Deck 10: Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion

Question 1

What is a political system called that denies ordinary people participation or representation in their government?

A) pluralist
B) democratic
C) socialist
D) authoritarian

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The methods and tactics of managing a political entity are called:

A) power.
B) totalitarianism.
C) fascism.
D) politics.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

for which of the following reasons could the supposed increase in voter turnout in the 2004 election really be just an artifact of the way that voter turnout is measured?

A) The turnout rate was based on all residents of voting age.
B) The turnout rate was measured by randomly sampling only a select few polling places.
C) The turnout rate may have included many ballots that were cast illegally.
D) for the first time, the turnout rate was based on eligible voters, as opposed to all residents of voting age.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is it called when a government bars an individual,either temporarily or permanently,from voting?

A) suffrage
B) disenfranchisement
C) pluralism
D) voting conviction

Question 5

Robert is walking down the street late at night when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet.Sociologists would say that Robert's mugger had ________ but not ________.

A) power; authority
B) authority; power
C) authoritarianism; power
D) totalitarianism; total power

Question 6

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president.Given only this information,what was Noriega's government?

A) totalitarian
B) authoritarian
C) democratic
D) a monarchy

Question 7

The term that refers to the legitimate use of power is called:

A) government.
B) politics.
C) authority.
D) state.

Question 8

According to a recent study,what percentage of the American population makes up the power elite?

A) 5 percent
B) considerably less than 1 percent
C) 12.5 percent
D) 42 percent

Question 9

Which of the following techniques is used to disenfranchise part of the American population today?

A) requiring polling places to be put in as many locations as possible
B) requiring that poll taxes be paid in order to vote
C) denying people who have been convicted of felonies the right to vote for the rest of their lives
D) requiring a literacy test to get a ballot

Question 10

Systems and structures that persist over time and help organize group life are called:

A) social controls.
B) social institutions.
C) social norms.
D) pluralistic situations.

Question 11

Kim Jong Il and his father,Kim Il Sung,Korea's current and former leaders,have both restricted the basic human rights of their subjects.What type of government does North Korea have?

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) republic
D) totalitarian

Question 12

Why do politics,education,and religion all appear in the same chapter of your text?

A) All three exist only at the macro level.
B) All three exist only at the micro level.
C) Political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.
D) All three are important to sociologists, but have less effect on everyday life.

Question 13

What do schools,churches,and governments all have in common?

A) They are all secular institutions.
B) They are all less important today than in the past.
C) They are all social institutions.
D) They function only at the macro level.

Question 14

On January 30,2005,Iraq held what many claim were the first free and fair elections in its history,after many decades of military dictatorship.This was seen as the first step in transforming Iraq into a:

A) theocracy.
B) totalitarian regime.
C) constitutional monarchy.
D) democracy.

Question 15

In Who Governs,Robert Dahl examined the way power was distributed in New Haven,Connecticut,and concluded that a wide variety of actors played a role in the political decision-making process.What theory of power did Dahl's findings illustrate?

A) authoritarianism
B) democracy
C) pluralism
D) power elite

Question 16

What is the most extreme form of authoritarianism called?

A) totalitarianism
B) monarchy
C) dictatorship
D) the power elite

Question 17

Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father,Hussein bin Talal,as ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999.This makes his government a:

A) monarchy.
B) totalitarian state.
C) pluralist polity.
D) democratic republic.

Question 18

The majority of appointed U.S.Treasury secretaries have been either former partners and/or managers of Goldman Sachs,a global investment management firm.Sociologists would argue that this overlap between private business and the federal government is an example of:

A) pluralism.
B) authoritarianism.
C) totalitarianism.
D) the power elite.

Question 19

C.Wright Mills identifies the small and unified group of people who occupy the highest positions of the major economic,political,and military institutions and exercise tremendous influence in American social life as:

A) the power elite.
B) a variety of organizations and institutions that represent different interest groups.
C) political action committees that raise money and advocate on behalf of their donors.
D) the media.

Question 20

Since 1917,all Puerto Ricans have been considered U.S.citizens,but they are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections.In this sense they are:

A) ruled by a 527 committee.
B) part of the fourth Estate.
C) disenfranchised.
D) a pluralistic society.

