Deck 1: The Sociological Imagination

Question 1

Who coined the term "sociology" as the systematic study of society?

A) Socrates
B) Garfinkel
C) Comte
D) Plato

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the United States, the Southeast and Midwest are two examples of ______.

A) cultures
B) societies
C) subgroups
D) countercultures

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which group features shared land area, social interaction, and a common justice system?

A) Dominant culture
B) Culture
C) Society
D) Association

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which individual demonstrates the best example of a breaching experiment?

A) Bill is walking his dog and crosses the street to avoid the neighbor's cat.
B) Kim wears a traditional Korean dress to her sister's wedding ceremony.
C) Elwood helps himself to a handful of fries from the plate of a stranger.
D) Carlos uses a hand signal while riding his motorcycle to indicate he is turning right.

Question 5

White people in the United States are members of ______.

A) the dominant culture
B) a subculture
C) a counterculture
D) the minority culture

Question 6

Amish communities in the United States reject certain forms of technology and modes of dress. These choices would place them in a ______.

A) minority culture
B) counterculture
C) subculture
D) dominant culture

Question 7

Moderate members of different political parties would fall into which group?

A) Counterculture
B) Dominant culture
C) Minority culture
D) Subculture

Question 8

If Beyoncé gave up pop music and instead became a world-famous opera singer, she would have moved from ______ culture to ______ culture.

A) high; popular
B) high; high
C) popular; popular
D) popular; high

Question 9

A political cartoon is an example of ______.

A) popular culture
B) high culture
C) a subculture
D) a counterculture

Question 10

While talking with his friends over dinner, David realizes he is NOT the only one who feels tense when interacting with police. David has used his sociological imagination to connect his ______ and ______.

A) high culture; low culture
B) personal troubles; public issues
C) subculture; counterculture
D) minority culture; dominant culture

Question 11

Rachel is allowed to take extra time on exams due to her dyslexia. This is an example of the sociological concept of ______.

A) public issue
B) assimilation
C) personal trouble
D) subculture

Question 12

Federal investigations showed a pattern of discrimination in the Ferguson, Missouri police department in the way African Americans were treated. This is an example of which sociological concept?

A) Personal trouble
B) Public issue
C) Police brutality
D) Public relations

Question 13

Tarana shared her survival story on social media, using her ______ to inspire others to help hold sex offenders accountable.

A) public issue
B) sociological imagination
C) historical context
D) media savvy

Question 14

After borrowing funds from the government to pay for college, Jon awakens to the reality that he benefits from the structure of society. He is using his ______.

A) sociological imagination
B) historical context
C) public issue
D) individual constraints

Question 15

The core focus of sociology that studies the differences between people that influence life outcomes is social ______.

A) institutions
B) change
C) inequality
D) secularization

Question 16

The family is one example of which core focus of sociology?

A) Social institutions
B) Social change
C) Social inequality
D) Social secularization

Question 17

What is the best example of social inequality?

A) Tonya prefers English bulldogs over poodles, but her partner does not.
B) Pham works very hard to earn his promotion.
C) Leroy earns a stipend for coaching tennis at his school.
D) Frank cannot register to vote because he keeps moving from shelter to shelter.

Question 18

Jack and Diane are arrested for armed robbery. Diane's parents hire an attorney to handle her defense, but Jack must rely on a public defender. This is an example of which focus of sociology?

A) Social change
B) Social fact
C) Social inequality
D) Social institution

Question 19

In the United States, which group earns the highest average income?

A) White
B) Black
C) Asian-American
D) Hispanic

Question 20

Our behavior is structured by various shared social arrangements, norms, values and standards of conduct, known as social ______.

A) change
B) religiosity
C) inequality
D) institutions

Question 21

The process of a religion losing its authority over the lives of followers is known as ______.

A) religiosity
B) secularization
C) conversion
D) losing faith

Question 22

Ben prays three times a day, and carefully monitors the food he chooses for his family. He would rank highly in which measure of piety?

A) High culture
B) Modernization
C) Religiosity
D) Faithfulness

Question 23

The legalization of marijuana is an example of the aim of sociology called social ______.

