Deck 1: What Is Sociology

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which social science would be interested in the actions taken by elected officials both during and in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti?

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

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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

A)philosophy
B)anthropology
C)psychology
D)astronomy

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which aspect of an individual divorce of a middle-income couple living in the suburbs would most likely be of interest to sociologists using the sociological imagination?

A)the relation between the divorce and the common demographics of divorce in the couple's community
B)the effect of the divorce on the woman's performance at work
C)the mental health of the children of the divorce
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

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 6

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 7

Sociology is the systematic study of social behaviors and social groups.

Question 8

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 9

Which of the following was the main concern of Kelsey Timmerman in his book Where Am I Wearing?

A)why people wear different styles in different locales
B)differences in fashion across cultures
C)the living conditions of the people who make our clothing
D)pirating in the fashion industry

Question 10

Émile Durkheim is known for his classic sociological study of

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

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

Sociology is the systematic study of social behavior and the study of individual personality differences.

Question 13

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

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

Question 14

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

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

Question 15

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

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

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 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 18

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 19

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 20

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 21

Discuss what separates sociology from common sense.Be sure to give some examples of how sociological research might dispel commonly accepted views.

Question 22

The most effective sociological theories tend to have both explanatory and predictive power.