Deck 2: Thinking About and Researching the Social World

Question 1

Émile Durkheim was concerned with macro-level phenomena, which he referred to as ______.

A) bureaucracy
B) anomie
C) social facts
D) collective conscience

Answer 1

C

Question 2

While the proletariat works for pay, the ______ works for no pay.

A) participant-observer
B) voluntariat
C) interactionist
D) postmodernist

Answer 2

B

Question 3

______ is a term that refers to the awareness a proletariat has regarding their position in a capitalist economy.

A) False consciousness
B) Class consciousness
C) Sociological consciousness
D) Collective consciousness

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When individuals feel an overwhelming sense of normlessness, they fit to Émile Durkheim's definition of ______.

A) exploitation
B) anomie
C) rationalization
D) disorientation

Question 5

Proponents of feminist theory focus on how ideas pertaining to gender have been ______, rather than ______.

A) biologically determined; socially constructed
B) socially constructed; biologically determined
C) adaptively constructed; socially constructed
D) naturally constructed; biologically constructed

Question 6

The early sociologist who is best known for his studies pertaining to race (specifically the divisions that existed between blacks and whites) is ______.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D) W. E. B. Du Bois

Question 7

Under the perspective of structural-functionalism, domestic violence is an example of ______.

A) function
B) dysfunction
C) structure
D) conflict

Question 8

______ is best known for her sociological works pertaining to women and feminism.

A) Jane Addams
B) Harriet Tubman
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Karl Marx

Question 9

When a wealthy person's Facebook page is filled with photos of the many weekdays he or she spends playing golf, this may exemplify Thorstein Veblen's concept of ______.

A) extravagance
B) conspicuous consumption
C) class egotism
D) conspicuous leisure

Question 10

______ is based on the idea that there are no true "fixed" identities.

A) Structural theory
B) Conflict theory
C) Interactionist theory
D) Queer theory

Question 11

Karl Marx believed that over time, the situation of capitalism would ______.

A) improve greatly for the workers until society reached full equality
B) improve slightly so long as workers unionized
C) get worse until the inequality gap led to workers overthrowing the system
D) get worse until technology could replace workers, freeing them for other pursuits

Question 12

Max Weber's best-known piece of work is titled ______.

A) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
B) The Communist Manifesto
C) The Origin of the Species
D) Society in America

Question 13

According to W. E. B. Du Bois, ______ refers to the sense of "two-ness" that arises from being black in American society.

A) double consciousness
B) double awareness
C) color line
D) dual conscience

Question 14

______ theorists focus on underlying structures, with the idea that what transpires below the surface is highly consequential to the shaping of our society.

A) Conflict
B) Rational choice
C) Structuralist
D) Critical

Question 15

The work of social theorist ______ would be the most useful in trying to explain how a grocery store employee interacts with his boss.

A) Max Weber
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Karl Marx
D) Georg Simmel

Question 16

Early social theorist Georg Simmel described interactions in his theories by conceptualizing the dimensions of interactions as ______ and ______.

A) forms; types
B) forms; functions
C) social class; race
D) types; social facts

Question 17

______ believe that culture has become more important than the economy.

A) Feminists
B) Queer theorists
C) Structural-functionalist theorists
D) Critical theorists

Question 18

______ focused on the exploitation of workers in the capitalist market.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Herbert Spencer
D) W. E. B. DuBois

Question 19

Sociologists who use the ______ framework focus on how social institutions (such churches and schools) interact with one another and shape society.

A) conflict
B) interactionist
C) structural-functional
D) institutional

Question 20

______ coined the term sociology.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) August Comte
C) Karl Marx
D) Max Weber

Question 21

Self-administered, written sets of questions are referred to as ______.

A) questionnaires
B) descriptive surveys
C) reflections
D) samples

Question 22

Experimentation manipulates one or more ______ variables to examine their effect on one or more ______ variables.

A) valid; reliable
B) independent; dependent
C) dependent; independent
D) qualitative; quantitative

Question 23

Independent variables ______.

A) never change
B) cannot be manipulated
C) are derived from survey research
D) are subjective

Question 24

A disadvantage of secondary analysis is ______.

