Deck 7: Class and Stratification in the United States

Question 1

The Milgram study provides evidence that obedience to even seemingly unreasonable authority may be more common than most of us would like to believe.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the United States, there is little support for authoritarian leadership.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Once a bureaucratic organization becomes established, it is very resistant to change.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Larger groups typically have less solidarity and more formalized leadership than smaller groups.

Question 5

According to Weber, most modern bureaucracies will fit his ideal type and have all of the characteristics as he described them.

Question 6

Gender and racial/ethnic inequalities tend to be perpetuated in bureaucracies.

Question 7

People voluntarily become members of utilitarian organizations.

Question 8

Weber's theory did not account for the informal side of bureaucracy.

Question 9

Sociologists are in agreement that virtual communities-that is, online communities of various types-fit the sociological definition of a community.

Question 10

The impersonality and focus on technical ability within bureaucracies make them resistant to inequality based on race, gender, and class.

Question 11

Goal displacement occurs when the rules of an organization become more important than achievement of the actual goals.

Question 12

In government and other high-level professional organizations, individuals are more likely to advocate for their own professional opinions rather than succumb to the pressure of the group.

Question 13

One of the most important characteristics of a group is its size.

Question 14

Only secondary groups have leaders; primary groups do not.

Question 15

In his series of experiments, Asch found that virtually no one was willing to stand up to group pressure and give the correct response.

Question 16

It is possible for a secondary group or an aggregate to become a primary group.

Question 17

In our rapidly changing society, formal organizations continually make significant changes in the way they are structured.

Question 18

A web of social relationships that links one person with other people and, through them, with other people they know is called a network.

Question 19

A person's gender is the most significant predictor of whether that person will join a mainstream normative organization.

Question 20

People will always accept the values of the groups of which they are members.

Question 21

Sociologist coined the terms ingroup and outgroup to describe people's feelings toward members of their own and other groups.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) William Graham Sumner
D) Charles H. Cooley

Question 22

Within most bureaucratic organizations, there will be resistance to the iron law of oligarchy.

Question 23

Susan and Mary are middle-aged women who have been neighbors for twenty-five years. They talk daily about each other's grandchildren, share grocery shopping trips, and offer each other advice. They are an example of a(n) __________.

A) primary group
B) secondary group
C) formal organization
D) aggregate

Question 24

The least amount of interaction between members occurs in a(n) .

A) social group
B) category
C) aggregate
D) formal organization

Question 25

Sociologist Charles H. Cooley used the term to describe a small, less specialized group in which members engage in face-to-face, emotion-based interactions over an extended period of time.

A) secondary group
B) formal group
C) informal group
D) primary group

Question 26

The term for people with whom we have primary relationships and those in our primary groups is .

A) personal others
B) significant others
C) formal others
D) generalized others

Question 27

In discussing primary and secondary groups, the text points out that .

A) secondary and primary groups are always mutually exclusive
B) all secondary groups are approximately the same size
C) primary and secondary groups are equally likely to be specialized, but in different ways
D) people in a secondary group may eventually form a primary group

Question 28

Which of these characteristics do virtual communities and face-to-face communities have in common?

A) geographic boundaries
B) social boundaries
C) shared interests
D) psychological detachment among members

Question 29

A(n) is a group to which a person does not belong and toward which the person may feel a sense of competitiveness or hostility.

A) ingroup
B) outgroup
C) formal group
D) reference group

Question 30

Workers in Japan have greater job security than do workers in the United States.

Question 31

Cody is a member of the L.A. Crips. The other gangs in his territory are the Bloods and Satan's Slaves. Cody feels very antagonistic toward the Bloods and Satan's Slaves. For Cody, these two rival gangs would be considered __________.

A) secondary groups
B) ingroups
C) reference groups
D) outgroups

Question 32

Cooley coined the term for a larger, more specialized group in which the members engage in impersonal, goal-oriented relationships for a limited period of time.

A) secondary group
B) primary group
C) ingroup
D) outgroup

Question 33

A(n) is a collection of two or more people who interact frequently with one another, share a sense of belonging, and have a feeling of interdependence.

A) social group
B) aggregate
C) category
D) secondary group

Question 34

The sociologist who first defined the differences between primary and secondary groups is .

A) Charles H. Cooley
B) George H. Mead
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Talcott Parsons

Question 35

Students walking to class, shoppers in a department store, and people lined up to buy tickets are examples of __________.

A) aggregates
B) categories
C) social groups
D) primary groups

Question 36

A(n) is a group to which a person belongs and with which the person feels a sense of identity.

