Deck 11: Social Movements, Social Change, and Technology

Question 1

Which term refers to a significant alteration in behavior patterns and culture over time?

A) social movement
B) social change
C) social status
D) social system

Answer 1

social change

Question 2

Which of the following would be an example of a "social movement"?

A) activists who were opposed to the war in Iraq
B) people who organized for or against abortion rights
C) the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s
D) all of these

Answer 2

all of these

Question 3

Which of the following is not relevant to an understanding of resource mobilization

A) leadership.
B) money.
C) political influence.
D) political radicalism.

Answer 3

political radicalism.

Question 4

New social movements

A) emphasize resource mobilization on a local level.
B) emphasize a global perspective on social and political activism.
C) emphasize economic issues.
D) have their roots in social class, usually working-class, activism.

Question 5

Evolutionary theory states that social change is

A) moving in a definite direction.
B) the result of social conflict.
C) a process of adaptive upgrading and differentiation.
D) not present in developing nations.

Question 6

Early social evolutionary theorists

A) based their theories on the work of Charles Darwin.
B) believed that all societies were inevitably progressing toward a higher state.
C) believed that their own behavior and culture were more advanced than those of earlier civilizations.
D) all of these

Question 7

____________ maintained that society progressed from simple to more complex forms of social organization.

A) Louis Pasteur
B) Charles Darwin
C) William F. Ogburn
D) É mile Durkheim

Question 8

In 2011, the population of the U.S. was approximately 313.6 million, but in 1960 the population was

A) 275.8 million.
B) 180.7 million.
C) 250.2 million
D) 92.7 million

Question 9

In 2011, only 13% of U.S. citizens did not complete high school; in 1850 what percentage did not complete high school?

A) 88%
B) 68%
C) 48%
D) 28%

Question 10

Only 22% of women worked during their 20s in 1850 compared to what percentage as of 2009?

A) 32%
B) 52%
C) 73%
D) 92%

Question 11

In the United States in 1850, there were 176 physicians per 100,000 people in the population; how many physicians were there per 100,000 people in 2007?

A) 451
B) 381
C) 273
D) 158

Question 12

In 2007, U.S. citizens could expect to enjoy 78.3 years of life, but in 1850 what was the life expectancy at birth?

A) 18 years
B) 27 years
C) 38 years
D) 47 years

Question 13

Talcott Parsons viewed labor strikes or civilian riots as

A) significant alterations in social structure.
B) temporary disruptions.
C) cracks in structural foundations.
D) major upheavals in society.

Question 14

A dominant theme throughout Talcott Parsons's model is

A) instability.
B) balance and stability.
C) uncertainty.
D) conflict.

Question 15

The median age at first marriage for women in 1890 was 22 years; what was the median age for women in 2008?

A) 26 years
B) 23 years
C) 25 years
D) 21 years

Question 16

The equilibrium model of social change was developed by

A) Gerhard Lenski, Jr.
B) Talcott Parsons.
C) Ralf Dahrendorf.
D) William F. Ogburn.

Question 17

Sociologist Talcott Parsons developed the

A) unilinear model of social change.
B) multilinear model of social change.
C) equilibrium model of social change.
D) evolutionary model of social change.

Question 18

Which sociological perspective argues that when changes occur in one part of a society, there must be adjustments in other parts?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) feminist perspective

Question 19

The equilibrium model of social change views society as

A) tending toward a constant state of conflict over numerous issues.
B) a battlefield between competing vested interests.
C) tending toward a state of stability or balance.
D) a static entity in which social change rarely occurs.

Question 20

The family system has changed in the United States over the last few decades. In particular, child rearing, which was once the sole province of the mother, is now being shared with fathers, other relatives, day care centers, school systems, babysitters, and an endless list of surrogates who assume responsibility for this important task. This social change, which helps to maintain society's stability, is known as

A) the equilibrium model.
B) the conflict model.
C) multilinear evolutionary change.
D) unilinear evolutionary change.

Question 21

In Parsons's equilibrium model of social change, which concept does he use to indicate the increasing complexity of social organization?

A) differentiation
B) adaptive upgrading
C) inclusion
D) value generalization

Question 22

Which one of the following is part of Parsons's equilibrium model of social change?

A) differentiation
B) revolution
C) individuation
D) modification

Question 23

In Parsons's equilibrium model, he uses which concept to note that one feature of social change is that social institutions become more specialized in their purposes?

A) differentiation
B) adaptive upgrading
C) inclusion
D) value generalization

Question 24

Colleges and corporations are currently grappling with the problem of eliminating the digital divide and making computers and other technological advances available to all college students. According to equilibrium theory, this would be an example of

A) differentiation.
B) adaptive upgrading.
C) inclusion.
D) value generalization.

Question 25

Which sociological perspective would probably criticize Parsons's approach to social change for disregarding the use of coercion by the powerful to maintain the illusion of a stable, well-integrated society?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) dialectical perspective

Question 26

Which sociological perspective would probably suggest that individuals, institutions, and societies will face unprecedented adaptive challenges in adjusting to the technological advances soon to come?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) feminist perspective

Question 27

Which of these has been a significant social event in recent decades, according to Maureen Hallinan?

A) terrorism
B) the collapse of communism
C) the spread of AIDS
D) All of these

Question 28

Chaos theory was developed by

A) biologists.
B) mathematicians.
C) sociologists.
D) behavioral psychologists.