A) a researcher must to conduct face-to-face interviews
B) the data may not fit the researcher's needs
C) it is harder than collecting one's own data
D) one must to conduct extensive surveys, which are time-consuming

Question 25

Sociologists must utilize ______ and theory to form research questions.

A) public opinions
B) academic literature
C) personal experiences
D) statistics

Question 26

Which one of the following is the premise for rational choice theory?

A) There are rewards and costs that determine a person's choices.
B) People act intentionally to achieve goals.
C) Coercion is the driving force behind all decisions.
D) Individual choices are only limited by self-generated constraints.

Question 27

A researcher who wishes to avoid unanticipated reactions or responses may utilize ______ interview methods.

A) improvisational
B) open-ended
C) prestructured
D) observational

Question 28

According to the concept of ______, we cannot understand the plight of a black woman based on race alone; we must focus on the impact of additional factors including gender, age, and occupation.

A) intersectionality
B) functionalism
C) convergence
D) divergence

Question 29

A ______ sample refers to the chance that everyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected.

A) biased
B) predictable
C) random
D) pluralized

Question 30

Mike Rowe (the host of the television show Somebody's Gotta Do It) is not a sociologist, but his actions on the show demonstrate ______ observation methods

A) nonparticipant
B) participant
C) qualitative
D) experimental

Question 31

Modernity can be described in terms of ______, but postmodernity cannot.

A) the economy
B) rationality
C) exploitation
D) solidarity

Question 32

When a researcher wants to report the average cost of college tuition from the 1950s until present time, they are utilizing ______ statistics.

A) prescriptive
B) descriptive
C) inferential
D) historical

Question 33

The sociologist who studied a Chicago housing project and its gangs in thorough detail was ______.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Herbert Spencer
D) Sudhir Venkatesh

Question 34

Which one of the following is a benefit to unstructured interviews?

A) The questions are asked in exactly the same order.
B) The responses can easily be analyzed using quantitative methods.
C) Respondents can cover issues that are meaningful to them.
D) The limits on the researchers' reactions to answers yield less biased answers.

Question 35

The first step of the scientific method is to ______.

A) review the relevant literature
B) uncover questions in need of answers
C) develop a hypothesis
D) select a research method

Question 36

An ethnomethodologist argues that structures such as courtrooms and hospitals ______.

A) are settings that individuals negotiate using common sense rules
B) are really abstract and irrelevant to interactions
C) are highly constraining of people and their actions
D) are features of a patriarchal system that should be dismantled

Question 37

Given a chance to study the homeless population of Chicago, symbolic interactionists may primarily focus on ______.

A) the struggles that exist between the different social classes
B) the societal institutions that play a role in homelessness
C) daily interactions between the homeless
D) the role of the economy on the rates of homelessness

Question 38

Mary is a researcher who is conducting research on the relationship between college grades and the amount of time spent studying. She is going to conduct open-ended interviews. This is an example of a ______ research method.

A) quantitative
B) qualitative
C) paradigm
D) quantifiable

Question 39

A sociologist who spends an extensive amount of time for several years observing an immigrant community to understand their daily activities would be using which research method?

A) netnography
B) interviews
C) ethnography
D) secondary analysis

Question 40

Peter and Mary have been married for several years. Peter has been unhappy for several months and is thinking about initiating a divorce. He decides to make a list regarding the costs and benefits of their relationship. Peter is using a form of which social scientific theory?

A) conflict theory
B) exchange theory
C) symbolic interactionist theory
D) structural-functional theory

Question 41

W. E. B. Du Bois is best known for his studies that focused on race relations and double consciousness.

Question 42

______ refers to the degree to which a given question produces the same results time after time.

A) Reliability
B) Validity
C) Authenticity
D) Reality

Question 43

Classical sociological theories have little to do with contemporary sociological theories.

Question 44

Laud Humphreys's research on homosexual activities in men's restrooms became a famous case of ethical controversy in social scientific research. What about Humphreys's research was ethically questionable?

A) Humphreys told research participants he was a sociologist.
B) Humphreys was not a homosexual.
C) Humphreys used license plate numbers to target their homes and interview the men without disclosing the real subject of his study.
D) Humphreys asked individuals to participate in his study.

Question 45

Émile Durkheim focused on the patterns of consumption and how the elite display their wealth.

Question 46

George Homans was the main figure in exchange theory.

