Deck 2: Theoretical Perspectives

Question 1

Which one of the following is a false statement regarding the relationship between theory and research?

A)Theory inspires research.
B)Research inspires theory creation.
C)Theory is used to interpret research findings.
D)Theory comes before research.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

From a purely functionalist perspective, sports teams

A)divide the community and benefit team owners.
B)foster a sense of belonging to a school, city, or country associated with them.
C)direct fans' attention away from the real issues a city faces.
D)are ultimately a drain on the economy.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which one of the following is a latent or unexpected function of community-wide celebrations (as discussed in the textbook)?

A)The celebration functions as a marketing and public relations event for the corporate sponsors.
B)The celebration provides an occasion to plan activities with friends.
C)Community celebrations give a visible role to public transportation systems.
D)The celebration unifies the community through a shared experience.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Sociologists view theory and research as

A)interdependent.
B)independent.
C)separate but equal.
D)unrelated.

Question 5

A __________ is a framework for thinking about what is going on in the world around us.

A)fact
B)theoretical perspective
C)concept
D)method of research

Question 6

_______ are consequences disruptive to the system or to some segment of society.

A)Functions
B)Dysfunctions
C)Facades of legitimacy
D)Symbols

Question 7

_____ means unanticipated or unintended.

A)Latent
B)Manifest
C)Function
D)Dysfunction

Question 8

A community celebration provides an occasion to plan activities with family and friends.This represents a

A)manifest function.
B)latent function.
C)manifest dysfunction.
D)latent dysfunction.

Question 9

The question 'Who benefits from a particular pattern or social arrangement?' is of most interest to a(n)

A)functionalist.
B)conflict theorist.
C)symbolic interactionist.
D)action theorist.

Question 10

Sometimes community-wide celebrations have the unexpected consequence of turning into an occasion in which people drink too much alcohol and miss work or class the next day as a result.This represents a __________ of the community-wide celebration.

A)latent dysfunction
B)latent function
C)manifest function
D)façade of legitimacy

Question 11

______ means anticipated or intended.

A)Latent
B)Manifest
C)Function
D)Dysfunction

Question 12

Community-wide celebrations have the unintended consequence of breaking down barriers across neighbourhoods.Such a consequence is known as a

A)manifest function.
B)latent function.
C)manifest dysfunction.
D)latent dysfunction.

Question 13

_______ use the human body as a metaphor for society.

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

Question 14

An employer tells workers 'if you aren't happy with the pay and working conditions here, go work somewhere else! It's a free country.' Conflict theorists call this line of reasoning

A)cultural relativity.
B)sympathetic knowledge.
C)the façade of legitimacy.
D)good business practice.

Question 15

A _________ is the contribution a part makes to order and stability within the society.

A)dysfunction
B)façade of legitimacy
C)symbol
D)function

Question 16

'Poor people often "volunteer" for over-the-counter and prescription drug tests.' From a functionalist perspective, this statement is describing

A)a façade of legitimacy.
B)the negotiated order.
C)a function of poverty.
D)human nature.

Question 17

A woman argues that the low salary she pays someone from Lesotho to work in her garden is fair because 'he got paid more than he would have been paid in Lesotho'.Conflict theorists call this line of reasoning

A)cultural relativity.
B)the façade of legitimacy.
C)a latent function.
D)class consciousness.

Question 18

According to functionalists, poverty exists because

A)poor people lack skills to do better.
B)it contributes in some way to the stability of the overall society.
C)poor people lack the drive to do better.
D)somebody has to be on the bottom.

Question 19

Traffic jams, closed streets, piles of rubbish, and shortages of clean public toilets are some of the anticipated disruptions to order and stability that accompany community-wide celebrations.These kinds of disruptions are known as

A)manifest dysfunctions.
B)latent functions.
C)manifest functions.
D)latent dysfunctions.

Question 20

Conflict theorists maintain that exploitation by the dominant group is disguised by the

A)proletariat.
B)means of production.
C)façade of legitimacy.
D)bourgeoisie.

Question 21

__________________ would ask 'how do undocumented immigrants come to interact with potential employers'?

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction

Question 22

Which one of the following statements best describes how the three perspectives should be viewed?

A)A single perspective can give us a complete picture of a process or an event.
B)Most sociologists maintain that one perspective only should be adopted when analysing an issue.
C)The three perspectives should be viewed as opposing viewpoints.
D)We can gain greater understanding of a process or an event if we examine it from the point of view of more than one perspective.

