Deck 2: C: Classical Social Theories

Question 1

____________ is considered by many to be the founder of modern sociology.

A)Auguste Comte
B)Karl Marx
C)Émile Durkheim
D)Talcott Parsons

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which classical theorist believed that people entered into the social contract as free and equal individuals?

A)Hobbes
B)Locke
C)Rousseau
D)Plato

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which answer best describes the conservative reaction to Enlightenment thinking? It was

A)based purely on science.
B)purported by some to be bad because it led to revolution.
C)based on the belief that society is a product of the individual.
D)based on the belief that society is not an entity in itself.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not associated with the work of Charles de Montesquieu?

A)Challenged views before him that people never existed outside society
B)Suggested that humans were defined and created by society
C)There was an original natural state
D)Wrote The Persian Letters

Question 5

Which of the following statements does not explain why sociologists use theories?

A)Theories are used to help direct and inform research.
B)Theories are used to inspire discussion and debate about the workings of the world.
C)Theories are used to provide explanations about why things happen as they do.
D)Theories are used to decide what is right and wrong in order provide a better social world.

Question 6

Which of the following does the organic analogy not refer to?

A)Society is made up of interrelated and interdependent parts.
B)It is associated with functionalism.
C)The system's natural state of affairs is one of equilibrium where the system is stable and homeostatic.
D)Structures work against each other for the good of the collective.

Question 7

Which of the following was not a conservative reaction to Enlightenment thinking?

A)Society exists on its own.
B)Change is a threat to both individuals and society as a whole.
C)Parts of society are interdependent.
D)Individuals,not society,are the most important unit of social analysis.

Question 8

Which of the following is not true,according to Durkheim?

A)Individual behaviours are not inspired by collective social forces.
B)Culture and society exist outside of the individual.
C)Culture and society are independent of the individual.
D)Culture and society outlive the individual.

Question 9

Which of the following is false about the Enlightenment and its thinkers? They

A)challenged 400 years of Christian scholarship.
B)advocated critical thinking and practical knowledge.
C)agreed that free thinking and expression should be limited.
D)reordered how people saw the world and their role in it.

Question 10

___________ suggested that people have never existed outside,or without,society;humans are defined and created by society.

A)Thomas Hobbes
B)Karl Marx
C)John Locke
D)Charles de Montesquieu

Question 11

The conservative reaction that advocated for a return to social hierarchies because they promote a system of differential status and reward,something that would be good for both individuals and the collective best,aligns with

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

Question 12

Approximately when did the period of the Enlightenment begin and end?

A)1980-1999
B)1960s
C)1818-1883
D)1650-1789

Question 13

The idea that people were born tabula rasa was purported by

A)Thomas Hobbes
B)Karl Marx
C)John Locke
D)Charles de Montesquieu

Question 14

_______ is well known for his analysis of how humans existed in their natural state,before the emergence of formal social structures.

A)Thomas Hobbes
B)Karl Marx
C)John Locke
D)Charles de Montesquieu

Question 15

According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau,

A)the natural state was an awful existence where people fought against each other.
B)there was no need to understand the basic nature of the human condition.
C)people existed in a symbiotic and idyllic relationship based on equality.
D)human beings are not perfectible.

Question 16

Tabula rasa refers to the idea that people

A)are born with specific knowledge.
B)are born with a blank slate.
C)have knowledge independent of experience.
D)are born with a full slate of knowledge.

Question 17

Hobbes was one of the first social theorists to view people as __________ the society they create.

A)determined by
B)products of
C)responsible for
D)existing in tension with

Question 18

Whereas Hobbes viewed the emergence of the state in terms of the protection of individuals from each other,Locke viewed the state's emergence in relation to the

A)need for a social safety net.
B)defensibility of borders.
C)formalization of consensus.
D)preservation of private property.

Question 19

Most generally,a theoretical statement is one that attempts to explain how certain facts or events are

A)understood.
B)related.
C)caused.
D)predictable.

Question 20

Which of the following is a major tenet of functionalism?

A)The social world is a dynamic system of interrelated and interdependent parts.
B)People are in a constant struggle over scarce resources.
C)Meaning is created through ongoing interactions with others.
D)Social structures work against people in achieving success.

Question 21

When the proletariat realize their domination and oppression by the bourgeoisie and commit to organizing together and doing something to challenge this,a Marxist would say they have acquired

A)self-consciousness.
B)false consciousness.
C)class consciousness.
D)self-confidence.

