Deck 16: Social Change: Modern and Postmodern Societies

Question 1

According to the text, what should one remember when thinking about all the conveniences and equalities people did not have in Canada in 1900?

A) One should remember that social change is a process with no positive consequences.
B) One should remember that social change is a process with no negative consequences.
C) One should remember that social change is a process with only positive consequences.
D) One should remember that social change is a process with only negative consequences.
E) One should remember that social change is a process with negative as well as positive consequences.

Answer 1

One should remember that social change is a process with negative as well as positive consequences.

Question 2

When did the social changes that are identified with modernity begin?

A) at Christ's birth
B) with the advent of Islam
C) during the Middle Ages
D) with industrialization
E) with the baby-boom

Answer 2

with industrialization

Question 3

________ is the term used to describe changes brought on by the "Information Revolution."

A) Social change
B) Modernity
C) Modernization
D) Postmodernity
E) Stratification

Answer 3

Postmodernity

Question 4

Which of the following is a static social pattern?

A) social stratification
B) innovations in technology
C) social conflict
D) social movements
E) Catholicism

Question 5

Which of the following is a dynamic social pattern?

A) status
B) social institutions
C) social stratification
D) technological innovations
E) roles

Question 6

Social ________________ is the transformation of culture and social institutions over time.

A) dynamics
B) change
C) statics
D) movement
E) complexity

Question 7

The ability to clone a variety of animals in the absence of a societal consensus toward the potential of cloning for humans illustrates:

A) that human ingenuity is infinite.
B) the faster pace of the nonmaterial culture.
C) our modernization in technology and thought.
D) the survival of traditional values.
E) that Ogburn's "cultural lag" exists.

Question 8

Which concept reflects the fact that material culture often changes faster than nonmaterial culture?

A) acculturation
B) cultural lag
C) materialistic determination
D) traditionalism
E) hierarchy of technology

Question 9

Which of the following is true about the social consequences of social change?

A) Some societies do not experience social change at all.
B) Social change is unplanned and accidental in almost all circumstances.
C) Consensus about social change is typical.
D) Social change frequently has both good and bad consequences.
E) Social change seldom generates controversy.

Question 10

Which of the following identifies an important source of cultural change?

A) planning
B) diffusion
C) cultural homogenization
D) strategy
E) social homogenization

Question 11

The existence of the brand Levi's and of McDonald's restaurants in Moscow are an example of:

A) invention
B) discovery
C) cultural homogenization
D) diffusion
E) innovation

Question 12

What would be core of a Marxist interpretation of social change?

A) Ideas cause social change.
B) Conflict between classes motivates social change.
C) The natural environment causes social change.
D) Global capitalism inhibits social change.
E) Religion causes social change.

Question 13

___________ argued that nonmaterial culture is the key to social change.

A) Marx
B) Spencer
C) Lenin
D) Darwin
E) Weber

Question 14

How would Weber attempt to promote global social change leading to industrial capitalism and national wealth?

A) eliminate social classes
B) reduce global social conflict
C) provide open opportunity for people of different statuses
D) change the nonmaterial culture of countries to embrace rationality and a work ethic
E) eliminate religion

Question 15

Which of the following is a common cause of social change?

A) discovery of things that didn't exist previously
B) diffusion from one social system to another
C) invention of new ideas and things
D) shifts in the gene pool
E) suppression of ideas

Question 16

___________________ brings social change primarily in traditional societies

A) Increasing population
B) Changing population
C) Demographic shifts
D) Migration
E) Immigration

Question 17

What is the term for organized activity that encourages or discourages social change?

A) social movements
B) collectivity
C) collective behaviour
D) crowd
E) peer movements

Question 18

______________ social movements pursue limited change in a part of the population.

A) Alternative
B) Reformative
C) Redemptive
D) Evolutionary
E) Rehabilitative

Question 19

_______________ social movements focus on radically changing the lives of others they engage with.

A) Alternative
B) Reformative
C) Redemptive
D) Revolutionary
E) Rehabilitative

Question 20

_____________ social movements help certain people redeem their lives from social problems.

A) Alternative
B) Reformative
C) Redemptive
D) Revolutionary
E) Rehabilitative

Question 21

Fundamentalist Christian organizations that seek new members through conversions are engaging in a/an ___________ social movement.

