Deck 1: Understanding Sociology

Question 1

Which of the following academic disciplines investigates personality and individual behavior?

A) history
B) psychology
C) political science
D) sociology

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which aspect of divorce would most likely be of interest to sociologists using the sociological imagination?

A) the structural impact of divorce
B) the personal hardships of a man or woman divorcing
C) the average amount of child support payments for dependent children
D) the number of suicides connected to divorce

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following academic disciplines is classified as a natural science?

A) sociology
B) history
C) political science
D) biology

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The awareness that allows people to comprehend the link between their immediate,personal social settings and the remote,impersonal social world is called:

A) the sociological imagination.
B) anthropology.
C) a theory.
D) verstehen.

Question 5

Sociology is considered a science because sociologists:

A) teach at respected universities.
B) engage in organized and systematic study of phenomena to enhance understanding.
C) receive government funding for research projects.
D) construct middle-range theories to explain social behavior.

Question 6

____________ is most closely associated with the concept of the sociological imagination.

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D)C. Wright Mills

Question 7

A key element in the sociological imagination is the ability to view one's own society:

A) from the perspective of personal experience.
B) from the perspective of cultural biases.
C) as an outsider.
D) as an insider.

Question 8

Which of the following subject areas is an example of a natural science?

A) philosophy
B) British literature
C) ceramics
D) geology

Question 9

The body of knowledge obtained using methods based upon systematic observation is called a (an):

A) theory.
B) verstehen.
C) science.
D) ideal type.

Question 10

Sociology:

A) is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups.
B) focuses primarily on how social relationships influence people's behavior.
C) focuses on how societies develop and change.
D) all of these

Question 11

The scientific study of social behavior and human groups is known as:

A) psychology.
B) political science.
C) anthropology.
D) sociology.

Question 12

Which of the following would be an example of the use of the sociological imagination?

A) a study of an individual's sleeping patterns
B) an analysis of the content of dreams
C) a study that concentrates on the behavior of people listening to a religious service compared to those listening to a rock concert
D) an analysis of the powers of the President of the U.S. to declare war

Question 13

The sociological imagination is an empowering tool because:

A) it allows us to look beyond a limited understanding of the world.
B) it helps us to understand why certain people may prefer hip-hop music.
C) it helps open up a different way of understanding other populations in the world.
D) all of these

Question 14

Which of the following academic disciplines is classified as a social science?

A) biology
B) physics
C) anthropology
D) astronomy

Question 15

Astronomy,biology,chemistry,geology,and physics study various aspects of the physical features of nature and are therefore considered:

A) natural sciences.
B) social sciences.
C) typologies.
D) psychological categories.

Question 16

Which of the following academic disciplines emphasizes the influence that society has on people's attitudes and behavior and the ways in which people shape society?

A) anthropology
B) economics
C) sociology
D) physics

Question 17

Sociology,anthropology,economics,and history study various aspects of human society and are therefore considered:

A) natural sciences.
B) social sciences.
C) typologies.
D) psychological categories.

Question 18

A sociologist observing behavior at a college football game would probably focus on:

A) what books the coach of the team has read during the past year.
B) a "fan" who has fallen asleep during the game's fourth quarter.
C) the interaction among fans during the pre-game ritual of tailgate parties.
D) the cleanliness of the rest room facilities in the stadium.

Question 19

C.Wright Mills advocated the use of the sociological imagination to view divorce in the United States because divorce:

A) is a serious personal problem for numerous men and women.
B) is not just an individual's personal problem but a societal concern.
C) may create emotional scars for divorcees.
D) has been a serious problem throughout history.

Question 20

Which of the following academic disciplines would most likely explore the ways in which people produce and exchange goods?

A) history
B) psychology
C) economics
D) sociology

Question 21

Which early sociologist applied the concept of evolution to societies in order to explain how they change,or evolve,over time?

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Charles Darwin
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Herbert Spencer

Question 22

An attempt to explain problems,actions,or behavior in a comprehensive manner is called a (an):

A) science.
B) typology.
C) theory.
D) ideal type.

Question 23

The discipline of sociology was given its name by the French theorist:

A) Émile Durkheim.
B) Auguste Comte.
C) Harriet Martineau.
D) Marcel Marceau.

Question 24

The word that Max Weber used to stress the need for sociologists to take into account people's emotions,thoughts,beliefs,understandings,and attitudes was:

A) verstehen.
B) Gemeinschaft.
C) anomie.
D) Gesellschaft.

Question 25

A social scientist would be likely to study the:

A) composition of a meteorite discovered in a remote area of Siberia.
B) reasons for the decreasing divorce rate in the U.S.
C) newest procedure in heart transplant surgery.
D) possibility of life on Mars.

Question 26

In his research on suicide,Émile Durkheim's found that:

A) Protestants had higher suicide rates than Catholics.
B) married people had higher suicide rates than unmarried people.
C) civilians had higher suicide rates than soldiers.
D) suicide rates were higher during periods of prosperity than during periods of depression.

