Deck 1: A Sociological Compass

Question 1

Sociological theories are elaborate, detailed descriptions of what happens in a society.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Émile Durkheim's analysis of suicide demonstrates how the process of taking one's life through violent means is an isolated and individualistic act.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to Gramsci, cultural hegemony benefits all members of society.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Beginning in the 1960s, decisions about fashion trends became less democratic.

Question 5

International organizations, as well as patterns of worldwide travel and communication, comprise the widest-reaching level of social structure, referred to as macrostructures.

Question 6

The study of the subjective meanings that people attach to their actions and social life is part of the functionalist theory.

Question 7

The idea that patterns of gender inequality can and should be changed for the benefit of all members of society is one of the main features of feminist theory.

Question 8

According to functionalists, fashion performs a useful social function of making class differences obvious.

Question 9

In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber demonstrated that religious ideas could support the development of capitalism.

Question 10

The Postindustrial Revolution is the shift from white-collar office work to blue-collar factory work.

Question 11

The sociological imagination enables us to understand that individuals are masters of their own destinies.

Question 12

The ability to see the connection between personal troubles and social structures (for example, personal problems and public issues related to unemployment) is known as the sociological imagination.

Question 13

The stable patterns of social relations in our lives, such as the organization of work and family composition, are called global structures.

Question 14

According to Spencer, individual struggle for survival caused societies to progress from "barbaric" to "civilized."

Question 15

Aaron and Roberta dated for several years and fell in love.Their social interaction is an example of microstructures.

Question 16

According to the textbook, one of the main impacts of postindustrialism on social relationships has been to free people from traditional constraints.

Question 17

Which of the following is a central concept of conflict theory?

A)ethnic conflict
B)gender conflict
C)cultural conflict
D)class conflict

Question 18

What did Max Weber believe fuelled capitalism?

A)development of technology
B)the Protestant ethic
C)the power elite
D)class consciousness

Question 19

The concept of class conflict is more important in Marx's than in Weber's theory.

Question 20

The hometown football team has a tight-knit group of players who care about each other on and off the field.A sociologist would conclude that the team has a high degree of social solidarity.

Question 21

Which theorist developed the idea of a sociological imagination?

A)C.Wright Mills
B)Émile Durkheim
C)Karl Marx
D)Auguste Comte

Question 22

Which theorist is best known in North America for identifying how various societal institutions work together to create a smoothly running society?

A)Robert Merton
B)Erving Goffman
C)Talcott Parsons
D)George Herbert Mead

Question 23

Massimo has noticed that while universities are places where people learn specific skills that prepare them for the world of employment, they are also excellent places for meeting one's future mate.Which of the following best characterizes the "marriage market" role of the university?

A)evolutionary advantage
B)evolutionary disadvantage
C)overt function
D)latent function

Question 24

Jane believes that, in order to fully understand this domestic violence, she must look at the interactions between members of heterosexual couples and at the overarching gender ideology of her society.Which of the following theoretical frameworks are her beliefs most consistent with?

A)symbolic interactionism
B)feminist theory
C)queer theory
D)social constructionism

Question 25

Which of the following theories is characterized by the study of macrostructures, shared values, and a focus on societal equilibrium?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)feminism

Question 26

Raj would like a job where he can work with people and create positive social change.According to the textbook, which of the following fields should he get a degree in?

A)political science
B)sociology
C)biology
D)women's studies

Question 27

According to the textbook, which theory has arisen in recent decades to correct some omissions in earlier sociological theories?

A)functionalism
B)feminist theory
C)conflict theory
D)symbolic interactionism

Question 28

Workers today are able to access employment insurance benefits, and they enjoy higher wages and less oppressive working conditions than workers in earlier centuries.What has resulted from this situation?

A)a critique of the inevitability of a worker revolution
B)a critique of the inevitability of a capitalist society
C)a critique of communism
D)a critique of capitalism

Question 29

Which sociologist is famous for the work titled The Vertical Mosaic?

