Deck 3: C: Contemporary Social Theories

Question 1

This theorist is renowned for having developed highly critical approaches to objectified and androcentric forms of knowledge.

A)Said
B)Smith
C)hooks
D)Foucault

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The starting point of sociological inquiry,according to Smith,should be

A)experience.
B)class location.
C)gender.
D)the Archimedean point.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Smith refers to the influential social relations that are not wholly discoverable within our everyday worlds as

A)extenuating circumstances.
B)structural variables.
C)external social facts.
D)extra-local social relations.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

"My life experiences had shown me that the two issues were inseparable,that at the moment of my birth,two facts determined my destiny,my having been born black and my having been born female." This statement was written by _______ and supports _______.

A)bell hooks;race is inextricable from gender
B)Dorothy Smith;race is inextricable from gender
C)bell hooks;the intersection of androcentrism and feminism
D)Dorothy Smith;the intersection of race,class,and gender

Question 5

While sitting in a coffee shop,you overhear someone say,"Homeless people are so lazy,if they just worked hard enough,they could be successful." Gramsci's concept of hegemony would inform this statement by suggesting that

A)it is an ingrained notion associated with capitalism that allows for the smooth operation of contemporary society,despite pervasive inequality.
B)it is true.
C)the idea of hegemony argues that those who are lazy,unproductive,and without motivation deserve what they get.
D)it is a natural aspect of capitalist society that those who work hard do not always achieve success.

Question 6

Theorists refer to dominant cultural forms of sexuality and masculinity that are considered to represent a "natural" state of affairs as

A)hegemonic masculinity.
B)bourgeois masculinity.
C)hegemonic maleness.
D)domineering masculinity.

Question 7

Post-structuralists challenge the view that scientific knowledge,or ideas about absolute "truth," can ever stand outside of __________ relations.

A)class
B)gender
C)power
D)Eurocentric

Question 8

Which of the following does not describe Gramsci's analysis of capitalism?

A)Gramsci accepted the idea proposed by Marx of the struggle between the ruling class and the subordinate class.
B)Gramsci proposed a new form of control and manipulation outside of the force and coercion originally proposed by Marx that is subtle and insidious.
C)Gramsci explained that the ruling class solely dominates through force and coercion.
D)Gramsci proposed that Marx's analysis left absent the ideological control and manipulation of the ruling class.

Question 9

Which of the following statements best reflects feminist theories?

A)Men and women should be social and political equals.
B)Men and women are social and political equals.
C)Interests of society reflect those of both men and women.
D)Feminist theories argue that society is characterized by equality between men and women.

Question 10

The concept of hegemony refers to

A)direct physical and violent coercion.
B)control by the police and military.
C)dominant ideas that reflect the interests of the working class to mask social inequality.
D)ideological control and consent of the subordinate class.

Question 11

Post-structuralism is concerned with

A)how scientific knowledge is key to human freedom.
B)how scientific knowledge and ideas about "truth" stand outside of power relations.
C)how knowledge is produced scientifically.
D)how knowledge is produced socially.

Question 12

Gramsci's civil society refers to

A)people treating each other with civility and respect.
B)how schools,media,religion,trade unions,and cultural associations establish hegemony.
C)how the economic base is a force that shapes social relations.
D)a society that has equal opportunity for all.

Question 13

A central concern in the writings of hooks is how black women's identities have too often been

A)erased.
B)marginalized.
C)ridiculed.
D)ignored.

Question 14

Which of the following does not reflect Dorothy Smith's sociological approach?

A)The objective is to explicate how people's lives are socially organized.
B)Contemporary sociological theory produces objectified forms of knowledge.
C)Sociology is and has been male-centred.
D)Her approach is not interested in how people's everyday/night lives are organized.

Question 15

The difficulty that many Canadians have imagining the viability of a political economic system other than capitalism reveals the __________ status that capitalism holds at present.

A)domineering
B)ideological
C)hegemonic
D)repulsive

Question 16

What does Western Marxism refer to?