Question 27

Contrary to common sense,a 2007 study of military marriages showed:

A) a significant rise in divorce rates.
B) a significant decrease in divorce rates.
C) no significant increase in the divorce rate.
D) the rate was the same as the civilian rate.

Question 28

Which social science would study cases of emotional stress,anxiety,and depression related to the earthquake in Haiti?

A) history
B) psychology
C) sociology
D) anthropology

Question 29

In many Third World nations,the pace of social change is very rapid and there is significant hunger and starvation,unemployment,and family disruption.Individuals who live in Third World nations are likely to suffer:

A) dialecticism.
B) anomie.
C) verstehen.
D) dramaturgy.

Question 30

Which social science would be interested in the stances taken by elected officials in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti?

A) history
B) economics
C) sociology
D) political science

Question 31

A natural scientist would be likely to study:

A) the clothing patterns of a group of people during a hundred-year period.
B) food preparation among a tribal group in New Guinea.
C) rock formations and composition in the Grand Canyon.
D) the interaction between men and women on a college campus.

Question 32

The concept of anomie was introduced into sociology by:

A) Auguste Comte.
B) Émile Durkheim.
C) Max Weber.
D)C. Wright Mills.

Question 33

Which sociologist translated the works of Auguste Comte into English and emphasized the impact that the economy,laws,trade,and population could have on contemporary social problems?

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Jane Addams
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Talcott Parsons

Question 34

Émile Durkheim is known for his classic sociological study of:

A) suicide.
B) abortion.
C) soccer.
D) crowd control.

Question 35

Émile Durkheim's study of suicide related suicide rates to:

A) personal depression.
B) personal stress.
C) the extent to which people were integrated into the group life of a society.
D) climatic conditions such as oppressive heat, heavy rain, and cold winters.

Question 36

Anomie refers to:

A) a model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated.
B) a loss of direction that is felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.
C) a classification scheme containing two or more categories.
D) a type of suicide that is based on depression.

Question 37

Which social science would be interested in cost comparisons between the use of the death penalty and incarceration for criminal offenders?

A) history
B) economics
C) sociology
D) political science

Question 38

Émile Durkheim's explanation of suicide was scientific because he:

A) developed conclusions based on systematic examination of data.
B) carefully studied the personalities of hundreds of suicide victims.
C) worked in a university setting.
D) divided suicide into four distinctive categories.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is an example of a sociological theory?

A) Suicide rates are a reflection of whether people are, or are not, integrated into the group life of a society.
B) John's suicide was probably the result of the stress he was feeling at work.
C) Social groups must have three or more members.
D) Betting on horse races increases on sunny days.

Question 40

Sociologists argue that,unlike scientific knowledge,common sense conclusions are:

A) not published.
B) not reliable.
C) not politically correct.
D) easily disseminated.

Question 41

A sociology instructor asks students to make lists of the characteristics of the best and worst possible instructors.These lists,which would be used to evaluate all instructors,are an example of a (an):

A) typology.
B) ideal type.
C) verstehen.
D) hypothesis.

Question 42

An ideal type is:

A) a body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation.
B) a construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated.
C) a detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically.
D) an initiator of people's attitudes or behavior.

Question 43

In Karl Marx's analysis,society was fundamentally divided between:

A) men and women who clash in pursuit of their own interests.
B) classes that clash in pursuit of their own class interests.
C) Blacks and Whites who clash in pursuit of their own racial interests.
D) the religious and the nonreligious who clash in pursuit of their own interests.

Question 44

Which of the following was a central focus for Charles Horton Cooley?

A) class issues
B) divorce
C) intimate face-to-face groups
D) suicide

Question 45

Although some of the early sociologists saw themselves as social reformers,by the middle of the twentieth century,the focus of the discipline of sociology had shifted to:

A) theorizing and gathering information.
B) a de-emphasis on the scientific method.
C) applied sociology.
D) the advocacy of civil rights for minorities.

Question 46

What term do we use to describe the experience of being Black in White America; a division of an individual's identity into two or more social realities?

A) double consciousness
B) racial fetishism
C) double rejection
D) bipolar racism

Question 47

Marx viewed the relationship between the capitalists and the exploited workers in systemic terms; that is,he believed that a system of _____________ relationships maintained the power and dominance of the owners over the workers.

A) economic
B) political
C) social
D) all of these

Question 48

Early female sociologists such as Jane Addams were often active in poor urban areas as leaders of community centers known as:

A) settlement houses.
B) communes.
C) collective homes.
D) utopian communities.

Question 49

In The Communist Manifesto,Marx argued that the working class must:

A) ally with capitalists to build a better world.
B) try to work toward a return to feudalism.
C) overthrow the existing class system of capitalist societies.
D) ignore all aspects of class divisions.

Question 50

For W.E.B.Du Bois,which of the following was considered essential in combating prejudice and achieving tolerance and justice?

A) statistics
B) common sense
C) knowledge
D) surveys

Question 51

A construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated is called a (an):

A) ideal type.
B) typology.
C) natural science.
D) theory.