Question 23

_______________ would ask 'how does undocumented immigration contribute to order and stability in Zimbabwe and South Africa'?

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction

Question 24

Which one of the following questions about undocumented immigration from Zimbabwe to South Africa would be of most interest to a conflict theorist?

A)How does undocumented immigration contribute to order and stability in Zimbabwe and South Africa?
B)Who benefits from the existence of undocumented immigration, and at whose expense?
C)Does everyone in South Africa and Zimbabwe see undocumented immigration in the same way?
D)Why does South Africa not close its borders to foreign workers?

Question 25

Many unauthorised immigrants manage to blend in with the crowds passing through official ports of entry.This finding is one associated with

A)functionalism.
B)conflict theory.
C)symbolic interaction.

Question 26

________ maintain that people must share a symbol system if they are to communicate with one another.

A)Functionalists
B)Conflict theorists
C)Symbolic interactionists
D)Social action theorists

Question 27

________ would emphasise that without some shared meanings, encounters with others would be very confusing.

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction

Question 28

_____ consist(s) of situations in which two people communicate, interpret, and respond to each other's words and actions.

A)Symbols
B)Social interaction
C)The façade of legitimacy
D)Functions

Question 29

Which one of the following concepts applies to the façade of legitimacy?

A)complete analysis
B)well-documented and supported assertions
C)misleading arguments
D)strong premises

Question 30

_____________ would point out that South African employers benefit from the barriers along the South Africa-Lesotho border at the expense of low-wage labourers from Lesotho.

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction

Question 31

Which one of the following topics would be of greatest interest to a symbolic interactionist?

A)Unintended disruptions to order and stability associated with the construction of border fences.
B)Expected disruptions to order and stability associated with the construction of border fences.
C)The ways in which South African consumers and employees benefit from low wage labour of undocumented immigrants.
D)Strategies undocumented immigrants use to escape detection when passing through official border crossings.

Question 32

A _________________ is any kind of physical phenomenon - a word, object, colour, or sound to which people assign a name, meaning, or value.

A)value
B)preconception
C)symbol
D)observation

Question 33

Which one of the following questions about undocumented immigration from Zimbabwe to South Africa would be of most interest to a symbolic interactionist?

A)How does undocumented immigration contribute to order and stability in Zimbabwe and South Africa?
B)Who benefits from the existence of undocumented immigration, and at whose expense?
C)How do undocumented immigrants come to interact with potential employers?
D)Why doesn't South Africa close its borders to foreign workers?

Question 34

Which one of the following questions about undocumented immigration from Zimbabwe to South Africa would be of most interest to a functionalist?

A)How does undocumented immigration contribute to order and stability in Zimbabwe and South Africa?
B)Who benefits from the existence of undocumented immigration, and at whose expense?
C)Does everyone in South Africa and Zimbabwe see undocumented immigration in the same way?
D)Why doesn't South Africa close its borders to foreign workers?

Question 35

_____________ would argue that 'the real purpose of the fence construction is to prevent the free movement of labour from a low wage economy into a high wage one'.

A)Functionalism
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction

Question 36

Which one of the following statements represents a criticism of the functionalist perspective?

A)It is too liberal.
B)It focuses on the 'small stuff'.
C)It offers no technique for determining the 'overall net effect'.
D)It focuses on the 'have nots'.

Question 37

Who is most likely to ask how people involved in interaction take account of what each other is doing or is about to do, and then direct their own conduct accordingly'?

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

Question 38

Charity is from Zimbabwe but is now a South African citizen.She speaks Chishona, English and isiZulu, but speaks only isiZulu or English in public because she imagines people will think she is an undocumented immigrant if she speaks in Chishona.Symbolic interactionists would call this

A)symbolism.
B)self-preservation.
C)the negotiated order.
D)self-awareness.

Question 39

Within a classroom, it is expected that teachers stand at the front of the room and lecture while students sit at desks, pay attention, take notes and raise their hands to ask questions.However, on the first day of class, Professor Sithole tells her students that they are free to ask questions at any point without raising their hands.Symbolic interactionists would call this

A)symbolism.
B)self-preservation.
C)the negotiated order.
D)self-awareness.

