Deck 11: Why Study Sociology: Understanding, Questioning, and Caring

Question 1

The qualities that define democracy that are described by Charon

A)refer to the government more than the total society.
B)refer to the whole society, not just the government.
C)are not important for individuals.
D)are only possible for the government, not the society.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The author maintains that equality of opportunity is

A)one of the qualities of a democratic society.
B)not necessary for democracy.
C)antagonistic to what democracy is.
D)the least important of the qualities of democracy.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

How does the study of religion relate to democracy?

A)religion is essential to democracy
B)religion is part of a complex set of relationships that may encourage or discourage democracy
C)democracy is impossible in a society with a single religion
D)modernization is impossible in a religious society

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The author maintains that the purpose of a liberal arts education is to

A)expose the student to a number of occupational choices.
B)enable the student to see reality in a careful, unbiased way.
C)reaffirm what the student knows to be true.
D)teach the student how to meet the expectations of society.

Question 5

Sociology tries to

A)keep our view of democracy focused on the political arena.
B)include many areas that are sources of power in our view of what democracy is.
C)focus on the idea that democracy means majority rule--either through government or through revolution.
D)view democracy in a negative way--that it is not all that is cracked up to be.

Question 6

How does the study of social inequality relate to understanding democracy?

A)inequality is an essential aspect of democracy
B)inequality has nothing to add to the understanding of democracy
C)inequality is a problem that stands in the way of completely democratic society
D)only experiencing inequality can give one the insight necessary for good leadership

Question 7

According to de Tocqueville, what aspects of American society encourage the development of democracy?

A)the tendency to join voluntary groups
B)strong local ties
C)having little need for a central government
D)all of these

Question 8

Sociology asks questions concerning human freedom.How is this related to democracy, according to the author?

A)In democracy one must not question the possibility of human freedom.
B)In American society complete human freedom flourishes.
C)The more government a society has, the less freedom will exist.
D)Understanding the social forces at work on the individual becomes a first step to taking control of one's own life.

Question 9

Charon argues that in order for democracy to succeed there must be ______.

A)voting
B)majority rule
C)a culture of democracy
D)a parliament or congress

Question 10

Which of the following is not necessarily inevitable in a complex society?

A)social change
B)social order
C)inequality
D)ethnocentrism

Question 11

The author believes that the main purpose of sociology as an academic discipline is to influence students to

A)change society.
B)examine and understand society.
C)become sociologists.
D)know how to do social research.

Question 12

What difference does the human nature question have for an understanding of democracy?

A)It tells us little or nothing.
B)It tells us what it means to live in a democracy.
C)It tells us about the possibilities for a democratic society.
D)It tells us if social change is possible.

Question 13

What constitutes a nation and what constitutes a society are questions the book examines.How do such questions relate to democracy?

A)A democratic nation must include one united society.
B)A democratic nation should respect the diverse societies within its borders.
C)People must choose between living in a democratic society or a democratic nation.
D)A democratic nation is only possible if the society is not too diverse.

Question 14

Which of the following is not one of the qualities the text describes as part of the definition of democracy?

A)government of the people, and by the people
B)equality of opportunity for a decent life
C)freedom of thinking and action
D)respect and protection of human differences

Question 15

What does the author believe is the relationship between the study of sociology and democracy?

A)Sociology is the study of issues relevant to an understanding of democracy.
B)Sociology unintentionally teaching ideas contrary to democratic society.
C)Sociology is intentionally undemocratic in its ideas.
D)The study of sociology has very little to do with the theme of democracy.

Question 16

Alexis de Tocqueville emphasized in Democracy in America that democracy

A)is the inevitable direction of modern society.
B)exists only where social conditions encourage its development.
C)is a fiction.
D)is possible only outside society.

Question 17

The issues of labor rights, immigration, diversity and work are all related to the study of ______.

A)sociology
B)globalization
C)democracy
D)all of these

Question 18

How do sociologists understand social change?

