Deck 8: Social Institutions: Family and Religion

Question 1

Nyinba women in Nepal and Tibet may have more than one husband simultaneously, which allows for

A) sons to share the usable land they inherit.
B) more diversity in child reproduction.
C) enforcement of the social norm prohibiting infidelity among wives.
D) all of these

Answer 1

sons to share the usable land they inherit.

Question 2

Which social institution has primary responsibility for preserving order in society?

A) the economy
B) the government
C) the healthcare system
D) education

Answer 2

the government

Question 3

Which social institution in the United States has the responsibility of "providing and maintaining a sense of purpose"?

A) the family
B) the government
C) the economy
D) education

Answer 3

the government

Question 4

The celebration of the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009, and to some extent in 2012 is an expression of Black pride and patriotism during a time of economic uncertainty. This is a testament to the importance of

A) teaching new recruits.
B) preserving order.
C) replacing personnel.
D) providing and maintaining a sense of purpose.

Question 5

A set of people related by blood, marriage (or some other agreed-upon relationship), or adoption who share the responsibility for reproducing and caring for members of society is known as

A) a clan.
B) a kinship group.
C) a family.
D) cohabitation

Question 6

A nuclear family is

A) two unrelated adults who have chosen to share each other's lives in a relationship of mutual caring, who reside together, and who agree to be jointly responsible for their dependents, basic living expenses, and other common necessities.
B) a married couple and their unmarried children living together.
C) a family in which, in addition to parents and children, relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles live in the same home.
D) all of these

Question 7

A man and his wife, their children, five Chinese shar-peis, four Siamese cats, eight parakeets, two ducks, a goat, and a dozen tropical fish live on a pretty piece of land in Woodstock, Vermont. They are an example of a(an)

A) extended family.
B) nuclear family.
C) clan.
D) polygynous family.

Question 8

Which percentage reflects the approximate number of nuclear family households in the U.S. in the year 2000?

A) 33 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 65 percent
D) 80 percent

Question 9

An extended family is

A) two unrelated adults who have chosen to share each other's lives in a relationship of mutual caring, who reside together, and who agree to be jointly responsible for their dependents, basic living expenses, and other common necessities.
B) a married couple and their unmarried children living together.
C) a family in which relatives in addition to parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles, live in the same home.
D) all of these

Question 10

A woman and her husband, her children, her parents, her mother-in-law, her sister, a parakeet, two Irish setters, a cow, and five chickens live together on a farm in the Midwest. This is an example of a(n)

A) city.
B) community.
C) extended family.
D) nuclear family.

Question 11

A form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married only to each other is known as

A) monogamy.
B) polygamy.
C) polygyny.
D) polyandry.

Question 12

Which of the following is the best example of monogamy?

A) Ted and Tonya have been married to each other for 3 weeks.
B) Tori, Tito, and Tabitha have been living with each other for 14 years.
C) Troy and his sister Tracy live together in an apartment.
D) all of these

Question 13

Cecil and Geneva were married on August 4, 1936, and they have spent all of those years arguing and fighting with one another. This is an example of

A) monogamy.
B) polyandry.
C) polygyny.
D) polygamy.

Question 14

What is the name of the marital form in which a person can have several spouses in his or her lifetime but can have only one spouse at a time?

A) serial monogamy
B) serial polygamy
C) serial polyandry
D) serial polygyny

Question 15

Serial monogamy refers to a form of marriage in which a person can have

A) several spouses in his or her lifetime but only one spouse at a time.
B) several spouses.
C) two or more spouses at the same time.
D) two or more spouses of the same sex in his or her lifetime, but can have only one spouse at a time.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of serial monogamy?

A) Dave is married to Sheila, but they get divorced and he marries Marlene. After they get divorced, he marries Janet, and when she dies, he marries Lorraine.
B) Maria is married to Juan. Juan dies and Maria marries Carlos.
C) Steve shares an apartment with Bonnie for five years, but then he marries Jessica and they buy a home of their own.
D) Two of these are valid examples.

Question 17

A man who has entered the record books by being married and divorced more than 20 times would be an example of a/an

A) serial polygamist.
B) serial monogamist.
C) serial polygynist.
D) polygamist.

Question 18

Polygamy refers to a marital form in which

A) a husband can have several wives at the same time.
B) a wife can have several husbands at the same time.
C) an individual can have several spouses simultaneously.
D) three or more unrelated people live together in the same dwelling.

Question 19

George Murdock

A) described the family as the ultimate source of social inequality.
B) described the six paramount functions of the family.
C) noted that 80 percent of the 565 societies that he studied had some type of polygamy.
D) distinguished between individual and parental marriages.

Question 20

Which of the following statements about polygamy is correct?

A) There are no remaining societies in which 20 percent or more of the men are in polygamous marriages.
B) Polygamy exists in fewer than 20 percent of the world's societies.
C) In some forms of polygamy, men often marry a woman and her sisters.
D) All of these

Question 21

Polyandry refers to a marital form in which

A) a husband can have several wives at the same time.
B) a wife can have several husbands at the same time.
C) an individual can have several spouses simultaneously.
D) three or more unrelated people live together in the same dwelling.