A)John Porter
B)Erving Goffman
C)Margrit Eichler
D)S.D.Clark

Question 30

According to the textbook, which of the following is a major issue of our time that sociologists should study?

A)the Industrial Revolution
B)globalization
C)the Informational Revolution
D)identity

Question 31

Tanya is interested in the way people behave in public spaces.She spends one hour every day for a week at her office building riding the elevator, observing people's behaviour, and making notes.What type of scientific activity is Tanya engaging in?

A)speculating
B)theorizing
C)research
D)evaluating

Question 32

Why did Durkheim's contemporaries overlook social forces as possible causes of suicide?

A)because suicide was rare
B)because instances of suicide were concealed and their numbers were unknown
C)because there can be no social reasons for carrying out such an individual act
D)because suicide was considered an individual act of desperation, often resulting from a psychological disorder

Question 33

Jonah is researching the ways that the public education system has taken on the work of educating children that families and religious groups used to do.What theoretical tradition is he most likely following in his research?

A)feminism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)functionalism

Question 34

Which type of analysis concludes that the wearing of exclusive, expensive fashions serves primarily to make class distinctions obvious?

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

Question 35

Lori is interested in getting a job where she is most likely to have the same income as a man with a similar educational background.According to the textbook, what type of study program should she choose?

A)business
B)engineering
C)sciences
D)social sciences

Question 36

Maya believes that although people's food preferences seem natural and innate, they are really prescribed by cultural norms.Which theory is her belief most consistent with?

A)feminism
B)queer theory
C)social constructionism
D)conflict theory

Question 37

According to the textbook, to what kind of jobs are people with a B.A.in sociology most attracted?

A)marketing
B)managing large departments
C)absence of direct supervision
D)managing and promoting social change

Question 38

Which of the following theories focused on the ways in which the breadwinner-homemaker family popular in the 1950s helped society run smoothly?

A)feminism
B)conflict theory
C)functionalism
D)symbolic interactionism

Question 39

Zoë is interested in studying the ways that family socialization contributes to social harmony.Which theorist's work is most closely aligned to her interests?

A)C.Wright Mills
B)Herbert Spencer
C)Talcott Parsons
D)Max Weber

Question 40

Which revolution put forth the idea that humans can intervene in and shape society?

A)Industrial Revolution
B)Scientific Revolution
C)Sociological Revolution
D)Democratic Revolution

Question 41

What did Durkheim's nineteenth-century study of suicide in France demonstrate?

A)that suicide was mainly carried out by desperate people
B)that suicide was influenced mainly by people's level of psychological distress
C)that suicide was related to an individual's level of integration into society
D)that suicide was caused by a high level of confusion among people who belonged to several social networks at once

Question 42

A focus on restrictive and uncomfortable fashions for women as a form of maintaining patriarchy and male dominance is characteristic of which theory?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)feminism

Question 43

Which important characteristic do the works of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber share?

A)a good theoretical explanation of postindustrial revolution
B)use of class conflict to explain historic changes
C)understanding that societies are similar to biological systems
D)suggesting ways to improve people's lives

Question 44

The belief that hard work, thrift, and humility would result in "grace" in God's kingdom is central to which of the following concepts?

A)the sociological imagination
B)patriarchy
C)the Protestant ethic
D)Verstehen

Question 45

According to research cited in the textbook, graduates in which field have the best chance of getting employment in the new jobs that have been created in a postindustrial economy?

A)business
B)engineering
C)sciences
D)social sciences

Question 46

Priya is interested in studying the ways that family socialization contributes to formation of its members' identities.Which theorist's work is most closely aligned her interests?

A)C.Wright Mills
B)George Herbert Mead
C)Talcott Parsons
D)Max Weber

Question 47

The textbook authors argue that reality TV shows are not realistic.What is their main argument?

