Deck 4: Society

Question 1

Gerhard Lenski claimed that which of the following has the greatest power to shape a society?

A) technology
B) social conflict
C) human ideas
D) human desire for change

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What type of society engages in large-scale farming based on the use of plows drawn by animals or more powerful energy sources?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural
C) pastoral
D) agrarian

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The social standing of women and men in hunting and gathering societies is

A) unequal, with men controlling farming.
B) fairly equal, with men and women making a vital contribution to survival.
C) unequal, with women raising the young while men secure food.
D) equal, because both men and women perform the same tasks.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Who, of the following, would be most likely to argue that the power of ideas shapes society?

A) the Lenskis
B) Marx
C) Weber
D) Durkheim

Question 5

Which of the following concepts refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share culture?

A) culture
B) society
C) nation
D) state

Question 6

A great danger to hunting and gathering societies is

A) warfare.
B) growing more food than they can carry.
C) the forces of nature, including storms and droughts.
D) dangerous animals.

Question 7

As societies generate a greater productive surplus, their people generally

A) become more socially equal.
B) gain more productive specialization.
C) become less warlike.
D) develop feelings of anomie.

Question 8

The Roman Empire at its peak power was what type of society?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural and pastoral
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 9

Horticultural societies are those in which

A) people are nomadic.
B) people hunt animals and gather vegetation.
C) people have learned to raise animals.
D) people use simple hand tools to raise crops.

Question 10

Humans first planted gardens in which region of the world?

A) Africa
B) Asia
C) Latin America
D) the Middle East

Question 11

Where in the world did large-scale cultivation or farming first develop?

A) Southeast Asia
B) the Middle East
C) North America
D) Africa

Question 12

Hunting and gathering societies were the only kind on the Earth from the origins of the human species some 3 million years ago until about

A) 250 000 years ago.
B) 100 000 years ago.
C) 12 000 years ago.
D) 2 500 years ago.

Question 13

Agrarian technology developed based on the use of

A) the plow.
B) the internal-combustion engine.
C) slave labour.
D) irrigation.

Question 14

According to Lenski, the term socio-cultural evolution refers to

A) changes brought about by new ways of thinking.
B) changes created by ideas coming from other societies.
C) change that results from social conflict.
D) changes that occur as a society acquires new technology.

Question 15

Today, hunting and gathering societies

A) are quickly spreading around the world.
B) represent about half the world's population.
C) are few in number but are found on every continent.
D) are close to disappearing from the world.

Question 16

The first type of society to generate a material surplus was

A) hunting and gathering.
B) horticultural and pastoral.
C) agrarian.
D) industrial.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of hunting and gathering societies?

A) Population is small; they are nomadic.
B) Population is large; they live in villages.
C) Population is small; they raise crops and animals.
D) Population is large; most people are farmers.

Question 18

Which of the following factors would the Lenskis' approach highlight as bringing about change in society?

A) the telephone
B) conflict between workers and factory owners
C) new religious movements
D) the extent to which people share moral values

Question 19

In hunting and gathering societies,

A) men and women do almost entirely the same tasks.
B) men hunt animals while women gather vegetation.
C) women hunt animals while men gather vegetation.
D) men and women work together as hunters.

Question 20

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all began in _____________ societies.

A) hunting and gathering
B) pastoral
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 21

Marx described the widespread beliefs that supported the capitalist economic system as

A) false consciousness.
B) class consciousness.
C) cultural awareness.
D) revolutionary politics

Question 22

Compared to an industrial society, a post-industrial society is based on

A) an information-based economy.
B) a factory-based economy.
C) an immigrant labour force.
D) a less productive economy.

Question 23

Which of the following is TRUE?

A) "Canadian society" is problematic.
B) Quebec wants to be recognized as a "special society."
C) All ethnic groups have the characteristics of a "society."
D) A "society" need not be aware of itself to be an independent entity.

Question 24

Marx noted four ways in which capitalism alienates workers. Which of the following is NOT one of these four ways?

A) alienation from the act of working
B) alienation from human potential
C) alienation from the family
D) alienation from the product of work

Question 25

Films about advancing technology, including Frankenstein, make the point that advancing technology

A) not only solves some problems but creates new ones.
B) is the solution to all human problems.
C) will never do anything good for humanity.
D) reveals problems we didn't know we already had.

Question 26

Many people have marvelled at the Great Wall in China and the Great Pyramids in Egypt. These monuments stand as evidence of the productive power of which type of society?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural and pastoral
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 27

Karl Marx argued that the dominant social institution is

A) the family.
B) religion.
C) politics.
D) the economy.