Question 40

The construction of border fences is associated with an overall drop in the crime rate.This finding is one associated with

A)functionalism.
B)conflict theory.
C)symbolic interaction.

Question 41

Conflict theorists would argue that South African employers benefit from the border barriers at the expense of undocumented immigrants.

Question 42

A symbolic interactionist focuses on social interaction.

Question 43

One of the strengths of the ___________________ perspective is that it encourages first-hand, extensive observation of an issue.

A)functionalist
B)conflict
C)symbolic interaction
D)sociological

Question 44

An employer states 'getting paid R30 an hour is better than not having a job at all'.Conflict theorists call this line of reasoning the façade of legitimacy.

Question 45

The decolonial response to colonialism is best described in the related concepts of _________.Choose the incorrect option.

A)Coloniality of Colonisation
B)Coloniality of Being
C)Coloniality of Knowledge
D)Coloniality of Power

Question 46

One of the strengths of the ___________________ perspective is that it forces us to look beyond popular justifications and explore questions about whose interests are being protected and promoted and at whose expense.

A)functionalist
B)conflict
C)symbolic interaction
D)sociological

Question 47

Symbolic interactionists ask 'how do people involved in interaction take account of what each other is doing or is about to do' and then direct their own conduct accordingly.

Question 48

One weakness of the ___________________ perspective is that specific observations are difficult to generalise.

A)functionalist
B)conflict
C)symbolic interaction
D)sociological

Question 49

'Manifest' means intended, anticipated, or expected.

Question 50

One of the strengths of the ___________________ perspective is that it offers a balanced view that includes intended and unintended consequences related to order and disorder.

A)functionalist
B)conflict
C)symbolic interaction
D)sociological

Question 51

Conflict theorists focus on how the 'parts' of society contribute in expected and unexpected ways to maintain an existing social order.

Question 52

Choose an option that is not correct in relation to this statement: Coloniality of power refers to the __________ ordering of the world.

A)uneven, unequal and asymmetrical
B)racial
C)equal, fair and just
D)exploitative

Question 53

Which one of the following statements best describes the phrase Coloniality of Knowledge?

A)It has to do with the impact of colonisation on various aspects of knowledge production and on control of the mind of the colonised.
B)It has to do with the impact of globalisation in sharing knowledge equally across different nations.
C)It has to do with the production of resources that is transported to the poorest parts of the world.
D)It has to do with a philosophy supporting modernisation and westernisation.

Question 54

From a functionalist viewpoint, poverty contributes to the stability of the overall society.

Question 55

Which one of the following statements bests describes the phrase Coloniality of Being?

A)It is a celebration of difference and variations in cultural experiences of the human person of different parts of the world.
B)It is a process proposing modernisation of the underdeveloped world.
C)It is a justification for the colonisation of non-European nations.
D)It is a celebration of the domination of weaker countries by stronger powerful countries.

Question 56

The façade of legitimacy is an explanation that members of dominant groups give to justify exploitive actions.

Question 57

Conflict theorists state out that the biggest threat to South African jobs is undocumented labour from Zimbabwe.

Question 58

Functionalists focus on the strategies dominant groups use to create and protect the social arrangements that give them an advantage.

Question 59

A major criticism of the conflict theory is that it

A)overemphasises the stability and order that exist in a society.
B)presents a simplistic view of the relationship between dominant and subordinate groups.
C)focuses too strongly on consumer groups, citizen groups, and the worker's ability to promote change.
D)understates the tensions and divisions that exist in society.

Question 60

Functionalists argue that sports teams have no real purpose in society.

Question 61

The ability to observe and evaluate the self from another's viewpoint is known as the negotiated order.

Question 62

Colonialism is a political process of transferring wealth equitably across nations in order to develop their economic systems.

Question 63

Coloniality of being refers to the extension of the process of colonisation to dominating and controling the colonised person's self worth and identity among other things.

Question 64

Coloniality of power refers to the equal sharing of power among nations represented on the United Nations Council.

Question 65

Decolonial theorising is different to western theorising because it does not set itself up as the standard of all thought and as the centre of all knowledge.

Question 66

Coloniality of knowledge describes the process of bringing equal education to the masses in the developed world.

Question 67

One of the strengths of the symbolic interactionist perspective is that it gives a balanced overview of intended and unintended consequences.

Question 68

Decolonisation presents an alternative explanation for the relationships among nations that includes how the process of colonisation led to the underdevelopment of many nations.