Deck 23: Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Question 1

Sociologists say that people in preindustrial societies typically conform to a "style." By contrast, they point out that members of modern societies conform to _____.

A) nothing at all
B) the same styles as in the past
C) fashion and fads
D) None of the above is correct.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The concept "gossip" refers to:

A) statements that are unTrue.
B) beliefs that are widespread.
C) rumors about people's personal affairs.
D) widespread attitudes about controversial issues.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A collectivity involves a large number of people:

A) with minimal interaction and few well-defined norms.
B) who know each other well.
C) who interact in a formal setting such as a college classroom.
D) who are members of a well-defined social group.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a local collectivity?

A) family members quietly reading in their living room
B) excited soccer fans throwing bottles as they leave a stadium
C) two people holding hands as they walk through the woods
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 5

Mass behavior is defined as collective behavior:

A) in the form of a riot or a mob.
B) involving people in a crowd.
C) among people spread over a wide geographic area.
D) involving powerful emotions.

Question 6

Which of the following is a good example of a crowd?

A) many people walking on a city street who stop to observe an auto accident
B) many people who are graduates of the same college
C) a few people who gather at a city park every Saturday to play tennis
D) a few people who live in the same college dorm

Question 7

Hula hoops, streaking, and Pokemon cards are all examples of:

A) fads.
B) fashion.
C) style.
D) social movements.

Question 8

The text presents several types of crowds. Read the list below and indicate which is NOT one of the types of crowds discussed in the text.

A) casual crowd
B) acting crowd
C) lasting crowd
D) conventional crowd

Question 9

A New Year's Eve celebration in a public nightclub is an example of which kind of crowd?

A) protest crowd
B) conventional crowd
C) expressive crowd
D) casual crowd

Question 10

A riot differs from a mob in that the riot:

A) is not usually violent.
B) typically has little focus or clear goal.
C) involves fewer people.
D) is not as common in U.S. history.

Question 11

Emergent-norm theory states that people in crowds:

A) make their own rules as they go along.
B) carry a plan for their behavior into the crowd.
C) behave in surprisingly "normal" ways.
D) are taken over by the contagious emotions of the crowd.

Question 12

Contagion theory states that people in crowds:

A) make their own rules as they go along.
B) carry a plan for their behavior into the crowd.
C) behave in surprisingly "normal' ways.
D) are taken over by the spreading emotions of the crowd.

Question 13

Because of their intense emotion, mobs:

A) can be violent and destructive.
B) tend to last a long time.
C) include people who get to know one another.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

Convergence theory states that people in crowds:

A) make their own rules as they go along.
B) carry a plan for their behavior into the crowd.
C) behave in surprisingly "normal" ways.
D) are taken over by the contagious emotions of the crowd.

Question 15

Which of the following concepts refers to efforts to shape the public's attitudes on some issue?

A) fashion
B) gossip
C) mass behavior
D) propaganda

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of mass behavior?

A) a riot
B) rumor
C) a mob
D) a crowd

Question 17

Read the list below. All but one are types of collective behavior. Which one is not a form of collective behavior?

A) a fad
B) mass hysteria
C) a deviant subculture
D) public opinion

Question 18

Collective behavior involves action that often:

A) is unplanned.
B) involves a large number of people.
C) is controversial.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 19

"Widespread attitudes about controversial issues" is the definition of which of the following concepts?

A) public opinion
B) gossip
C) rumor
D) propaganda

Question 20

Collective behavior is difficult to study because:

A) it involves only one particular kind of behavior.
B) it is often transitory-that is, it is brief and passing.
C) it is always violent.
D) people object to being watched.

Question 21

Hurricane Katrina, that devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, is best thought of as an example of which of the following types of disasters?

A) natural disaster
B) technological disaster
C) intentional disaster
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 22

The fears about the possibility of a meteor hitting the earth could easily give rise to which of the following?

A) a conventional crowd
B) a moral panic
C) a protest crowd
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 23

The atomic tests near to Utrick Island in 1954 were a disaster for the 159 people who lived there. Kai Erikson explains that this disaster:

A) brought the people together in a good way.
B) never really had an ending.
C) was completely fixed by the U.S. government within a few days.
D) showed how it is possible to predict and prepare for disasters.