A) alternative
B) reformative
C) redemptive
D) revolutionary
E) rehabilitative

Question 22

_____________ social movements seek limited social changes in the entire society.

A) Alternative
B) Reformative
C) Redemptive
D) Revolutionary
E) Rehabilitative

Question 23

___________ social movements seek major transformation of the entire society.

A) Alternative
B) Reformative
C) Redemptive
D) Revolutionary
E) Rehabilitative

Question 24

What type of movement is holistic health care?

A) an alternative social movement
B) a reformative social movement
C) a redemptive social movement
D) a revolutionary social movement
E) a rehabilitative social movement

Question 25

____________ theory holds that social movements arise as a response to peoples' perceptions of being treated unfairly.

A) Convergence theory
B) Contagion theory
C) Emergent-norm theory
D) Deprivation theory
E) Containment theory

Question 26

The emancipation of slaves and rise of the Ku Klux Klan is explained by which theory?

A) convergence
B) contagion
C) emergent-norm
D) deprivation
E) containment

Question 27

A perceived disadvantage arising from a specific comparison is ____________ deprivation.

A) expectational
B) absolute
C) relative
D) subjective
E) conservative

Question 28

The idea that social movements attract socially isolated people who seek a sense of identity and purpose is consistent with:

A) culture theory.
B) mass-society theory.
C) deprivation theory.
D) resource mobilization theory.
E) new social movements theory.

Question 29

According to mass-society theory, social movements:

A) attract those who are socially isolated.
B) attract those who are socially integrated.
C) are more political than personal.
D) will emerge where social ties are strong.
E) attract those with strong political ties.

Question 30

What is the central theme of resource mobilization theory?

A) Deprivation determines the success of social movements.
B) The level of long-term anger determines the success of social movements.
C) Internal resources determine the success of social movements.
D) Resources in general determine the success of social movements.
E) Innovation determines the success of social movements.

Question 31

New social movements theory makes note of the:

A) international scope of some movements.
B) role of the lower class.
C) role of the military.
D) role of unionization.
E) role of traditional values.

Question 32

The ___________ theory of social movements argues that people who join social movements do so because of their concern for "quality of life"issues.

A) deprivation
B) resource-mobilization
C) structural-strain
D) emergence
E) new social movements

Question 33

In the life of a social movement, ___________ is the point at which the movement defines itself and develops a strategy for attracting new members.

A) emergence
B) bureaucratization
C) coalescence
D) mobilization
E) upscaling

Question 34

The long-term survival of a social movement is more certain when it undergoes:

A) emergence.
B) bureaucratization.
C) coalescence.
D) mobilization.
E) upscaling.

Question 35

What is the sociological term for patterns of social life linked to industrialization?

A) modernity
B) social change
C) modernization
D) post-industrial society
E) emergent society

Question 36

What is the sociological term for the process of social change begun by industrialization?

A) modernity
B) social change
C) modernization
D) post-industrial society
E) emergent society

Question 37

Which of the following characterizes modernization?

A) rise of small, traditional communities
B) expansion of personal choice
C) narrowed range of beliefs
D) past orientation
E) decreasing social diversity

Question 38

Which of the following is a major characteristic of modernization?

A) decreasing awareness of time
B) orientation toward the past
C) the decline of personal choice
D) the decline of traditional communities
E) decreasing social diversity

Question 39

What is the process wherein society's members see their lives as a series of options?

A) individualization
B) world view
C) world-openness
D) eclecticism
E) revolution

Question 40

Peter Berger suggested that one gauge of society's degree of modernization is the:

A) number of fences per acre of land.
B) average height of buildings in cities.
C) proportion of people wearing wrist watches (or, nowadays, carrying cellphones).
D) number of manufacturing jobs held by minorities.
E) proportion of people voting in national elections.

Question 41

What social force can you reasonably argue to friends and family determined the rise of sociology as a discipline?

A) World War I
B) social change after World War II
C) social change accompanying industrialization
D) the excesses of the Middle Ages
E) the wealth associated with capitalism

Question 42

What is Tönnies's term for traditional societies and their characteristics?

A) Gemeinschaft
B) mechanical division of labour
C) Gesellschaft
D) organic division of labour
E) compartmentalization

Question 43

Which of the following is a problem with Tönnies's theory?

