Deck 24: D: Social Change

Question 1

Rocket technology,which began in Europe during the 1930s,is an example of which of the following?

A)invention
B)diffusion
C)discovery
D)hysteria

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The fact that the coins we use were an idea that came from Middle East centuries ago is an example of which of the following?

A)invention
B)discovery
C)diffusion
D)None of the above is correct.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Ralph Linton explained that most familiar elements to our way of life:

A)actually came to us from other cultures.
B)are unique to our own society.
C)were unknown even a few decades ago.
D)were discovered completely by accident.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The chapter opening story about the Kaiapo centers around the influence of _______ on their lives and culture.

A)the internet
B)television
C)industrialization
D)electricity

Question 5

Ferdinand Tönnies described modernity as the loss of:

A)Gemeinschaft.
B)Gesellschaft.
C)social diversity.
D)personal choice.

Question 6

Karl Marx highlighted which of the following in the process of social change?

A)invention
B)ideas
C)social conflict
D)cultural diffusion

Question 7

Which of the following would Peter Berger point to as a good indicator of a society's degree of modernization?

A)cave dwellings
B)wrist watches
C)fire
D)the wheel

Question 8

A central concept in the study of social change is:

A)mechanical solidarity
B)modernization
C)diffusion
D)gemeinschaft

Question 9

Which of the following are common causes of social change?

A)discovery of existing things
B)diffusion from one cultural system to another
C)invention of new ideas and things
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 10

Who wrote Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft?

A)Max Weber
B)Ferdinand Tonnies
C)Georg Simmel
D)Karl Marx

Question 11

For Tönnies,the essence of Gesellschaft is:

A)faith in established tradition.
B)rational self-interest.
C)kinship.
D)neighborhood and friendship.

Question 12

Modernity is the concept used for the social patterns that began to change the world about when?

A)1492
B)1600
C)the 1750s
D)the 1920s

Question 13

Which of the following concepts refers to changes brought on by the Information Revolution?

A)feudalism
B)tradition
C)modernity
D)postmodernity

Question 14

Max Weber's thesis on the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism highlighted the importance of which of the following in the process of social change?

A)invention
B)ideas
C)social conflict
D)cultural diffusion

Question 15

Sociologists point out that:

A)some societies change and others do not.
B)social change happens all the time.
C)all social change is good.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 16

Social change is almost always:

A)controversial.
B)planned.
C)good for everyone in a society.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 17

Peter Berger describes modernization in terms of several important changes.Read the responses below and select the one that is NOT a trait that Berger links to modernity.

A)the decline of large cities
B)the expansion of personal choice
C)increasing social diversity
D)a future orientation and growing awareness of time

Question 18

The concept of modernity refers to changes in social patterns brought on by which of the following?

A)the fall of the Roman Empire
B)the Enlightenment
C)the Industrial Revolution
D)globalization

Question 19

Sociologists explain that the consequences of social change are:

A)always positive.
B)always negative.
C)usually both positive and negative.
D)impossible to assess.

Question 20

Demographic change in Canada over the course of the last century includes a trend towards:

A)migration.
B)a larger share of elderly people.
C)living in cities.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 21

A number of sociologists contributed to a mass-society theory of modernity.Which of the following sociologists is NOT one of them?

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

Question 22

Max Weber saw which of the following as evidence of modernization?

A)the rise of capitalism
B)the rise of science
C)the spread of bureaucracy
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 23

Mass-society theory offers a criticism of modern society as having:

A)become less and less affluent.
B)pushed minorities to the margins.
C)become an impersonal mass of socially rootless people.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 24

To say that modern society has a "mass scale" means that many fewer people:

A)live in small communities.
B)have a strong sense of cultural heritage.
C)are very sure about what is right and wrong.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 25

The problem mass-society theory sees with the expansion of bureaucracy and the state is that:

A)as bureaucracy and the state grow,people in local communities have little control over their lives.
B)government is not very efficient.
C)there is an increase in social inequality.
D)people feel the need for more personal freedom.

Question 26

A mass society is one that:

A)has expanding bureaucracy.
B)is affluent in terms of economic production.
C)has lost much of its traditional social ties.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 27

Which of the following thinkers was,on balance,most critical of modern society?

A)Max Weber
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Peter Berger
D)None of these people was critical of modern society

Question 28

For Weber,preindustrial societies are characterized by a focus on:

A)personal choice.
B)tradition.
C)productive specialization.
D)rationality.

Question 29

A criticism of Tönnies's thinking about modernity is that he:

A)saw modernity as entirely positive.
B)claimed modern people are business-like in their relationships.
C)overlooked the fact that strong social ties still exist in modern society.
D)did not see the Industrial Revolution as making much difference in social patterns.

Question 30

Durkheim's concept of organic solidarity is roughly the same as Tönnies's concept of:

A)gemeinschaft.
B)gesellschaft.
C)blasé urbanite
D)specialization.