Question 24

Efforts by activists to get the public to recognize the danger of AIDS in the early 1980s is a good example of what process related to social movements?

A) formalization
B) moral panic
C) claims making
D) structural strain

Question 25

Which type of social movement seeks radical social change but only in some people?

A) alterative social movements
B) redemptive social movements
C) reformative social movements
D) revolutionary social movements

Question 26

Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that seeks to help alcoholics achieve a sober life, is one example of which type of social movement?

A) alterative social movements
B) redemptive social movements
C) reformative social movements
D) revolutionary social movements

Question 27

The enormous oil spill by the tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989 is an example of which of the following types of disasters?

A) natural disaster
B) technological disaster
C) intentional disaster
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 28

Social movements are defined as:

A) unlawful activity in the form of rioting.
B) widely dispersed efforts to force people to conform.
C) any formal organization that used propaganda.
D) organized activity that encourages or discourages social change.

Question 29

Thorstein Veblen used the concept "conspicuous consumption" to refer to which of the following?

A) doing things in public instead of in private
B) consuming expensive things to show off one's wealth
C) boycotting certain products as a form of protest
D) trying to look more socially disadvantaged than you really are

Question 30

In preindustrial societies, social movements:

A) were quite rare.
B) were typically about economic issues.
C) commonly took the form of rioting.
D) were more common than they are today.

Question 31

Of the various types of social movements, which is least threatening to the status quo?

A) alterative social movements
B) redemptive social movements
C) reformative social movements
D) revolutionary social movements

Question 32

The genocide that took place in the Darfur region of Sudan is an example of which of the following types of disasters?

A) technological disaster
B) natural disaster
C) intentional disaster
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 33

Fashion differs from a fad in that fashion:

A) is shorter lived.
B) is less conventional.
C) reflects established cultural values.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 34

Which type of social movement seeks radical change in all of society?

A) alterative social movements
B) redemptive social movements
C) reformative social movements
D) revolutionary social movements

Question 35

Today, social movements develop around any number of:

A) widely held beliefs.
B) controversial public issues.
C) national goals.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 36

Kai Erikson explains that disasters harm people in a way the public often fails to realize by:

A) destroying property.
B) killing people.
C) breaking down people's communities.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 37

As the "Paul is Dead" story in the box illustrates, rumor thrives in a climate of:

A) uncertainty.
B) relative deprivation.
C) officials taking decisive action.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 38

Deprivation theory states that social movements arise among people who:

A) feel adrift in society.
B) have plenty of money and other resources.
C) feel they lack enough income, power, or human dignity.
D) mobilize around cultural symbols.

Question 39

The concept of relative deprivation is based on the idea that:

A) people evaluate themselves by making specific comparisons.
B) some people have more than others.
C) people always judge their situation in absolute terms.
D) getting more makes people feel better about themselves.

Question 40

"Mass hysteria" is another name for:

A) acting crowd.
B) casual crowd.
C) moral panic.
D) fashion.

Question 41

One stage in the life of a social movement is called "coalescence." This stage refers to which of the following?

A) the emergence of the movement
B) the movement defining itself and "going public"
C) developing a capable staff to keep the movement operating
D) the decline of the movement

Question 42

The stage of a social movement called "bureaucratization" refers to:

A) the emergence of the movement.
B) the movement defining itself and "going public."
C) developing a capable staff to keep the movement operating.
D) the decline of the movement.

Question 43

Collective behavior is generally easy to explain.

Question 44

Fashion and fads, riots, crowds, mass hysteria, and public opinion are all types of collective behavior.

Question 45

To a passing observer, all types of collective behavior appear very much the same.

Question 46

Structural-strain theory claims that social movements:

A) have no single cause.
B) begin when there is widespread agreement that society has some serious problem.
C) often come together following some precipitating factor.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 47

In what way do "new social movements" differ from those in the past?