A) His work focuses on modern society to the exclusion of traditional society.
B) Modern life is not completely devoid of Gesellschaft.
C) Modern life is not completely devoid of Gemeinschaft.
D) His work was written a century ago and is inapplicable today.
E) He overemphasized the role of family and friendship in modern societies.

Question 44

Select an appropriate criticism of Tönnies's theory.

A) Tönnies ignored the role of modernization in human development.
B) Tönnies relied too heavily on the experiences of modern European societies.
C) Tönnies' approach dismisses the role of modernization in human development.
D) Tönnies romanticized modern societies.
E) Tönnies overlooked bonds of family and friendship in modern societies.

Question 45

Durkheim pointed out that modern society is characterized by ________, or specialized economic activity.

A) mechanical solidarity
B) an increasing division of labour
C) organic solidarity
D) a minimal division of labour
E) Gemeinschaft

Question 46

What is Durkheim's term for social bonds that result from shared moral sentiments?

A) mechanical solidarity
B) division of labour
C) organic solidarity
D) anomie
E) Gesellschaft

Question 47

Durkheim's _______________theory closely resembles Tönnies's idea of Gemeinschaft.

A) mechanical solidarity
B) division of labour
C) organic solidarity
D) overspecialization
E) confrontation

Question 48

According to Durkheim, in modern society people are held together by:

A) tradition.
B) mechanical solidarity.
C) economic interdependence.
D) kinship ties.
E) marriage.

Question 49

Durkheim's theory of ____________ closely resembles Tönnies's Gesellschaft.

A) mechanical solidarity
B) division of labour
C) organic solidarity
D) overspecialization
E) confrontation

Question 50

Which is true of Durkheim's view of modernity?

A) a loss of community.
B) a change in the basis of culture.
C) It is less complex than Tönnies's.
D) It is less positive than Tönnies's.
E) It is not comparable to Tönnies's.

Question 51

What is the condition in which norms and values are so weak and inconsistent that society provides little moral guidance to individuals?

A) mechanical solidarity
B) anomie
C) organic solidarity
D) division of labour
E) chaos

Question 52

What can you conclude about the differing implications of Tönnies's and Durkheim's work?

A) Both were very optimistic about the future.
B) Both were convinced primitive society was organic in its solidarity.
C) They differed most in their views on traditional society.
D) Only Durkheim recognized the importance of personal bonds.
E) They differed on how society would "hold together" in the future.

Question 53

What does evidence suggest about Durkheim's theory of society?

A) He misunderstood the ongoing importance of norms in organic solidarity.
B) His prediction of a collapse of modern society due to anomie was accurate.
C) Suicide trends do not support his theory.
D) He was correct in seeing anomie as a characteristic of modern societies.
E) His theory only applies to societies that existed 100 or more years ago.

Question 54

What is a reasonably certain indicator that society is experiencing anomie?

A) a low crime rate
B) a reduced annual domestic product
C) a high degree of individualism
D) a tendency to see moral questions as "shades of grey"
E) a low suicide rate

Question 55

Which social theorist emphasized modernity as characterized by a rational world view?

A) Max Weber
B) Ferdinand Tönnies
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Herbert Marcuse
E) Karl Marx

Question 56

Weber believed that in preindustrial societies strong tradition acts as a constant:

A) facilitant of change.
B) brake on change.
C) accompaniment of change.
D) harbinger of change.
E) transmitter of change

Question 57

Which of the following is true about the views of Weber, Tönnies, and Durkheim with respect to tradition and modern society?

A) Durkheim was the only one of the three who was pessimistic about modern society.
B) All three analyzed the role of bureaucracy in traditional settings.
C) All three saw a steady weakening of tradition with the modernization process.
D) Only Tönnies focused on the importance of "ideas" for social change.
E) All three overlooked the ties that connect people.

Question 58

What is a frequent criticism of Weber's work?

A) He neglected the role of science in modern society.
B) He neglected the role of rationalization in modern society.
C) The alienation he attributed to bureaucracy actually stems from social inequality.
D) He gave only scant attention to bureaucracies.
E) He neglected the role of innovation in modern society.

Question 59

For Karl Marx, the Industrial Revolution was:

A) a product of alienation.
B) based on false consciousness.
C) a capitalist revolution.
D) a proletarian revolution.
E) a shift in religious orientation.