A) institution
B) inequality
C) fact
D) change

Question 24

Why did Karl Marx consider religion the opiate of the masses?

A) He was jealous of the influence religion has on behavior norms in society.
B) He felt that religion distracts people from their own suffering, by focusing on salvation.
C) The Catholic church excommunicated (shunned) him, and he was bitter about it.
D) Religion lends itself to communism, and Marx was an avowed capitalist.

Question 25

What is the purpose of looking for the general in the particular?

A) Observational learning helps us avoid punishment.
B) Identifying behavior patterns can indicate areas for further study.
C) Examining common sense systematically proves what we already know.
D) Studying individual behavior guides changes in society.

Question 26

Why is it hard to study society?

A) It surrounds us all and is taken for granted by most people.
B) People are discouraged from discussing society by unwritten rules.
C) Most people will exaggerate their good qualities when interviewed.
D) Society changes at such a fast pace that studies are quickly obsolete.

Question 27

Why do sociologists use systematic methods to study familiar things that seem like common sense?

A) It supports confirmation bias among sociologists.
B) Systematic study shows how causation and correlation are similar.
C) It proves that "old wives tales" are based in reality.
D) The process can convert anecdotal stories into hard scientific evidence.

Question 28

According to Durkheim, what distinguishes sociology from philosophy?

A) Sociology focuses on theory; philosophy only uses empirical research.
B) Sociology is interested in individuals; philosophy considers group dynamics.
C) Philosophy relies on theories and logic; sociology focuses on empirical research.
D) Philosophy is about how individuals feel; sociology focuses on consciousness.

Question 29

Durkheim felt that values, norms, and social structures are all ______ that shape individual behavior.

A) cultural artifacts
B) social facts
C) sociological constructs
D) anecdotal evidence

Question 30

Les did not feel connected to society in any meaningful way. If he decided to take his own life, which of Durkheim's types of suicide would apply?

A) Altruistic
B) Anomic
C) Egoistic
D) Fatalistic

Question 31

When Katniss volunteered as tribute to save her little sister, which of Durkheim's types of suicide did she think she was committing?

A) Fatalistic
B) Egoistic
C) Anomic
D) Altruistic

Question 32

To what did Durkheim attribute the much lower suicide rate among Catholics as compared to the rate among Protestants?

A) Catholics are encouraged to interpret scriptures on their own, so they feel less connected to others.
B) Protestants feel overregulated and programmed when in church, so their connections are superficial.
C) Catholics are urged to seek counsel with priests who can explain scripture, giving them someone with whom to discuss problems.
D) Protestants place a higher value on rugged individualism, so much so that any perceived failures are magnified.

Question 33

A person who feels rootless or without norms to guide them due to little or no regulation may commit which type of suicide?

A) Egoistic
B) Altruistic
C) Anomic
D) Fatalistic

Question 34

Solomon Northup did not resort to ______ suicide, despite being kidnapped and sold into slavery for twelve years.

A) fatalistic
B) altruistic
C) egoistic
D) anomic

Question 35

According to Durkheim, why are single men more likely to commit suicide than other groups?

A) They feel like they have failed to secure the social institution of marriage.
B) Single men are less integrated into society due to their gender and relationship status.
C) They have few limits on their tendency toward risky behaviors that may look like suicide if fatal.
D) Some single men feel high levels of stress from their inability to pass on their genes by starting a family.

Question 36

What is the main criticism of Durkheim's study of suicide?

A) His sample size was too small to prove his hypothesis.
B) Only Catholics and Protestants were studied, not other religions.
C) Studies of countrywide suicide rates are hard to apply to individual behavior.
D) He failed to take into account the possibility that homicide might seem like suicide.

Question 37

Durkheim's study of suicide contributed which finding to the field of sociology?

A) The negative stigma attached to suicide was removed.
B) Many Protestants converted to Catholicism.
C) Suicide rates in Switzerland were reduced.
D) It showed a connection between individuals and society.

Question 38

Suicide rates are higher among Native Americans on isolated reservations than other demographic groups in the United States. How might Durkheim explain this?