A)Most participants are drawn from small and diminishing minorities in the population.
B)Although participants are ordinary people, they are put in unrealistic situations.
C)Although participants are ordinary people, they are put in highly stressful situations.
D)Participants are very similar to audience members, who normally have little chance of appearing on TV.

Question 48

Which theorist found flaws in the argument that capitalism would inevitably collapse?

A)Karl Marx
B)Émile Durkheim
C)Herbert Spencer
D)Max Weber

Question 49

What was the main research finding of the book The Power Elite?

A)Power is spread evenly between various classes in American society.
B)Power is highly concentrated in American society.
C)American military elite has a decisive influence over its economy.
D)American business elite has a decisive influence over its military decisions.

Question 50

The fact that people obtain an education leading to future employment by obtaining a degree at a university can be seen as an example of which of the following?

A)a dysfunctional function
B)a manifest function
C)a latent function
D)a contributing function

Question 51

According to Durkheim, which type of suicide is most likely to occur in a society having few shared norms or vague norms?

A)altruistic suicide
B)anomic suicide
C)egoistic suicide
D)nomadic suicide

Question 52

Amandev has noticed that while universities are places where people learn specific skills that prepare them for the world of employment, they are also excellent places for meeting one's future mate.Which theorist's work is he using in identifying these differing functions?

A)Talcott Parsons
B)Erving Goffman
C)George Herbert Mead
D)Robert Merton

Question 53

Who is considered to be the first female sociologist and one of the first feminists?

A)Margrit Eichler
B)Dorothy Smith
C)Jane Addams
D)Harriet Martineau

Question 54

American cultural focus on individualism contributed to the development of which of the following theories linking the individual to society?

A)functionalism
B)feminism
C)conflict theory
D)symbolic interactionism

Question 55

According to the textbook, why are suicide rates among the Innu of Labrador among the highest in the world?

A)because the Innu are a nomadic people who rely upon hunting and trapping
B)because government assistance in the forms of welfare and education was cut back
C)because most Innu youth are engaged in sniffing gasoline and abusing alcohol to get high
D)because the Innu's traditional lands, practices, norms, and values have been destroyed

Question 56

Which of the following theories enjoyed great popularity in North American sociology for approximately 30 years, beginning around the time of the Great Depression?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)feminism

Question 57

How do suicide rates in Canada today compare to rates observed by Durkheim in nineteenth-century France?

A)Youth suicide rates are higher in Canada today.
B)Youth suicide rates are lower in Canada today.
C)Suicide rates of women are lower in Canada today.
D)Suicide rates of men are lower in Canada today.

Question 58

Which sociologist received the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize for work with the poor in Chicago?

A)Jane Addams
B)Talcott Parsons
C)Wright Mills
D)George Herbert Mead

Question 59

Which of the following terms refers to ideas about good and bad, and right and wrong?

A)theories
B)values
C)norms
D)scientific reasoning

Question 60

According to the textbook, many contemporary leading sociologists attended graduate school in the 1960s and 1970s.Considering this fact, which theoretical perspective are they most likely to subscribe to?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)queer theory

Question 61

According to the textbook, which of the following sources of tension is a major characteristic of contemporary societies?

A)freedom versus constraint
B)happiness versus unhappiness
C)industrialization versus postindustrialization
D)globalization versus localization

Question 62

In her research study, Tabitha is trying to understand the meanings her interviewees place on various types of new cell phone applications by putting herself in their situations and using the same applications.What would Weber call the research methodology Tabitha is employing?

A)Verstehen
B)structural analysis
C)functionalism
D)class consciousness

Question 63

According to the textbook, what is the main rationale for the existence of sociology?

A)to understand the past
B)to make the past come alive
C)to create the best possible future
D)to understand the relationship between humans and nature

Question 64

Justifying the privileges of the wealthy by saying that they are simply better people than the poor is consistent with which of the following ideas?