Question 22

Which of the following is not one of the four functional imperatives outlined by Parsons?

A)Assimilation
B)Goal attainment
C)Integration
D)Latency

Question 23

Anomic suicide might occur when

A)people do not feel connected to others.
B)people are too connected to others.
C)people lack purpose.
D)people are overregulated.

Question 24

Which of the following is not a critique of functionalism?

A)It overemphasizes harmony and stability in society.
B)It overlooks positive consequences that can result from conflict.
C)It focuses primarily on human agency.
D)It suggests that the status quo is almost always desirable.

Question 25

Marx and Engels would argue that

A)social revolution was the inevitable result of capitalism.
B)conflict is functional for society.
C)social inequality best reflects an individual's biological possibilities.
D)those in power justly run society objectively.

Question 26

In Marx's analysis of class society,there is a strong relationship between the ruling (material)class and

A)the dominant ideas.
B)the Protestant work ethic.
C)truth.
D)necessary functions in the social body.

Question 27

For conflict theorists,society is characterized by

A)goods and services.
B)power and inequality.
C)symbols and meanings.
D)structures and changes.

Question 28

Durkheim's concept of ____________highlights the totality of a society's beliefs and sentiments.

A)collective conscience
B)latent function
C)class consciousness
D)anomie

Question 29

In a classical Marxian sense,in a capitalist economy,the worker and owner

A)have deeply shared interests,in spite of the appearance of opposition.
B)are in diametrically opposed positions.
C)should learn how to understand each other's positions better in order to foster a more positive and forward-thinking society.
D)can both prosper if they commit to it.

Question 30

___________ is based on the assumption that society is grounded upon inequality and competition over scarce resources.

A)Symbolic interactionism
B)Conflict theory
C)Functionalism
D)Post-modernism

Question 31

The Thomas theorem refers to

A)the idea that people give subjective meaning to situations and such meaning has real consequences.
B)people's struggling over scarce resources.
C)the theory that people continuously interact with each other to succeed in society.
D)physical interactions with individuals.

Question 32

The unintended consequences of an action or social pattern are referred to by functionalist theorists,such as Merton,as

A)manifest functions.
B)latent functions.
C)hidden functions.
D)invisible functions.

Question 33

Clarice is conducting an examination of the beliefs and values that support and justify the interests of the ruling class in contemporary Canadian society.She is,in effect,studying Canada's

A)dominant ideology.
B)humanistic tendencies.
C)central value system.
D)false consciousness.

Question 34

The physical and intellectual resources a society has with which to make a living,which include human labour power and the means of production,are referred to by Marx as

A)forces of production.
B)relations of production.
C)tools of production.
D)the capitalist infrastructure.

Question 35

According to Mead,human behaviour is virtually always the product of

A)competition for scarce resources.
B)biology and culture.
C)interaction with others.
D)human instincts.

Question 36

A sociologist from this tradition is most likely to argue that society consists of diverse structures that work together for the good of the collective.

A)Functionalist
B)Conflict
C)Symbolic interactionist
D)Post-modern feminist

Question 37

A sociologist who emphasizes how people learn meanings and symbols in social settings is most likely to come from which theoretical tradition?

A)Formal sociology
B)Symbolic interactionism
C)Symbolic conflict theory
D)Structural symbolism

Question 38

This German term was used by Weber to describe deep understanding and interpretation of subjective social meanings.

A)bildung
B)sui generis
C)anomie
D)verstehen

Question 39

Ideology is

A)empirically based on scientific findings.
B)used to justify current systems of domination and inequality.
C)a device used by functionalists to explain the workings of society.
D)a term used by symbolic interactionists to explain how individuals interact with each other.

Question 40

The theoretical perspective that analyzes society in terms of social processes and forms of interactions that can be isolated from their content is known as

A)formal sociology.
B)content sociology.
C)post-modernism.
D)rational choice theory.

Question 41

Which philosopher most strongly influenced the work of Karl Marx?

A)Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
B)Friedrich Engels
C)Charles ee Montesquieu
D)Thomas Hobbes

Question 42

According to Enlightenment thinkers,the most important unit of social analysis was

A)the family.
B)the individual.
C)the scientific method.
D)society as a whole.

Question 43

Which of the following statements about ideology are not true?