A)Independent and critical forms of Marxism
B)Dogmatic forms of Marxism,practised by Soviet and Chinese regimes
C)Neo-Marxist ways of thinking
D)Forms of Marxism associated with Karl Marx

Question 17

According to Gramsci,hegemony is a process that is

A)deeply static.
B)relatively static,but open to some negotiation.
C)continuously negotiated and renegotiated.
D)so invisible that it is virtually unchallengeable.

Question 18

A theme underlying all of the modern social theories is that of

A)power.
B)social problems and their causes.
C)face-to-face interaction.
D)social networks and their consequences for individuals.

Question 19

Which answer best reflects Dorothy Smith's sociology?

A)It is macrosociological in focus because it produces accounts of social processes.
B)It is microsociological in focus because it is rooted in the microcosms of daily life.
C)It is a sociology of people.
D)Its aim is to produce workable accounts,located in people's actual experiences,which tell people how things happen.

Question 20

Extra-local social relations refers to

A)how race is inextricable from gender.
B)how societal relations organize people not just locally but outside these worlds.
C)how people's knowings are constituted through discourse.
D)Smith's use of the term "standpoint."

Question 21

In Said's analysis,literary representations that draw fundamental distinctions between the Orient (East)and the Occident (West)exemplify which kind of Orientalism?

A)Academic
B)Imaginative
C)Institutional
D)Creative

Question 22

With respect to identity,queer theorists emphasize that it is

A)highly contextual.
B)somewhat contextual.
C)generally stable.
D)indescribable.

Question 23

Discourse for Foucault

A)intersects with what is considered to be "truth" and "fact."
B)guides how we think and act.
C)refers to a socially disorganized activity among people.
D)authorizes certain individuals to speak.

Question 24

When Hurricane Katrina hit the US city of New Orleans,approximately what percentage of the poor people affected by the storm were African-American?

A)25%
B)50%
C)70%
D)90%

Question 25

________ refers to a mechanism that aids in shifting social relations from local to global contexts.

A)Time-space distanciation
B)Disembedding mechanism
C)Time-space mechanism
D)Symbolic token

Question 26

Critical race theory is associated with all of the following tenets except this one:

A)Racism is endemic to American life.
B)Claims of neutrality and objectivity are questioned.
C)It argues for a historical analysis of the law.
D)It argues for the need to recognize experiential knowledge.

Question 27

Foucault was primarily interested in the ways that power and ____________ work together.

A)sexuality
B)social movements
C)knowledge
D)formal politics

Question 28

As described in the text,which of the following is not a "main area" of queer theory?

A)Desire
B)Sameness
C)Language
D)Identity

Question 29

We are encouraged to exercise on a regular basis,eat nutritious foods,and stay away from "bad" choices via the discourse of health.This suggests that discourse leads to

A)people becoming motivated to produce certain realities.
B)doing what is best for our health.
C)disarray.
D)knowledge.

Question 30

According to queer theorists,our political and intellectual pursuits must rest on the basis of which general principle?

A)Sameness
B)Equality
C)Difference
D)Uniqueness

Question 31

Globalization is best described as

A)society being more and more distant.
B)an inevitable feature of modernity.
C)local happenings no longer being shaped by events occurring outside our borders.
D)purely economical.

Question 32

When considering the invasion of both Iraq and Afghanistan,which social theory would argue that we can see lingering imperial notions from the West as it continues to seek control?

A)Queer theory
B)Orientalism
C)Hegemony
D)Post-structuralism

Question 33

_________ refers to the social process by which some practices and ways of living are marked as "normal" and others are marked as "abnormal."

A)Normalizing
B)Abnormalizing
C)Othering
D)Hegemonizing

Question 34

With respect to sexuality,queer theory is concerned with _____________ sexuality.

A)marginalized
B)everybody's and all forms of
C)non-reproductive
D)historically subjugated

Question 35

According Giddens,globalization is not only about economic interdependence,but about the transformation of ___________ in our lives.