A) These are anomic suicides, since Native Americans are NOT required to follow American laws.
B) Since Native Americans on reservations are not integrated into society, most of these are likely egoistic.
C) Native Americans may martyr themselves in a form of altruistic suicide to protect the tribe.
D) The freedom of living on reservations may lead to fatalistic suicides in this group.

Question 39

In Japan, a businessman sometimes commit suicide by ritual disembowelment, or seppuku, as a result of bringing shame on his family name after committing financial crimes. Durkheim would most likely categorize this as which type of suicide?

A) Seppuku is a way to sacrifice oneself to restore honor to the family, so it is altruistic.
B) This form of suicide is a way to escape the oppression of society, or fatalistic.
C) It is anomic because the man thinks his suicide is not as shameful as living.
D) Japan is traditionally under-regulated and diverse, so this must be an egoistic suicide.

Question 40

Why is sociology considered different from common sense?

A) Sociology is more superficial than common sense that has been handed down for generations.
B) Common sense goes deeper into the causes and effects of a selected behavior.
C) Sociology uses scientific study to test common sense and dispel misconceptions.
D) Common sense is essentially informal sociology engaged in by amateur scientists.

Question 41

Sociologist Randall Collins asserted that sociology's greatest strength is its ability to ______.

A) reveal fundamental social processes
B) assess the good from the bad
C) quantify the trivial details of existence
D) point out how much we differ from each other

Question 42

Most people have social networks populated by people much like themselves, illustrating the concept of ______.

A) homophily
B) heterophily
C) diversity
D) multiplicity

Question 43

According to sociological research, do "opposites attract" or do "birds of a feather flock together?"

A) Most people are attracted to others with traits that fill their own perceived deficits.
B) Geographical location limits many people to those that share location, values, and traits.
C) Studies show a person is equally likely to choose an opposite or similar partner.
D) Sexual orientation is a larger determining factor than similarity in attraction.

Question 44

Why do most people marry someone of a similar age?

A) Religious traditions encourage people to spend time with their age group.
B) Societal expectations place stigmas on couples with large age differences.
C) Schools group people by age, causing them to have the most interactions together.
D) Most officiants will only agree to marry couples of comparable ages.

Question 45

What is a potential drawback of homophily?

A) People who only spend time with those like them may be less tolerant of those who are different.
B) Boredom with being around like-minded people encourages experimentation and acceptance of diversity.
C) Being attracted to similar others may lead to an increase in the rate of homosexuality.
D) Spending time around people similar to oneself eventually removes all stimuli for conversation.

Question 46

A sociologist studying your classroom would be most interested in exploring which question?

A) Does the layout of the classroom support optimum learning?
B) What bacteria are common to all people entering the classroom?
C) Who decides what material is covered in your education?
D) How does your university rank compared to others of similar size?

Question 47

In an experiment, the condition that is manipulated by the researcher to examine its effect on another condition is called a(n) ______.

A) dependent variable
B) operational definition
C) independent variable
D) population

Question 48

Researchers evaluate how ______ are affected during experiments.

A) statistics
B) dependent variables
C) independent variables
D) research questions

Question 49

A researcher will begin a study by posing a ______, which states the relationship between variables.

A) research question
B) micro-analysis
C) correlational study
D) meta-analysis

Question 50

A sociologist believes that older people are more likely to perceive faces from races different from their own as threats. When he or she asks why this relationship exists, this is an example of ______.

A) a statistical model
B) a research question
C) an independent variable
D) an experiment

Question 51

Which statement best explains the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

A) Qualitative research is better for larger amounts of data.
B) Only quantitative research uses content analysis.
C) Qualitative research goes into more depth on its topic.
D) Quantitative research relies on participant observation.

Question 52

What approach is most suited to gathering and analyzing large amounts of data from multiple people?

A) Qualitative research
B) Experiments
C) Quantitative research
D) Interviews

Question 53

Which quantitative method is used to inexpensively and quickly gather large amounts of data?