A) They are more likely to be international.
B) They are likely to focus on social rather than economic issues.
C) They are likely to attract support from middle- and upper-middle-class people.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 48

The political economy approach to social movements is closely linked to which of the following social thinkers?

A) Max Weber
B) Neil Smelser
C) Karl Marx
D) Thorstein Veblen

Question 49

Which of the following is a correct criticism of new social movements theory?

A) Economic issues are still involved in most such movements.
B) Few middle- and upper-middle-class people join social movements.
C) Few social movements are international in scope.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 50

Which theoretical approach states that social movements depend on rallying around symbols?

A) mass-society theory
B) deprivation theory
C) resource-mobilization theory
D) culture theory

Question 51

Which of the following is the best example of an issue that defines a "new social movement"?

A) poverty in the United States
B) global warming
C) the strength of labor unions
D) the conditions of immigrant farm workers in the Southwest

Question 52

What is the reason that social movements decline?

A) They have accomplished their purpose.
B) The suffer a loss of resources, including motivated members.
C) The existing power structure attracts leaders, who "sell out."
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 53

Mass-society theory predicts that social movements will involve people who:

A) are socially isolated.
B) have sufficient resources to launch and sustain them.
C) feel they lack enough income, power, or human dignity.
D) mobilize around cultural symbols.

Question 54

"Seeing Sociology in the News" describes a recent social movement where activists in Cairo:

A) fight high prices.
B) demand autonomy.
C) wish to practice senilicide (the killing of the elderly).
D) are using virtual reality to combat corrupt and oppressive governments..

Question 55

Which of the following is a correct statement?

A) Social movements emerge to encourage or resist change.
B) Social movements are rare in modern societies.
C) Social movements have done little to change U.S. society.
D) Social movements are all liberal.

Question 56

Looking ahead, social movements are likely to:

A) make use of more computer technology, which makes them spread easily.
B) become global in scope.
C) involve minorities and other marginalized people, who will seek a greater political voice.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 57

Resource-mobilization theory states that social movements require:

A) a cultural symbol.
B) money and other necessary resources.
C) a sense of relative deprivation.
D) high technology.

Question 58

An example of the importance of gender in social movements is the fact that:

A) few women are interested in most public issues.
B) men have taken most leadership roles in U.S. social movements.
C) men tend to avoid participation in social movements.
D) women typically have taken leadership roles in U.S. social movements.

Question 59

Disasters and mobs are both examples of collective behavior.

Question 60

Of all U.S. adults, about what percentage say they have taken part in a protest march or political demonstration?

A) 1 percent
B) 9 percent
C) 31 percent
D) 69 percent

Question 61

While gossip may spread throughout a society, rumor is localized.

Question 62

According to Georg Simmel, trendsetters are usually people from the lower class.

Question 63

Propaganda, by definition, involves statements that are False.

Question 64

Some riots are fueled by hate, but some riots are caused by positive emotions.

Question 65

People in crowds who act emotionally are not necessarily acting irrationally-there may be a good reason for the string emotion.

Question 66

A major oil spill from a ship would be an example of a "natural disaster."

Question 67

Convergence theory claims that crowds can have a hypnotic effect on participants.

Question 68

The social damage from a disaster is especially great when a toxic substance is involved.

Question 69

Unlike a mob action, a riot usually has a clear goal.

Question 70

Genocide-the systematic killing of many people-is an example of an "intentional disaster."

Question 71

Fads are sometimes called "crazes."

Question 72

Kai Erikson claims that, as serious as many disasters are, they usually are over quickly.

Question 73

One type of crowd can easily change into another type.

Question 74

People sitting on a beach is one example of a casual crowd.

Question 75

In recent decades, many fashions born among the poor have become popular among people who are more affluent.

Question 76

Another name for "mass hysteria" is "moral panic."

Question 77

Only a handful of actual mob lynchings in the United States have ever been documented.

Question 78

Convergence theory suggests crowd behavior comes from the people who join the crowd.

Question 79

Contagion theory was proposed by Gustave Le Bon.

Question 80

In industrial societies, traditional style gives way to changing fashion.