Question 21

In 1971 Daniel Ellsberg,working for the Department of Defense,found a large collection of classified documents that showed that many members of the U.S.government did not believe the Vietnam War was winnable,despite public assertions to the contrary.Ellsberg turned to the fourth Estate,giving the documents to:

A) Judge William Byrne.
B) the New York Times.
C) U.S. Senator Mike Gravel.
D) a member of the vice president's staff.

Question 22

During the 2012 presidential election,Barack Obama was endorsed by singer and celebrity Beyoncé Knowles.To the extent that people pay attention to her and care about what she says,she is a(n):

A) opinion leader.
B) member of the fourth Estate.
C) member of a special interest group.
D) political action leader.

Question 23

When John f.Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign,voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio.Why?

A) The Kennedy campaign put out better television advertisements.
B) Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would have made him look better on camera.
C) The radio program was shorter than the television program and omitted some of Kennedy's key arguments.
D) Kennedy smiled a lot.

Question 24

During the most recent wave of conflict between Israel and Palestine,images of Palestinian children maimed and killed on the beach by Israeli missiles were televised across the world.Israeli officials argued that these images were a public relations tool by Palestinian organizations to gain sympathy for their cause.This example demonstrates the:

A) importance of creating a simulacrum to fool the public.
B) role that organizations play in war conflicts.
C) importance of "telegenic" images in swaying public support against the war.
D) importance of using "new media" to communicate with the general public.

Question 25

Why are political action committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

A) Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give them.
B) Their members have positions of power within the media.
C) They have far and away the largest number of grassroots supporters.
D) Many of their members hold high political office.

Question 26

In August 2009,House Republican leader John Boehner asked rank-and-file Republicans to use social media like Twitter to get out their message about America's health-care system.Given that a Twitter post can only be 140 characters long,what feature of modern politics closely resembles Twitter posts?

A) press conferences
B) journalistic watchdogs
C) soundbites
D) news stories

Question 27

Organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials are called:

A) power elites.
B) media groups.
C) special interest groups.
D) unions.

Question 28

In Soviet Russia,it was a common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood,and to treat the doctored photos as representations of reality,rather than modifications of it.for example,Stalin's friends who turned into his enemies were cut out of pictures with him.These pictures were examples of:

A) spin doctors.
B) simulacrum.
C) opinion leaders.
D) a free press.

Question 29

What large-scale social change has made celebrity politicians more popular and successful?

A) the increasing importance of television
B) the increasing focus on political platform and policies
C) the increasing need to connect with young voters
D) the increasing importance of Hollywood stars to fund-raising

Question 30

Mike McCurry was the White House press secretary from 1995 to 1998.It was his job to field questions from the press and explain the president's policies and attitudes in language that was compelling and persuasive.According to this job description,he could be called a(n):

A) 527 committee member.
B) spin doctor.
C) member of the power elite.
D) technocrat.

Question 31

High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:

A) lobbyists.
B) opinion leaders.
C) political action leaders.
D) talking heads.

Question 32

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in England,the curriculum at schools like Trinity College at Cambridge (The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity)leaned very heavily on theology.Today,the vast majority of university students will never take any theology classes.Why did this change?

A) Universities in those days were controlled by the state.
B) The Internet has altered social relations to such an extent that education in certain subjects no longer seems important.
C) There are more colleges now, so students who are told they must take theology classes can simply transfer to a different school.
D) The knowledge, values, and expectations required to succeed in contemporary society are different from those required then.

Question 33

What is the central means by which modern society transmits knowledge,values,and expectations to its members?

A) religion
B) politics
C) education
D) the hidden curriculum

Question 34

In 2009,shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska,a Republican political strategist asked: If Sarah Palin were not attractive,"would we even be talking about her today?" This quote reminds us that politics today:

A) requires immense amounts of money to succeed.
B) has very little connection to the lives of everyday people.
C) rewards style over substance.
D) is mostly scripted by spin doctors.

Question 35

Organizations designed to raise money to support the interests of a particular group are called:

A) political action committees.
B) media groups.
C) simulacrums.
D) power elites.