A)Ideologies are sets of beliefs and values that support and justify the ruling class of a society.
B)Ideologies exist in all societies.
C)Different political parties always have different ideologies.
D)Marx was particularly critical of capitalist ideologies.

Question 44

Which of the following is a major criticism of symbolic interactionism?

A)Symbolic interactionism fails to take into account the importance of personal relationships.
B)Symbolic interactionism is not useful for studying everyday social situations.
C)Symbolic interactionism does not account for the importance of social structures and institutions.
D)Symbolic interactionism underestimates the power of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 45

Which of the following is the best example of a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A)Working very hard over the semester,Matthew is able to increase his mark in macro-economics from 55 percent to 86 percent.
B)After being dumped by his girlfriend,Matthew decides to stop dating for a while and focus on his studies.
C)After receiving a low grade on his calculus exam,Matthew complains to the head of his department about his calculus professor.
D)After seeing four students fall asleep during his lecture,Matthew decides that he is a poor public speaker.

Question 46

Which of the following nineteenth-century women did not write about sociological issues?

A)Mary Woolstonecraft
B)Florence Nightingale
C)Fanny Mendelsohn
D)Rosa Luxemburg

Question 47

Rousseau believed that people entered into the social contract

A)because they required protection from each other.
B)because people had a natural fear of the government and governing parties.
C)on their own will,as free and equal individuals.
D)in order to keep the government accountable to citizen groups.

Question 48

According to Karl Marx,forces of production are best described as

A)the human and animal labour required to make products in a society.
B)the physical and intellectual resources a society has at its disposal.
C)factories,industrial parks,refineries,offices,and other places where work is done in a society.
D)industries such as farming,mining,forestry,and oil production.

Question 49

Successful sociology students develop the ability to

A)determine which sociological theory can correctly explain social phenomena.
B)distinguish between correct and incorrect ways of analyzing world events.
C)synthesize and compare different theoretical perspectives.
D)view sociological theories impartially and without judgment.

Question 50

Who believed that change is a threat to both individuals and society as a whole?

A)Enlightenment philosophers
B)Rousseau
C)Conservatives reacting to the Enlightenment
D)Locke

Question 51

How is the relative absence of women sociological theorists in standard sociological histories accounted for?

A)Inexplicable
B)A consequence of different priorities
C)The unfortunate result of biology
D)An effect of patriarchy

Question 52

Which of the following is not a contribution that George Herbert Mead made to the discipline of sociology?

A)Establishing the Chicago School of Sociology
B)Writing the famous "Mind,Self,and Society" in 1934
C)Bringing conflict theory to North American sociology departments
D)Suggesting that individual actions can only be understood in the context of social actions that involve other individuals

Question 53

Contrary to earlier thinkers who believed that humans existed because of and acted according to God's will,Thomas Hobbes

A)believed that religion actually had a detrimental effect on society.
B)stressed that humans were responsible for the society that they created.
C)stated that humans lacked individual agency.
D)argued that humans rarely impacted their social and physical environments.

Question 54

According to Marx,the most important social relationship is that between

A)the bourgeoisie and the owners of the means of production.
B)the workers and the owners of the means of production.
C)the forces of production and the means of production.
D)the proletariat and the working class.

Question 55

According to the organic analogy,how is society similar to the human body?

A)Both are made up of interrelated and interdependent parts.
B)Both society and the human body will eventually expire.
C)Neither can exist and thrive without human interaction.
D)Both are essentially biological in nature.

Question 56

Tabula rasa,a Latin term meaning ________________,suggests that _____________.

A)"blank slate";humans cannot acquire knowledge independent of their experiences
B)"empty table";humans are born without the ability to learn from their experiences
C)"blank slate";humans are unable to acquire knowledge without the help of God
D)"empty table": humans develop knowledge over time based on their experiences

Question 57

At the time of Locke and Hobbes,most philosophers were engaged with the question of

A)whether or not a God existed.
B)where and why society originated.
C)the nature of human beings.
D)whether or not the social contract was mandatory.

Question 58

Which of the following best illustrates a "laissez-faire" approach?

A)A provincial government increases funding for programs serving people with developmental disabilities.
B)The federal government earmarks money for three new maximum-security prisons.
C)A provincial government decreases the amount of funding it provides to non-profit daycare centres.
D)The federal government announces that it will impose more regulations and travel restrictions on people travelling to Canada by plane.

Question 59

Which of the following assertions could be attributed to Emile Durkheim?