Question 28

Which of the following types of society has the most productive specialization?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural and pastoral
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 29

Gerhard Lenski claims that the development of more complex technology

A) is entirely positive.
B) has both positive and negative effects.
C) is entirely negative in its effect.
D) has no effect on the quality of human life.

Question 30

Karl Marx believed that the industrial-capitalist system was

A) going to last forever.
B) the best economic system possible.
C) giving rise to two great classes: capitalists and proletarians.
D) not important to understanding society and conflict.

Question 31

Marx described alienation as involving which of the following?

A) alienation from the government
B) alienation from the products of work
C) alienation from social clubs
D) alienation from the upper classes

Question 32

In the socialist society Marx hoped to see, which of the following would be true?

A) Capitalists would pay fair wages to workers.
B) Class conflict would no longer exist.
C) All people would do the same work.
D) Factory technology would be abolished.

Question 33

In terms of social inequality, agrarian societies generally

A) have much more inequality than less productive societal types.
B) have about the same amount of social inequality as less productive societal types.
C) have less social inequality than less productive societal types.
D) come very close to being egalitarian societies.

Question 34

The birth of the discipline of sociology took place during the development of which type of society?

A) pastoral
B) horticultural
C) industrial
D) agrarian

Question 35

The driving force of social change, according to Marx, is

A) advancing technology.
B) social conflict between classes.
C) dominant ideas.
D) the way in which society is held together.

Question 36

As the suffering of workers became worse, Marx predicted that they would

A) eventually starve to death.
B) rise up against the capitalist system.
C) go into business for themselves.
D) demand that women as well as men join the labour force.

Question 37

Industrialization changes societies in many ways. Which of the following is NOT a change brought on by industrialization?

A) A larger share of a society's people lives in cities.
B) There are fewer types of jobs and fewer people now work for income.
C) The rate of social change increases.
D) Advances in communication and transportation make society seem smaller.

Question 38

As Marx used the concept, alienation means

A) the sense of not knowing right from wrong.
B) that most people do not want to work at all.
C) that people object to highly specialized work.
D) the experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness.

Question 39

Assume you are studying a society that has just invented cities, has increasing specialization, and has just started using money to buy and sell goods and services. It is likely that the society is at which stage of socio-cultural evolution?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural and pastoral
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 40

Marx called those who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits

A) proletarians.
B) peasants.
C) capitalists.
D) burghers.

Question 41

It would be correct to say that Durkheim thought of society as

A) existing only in the human mind.
B) an objective reality.
C) changing from moment to moment.
D) having no clear existence at all.

Question 42

Weber traced the origins of the capitalist economy in Europe to

A) colonialism.
B) feudal monarchy.
C) the Protestant Reformation.
D) technological innovation.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT one of the seven characteristics of a rational organization as identified by Weber?

A) specialized tasks
B) technical competence
C) awareness of time
D) personality

Question 44

Max Weber described the features of rational social organization, pointing to all but one of the following. Which one is NOT part of his analysis?

A) Organizations become large-scale.
B) Self-discipline is important.
C) People in the workplace share highly personal relationships.
D) Technical competence is the key to getting jobs.

Question 45

Karl Marx considered capitalism to be _____, but Max Weber argued that capitalism was very _____.

A) irrational; rational
B) rational; irrational
C) unproductive; productive
D) productive; unproductive

Question 46

How did Weber describe traditional societies?

A) People look open-mindedly to the future.
B) People pass the same values and beliefs from generation to generation.
C) People live in the present, paying little attention to the past or the future.
D) People strive to be more and more productive.

Question 47

Karl Marx used a philosophical approach called _____. Max Weber followed an approach called _____.

A) tradition; rationality
B) rationality; tradition
C) materialism; idealism
D) idealism; materialism

Question 48

Durkheim claimed that, for each of us as individuals, society

A) maintains the highest level of personal privacy.
B) helps free people from human culture.
C) helps people "be all they can be."
D) regulates individuals, reining in their desires and passions.

Question 49

What Lenski called the industrial society and Marx called the capitalist society, Weber considered

A) a technological society.
B) an ideal society.
C) a traditional society.
D) a rational society.

Question 50

Max Weber's analysis of the rise of capitalism provides strong evidence of

A) the results of class conflict.
B) the effects of increasing specialization.
C) the importance of advancing technology.
D) the power of ideas to change society.

Question 51

Weber could see the advantages of industrial capitalism,

A) and he was optimistic about the future.
B) but he thought it would never actually develop.
C) but he thought workers would soon overthrow the system.
D) but he was pessimistic about the future.