A)time and space
B)reality and virtuality
C)self and other
D)politics and religion

Question 36

Which of the following is not true of Michel Foucault?

A)He was interested in the ways power and knowledge work together.
B)He was critical of Marxism for not emphasizing class and the political economy as being the key principles in social organization.
C)He argued that Marx marginalized race,gender,and sexuality in his analysis of society.
D)He would suggest that truth is socially constructed.

Question 37

When Jared eats only nutritious foods,carefully reading labels in order to avoid "bad" choices (such as items containing trans fat),he is doing what Foucault would call ______________ his body.

A)improving
B)empowering
C)punishing
D)disciplining

Question 38

As theorized by Seidman,the relative invisibility of whiteness in everyday life is indicative of

A)privilege.
B)self-conscious domination.
C)marginality.
D)ignorance.

Question 39

"Whiteness" as a racial identity began to be theorized at this time:

A)1960s
B)1970s
C)1980s and 1990s
D)Post 2000

Question 40

Which is not true of post-colonial theory?

A)It focuses on the political and cultural effects of colonialism.
B)It incorporates the concepts of colonialism and imperialism.
C)It is concerned solely with events that happened after colonialism.
D)It is also called colonial discourse studies.

Question 41

While Foucault understands that knowledge is inseparable from power,queer theorists argue that it is impossible to disentangle ____________ from power.

A)identity.
B)desire.
C)language.
D)knowledge.

Question 42

bell hooks is a critical figure in

A)multicultural feminism.
B)post-structuralism.
C)queer theory.
D)post-modernism.

Question 43

Which of the following theorists is a proponent of post-colonial theory?

A)Alexander Sung
B)Everett Soronsen
C)Edward Said
D)Max Weber

Question 44

Dorothy Smith's primary interest is in

A)producing accounts of people's experience.
B)seeing experience as the starting point of inquiry.
C)how face-to-face interactions determine our everyday worlds.
D)macrosociology.

Question 45

What is the theme that runs through all modern social theories?

A)Focus on experience
B)Power
C)Patriarchy
D)Quantitative in nature

Question 46

Anthony Giddens links globalization to institutions such as

A)schools.
B)media.
C)capitalism.
D)government.

Question 47

Critical race theory allows us to view contemporary social situations through a lens of

A)injustice.
B)social exclusion.
C)historical racism.
D)profiling.

Question 48

What is Dorothy Smith's approach organized around?

A)A desire to meet women's political demands
B)Relations of ruling
C)Bifurcated consciousness
D)A desire to produce a sociology for women

Question 49

Foucault would argue that taking care of our health through exercise and proper diet is an example of

A)discipline.
B)normalization.
C)relations of ruling.
D)the looking glass self.

Question 50

Which of the following is a post-structuralist?

A)bell hooks
B)Michel Foucault
C)Edward Said
D)Charles Horton Cooley

Question 51

The television sitcom Will & Grace is an example of

A)queer theory.
B)challenging heterosexual hegemony.
C)maintaining heterosexual hegemony.
D)hegemonic femininity.

Question 52

According to Dorothy Smith,the problem of sociology is

A)androcentric world presented as universal.
B)androcentric world presented as subjective.
C)that the world is constituted through difference.
D)the overuse of positivism.

Question 53

According to Marx,the organization of society and people's experiences of society are influenced by

A)alienation.
B)class consciousness.
C)forces of production.
D)relations of ruling.

Question 54

Queer theory is largely influenced by

A)Dorothy Smith.
B)Michel Foucault.
C)Amy McGrath.
D)Emile Durkheim.

Question 55

Normalization is a type of

A)feminist theory.
B)Marxist theory.
C)discourse.
D)standardizing.

Question 56

The Disney movie Aladdin is an example of

A)Imaginative Orientalism.
B)Entertainment Orientalism.
C)Institutional Orientalism.
D)Academic Orientalism.