Question 60

With whom did Karl Marx agree that modernity fosters a rational worldview?

A) Charles Darwin
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Ferdinand Tönnies
D) Emile Durkheim
E) Max Weber

Question 61

With whom did Karl Marx agree that modernity weakens small communities?

A) Max Weber
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Ferdinand Tönnies
D) Emile Durkheim
E) Herbert Spencer.

Question 62

With whom did Karl Marx agree that modernity sharpens division of labour?

A) Max Weber
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Ferdinand Tönnies
D) Emile Durkheim
E) Charles Darwin

Question 63

Marx's theory of modernization:

A) ignores capitalism's role in stimulating revolution.
B) underestimates the dominance of bureaucracy in modern societies.
C) is absolutely too pessimistic about the future of capitalist societies.
D) is overly centred on the causal roles of ideas.
E) underestimates the importance of social change.

Question 64

A ________ society is one in which industry and expanding bureaucracy weaken traditional social ties.

A) secondary
B) disintegrated
C) mass
D) anomic
E) familial

Question 65

One finds the greatest productivity in ________ society.

A) mass
B) socialist
C) traditional
D) Gemeinschaft
E) agrarian

Question 66

One finds greatest social diversity in _______ society.

A) mass
B) socialist
C) traditional
D) Gemeinschaft
E) agrarian

Question 67

Which of the following is a characteristic of traditional societies?

A) many statuses
B) most relationships are secondary
C) fluid patterns of social inequality
D) high tolerance of diversity
E) few statuses

Question 68

Which of the following is a characteristic of traditional societies?

A) declining patriarchal control
B) gossip as an effective means of social control
C) the nuclear family as a unit of consumption, not production
D) extensive religious pluralism
E) universal basic schooling

Question 69

Which of the following is characteristic of modern societies?

A) people defending individual rights and freedom of choice
B) rigid patterns of social inequality
C) little social mobility
D) the extended family as the primary means of socialization
E) few statuses, most ascribed

Question 70

Which of the following is characteristic of modern societies?

A) a world view guided by religion
B) heterogeneous values
C) little state intervention into society
D) high birth and death rates
E) formal schooling limited to elites

Question 71

Mass-society theory points to ____________ as a positive development of the transformation of small-scale society.

A) bureaucracy
B) anomie
C) an increase in individual rights
D) voting activity
E) societal cohesiveness

Question 72

The theory of class society emphasizes the role of _______ in modernization.

A) the family
B) Gemeinschaft
C) religion
D) education
E) capitalism

Question 73

For mass-society theorists, what is a negative development from the transformation of small-scale societies?

A) decrease in individual rights
B) lack of tolerance for individual differences
C) decreased standard of living
D) isolation and materialism of individuals
E) a slowing down of innovation

Question 74

The Marxist term for a capitalist society with pronounced social stratification is:

A) caste.
B) ascriptive.
C) class.
D) meritocracy.
E) revolutionary.

Question 75

What was Marx's view of the capitalist state?

A) It is a check against the wealth and privilege of capitalists.
B) It combats social problems.
C) It defends the wealth and privilege of capitalists.
D) It limits the power of the upper class.
E) It prevents social anomie.

Question 76

A class-society theorist would point to the fact that in Canada, the richest ________ percent controls 40 percent of the nation's property.

A) 5
B) 20
C) 10
D) 40
E) 60

Question 77

An appropriate criticism of class-society theory is that it:

A) overemphasizes the role of ideas in social change.
B) overstates the case for anomie accompanying capitalism.
C) overlooks the increasing prosperity of modern societies.
D) is actually an argument for conservative capitalists.
E) advocates the elimination of state control.

Question 78

David Riesman described modernization in terms of personality patterns common to members of a particular society, or:

A) collective ego.
B) traditional-directedness.
C) other-directedness.
D) social character.
E) front-stage.

Question 79

David Riesman argued that pre-industrial societies promote ________, which is conformity to time-honoured ways of living.

A) collective ego
B) traditional-directedness
C) other-directedness
D) social character
E) contemporary-directedness

Question 80

What does David Riesman call the personality patterns among people who are open to change, often expressed by imitating others?

A) collective ego
B) traditional-directedness
C) other-directedness
D) social character
E) co-operation