Question 22

Which of the following statements about family systems is correct?

A) Only about one-third of families in the United States are considered nuclear families.
B) The practice of polygamy steadily declined throughout the twentieth century.
C) Polyandrous cultures devalue the social worth of women.
D) All of these

Question 23

Some tribes, such as the Toda tribe of India, practiced female infanticide. This practice led to a shortage of adult women. As a result, a family was often composed of a group of brothers and a wife, whom they shared. This is an example of

A) monogamy.
B) polygyny.
C) polyandry.
D) group marriage.

Question 24

In a patriarchy

A) men are expected to dominate family decision-making.
B) descent favors the relatives of the father.
C) a woman's status is defined relative to a male's status.
D) Two of these statements are true.

Question 25

Matriarchies are common in societies where

A) men are often engaged in warfare.
B) men are absent for long periods of time for food-gathering.
C) the primary mode of production is fishing.
D) Two of these statements are true.

Question 26

Which of the following would reflect an egalitarian authority pattern?

A) After many discussions, Susan and Tom reach a mutual decision about where to buy a home.
B) In their family, Nick makes decisions about major home maintenance projects, and Nora makes decisions about major family vacations.
C) Reggie does not want to be bothered with domestic decisions, and he lets Pauline buy a home, choose the children's school, plan family vacations, and select their new car.
D) Two of these reflect an egalitarian pattern.

Question 27

Which sociological perspective would emphasize that questions about family decision-making must be examined in light of traditional gender stratification, under which men have held a dominant position over women?

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

Question 28

By sponsoring many clubs and organizations, churches serve as a training ground for community leaders while also allowing members to refine their organizational skills. In doing so, churches fulfill are fulfilling one of their

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

Question 29

Durkheim was primarily interested in

A) the personalities of religious believers.
B) understanding religious behavior within a social context.
C) the role of religion in subjugating the masses.
D) all of these

Question 30

Which sociological perspective suggests that religion serves as an integrative power that binds people together, much like the social forces of nationalism or patriotism?

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

Question 31

Based on the pioneering work of É mile Durkheim, sociologists have frequently examined religion with a focus on its role in providing social support and reinforcing societal norms. This approach reflects the concerns of which sociological perspective?

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

Question 32

Which leader of the Protestant Reformation emphasized a disciplined work ethic, this-worldly concerns, and a rational orientation toward life?

A) Max Weber
B) John Calvin
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Benjamin Franklin

Question 33

One by-product of the Protestant ethic was a drive to

A) accumulate savings.
B) reduce work hours.
C) increase consumption.
D) reduce the influence of religion.

Question 34

Max Weber argued that

A) the Protestant ethic was linked to the development of capitalism.
B) capitalism caused the development of Protestantism.
C) the Hindu belief in predestination has led to the development of capitalism in India.
D) none of these

Question 35

Which sociological perspective suggests that during the period of slavery in the southern United States, Christianity may have pacified certain slaves and lessened the rage that often fuels rebellion?

A) Functionalist perspective
B) Conflict perspective
C) Interactionist perspective
D) Labeling perspective

Question 36

Religious rituals in a church or temple serve as important face-to-face encounters in which people reinforce their beliefs and commitment to their faith. This focus represents the concerns of which sociological perspective?

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

Question 37

Attendance at a church service and the silent or spoken reading of prayers are examples of religious

A) values.
B) rituals.
C) experiences.
D) norms.

Question 38

Religious experiences are

A) shared conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper that arise out of religious faith.
B) statements to which members of a particular religion adhere.
C) feelings or perceptions of being in direct contact with the ultimate reality, such as a divine being, or of being overcome with religious emotion.
D) practices required or expected of members of a faith.

Question 39

A person is hiking in the Canyonlands of Utah, and she realizes that the beautiful panorama that is unfolding in front of her could not have happened by accident; there must have been some wonderful plan and power that created this and many other wonderful natural areas. This is a religious

A) ritual.
B) belief.
C) experience.
D) sect.

Question 40

Which of the following is an element of religious behavior?

A) ritual
B) belief
C) experience
D) all of the above

Question 41

Karl Marx's descriptions of religion as a social institution is most aligned with the interactionist theory.

Question 42

Government can create a sense of purpose its citizens through the concept of patriotism.

Question 43

Polyandry tends to be extremely common in most human cultures around the world.

Question 44

Spouses in a patriarchal society are considered as equals.

Question 45

Nonworshipping mothers tend to influence their children to be highly skeptical of organized religion.

Question 46

A hajj is a Muslim religious experience.

Question 47

Karl Marx viewed religion as an integrative force in human society.

Question 48

Max Weber believed that religion often appeases the masses into submission by offering a consolation for their harsh lives on earth.

Question 49

Identify and discuss the various forms of marriage found throughout most societies of the world.

Question 50

Discuss the social institution of family from the various sociological perspectives. Give examples to support your answer.

Question 51

Discuss the Protestant ethic in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. Why do conflict theorists disagree with Weber's view?

Question 52

Discuss the primary differences between the functionalist and conflict views on religion.

Question 53

Discuss the three dimensions of religious beliefs, rituals, and experiences and their distinctive manner of religious behavior. Give examples to support your answer.