Question 1

Traditional social theory has been described as:&#10;A) The study of societies prior to the 1900s&#10;B) The attempt to describe, analyze, interpret, explain and access social reality systematically&#10;C) The transition from traditional to modern societies&#10;D) The attempt to understand how different groups interpret social reality

Accepted Answer

Traditional social theory is concerned with systematically describing, analyzing, interpreting, explaining, and assessing social reality.

Question 2

Empirical research explores:&#10;A) Real world social phenomena&#10;B) Ideas generated through theorizing&#10;C) Research generated in laboratory conditions&#10;D) Research that is nationally representative

Accepted Answer

Empirical research involves the collection and analysis of data from real-world observations or experiments to explore and understand social phenomena.

Question 3

Theorists concerned with the historical constitution of social reality argue that:&#10;A) The past has no impact on the present&#10;B) Social reality repeats itself throughout history&#10;C) We can predict the future by looking at the past&#10;D) It is necessary to explore the past to gain an understanding of the present

Accepted Answer

Theorists who focus on the historical constitution of social reality believe that understanding the past is crucial for comprehending the present, as historical events and contexts shape current social structures and realities.

Question 4

Pessimistic social theorists argue that:&#10;A) Power inequalities are inevitable&#10;B) It is possible to eliminate inequalities&#10;C) Inequalities are natural&#10;D) Inequalities are positive

Accepted Answer

Pessimistic social theorists often believe that power inequalities are an unavoidable aspect of society due to inherent structures and dynamics.

Question 5

Which approach tends to be associated with methodological individualism?&#10;A) Marxist&#10;B) Weberian&#10;C) Durkheimian&#10;D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

The Weberian approach is associated with methodological individualism, focusing on individual actions and motivations as the basis for understanding social phenomena.

Question 6

Contemporary social theory generally refers to social theories developed from:&#10;A) The early nineteenth century&#10;B) The late nineteenth century&#10;C) The early twentieth century&#10;D) The mid-twentieth century

Accepted Answer

Contemporary social theory typically refers to theories developed from the mid-twentieth century onwards, reflecting modern and postmodern perspectives.

Question 7

The Weberian paradigm of understanding argues that social theory should be understood by exploring:&#10;A) Social structures&#10;B) The differences between societies&#10;C) Collective actions&#10;D) How individuals interpret their reality

Accepted Answer

The Weberian paradigm emphasizes the importance of understanding how individuals interpret their reality, focusing on subjective meanings and the role of individual agency in social actions.

Question 8

Ethno-conscious social theory argues that:&#10;A) Claims to knowledge are culturally situated&#10;B) Claims to knowledge are universal&#10;C) Scientific research is free from researcher bias&#10;D) Researchers should abandon classical social theory

Accepted Answer

Ethno-conscious social theory posits that knowledge is influenced by cultural contexts, meaning that claims to knowledge are culturally situated rather than universal.

Question 9

Interdisciplinary research:&#10;A) Combines knowledge from different academic areas&#10;B) Combines knowledge from multiple researchers within the same field&#10;C) Is only undertaken within sociology&#10;D) Describes all research undertaken from the twentieth century

Accepted Answer

Interdisciplinary research involves integrating knowledge and methods from different disciplines to address complex problems or questions.

Question 10

The pleas for public sociology&#10;A) Encourages sociologists to engage with non-academic audiences&#10;B) Encourages sociologists to use the public within their research&#10;C) Encourages the public to undertake research&#10;D) Encourages the public to learn social theory

Accepted Answer

Public sociology aims to make sociological research and discussions accessible and relevant to non-academic audiences, encouraging sociologists to engage with the public.

Deck 7: Contemporary Social Thory