McDonaldization". His surname was allegedly printed as "Putzer". Rapid Read The UGC NET June 2026 papers have caused serious distress to the aspirants. (AI-generated representational image) The Testing Agency (NTA)-conducted University Grants Commission Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) has come under scrutiny after aspirants flagged several typographical, grammatical and translation errors in the sociology question paper, raising concerns over the quality of the examination. The controversy gained momentum after sociology aspirant Antara Chakraborty detailed the alleged errors in a post on X, claiming the paper was riddled with mistakes that left many candidates struggling to even understand the questions. According to Chakraborty, nearly half of the sociology paper contained spelling mistakes, poor grammar and confusing sentence construction. “Fifty per cent of the paper had terrible spelling errors and grammatically disastrous sentence formation," she wrote. One of the most talked-about errors involved renowned American sociologist George Ritzer, best known for introducing the concept of “McDonaldization". In the question paper, his surname was allegedly printed as “Putzer".
Several other names and terms were also reportedly misspelled. Govind Sadashiv Ghurye, widely regarded as the father of Indian sociology, was allegedly printed as “Ghunye", while noted Indian sociologist A.R. Desai was referred to as “A.K. Desai". Common sociological terms and names, including “social" and “Parsons", were also allegedly misspelled. Didn’t think I would have to reopen X after this long for something this pathetic. The recent NTA NET Sociology exam held on 30th June’26 crossed all limits of academic deceit and accountability. Not even getting started on the irregularity of the paper asking AI generated…— Antara Chakrabarty | অন্তরা (@ant_taraa) July 1, 2026 Aspirants argued that such mistakes were particularly problematic because sociology involves hundreds of scholars and theoretical concepts, making accurate names essential for answering questions correctly. Chakraborty also alleged that some questions appeared to be AI-generated and referred to obscure thinkers and books that were not part of the prescribed sociology syllabus. However, the NTA has not commented on this specific allegation. The controversy was not limited to the English version of the paper. Candidates also criticised the Hindi translation, alleging that it was riddled with errors and difficult to comprehend.
The BriefWire