Question 36

Short sentences or phrases on a political subject,designed to be catchy and memorable but not necessarily to convey much information,are called:

A) position papers.
B) policy gripes.
C) press releases.
D) soundbites.

Question 37

In the past,most voters formed political opinions by listening to speeches,meeting with representatives of political parties,or attending town hall meetings.How do voters today tend to learn about political issues?

A) through websites maintained by political candidates
B) through human interest stories in the media
C) through newspaper and magazine articles that focus on the policy implications of political decisions
D) through intimate, firsthand knowledge of issues

Question 38

What does Jean Baudrillard call an image in the media that people can no longer distinguish from the reality that it is supposed to represent?

A) simulacrum
B) hidden curriculum
C) telegenic
D) sacred

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a special interest group?

A) Penn State University
B) police unions
C) a parent group at a school
D) a student organization on campus

Question 40

Which of the following would be an example of social media?

A) political parties summarizing their campaign platforms on television
B) a public radio program that tells you where to go if you want to volunteer to work on a political campaign
C) a magazine that provides information on candidates' policy positions but also describes their family lives, hobbies, and favorite books
D) politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents and hear back from them directly

Question 41

Sociologists have noted that the informal teaching practices and power relationships by which schools operate produce a disconnect between democratic values and what actually goes on in schools.About what concept are such arguments referring?

A) teacher expectations
B) the hidden curriculum
C) simulacra
D) educational inequality

Question 42

How does the textbook define the "hidden curriculum"?

A) the ideal of a self-denying, highly moral life accompanied by self-sacrifice
B) higher grades given for the same work, or a general rise in student grades without a corresponding rise in learning
C) subjects that are rarely taught, which require students to seek them out on their own time
D) lessons that students learn indirectly through the method in which the curriculum is presented and the way the school is organized

Question 43

What does sociologist Randall Collins argue is the true function of schools?

A) They train a workforce in computer and technology skills so students can work in a twenty-first-century information economy.
B) They teach traditional American values like respect, hard work, and punctuality.
C) They reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to that of their parents.
D) They teach students to have a profound intellectual engagement that allows them to establish a meaningful relationship with the society in which they live.

Question 44

In his book,Savage Inequalities,Jonathan Kozol,a former teacher,conducted an ethnography of public schools in major cities across the United States.According to his study,how do schools reinforce inequality?

A) by busing students to schools far away from their homes, disrupting their schedules, and removing them from their natural peers
B) by using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools
C) by "teaching to the test," which removes many more creative subjects from the curriculum
D) by privileging athletes and giving them a much easier educational path

Question 45

Jacobson and Rosenthal's Pygmalion in the Classroom showed that:

A) IQ scores are the best predictors of classroom success.
B) students whom teachers expect to do well tend to fare better in the classroom.
C) there is no relationship between teachers' expectations about students and student performance.
D) all students enter the education system with equal chances for success.

Question 46

In Schooling in Capitalist America,Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis argued that schools train a labor force in the skills and attitudes necessary for the health of a modern economy.What are these skills and attitudes?

A) critical thinking
B) independence and initiative
C) the mathematical skills needed to work with computer software and the drive needed to create new things
D) taking orders and performing repetitive tasks

Question 47

When students are tested and the test results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial,advanced,college prep,etc.),this process is called:

A) the hidden curriculum.
B) socialization.
C) tracking.
D) charter schooling.

Question 48

Before 1900,approximately what percentage of Americans graduated from high school?

A) 2 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 22 percent
D) 30 percent

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?

A) While curriculum may recognize and celebrate diversity, most professors and administrators are white and heterosexual.
B) History books are rewritten to emphasize the role of women and minorities.
C) Schools attempt to change how they teach.
D) Schools attempt to address the gaps and exclusions that exist in their curriculum.

Question 50

Public schools that are run by private entities are called:

A) charter schools.
B) religious schools.
C) homeschools.
D) secular schools.

Question 51

Which of the following is a criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act passed by Congress in 2002?

A) America's educational system is in fine shape, and any attempt to change it will simply disrupt a functioning system.
B) Teachers, under pressure to raise test scores, may stop doing everything but "teaching to the test."
C) It will disproportionately benefit students in poor, urban schools.
D) It will make it harder for parents to move their children out of failing schools and into better ones.