Question 52

To compare societies at different times in history, Max Weber made use of

A) ideal types.
B) stereotypes.
C) statistical rates.
D) rationality tests.

Question 53

When Weber used the concept "rationality," he had in mind

A) a concern with what's good for the entire community.
B) a respect for tradition.
C) deliberate, matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient way to accomplish any task.
D) limiting the extent of class conflict.

Question 54

_____________ argued that society was here long before we were born.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) The Lenskis

Question 55

Comparing and contrasting the ideas of Karl Marx and Max Weber, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Marx thought modern society was alienating; Weber did not.
B) Weber thought modern society was alienating; Marx did not.
C) Both Marx and Weber thought modern society was alienating, although for different reasons.
D) Neither Marx nor Weber thought modern society was alienating.

Question 56

Emile Durkheim saw society as a system "beyond us" with the power to guide our lives. Therefore, he described elements of society, including cultural norms, values, and beliefs as

A) social facts.
B) ideal types.
C) false consciousness.
D) forms of rationality.

Question 57

According to Max Weber, early Calvinists were

A) deeply religious and highly disciplined.
B) eager to enjoy what money could buy.
C) people who respected the past.
D) not interested in business.

Question 58

In describing the rationalization of society, Max Weber claimed that modern society had become

A) more religious.
B) disenchanted.
C) full of anomie.
D) less productive.

Question 59

How would Durkheim describe the importance of a social structure such as family?

A) Family is one important source of inequality.
B) Family exists only in the meaning it has for a particular person.
C) Family plays a part in the operation of society.
D) Family is the result of humanity's biological evolution.

Question 60

__________ considered industrial capitalism to be highly rational.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) The Lenskis

Question 61

Which of the following would likely be a question Emile Durkheim would ask about computer technology and the Information Revolution?

A) Does computer technology contribute or detract from inner-worldly asceticism?
B) Do computers provide an example of mechanical solidarity?
C) Might access to unlimited information on the internet increase the danger of anomie?
D) What role will computers play in the Proletariat Revolution?

Question 62

Forces of nature have the greatest effect on societies with the simplest technology.

Question 63

Of the three founding sociologists considered in Chapter 4 of the text, who held the most optimistic view of modern society?

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Gerhard Lenski

Question 64

Gerhard Lenski dismissed technology as of little importance in shaping cultural patterns.

Question 65

Durkheim explained that organic solidarity is based on

A) specialization and interdependence.
B) collective conscience.
C) shared moral values.
D) common cultural heritage.

Question 66

What concept did Durkheim use to refer to social bonds, which are strong among members of industrial society and are based on specialization and mutual interdependence?

A) Gesellschaft
B) mechanical solidarity
C) collective conscience
D) organic solidarity

Question 67

Hunting and gathering societies generate a productive surplus.

Question 68

Of the following sociologists, which one might you most expect to be having a conversation about the question of what holds society together?

A) Gerhard Lenski
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 69

Hunting and gathering societies are nomadic.

Question 70

Hunting and gathering societies have elected leaders.

Question 71

__________ might point out that the internet threatens to increase the problem of anomie.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) Goffman

Question 72

Which of the following would likely be a question Emile Durkheim would ask about the 2001 terrorist attacks?

A) How did these attacks unite people across North America?
B) Which class benefits most from the war on terror?
C) What new kinds of technology will come out of this crisis?
D) How might the attacks increase bureaucracy and the power of government?

Question 73

Gerhard Lenski used the concept "socio-cultural evolution" to refer to how technological innovation changes the shape of societies.

Question 74

If you were to hear a sociologist speaking of class conflict as the "engine of history," which of the following would it most likely be?

A) Gerhard Lenski
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 75

Looking over the long course of history, Durkheim claimed that societies change as _____ gives way to _____.

A) Gesellschaft; Gemeinschaft
B) individualism; collective conscience
C) mechanical solidarity; organic solidarity
D) organic solidarity; mechanical solidarity

Question 76

If you wanted to learn more about a society's worldview to be a powerful force causing change, to which of the following sociologists would you turn?

A) Gerhard Lenski
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 77

Today, __________ would likely be concerned about the emergence of a new symbolic elite.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) the Lenskis

Question 78

Which of the following concepts was used by Durkheim to name a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals?

A) division of labour
B) false consciousness
C) anomie
D) alienation

Question 79

Of the following sociologists, which one was most interested in how society is divided?

A) Gerhard Lenski
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 80

"Anomie" refers to

A) alienation.
B) distinctiveness.
C) normlessness.
D) self-destruction.