Question 31

Durkheim's greatest concern about modern societies focused on:

A)a rise of anomie.
B)increasing personal choice.
C)increasing productive specialization.
D)increasing personal privacy.

Question 32

You are a Weberian and you wish to promote social change throughout the world,leading to industrial capitalism and national wealth.What would you do?

A)eliminate social classes
B)change the non-material culture of countries to embrace rationality and a work ethic
C)heighten global social conflict
D)eliminate the work ethic

Question 33

Max Weber defined modernity in terms of which of the following concepts?

A)capitalism
B)specialization
C)self-interest
D)rationality

Question 34

Identify the FALSE statement below.

A)in many modern societies,we find many statuses and many specialized roles
B)in traditional societies,schooling is limited to elites
C)in modern societies,there is little religious pluralism
D)in traditional societies,change is slow

Question 35

Karl Marx understood modernity in terms of which of the following?

A)the rise of rationality
B)increasing productive specialization
C)the rise of the capitalist economic system
D)the loss of traditional community

Question 36

The class-society approach to modernity focuses on which of the following?

A)marked social stratification
B)productive specialization
C)loss of traditional community
D)rationality

Question 37

Emile Durkheim claimed that the defining trait of modernity was:

A)faith in established tradition.
B)kinship.
C)common beliefs.
D)an increasing division of labor.

Question 38

You have chosen to defend a Marxian interpretation of social structure and change in an upcoming classroom debate.What will be the core of your presentation?

A)ideas cause social change
B)conflict between classes motivates social change
C)the natural environment causes social change
D)religion causes social change

Question 39

The class-society theory of modernity is based on the ideas of which of the following sociologists?

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

Question 40

Read the following four statements about modern society.One statement would never be made by someone who thinks we live in a "mass society." Which is it?

A)There are more poor people than in the past.
B)Kinship ties are weaker than in the past.
C)Religious beliefs play a smaller role in society.
D)People experience moral uncertainty about how to live.

Question 41

Read the four statements below.Only one is correct;which is it?

A)Members of traditional societies conform;members of modern societies do not.
B)Members of modern societies conform;members of traditional societies do not.
C)Members of both traditional and modern societies conform,but to different degrees and for different reasons.
D)Neither members of traditional nor modern societies conform.

Question 42

Read the four statements below about postmodernism.One of them is not correct;which one is it?

A)The future probably will not be as good as the present.
B)Science does not hold all the answers.
C)Cultural debates are intensifying.
D)The family and other social institutions are not changing.

Question 43

What did Herbert Marcuse have to say about science?

A)Science is the key to modern affluence.
B)Science is not new to modern societies;it has existed for centuries.
C)Science causes as many problems as it solves.
D)Science is only one dimension of "rationality."

Question 44

David Riesman described other-directed social character as which of the following?

A)eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B)rigid conformity to established ways of life
C)being highly individualistic
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 45

In the post-industrial world,control of the "means of production" - using Marxist terms - means access to:

A)wealth
B)information
C)power
D)industrial capital

Question 46

David Riesman described tradition-directed social character as which of the following?

A)eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B)rigid conformity to established ways of life
C)being highly individualistic
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 47

The concept "postmodernity" refers to which of the following?

A)Societies that have yet to industrialize.
B)Societies that keep their traditions.
C)Societies that have entered the postindustrial era.
D)Societies that are just beginning to industrialize.

Question 48

Individuals experience modern mass societies in terms of:

A)pronounced moral relativism.
B)little personal choice.
C)too little privacy.
D)powerlessness.

Question 49

Herbert Marcuse challenged Max Weber by claiming that modern societies:

A)are much too rational.
B)are irrational because they fail to meet most people's needs.
C)have made great strides in reducing inequality.
D)have little effect on the individual.

Question 50

Following mass-society theory,the key problem of living in a modern society is:

A)finding any personal freedom.
B)dealing with persistent poverty.
C)gaining a sense of power.
D)building a confident personal identity in a quickly changing and morally relativistic world.

Question 51

Following class-society theory,the key problem of living in a modern society is:

A)economic inequality with most people feeling powerless.
B)too much personal freedom.
C)difficulty building a clear personal identity.
D)too much rationality.

Question 52

If you were following the class-society approach,which factor would you focus on as shaping modern society the most?

A)rationality
B)interdependency
C)capitalism
D)anomie

Question 53

Applying mass-society theory,you would claim that the biggest problem facing individuals in modern society is:

A)poverty.
B)too much tradition.
C)powerlessness.
D)establishing a clear personal identity.

Question 54

The Kaiapo of Brazil's rain forest and the Hog Hammock community off the coast of Georgia show us that:

A)"progress" is typically good.
B)social change is usually good for everyone.
C)people do not have to change if they do not want to.
D)people sometimes gain money at the cost of losing their cultural foundation.

Question 55

Scholars who take a postmodernist approach claim that:

A)in many respects,modernity has failed.
B)science holds the important answers.
C)people should be optimistic about their future.
D)All of the above are correct.