A) ingroup
B) outgroup
C) formal group
D) reference group

Question 37

Annette, Joshua, Sandra, and Luis are college students who met for the first time in a sociology class. They study together and pool their notes. Otherwise, they see each other only occasionally when their paths cross between classes. Sociologists would term them a(n) .

A) primary group
B) formal group
C) secondary group
D) informal group

Question 38

A(n) is a collection of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time but share little else in common.

A) social group
B) category
C) aggregate
D) primary group

Question 39

Women with blue eyes, people who wear contact lenses, people over 7 feet tall, and college men who belong to a fraternity are each an example of a(n) .

A) social group
B) category
C) aggregate
D) formal organization

Question 40

A(n) is a number of people who may never have met one another but share a similar characteristic (such as education level, age, race, or gender).

A) social group
B) category
C) aggregate
D) secondary category

Question 41

The text points out that ingroup and outgroup distinctions .

A) may encourage social cohesion among group members
B) serve to prevent classism, racism, sexism, and ageism
C) discourage feelings of group superiority
D) are less likely to exist in contemporary societies than in traditional ones

Question 42

Jocelyn is a senior at the local university and plans to attend graduate school to study sociology. During her last semester, she has been using graduate sociology student papers as standards in evaluating her own writing skills. For Jocelyn, the graduate sociology students have become her .

A) outgroup
B) significant others
C) primary group
D) reference group

Question 43

Members of a country club, sorority or fraternity, or even a group of friends share values and beliefs and are aware of those whom they believe are like them. Sociologists term this awareness .

A) consciousness of kind
B) outgroup construction
C) cultural relativism
D) homogeneity

Question 44

In which of these types of groups is the participation of all members crucial to the survival of the group?

A) triad
B) formal organization
C) dyad
D) secondary group

Question 45

Which type of theorist is most likely to note the scripted nature of interaction in contemporary society (for example between employees and customers in a fast-food restaurant)?

A) conflict theorists
B) symbolic interactionists
C) functionalists
D) postmodern theorists

Question 46

The U.S. Senate consists of 100 members. In this case, 100 refers to the Senate's size.

A) relative
B) coalition
C) absolute
D) interaction

Question 47

Which type of theorist is most concerned with the influence of group size on the interaction among members?

A) conflict theorists
B) symbolic interactionists
C) functionalists
D) postmodern theorists

Question 48

What is the term used by sociologists to describe individuals' awareness that they share commonalities with certain others?

A) consciousness of kind
B) outgroup feelings
C) cultural relativism
D) homogeneity

Question 49

suggest that groups involve unequal power relationships so that not all members of a group are not equally likely to have their needs met.

A) Postmodern theorists
B) Functionalists
C) Conflict theorists
D) Symbolic interactionists

Question 50

A(n) is a group that strongly influences a person's behavior and social attitudes, regardless of whether that individual is an actual member.

A) social group
B) operational group
C) reference group
D) instrumental group

Question 51

needs cannot always be met by one person, so being in a group enables one to complete tasks or fulfill a specific goal.

A) Expressive
B) Instrumental
C) Social
D) Individual

Question 52

needs are met by opportunities of self-expression and support from family, friends, and peers.

A) Expressive
B) Instrumental
C) Social
D) Individual

Question 53

Two best friends, married couples, and domestic partnerships are each an example of a(n) .

A) aggregate
B) dyad
C) triad
D) category

Question 54

A(n) is an alliance created in an attempt to reach a shared objective or goal.

A) affiliation
B) coalition
C) dyad
D) accommodation

Question 55

Which of these is an example of a coalition?

A) teachers in a school district who work together to demand better wages
B) a couple with a new baby, increasing the size of the family
C) a married couple or domestic partnership of two people
D) friends going out to dinner together

Question 56

Which of these terms does not fit with the concept of ingroup as well as the others?

A) consciousness of kind
B) ethnocentrism
C) cultural relativism
D) closed relationship

Question 57

Which of these sociologists first suggested that small groups have interaction patterns that do not exist in larger groups?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Herbert Spencer
D) Georg Simmel

Question 58

A group composed of three members is termed a(n) .

A) triad
B) affiliation
C) dyad
D) accommodation

Question 59

To many , groups and organizations are generally characterized by superficiality and depthlessness in social relationships.

A) symbolic interactionists
B) functionalists
C) postmodernists
D) conflict theorists

Question 60

Which of these is not likely to constitute a reference group for a person who strongly believes in the value of human rights and equal opportunity?