A) Ethnography
B) Interview
C) Survey
D) Experiment

Question 54

Constance is interested in how traditional Chinese families react to newcomers who may offend social behavior expectations. What method is the best choice for gathering this quantitative data?

A) Breaching experiments
B) Surveys
C) Participant observations
D) Content analyses

Question 55

Which research method is best for demonstrating a relationship between two variables?

A) Survey
B) Interview
C) Experiment
D) Participant observation

Question 56

Rashida wants to compare responses from several people to in-depth questions. Which research method is her best choice?

A) Survey
B) Experiment
C) Content analysis
D) Interview

Question 57

Howard needs to categorize social media posts to measure public response to his research question. Which research method should he choose?

A) Interview
B) Content analysis
C) Participant observation
D) Experiment

Question 58

Juana is conducting long-term participant observation of a group of preschoolers from Flint, Michigan to determine what, if any, effects of increased lead levels in drinking water have on their behavior. Which type of research is Juana conducting?

A) Qualitative
B) Quantitative
C) Content analysis
D) Experimentation

Question 59

Matt frequently grows very angry when driving in traffic. Which method would provide the best data to answer the research question, "What triggers Matt's road rage?"

A) An interview with Matt to find a pattern to what sets him off.
B) An experiment to force a traffic problem on Matt's path to work.
C) Instructing Matt to take a survey of common road rage triggers.
D) Using traffic cameras to observe Matt during his commute to look for patterns.

Question 60

What statement best contrasts differences between surveys and interviewing?

A) Surveys are used for qualitative research and interviews are used for quantitative research.
B) Interviews have more closed-ended questions, surveys use more open-ended questions.
C) Interviews are more time-consuming and in-depth than surveys, which gather data quickly.
D) Surveys must be given by highly trained staff, interview questions can be read by anyone.

Question 61

A culture can have more than one society.

Question 62

Culture refers to the artifacts that indicate how a society values ideas, goods, and social roles.

Question 63

Society refers to the people in a culture and their behavior.

Question 64

When a person sees a public issue as a personal trouble, she is using her sociological imagination.

Question 65

The study of social inequality is one of the three core aims of sociology.

Question 66

The interdependence of society and the behavior of people is one of the three core foci of sociology.

Question 67

Anomic suicide occurs in societies with little or no regulation, leaving a person to think they do not matter.

Question 68

A society's justice system is an example of a social institution.

Question 69

Durkheim was the first person to suggest formal study of sociology.

Question 70

Durkheim felt that psychological factors were more important than sociological factors contributing to suicide.

Question 71

An interview with follow-up questions is an example of a qualitative research method.

Question 72

A dependent variable is the one a researcher measures to determine if and how much it has been affected by other variables.

Question 73

Content analysis is only used for qualitative research.

Question 74

Experiments test the effect of one variable on another.

Question 75

Breaching experiments involve breaking social norms and measuring reactions.

Question 76

Minh is studying the #MeToo movement and its influence on the behavior of men.
A. Describe and provide examples of the three sorts of questions she should investigate.
B. Explain how a personal trouble can become a public issue in this context.

Question 77

Compare and contrast the core foci and core aims of sociology using examples of each to support your answer.

Question 78

Imagine you are a sociologist planning to study the phenomenon of people dressing up as fictional characters while attending science fiction conventions. Make a list of questions a sociologist might ask, provide some sample answers, and formulate a possible hypothesis to explain this behavior.

Question 79

Describe how the homophily principle might influence relationships in the life of a typical high school student in your community. How would you gather information and measure the strength of the effect? Be sure to evaluate the effects on at least three types of relationships.

Question 80

Dr. Fuchs set up an experiment to measure how people react to violations of social norms. He instructed participants to remember a series of words. Each person in one group was asked to recall the words while Dr. Fuchs stood three feet away from them. Each person in the other group was asked to recall the list of words while Dr. Fuchs stood one foot away from them.
A. Identify the independent variable and dependent variable.
B. Describe the type of experiment administered by Dr. Fuchs.
C. Evaluate this experimental design in terms of how likely it is to succeed, and how it might affect participants.