A)sociological imagination
B)Darwinian evolution
C)Democratic Revolution
D)social Darwinism

Question 65

Dallin thinks that more funding should be spent on researching alternatives to fossil fuel.According to the textbook, what likely drives his opinions about what funding should be spent on?

A)personal values
B)the sociological imagination
C)microstructural analysis
D)interpersonal conflict

Question 66

Which of the following findings is common to suicide rates in Canada today and those found by Durkheim a century ago?

A)That men are much more likely to commit suicide than women.
B)That women are much more likely to commit suicide than men.
C)That suicide among youth is so rare as to be almost non-existent.
D)That suicide among people aged 85 and over is so rare as to be almost non-existent.

Question 67

According to the textbook, why were there so few early female sociologists?

A)Because very few women were interested in sociology before the women's movement of the 1960s.
B)Because women did not have access to, or widespread opportunities to engage in, higher education.
C)Because women were primarily interested in family life and devoted their energies to it.
D)Because women were far more likely to be engaged in social and educational activism and reform.

Question 68

Which of the following influential symbolic interactionists is known for "dramaturgical approach" to everyday social interaction?

A)Talcott Parsons
B)George Herbert Mead
C)Michel Foucault
D)Erving Goffman

Question 69

Jessica wishes to live and work overseas after getting her university degree.She is trying to determine which areas of expertise are likely to be in demand in the parts of the world she is interested in.Which of the following should she study in order to get information that is likely to be useful in her planning?

A)global structures
B)macrostructures
C)mesostructures
D)microstructures

Question 70

Freja believes that there is immense variability in gender identities and performances.Which theory is her argument most consistent with?

A)feminism
B)queer theory
C)social constructionism
D)conflict theory

Question 71

Which theorist is responsible for calling the scientific study of society "sociology"?

A)C.Wright Mills
B)Karl Marx
C)Auguste Comte
D)Herbert Spencer

Question 72

"Survival of the fittest" is a concept most closely associated with which of the following theorists' work?

A)Auguste Comte
B)Herbert Spencer
C)Karl Marx
D)Max Weber

Question 73

Which theory emphasizes that humans have agency and can influence their own destinies?

A)conflict theory
B)social Darwinism
C)symbolic interactionism
D)functionalism

Question 74

Which theory focuses on subjectivity, interpersonal relationships, and human agency?

A)conflict theory
B)functionalism
C)queer theory
D)symbolic interactionism

Question 75

Which theory focuses on inequalities between social classes, struggles for power, and the resulting social change?

A)functionalism
B)symbolic interactionism
C)conflict theory
D)feminism

Question 76

Soon-Li believes that society should change for the better by equalizing privileges between the wealthy and the poor.Which theoretical tradition is she most likely following?

A)conflict theory
B)symbolic interactionism
C)feminist theory
D)functionalism

Question 77

What kind of conflict emerges from the stories of conquest that the author was exposed to in school and stories of the Gluskap that he also heard during childhood?

A)That progress is often costly to relationships between humans and between humans and the environment.
B)That progress is exciting and harmony between humans is less important than harmony between humans and the environment.
C)That harmony between humans is important and conquest is unimportant.
D)That benefits of conquest justify all damage it does to harmony between humans.

Question 78

The fact that many people meet their future mate in university would be seen by functionalists as an example of which of the following?

A)a primary function
B)a manifest function
C)a latent function
D)a dysfunction

Question 79

Harpreet is studying how the shift in employment from manual manufacturing work to non-manual office work affects families and gender relations.What major social process does this subject illustrate?

A)the Technological Revolution
B)the Globalization Revolution
C)the Industrial Revolution
D)the Postindustrial Revolution

Question 80

Allyson is trying to make her heartbroken friend Linda feel better about her impending divorce.Allyson explains that many people get divorced, because women have more economic options today than in the past.What is Allyson using to explain Linda's situation?

A)sociological mapping
B)sociological imagination
C)structural investigation
D)global structural analysis