Question 52

W.E.B.Du Bois conducted important social research on the lives of African Americans in which of the following cities?

A) New York
B) Philadelphia
C) Baltimore
D) Albany

Question 53

_______________ stresses the study of small groups and often uses experimental study in laboratories.

A) Microsociology
B) Macrosociology
C) Middle-range sociology
D) Conflict theory

Question 54

Which of the following sociologists advocated basic research on the lives of Blacks?

A) Robert Merton
B) Jane Addams
C) W.E.B. Du Bois
D)C. Wright Mills

Question 55

In 1909,W.E.B.Du Bois helped found which of these organizations?

A) Black Panther Party
B) Nation of Islam
C) NAACP
D) Black National Congress

Question 56

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels said,"the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.[...] The _______________ have nothing to lose but their chains.They have a world to win.WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES UNITE!"

A) bourgeoisie
B) proletarians
C) vulcans
D) middle classes

Question 57

The concept of verstehen was introduced into sociology by:

A) Auguste Comte.
B) Émile Durkheim.
C) Max Weber.
D)C. Wright Mills.

Question 58

A sociologist interviews high-salaried corporate chief executive officers (CEOs)to discover whether they feel stress in their everyday lives as a result of the pressure to produce at an unrealistic level.This sociologist is employing:

A) alienation.
B) anomie.
C) verstehen.
D) globalization techniques.

Question 59

Sociological studies that focus on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations are defined as:

A) microsociology.
B) interactionism.
C) macrosociology.
D) dramaturgy.

Question 60

Which sociologist made an important contribution to the discipline by successfully combining theory and research?

A)C. Wright Mills
B) Jane Addams
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Robert Merton

Question 61

Which sociologist explored what it meant to be female and Black living in the U.S.?

A) Jane Addams
B) Ida Wells-Barnett
C) Harriet Martineau
D) Meda Chesney-Lind

Question 62

Which sociologist saw "society as a vast network of connected parts,each of which contributes to the maintenance of the system as a whole?"

A) Karl Marx
B) Erving Goffman
C) Max Weber
D) Talcott Parsons

Question 63

Which sociological perspective sees the social world as being in continual struggle?

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

Question 64

An element or a process of society that may actually disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability is known as a:

A) latent function.
B) manifest function.
C) dysfunction.
D) conflict function.

Question 65

Which sociological approach focuses on the macrolevel and would tend to view inequality in gender as central to behavior and organization?

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

Question 66

Which sociological perspective holds the view that people create their social worlds through interaction and manipulation of symbols?

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

Question 67

A sociologist studies drug-use patterns among small groups of college students in a Midwestern college.This would be an example of:

A) conflict theory.
B) functionalism.
C) macrosociology.
D) microsociology.

Question 68

Which of the following could be a manifest function of colleges?

A) They are a place to meet future husbands or wives.
B) They sometimes fail to teach students how to read or write effectively.
C) They help to maintain the economic status quo in the U.S.
D) They prepare students for post-college careers.

Question 69

Which of the following would be an example of social capital?

A) knowledge of fine wines
B) your dad, the janitor
C) deep knowledge of Mozart
D) your Uncle, the powerful Senator

Question 70

Children who experience divorce in their family are more likely to experience divorce themselves when they are adults.This is an example of a:

A) dysfunction of families.
B) latent function of families.
C) manifest function of families.
D) proactive function of families.

Question 71

Contemporary conflict theorists are concerned with the conflict between:

A) women and men.
B) cities and suburbs.
C) Blacks and Whites.
D) all of these

Question 72

Which sociological perspective generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) all of these

Question 73

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to argue that the existence of big-city political machines suggests that these political organizations satisfy certain basic social needs?

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

Question 74

Which sociological perspective would suggest that if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a society's stability,then it does not serve a useful function?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) all of these

Question 75

Which sociologist is widely regarded as the founder of the interactionist perspective?

A)C. Wright Mills
B) George Herbert Mead
C) Charles Horton Cooley
D) Erving Goffman

Question 76

Which of the following would be an example of cultural capital?

A) knowing all the names of Monster Truck drivers
B) knowledge of great American authors
C) a close network of extended relatives
D) knowledge of Laotian cuisine

Question 77

According to the functionalist perspective,an aspect of social life is passed on from one generation to the next if it:

A) can be used by one group to subjugate another group.
B) enhances impression management.
C) promotes value consensus among members of a society.
D) is dysfunctional.

Question 78

A study of divorce rates among the populations of Canada,England,the U.S.,and France is an example of:

A) alienation.
B) anomie.
C) microsociology.
D) macrosociology.

Question 79

Critics of television often suggest that executives of major television networks and movie corporations are wealthy White males who decide which programs or movies will be produced and which directors and actors will obtain jobs in the industry.This analysis reflects the:

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

Question 80

Which sociological perspective would view society as a living organism in which each part of the organism contributes to its survival and stability?

A) functionalist perspective
B) conflict perspective
C) interactionist perspective
D) all of these