Question 1

George Mead, William I. Thomas, Charles Horton Cooley, and Erving Goffman are best known for introducing and advancing the principles of the symbolic interactionist perspective of sociology.

Accepted Answer

George Mead, William I. Thomas, Charles Horton Cooley, and Erving Goffman are all considered pioneers in the development of the symbolic interactionist perspective in sociology.

Question 2

The view that society is a social arena in which diverse groups with differing values and interest compete for scarce resources is the basic principle of the conflict perspective.

Accepted Answer

The conflict perspective emphasizes social inequality and the struggle for power and resources among different groups in society.

Question 3

The use of observation, comparison, experimentation, and the historical method to analyze society is referred to as positivism.

Accepted Answer

Positivism is a philosophical approach to the study of society that emphasizes the use of empirical methods to analyze social phenomena, including observation, comparison, experimentation, and the historical method.

Question 4

The first major technological development in creating a powerful mass media was the invention of the microchip.

Accepted Answer

The first major technological development in creating a powerful mass media was the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, which made it possible to mass-produce written materials.

Question 5

The driving forces that led to the development of sociology in Europe in the 19th century were industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

Accepted Answer

Industrialization, urbanization, and immigration created significant social changes that led to the rise of sociology as a discipline aimed at understanding and analyzing these changes.

Question 6

Dramaturgical analysis, the use of the analogy of the theater to analyze social behavior, is most aligned with the structural functionalist perspective.

Accepted Answer

Dramaturgical analysis is most aligned with the symbolic interactionist perspective, as it focuses on the meanings and interpretations individuals give to social interactions, akin to actors interpreting their roles on stage.

Question 7

An example of the dysfunction of the social institution of higher education would be the number of students who fall victim to excessive drinking and partying, thus creating social problems for themselves and the rest of society.

Accepted Answer

Excessive drinking and partying among college students is a well-documented problem that can lead to a range of negative consequences, including academic failure, injury, sexual assault, and damage to personal relationships. This dysfunction of the social institution of higher education has been the subject of numerous studies and initiatives aimed at prevention and intervention.

Question 8

Prior to the work of Auguste Comte, little attention was given to the interpretation of social life by philosophers, poets, or religious leaders, even in the most advanced ancient civilizations of Babylon, Egypt, or India.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Philosophers, poets, and religious leaders did interpret social life prior to the work of Auguste Comte, even in ancient civilizations. For example, Aristotle, Confucius, and the Buddha all wrote about ethical and social issues.

Question 9

The power elite concept was developed by Herbert Spencer to explain the superiority of civilized members of society over the less evolved and less powerful lower classes.

Accepted Answer

The power elite concept was actually developed by sociologist C. Wright Mills in the mid-20th century. It refers to a small group of individuals who hold the most power and decision-making authority in a society, often including political, economic, and military leaders. It is not based on the idea of evolutionary superiority or inferiority of different social classes.

Question 10

Verstehen is defined by Weber as ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Verstehen is defined by Weber as ________....

Question 11

Herbert Spencer was the social thinker to use the term "survival of the fittest" to propose a species' survivability is linked to its ability to adapt to changing conditions.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Herbert Spencer was a social philosopher who utilized Charles Darwin's theories on evolution and natural selection to modernize and promote his own ideas. He first proposed the concept of "survival of the fittest" in his 1864 book "Principles of Biology," which argued that societies can improve and grow stronger when their members compete and adapt to changing conditions.

Question 12

Sociology developed as a science in America for the same general reasons it developed in Europe, specifically the onset of rapid industrialization, immigration, and urbanization.

Accepted Answer

Sociology developed as a science in America for the same reasons as in Europe, including rapid industrialization, immigration, and urbanization, which created new social problems and challenges that scholars sought to understand and address.

Question 13

Auguste Comte envisioned sociology as leading to a utopian society fine- tuned by social engineers, known as sociologists, who would apply sociological knowledge to cure society's ills.

Accepted Answer

This is an accurate description of Comte's vision for sociology. He believed that by applying scientific principles to society, sociologists could identify and solve social problems, leading to a more perfect society. He saw sociology as a key element in the development of a new utopian social order.

Question 14

The quality of mind that provides an understanding of ourselves within the context of the larger society is called ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The quality of mind that provides an...

Question 15

Margaret Sanger made her most significant contribution to the newly developing science called sociology by translating the original works of Auguste Comte from French into English.

Accepted Answer

Margaret Sanger is primarily known for her work in the field of reproductive rights and is the founder of the American Birth Control League, which later became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. While she did write about social issues, she did not translate works of Auguste Comte.

Question 16

The first major technological development in creating a powerful mass media occurred in the mid-19th century with the invention of the ________ that led to the widespread distribution of affordable newspapers, magazines, and books.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first major technological development in creating...

Question 17

Émile Durkheim believed that social solidarity could be categorized into two types: ________, which is found in simple rural societies, and ________, which is found in urban societies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Émile Durkheim believed that social solidarity could...

Question 18

Pure sociology and applied sociology are virtually the same since the rise of postmodernity.

Accepted Answer

Pure sociology and applied sociology have distinct differences, and those differences have been further emphasized in the postmodern era. While pure sociology focuses on understanding social phenomena, applied sociology is concerned with using sociological knowledge to solve practical problems in society. Postmodernism challenges traditional approaches to knowledge and emphasizes the importance of context and subjectivity, which has further highlighted the need for applied sociology to address specific social issues.

Question 19

When writing his classic work Outsiders, Howard Becker explored the fascinating world of research sociologists who employed full participation for an in-depth look at motorcycle gangs, the homeless, and prison inmates.

Accepted Answer

Howard Becker's "Outsiders" focuses on the concept of deviance and how society labels certain behaviors and individuals as deviant, rather than on sociologists employing full participation to study specific groups.

Question 20

In explaining the sociological imagination, C. Wright Mills called the events that have shaped an entire society's values and beliefs ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In explaining the sociological imagination, C. Wright...

Quiz 1: Discovering Sociology