A) Ku Klux Klan
B) American Civil Liberties Union
C) National Organization for Women
D) Human Rights Campaign

Question 61

From a perspective, if groups exist to meet the instrumental and expressive needs of their members, then leaders are responsible for helping the group meet those needs.

A) premodern
B) conflict
C) symbolic interactionist
D) functionalist

Question 62

leadership is most appropriate when the group's purpose is to complete a task or reach a particular goal.

A) Expressive
B) Transitional
C) Relational
D) Instrumental

Question 63

After conducting his research, Solomon Asch concluded that .

A) succumbing to group pressure is less common than many people would like to believe
B) the size of the group has little influence on the extent to which individuals respond to group pressure
C) the degree of social cohesion felt by participants is very important regarding how individuals respond to group pressure
D) when it comes to encouraging compliance, groups wield very little power over individuals

Question 64

The supervisor of the office has been informed that Sarah consistently extends her lunch hour by 30 minutes. He chooses to take a passive approach to this problem, hoping that it will fix itself. This particular supervisor is exhibiting which style of leadership?

A) authoritarian
B) cooperative
C) democratic
D) laissez-faire

Question 65

Leaders using the style of leadership may be praised for their expressive, supportive behavior toward group members, but they may also be blamed for being indecisive in times of crisis.

A) authoritarian
B) laissez-faire
C) cooperative
D) democratic

Question 66

leadership is most appropriate when the group is dealing with emotional issues, and when harmony, solidarity, and high morale are needed.

A) Expressive
B) Transitional
C) Relational
D) Instrumental

Question 67

size refers to the number of potential members a group has.

A) Hypothetical
B) Absolute
C) Dyadic
D) Relative

Question 68

Sociologists refer to the process of maintaining or changing behavior to comply with the norms established by a society, subculture, or other group as .

A) conformity
B) anticipatory socialization
C) social control
D) groupthink

Question 69

Leaders using the style of leadership are only minimally involved in decision making and encourage group members to make their own decisions.

A) democratic
B) authoritarian
C) laissez-faire
D) cooperative

Question 70

In his study of conformity, Solomon Asch found that .

A) subjects stood by their own answers and were not influenced by the incorrect responses of Asch's assistants
B) subjects chose to conform to the incorrect responses of Asch's assistants about one‑third (33 percent) of the time
C) subjects chose to conform to the incorrect responses of Asch's assistants over one‑half (50 percent) of the time
D) subjects always chose to conform to the incorrect responses of Asch's assistants

Question 71

leadership is goal- or task-oriented.

A) Instrumental
B) Expressive
C) Relational
D) Transitional

Question 72

Latisha is a member of a group working on a research project for a class assignment. Whenever the group meets, other members are easily sidetracked and Latisha is always trying to keep the group focused on the assignment. Latisha would be considered the leader of the group.

A) laissez-faire
B) expressive
C) instrumental
D) authoritarian

Question 73

is the term for compliance in which people follow direct orders from someone in a position of authority.

A) Cohesion
B) Obedience
C) Symbolic response
D) Learning

Question 74

leadership provides emotional support for members.

A) Instrumental
B) Expressive
C) Relational
D) Transitional

Question 75

Joaquin is a member of a group working on a project for his biology class. Whenever the group meets, there is conflict among several group members, and this is upsetting to the others. Joaquin is continuously trying to improve group harmony and reduce the conflict in the group. Joe would be considered the leader of the group.

A) transitional
B) instrumental
C) expressive
D) laissez-faire

Question 76

A dozen inexperienced backpackers are preparing to settle in for the night when they realize that someone in the group is missing. The style of leadership would be most effective in this situation.

A) authoritarian
B) democratic
C) cooperative
D) laissez-faire

Question 77

The three major styles of leadership of ingroups include leadership.

A) religious
B) charismatic
C) laissez-faire
D) cooperative

Question 78

In times of crisis, such as a war or natural disaster, leaders may be commended for their decisive actions. In other situations, however, they may be criticized for being dictatorial and for fostering intergroup hostility.

A) cooperative
B) laissez-faire
C) authoritarian
D) democratic

Question 79

The research conducted by Stanley Milgram and his colleagues provides evidence that obedience to authority __________.

A) is relatively uncommon
B) takes place only in the presence of charismatic leadership
C) may be more common than most people would like to believe
D) occurs only in totalitarian situations

Question 80

A teacher gives students ideas for an assignment, but encourages them to be creative and pick their own subject and format. The teacher is using a(n) leadership style.

A) democratic
B) laissez-faire
C) authoritarian
D) autocratic