Question 29

If the United States Congress passed strict laws that banned the sale of cigarettes anywhere in the country, it would create serious problems for cigarette manufacturers, retailers, tobacco growers, tobacco farm workers, truckers, and many other employees in the cigarette industry. Each of these groups would probably oppose this legislation because they are examples of

A) culture lag.
B) nonmaterial culture.
C) luddite.
D) vested interests.

Question 30

Which of the following factors do conflict theorists suggest that capitalist firms would likely utilize in order to meet the costs of complying with stricter safety standards?

A) pressure government to ease restrictive standards
B) cut corners within their production plants
C) pay the high costs of meeting standards
D) two of these factors are consistent with the expectations of conflict theorists.

Question 31

Which sociologist pointed out that nonmaterial culture typically must respond to changes in material culture?

A) William Ogburn
B) Talcott Parsons
C) Sherry Turkle
D) Thorsten Veblen

Question 32

Large families are no longer economically necessary, nor are they commonly endorsed by social norms; but certain religious faiths, among them Roman Catholicism, continue to extol large families and to disapprove of using contraception to limit family size. This example illustrates

A) material culture.
B) nonmaterial culture.
C) cultural relativity.
D) culture lag.

Question 33

Various religious groups and their followers are very upset about advances in reproductive technology (e.g., birth control pills, abortion pills, in vitro fertilization, and genetic engineering). This conflict illustrates which sociological concept?

A) material culture
B) nonmaterial culture
C) culture lag
D) cultural adaptation

Question 34

The term sabotage is derived from French workers throwing ________ into factory machinery to destroy it.

A) rocks
B) wooden shoes
C) metal shavings
D) animal bones

Question 35

"Neo-Luddites"

A) destroyed some of the machinery used in the early industrial revolution, when they raided factories at night.
B) have questioned the ongoing development of technology.
C) were early supporters of Marxism.
D) none of these

Question 36

The laptop computer, wireless telephones, pagers, and laser eye surgery are all examples of

A) technology.
B) resources.
C) cyberspace.
D) adaptive upgrading.

Question 37

The Internet evolved from a computer system built by _________ in 1962.

A) the engineering department of MIT
B) Russian scientists
C) the U.S. Defense Department
D) the entertainment industry of MGM

Question 38

The Internet evolved from a computer system developed by the U.S. Defense Department to enable scholars and workers to continue with work in the event of

A) terrorist attacks.
B) nuclear attack.
C) natural devastation.
D) none of these

Question 39

Which of the following does Immanuel Wallerstein suggest has a virtual monopoly on information technology in his world system analysis?

A) developing nations
B) periphery nations
C) core nations
D) Asia, Africa and Latin America

Question 40

Offshoring provides jobs for workers who are typically

A) skilled factory workers.
B) well educated.
C) poorly paid, compared to their compatriots.
D) illiterate.

Question 41

A recent trend in globalization is that U.S. companies are shifting ___________ to developing countries.

A) office and professional jobs
B) factory jobs
C) their executives
D) their headquarters

Question 42

Which sociological perspective would most likely suggest that computer and video technology has facilitated supervision, control, and even domination by employers or government?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) global perspective

Question 43

Which sociological perspective would most likely be interested in the socializing effects of Internet communications, which might ultimately reduce face-to-face communications between people?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) anomie perspective

Question 44

A new technique of using technology to increase food production and alter plant genes is called

A) genetic engineering.
B) cloned food.
C) technoproduce.
D) biotech dietary supplements.

Question 45

The debate on genetic engineering intensified after 1997, when scientists in Scotland

A) cloned a sheep.
B) developed multi-headed animals.
C) grew tomatoes without soil.
D) transplanted an animal fetus into a human.

Question 46

Which of the following are examples of biotechnology?

A) cloning
B) sex selection of fetuses
C) genetically engineered organisms
D) all of these

Question 47

"Frankenfood" is the term used by critics to caution about the dangers of

A) in vitro.
B) genome project.
C) genetic modification.
D) cloning.

Question 48

Critics of the relative deprivation approach have noted that an increase in feelings of deprivation is not always necessary before people are moved to act.

Question 49

Functional sociologists focus on what changes, not maintains, a system.

Question 50

Talcott Parsons viewed prolonged labor strikes or civilian riots as temporary disruptions in the status quo rather than as significant alterations in social structure.

Question 51

Like Auguste Comte, Karl Marx viewed each successive stage in a society's development as an inevitable improvement over the previous one.

Question 52

The term "vested interests" refers to those people or groups who will suffer in the event of social change.

Question 53

The industrial revolution was a scientific revolution that focused on the application of non-animal sources of power to labor tasks.

Question 54

Close to 50% of U.S. citizens have few, if any, technology devices and/or claim that they are not attached to this kind of advanced technology.

Question 55

About 15% of the U.S. population is off the modern information network.

Question 56

People seem to be more vigilant today about maintaining their privacy than they were before the information age.

Question 57

Critics use the term "Frankenfood" to refer to genetically engineered foods.

Question 58

Discuss the impact of social movements have had on the course of history and the evolution of social structure.

Question 59

Describe the various ways the Internet can be used to facilitate virtual social movements.

Question 60

Discuss the four processes of Talcott Parsons's equilibrium theory and give examples to illustrate each process.

Question 61

Describe how economic and cultural factors play an important role in creating resistance to social change.

Question 62

Discuss the various methods in which technology has contributed to social control.