Question 47

If a researcher tells a participant that his or her identity will remain anonymous but later divulges the identity of the participant to others, this is an example of ______.

A) ethnography
B) noncompliance
C) exploitation
D) violation of trust

Question 48

Ethics in research became a central concern at what point in history?

A) since the French Revolution in 1789
B) in 1848, after Marx released The Communist Manifesto
C) following World War II, in response to atrocities committed by the Nazis
D) in the late 1960s, when civil rights movements raised awareness on all rights issues

Question 49

Max Weber discussed the concept of the ideal type, which is meant to be the most accurate depiction of social reality.

Question 50

Karl Marx created communism as it was practiced by the Soviet Union and other countries in the twentieth century.

Question 51

Which one of the following was ethically controversial in the case of the Milgram experiment?

A) The people were recruited as a part of the study without their knowledge.
B) The people in the study were deceived into thinking they were hurting someone.
C) The people in the study were paid an excessive amount of money to participate, skewing the results.
D) The people in the study were not allowed to leave the study even after multiple requests to end their participation.

Question 52

It is very important that institutional review boards enforce ______ of those being studied.

A) informed consent
B) uniform consent
C) ethical codes
D) review rights

Question 53

Sociologists encounter several key issues when conducting research. These include reliability, validity, and ______.

A) objectivity
B) ethical concerns
C) feasibility
D) affordability

Question 54

Conflict theorists focus on the power struggles that exist between different groups in society.

Question 55

Max Weber focused on the intersection between religion and the family.

Question 56

Rational choice theorists believe that institutions act rationally, but people rarely do.

Question 57

All sociologists theorize.

Question 58

John, a sociologist, decides to conduct a research study examining violence in television shows for the past five years. This is an example of ______.

A) observational studies
B) experiments
C) content analysis
D) surveys

Question 59

The Milgram experiment and the Zimbardo experiment provided scientific evidence of ______.

A) the power of authority
B) the importance of social networks
C) the differences between good-natured and ill-natured people
D) the difficulty of controlling a mob once it forms

Question 60

Which one of the statements below explains the difference between history and historical-comparative sociology?

A) Historical-comparative sociology involves much more detail than historical research.
B) Sociologists are more interested in drawing firm distinctions about society than historians.
C) Historical data are more accurate than sociological data.
D) Historical researchers collect far more original historical data than sociologists.

Question 61

Identify the primary difference between qualitative and quantitative research. List one type of each research method and explain how it is collected.

Question 62

Random samples should be used to avoid bias while conducting a survey.

Question 63

Discuss the differences between the structural-functionalist theoretical perspective and the conflict perspective.

Question 64

The famous prison study by Dr. Philip Zimbardo raised ethical issues similar to the Milgram experiments related to psychological harm.

Question 65

Discuss the two main types of surveys and the benefits of using them.

Question 66

Reliability and predictability are two important dimensions of trustworthiness.

Question 67

What are the differences between class consciousness and false consciousness? Do capitalists have class consciousness?

Question 68

Name and discuss the three different types of sampling methods covered in the text.

Question 69

The goal of historical comparative research is to contrast how different historical events and conditions in various societies have led to different societal outcomes.

Question 70

Sociological theories, once created, usually only apply to a specific subject area such as religion, sports, or work.

Question 71

Experiments are not used as often in sociology as they are in neighboring fields such as economics and psychology.

Question 72

Quantitative research does not require statistical methods for collecting and reporting data.

Question 73

What is the concept of value-free sociology? In what parts of teaching and research is a value-free stance important? In your opinion, can sociology be truly "value-free"?

Question 74

In what ways is conspicuous consumption displayed on social media? Have you ever posted something on social media in a way that relates to conspicuous consumption?

Question 75

W. E. B. Du Bois was an early contributor to sociology on theories related to race and the effects of racial discrimination. He is well-known for several important works and theories, including his theory of double consciousness. Please explain the concept of double consciousness. How might this be applied to race relations today?

Question 76

What caused social scientific researchers and their audiences to focus efforts on ethical data collection? Please provide an example. Furthermore, what is the Nuremberg Code?

Question 77

What is mechanical solidarity? What is organic solidarity?

Question 78

The scientific method is never used in sociological research because it has been shown to be biased when used with humans.

Question 79

Observations are a type of qualitative research.