Question 57

Gramsci differed from Marx in his analysis of

A)the division of groups in society.
B)the need for the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
C)political control.
D)capitalism.

Question 58

Dorothy Smith views sociology as producing

A)a shared truth.
B)an objective reality.
C)a map for people.
D)equality of the masses.

Question 59

Who argued that,historically,black women's identities have been erased?

A)Harriet Martineau
B)Dorothy Smith
C)Michel Foucault
D)bell hooks

Question 60

Queer theorists argue that our political and intellectual pursuits must rest on

A)equality based on sameness.
B)equity based on difference.
C)desire and identity.
D)language.

Question 61

The fact that we now "google it" as opposed to going to a direct source to get required information is an example of ______________ at work.

A)global standardization.
B)time-space distanciation.
C)symbolic tokens.
D)expert systems.

Question 62

The majority of births used to occur at home,attended by skilled midwives,but over time were moved into hospitals and attended by medical professionals;home births became looked at as the exception rather than the norm.This is an example of Foucault's concept of _____________________ at work.

A)discipline
B)alternative femininities
C)surveillance
D)discourse

Question 63

According to Dorothy Smith,the "whistling woman" represents

A)social relations between men and women.
B)women's position within the academic academy.
C)sexual harassment.
D)women who challenge the existing patriarchal social order.

Question 64

According to Foucault,the "Dove Campaign for Real Beauty," which features "real" women in instead of models,would be an example of

A)discipline.
B)alternative femininities.
C)Normalization.
D)discourse.

Question 65

The fact that Halle Berry is often referred to by the media as a "famous black actor" while Cameron Diaz is referred to as a "famous actor" is an example of

A)gendered Orientalism.
B)the deracializing of whiteness.
C)normalization.
D)bias in the media.

Question 66

According to queer theory,identity is:

A)a coherent entity that emerges from within our "souls," making us who we are.
B)fixed and unchanging throughout the life course.
C)socially produced and fluid and multiple.
D)the product of both genetics and socialization.

Question 67

The fact that many Americans criticize Saudi Arabia for not allowing women to obtain driver's licences while several American states are passing legislation intended to limit,control,or otherwise regulate women's reproductive rights is an example of Said's concept of

A)academic Orientalism.
B)institutional Orientalism.
C)cultural inferiority complex.
D)colonialism.

Question 68

The practice of "taking afternoon tea" in many former British colonies is an example of

A)globalization.
B)Orientalism.
C)imperialism.
D)colonialism.

Question 69

The fact that paler skin is associated with higher status in many developing and underdeveloped countries is an example of

A)deracialization of whiteness.
B)gendered Orientalism.
C)globalization.
D)white power and privilege.

Question 70

According to bell hooks,out of the following famous people,whom would we be least likely to talk about?

A)Martin Luther King
B)Michelle Obama
C)Hillary Clinton
D)Stephen Harper

Question 71

According to Dorothy Smith,the fact that classical sociology tends to focus on mainly male theorists such as Marx,Durkheim,and Weber is an example of

A)patriarchy.
B)macrosociology.
C)androcentrism.
D)ruling relations.

Question 72

The practice of "fat shaming" in North American society is an example of Foucault's concept of

A)surveillance.
B)alternative femininities.
C)normalization.
D)discourse.

Question 73

Jeff has decided that he does not need a cellphone,but most of his friends are having a hard time understanding his decision,as they cannot understand how anyone could live without one.This is an example of what process at work?

A)Consent
B)Domination
C)Hegemony
D)Civil society

Question 74

PayPal and other forms of payment for online businesses that allow customers to buy products from all over the world are an example of

A)global standardization.
B)time-space distanciation.
C)symbolic tokens.
D)expert systems.

Question 75

According to Giddens,the fact that most people are acutely aware of "the time," relying on watches and cellphones to help them organize their day,is closely associated with processes of

A)globalization.
B)time standardization.
C)technological reliance.
D)expert systems.