A)Only the most "fit" members of any society will be able to adapt and thrive.
B)Personal choices have social origins.
C)Manifest functions are the intended consequences of an action.
D)The government is a corrupting element of society that will try to undermine the autonomy of the individual.

Question 60

Which of the following best describes the "Thomas Theorem"-a saying attributed to sociologist W.I.Thomas?

A)"With great power comes greater responsibility."
B)"The more wealthy a society becomes,the less likely they are to achieve class consciousness."
C)"He who has the most money makes the rules."
D)"If men define situations as real,they are real in their consequences."

Question 61

According to symbolic interactionist theory,the little voice in your head informing you that,despite their polite laughter,your friends are not amused with your sarcastic comebacks,is an example of

A)the I.
B)the Me.
C)sympathetic introspection.
D)the looking glass self.

Question 62

Hyphenated-Canadian syndrome,the divided identity that so many new immigrants to Canada face as a result of our multicultural mosaic,is an example of whose concept of double consciousness?

A)Frantz Fanon
B)Annie Marion MacLean
C)W.E.B.Du Bois
D)Ida Wells-Barnett

Question 63

Classifying Canada as being an ideal type of capitalism would be applying the ideas of which classical theorist?

A)John Locke
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D)Charles de Montesquieu

Question 64

According to the organic analogy,increasing crime rates within a society would signal a need for

A)more prisons to be built.
B)more laws to define and address criminal behaviour.
C)social programs to address the issues causing crime.
D)harsher penalties for convicted criminals.

Question 65

The fact that we accept that CEOs of major corporations make salaries in the millions while their employees make on average 171 times less is an example of Marx's concept of ________________ at work.

A)class conflict
B)alienation
C)exploitation
D)ideology

Question 66

The enormous monetary bailouts of major American corporations by the federal government in 2008 was the opposite of what _______________ would suggest.

A)natural selection
B)the laissez-faire approach
C)the organic analogy
D)evolution

Question 67

The fact that the women's movement was enormously disruptive to North American society yet led to many positive changes for women in many sectors of society would be an example of

A)idealism.
B)dialectics.
C)class conflict.
D)alienation.

Question 68

The fact that we as a society feel that women convicted of crimes should be treated differently than men and should build more rehabilitative facilities for women than punitive,ensuring better outcomes for women when released,is an application of

A)the Thomas Theorem.
B)a self-fulfilling prophesy.
C)verstehen.
D)sympathetic introspection.

Question 69

A surgeon's reliance on his/her medical and administrative team in order to perform complex medical procedures would be an example of Durkheim's concept of

A)mechanical solidarity.
B)organic solidarity.
C)anomie.
D)the collective conscience.

Question 70

Which of the following criticisms of conflict theory is most valid?

A)Karl Marx was never trained as a sociologist.
B)Conflict theory has sometimes inspired advocacy and social activism.
C)Conflict theorists tend to downplay the importance of social motivation,social organization,and individual agency.
D)Conflict theory is essentially a mirror image of functionalist theory.

Question 71

The practice of celebrating birthdays with gifts and cake would be classified by Émile Durkheim as

A)a social fact.
B)the collective conscience.
C)mechanical solidarity.
D)organic solidarity.

Question 72

The rules and penalties associated with acts of academic dishonesty in a post-secondary institution are an example of which of Parsons's four functional imperatives?

A)Adaptation
B)Goal attainment
C)Integration
D)Latency

Question 73

Stephanie tells her friends what she thinks is funny story,but they don't respond as she expected,and there is only silence instead of laughter.Stephanie interprets this as a critique of her sense of humour and determines to not try to be amusing anymore,preferring to stay quiet.This is an example of _________________ at work.

A)the I
B)the Me
C)sympathetic introspection
D)the looking glass self

Question 74

The Occupy movement of 2011-12 represented Marx's concept of

A)class conflict.
B)alienation.
C)exploitation.
D)ideology.

Question 75

A protest where non-Aboriginal Canadians demand better conditions for Aboriginals living on reserves would be an example of Marx's concept of

A)the superstructure.
B)false consciousness.
C)exploitation.
D)ideology.

Question 76

At the end of a first date,you attempt to determine how it went by thinking about what was said and done during the course of the evening,and particularly you and your date's reactions to one another.This is an example of

A)double consciousness.
B)dramaturgical analysis.
C)sympathetic introspection.
D)the looking glass self.