A)it is the power of the individual that creates social change
B)never underestimate the power of one
C)intentionally created social change is only possible through a power base
D)in a democracy each individual is the source of change

Question 19

According to the author, discussing sociology only as the study of democracy

A)is the best way to for students to learn the discipline.
B)is too narrow for most sociologists.
C)misses the relationship between science and democracy.
D)adequately captures the complexity of the discipline

Question 20

The author points out that the scientific spirit and the democratic spirit

A)are antagonistic to one another.
B)are very similar in their approach to understanding human misery.
C)have little to do with sociology.
D)cannot really be compared since they cover such widely divergent areas of life.

Question 21

According to the author, every crisis is related to

A)a lack of moral values.
B)the operation of society.
C)the decline in education.
D)violence and war.

Question 22

According to sociologists, the essence of human beings is ______.

A)the soul
B)society
C)DNA
D)biological inheritance

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT one of the themes of sociology?

A)Sociology is the study of democracy.
B)Sociology is the study of social order.
C)Sociology is the study of cognitive processes.
D)None of these.

Question 24

Which of the following is not a topic for sociological inquiry?

A)Sociology is the study of democracy
B)Sociology is the study of social change
C)Sociology is primarily interested in the biological origins of social behavior.
D)Sociology is the study of social power

Question 25

How does the author describe the importance of a liberal education? How is sociology related to this?

Question 26

The major theme used by the author in this chapter is:

A)democracy
B)fascism
C)communism
D)All of these.

Question 27

Karl Marx described society as a system for and by _______________.

A)the rich and powerful
B)the people
C)the beautiful people
D)None of these.

Question 28

Sociologists believe that

A)biology determines human behavior.
B)human talents and potential are always realized.
C)society plays an important role in how our biological predispositions are developed.
D)all of these

Question 29

_________ __________ remains the dominant reason that students find sociology interesting and valuable.

A)Social problems
B)Social structure
C)Social interaction
D)None of these.

Question 30

Explain what is necessary for democracy to succeed in a society.

Question 31

Select the topics presented in two chapters in the text and explain why they are relevant for understanding democratic society.

Question 32

In the study of truth and beliefs, sociologists emphasize

A)which beliefs are better than others.
B)whose beliefs are more true.
C)who benefits from certain beliefs.
D)all of these

Question 33

The Power Elite, a book that describes three centers of power, political, economic, and military, was written by ______.

A)C.Wright Mills
B)Karl Marx
C)G.William Dumhoff
D)Suzanne Keller

Question 34

In general, why does the author believe that sociology is relevant for understanding democratic society?

Question 35

From the author's point of view, the three current crisis in American society are

A)a lack of faith; the breakdown of the family; unemployment
B)a decline of decent work; a decline in decent education for the masses; the destruction caused by terrorism
C)weapons of mass destruction; widespread war; fear of terrorism
D)gender and racial inequality; corrupt politics; high rates of unemployment

Question 36

________________ is a way of judging other cultures by using one's own culture as the standard.

A)Cultural relativism
B)Segregation
C)Ethnocentrism
D)None of these.

Question 37

In The New Class Society, Robert Perrucci and Earl Wysong argue that only two classes exist in the U.S., the ______ and the ______.

A)superclass / middle class
B)privileged class / new working class
C)upper class / underclass
D)capitalist class / noncapitalist class

Question 38

Ultimately, the author would most likely define sociology as

A)blaming the victim.
B)the study of society.
C)a multifaceted discipline.
D)too complicated to understand.

Question 39

How is democracy defined in the text? What are the four qualities that make up the definition of democracy?

Question 40

In the study of social problems, most sociologists avoid

A)doing quantitative research.
B)making policy recommendations.
C)blaming the victim.
D)finding causes.

Question 41

What do ethnocentrism and inequality have to do with democracy?

Question 42

Name and describe two of the basic qualities of a democracy, according to the author.

Question 43

Why does the author feel that describing sociology as "the study of society" is insufficient?

Question 44

Why does the author state that democracy is not just majority rule or voting?

Question 45

Why does the author feel democracy is such an important theme to this text?

Question 46

From a sociological perspective, explain how social change is accomplished?

Question 47

What do sociologists believe is the essence of being human? Briefly explain.