Question 52

What was Jonathan Kozol's impression of the poorly funded schools he visited in urban Chicago?

A) Children are very resilient and can overcome even the worst conditions.
B) They were extraordinarily unhappy places.
C) Even though they were poorly funded, a small group of dedicated teachers could still make a difference in children's lives.
D) They could only succeed when they were closely regulated by programs like the No Child Left Behind Act.

Question 53

According to Randall Collins,our educational system is much like a "tribal initiation rite," a "secret society," or a "closed occupational caste": not a rational system that produces more efficient production,but a mechanism for:

A) creating gender inequality in the workforce.
B) reproducing the existing class structure.
C) punishing those who deviate from mainstream American values.
D) teaching the values and ideals we need to function in society today.

Question 54

According to Randall Collins,why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?

A) They understand how complicated their professions are and want to make sure that everyone who enters them is well trained.
B) They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thus minimizing competition and ensuring that there is a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
C) They know that the world is changing quickly, and they want to make sure that new doctors and lawyers are fully versed in the intricacies of twenty-first-century life.
D) They tend to invest in private schools, so they make a profit from education.

Question 55

What is one example of how America's educational system is in crisis?

A) Literacy rates are low.
B) Standardized tests are becoming too difficult.
C) School infrastructure is growing too quickly.
D) Teachers are not as good today as they were in the 1960s.

Question 56

What does a sociological perspective tell us about education in the United States?

A) Anyone who works hard can get good grades.
B) Education is the pathway to material success and, as such, rewards the best and brightest individuals.
C) Tracking helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve material success.
D) Educational success often has as much to do with social stratification as it does with individual ability.

Question 57

What does the sociologist Randall Collins recommend to reform the American educational system?

A) The first two years of college should be combined with high school to make the transition easier.
B) High schools should be funded by the federal government so poor areas do not have poorly funded schools.
C) It should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.
D) Standardized test scores should not be asked for on college applications.

Question 58

In recent years,some schools and educators have adopted a "flipping the classroom" approach.This teaching method relies on in-class problem-solving activities,supplemented by online lectures that students can watch on their own time as part of their homework.Critics of this teaching method argue that:

A) low-income students fare better in a "flipped" classroom setting than in a more traditional class.
B) teachers are not technologically savvy enough to apply this approach in their classrooms.
C) this teaching method has lowered the dropout rates in urban communities.
D) not all students have access to technology and the Internet to benefit from this approach.

Question 59

What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?

A) math and science
B) only theology
C) natural philosophy and the works of ancient Greek philosophers
D) law, theology, and medicine

Question 60

What variable would account for the dramatic jump in test scores evidenced by the students in Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion in the Classroom?

A) difficult work
B) better books and other instructional materials
C) teacher attitudes
D) community support

Question 61

Religious groups that emphasize literal interpretation of sacred texts are called:

A) secular.
B) unchurched.
C) fundamentalist.
D) intrinsic.

Question 62

According to the textbook,what is the goal of early college high schools?

A) to make education cheaper, because college teachers are paid less when teaching in these institutions
B) to move skilled workers into the economy faster
C) to make it easier for students from underserved backgrounds to enter college
D) to slow down the educational process and to keep more young people in school and out of the workforce, where too many people are underemployed

Question 63

Why is it NOT surprising that Evangelical Protestantism is the most common religious affiliation in the United States?

A) Evangelical churches tend to be the wealthiest churches in America.
B) Evangelicals focus on an unchurched spirituality.
C) Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts.
D) Evangelicals are the oldest religious group in America.

Question 64

What is a term for someone who labels himself "spiritual but not religious"?

A) fundamentalist
B) evangelical
C) atheist
D) unchurched

Question 65

What is religiosity?

A) a measure of the diversity of religion within a society
B) a measure of the variety of religious experiences a person may have over the course of his or her lifetime
C) the extent of a person's commitment to a religion
D) the degree to which religion can provide solutions to everyday problems

Question 66

According to your textbook,what do all religions have in common?

A) God(s) or other supernatural beings
B) moral laws about the proper way to offer prayer and sacrifice to a god
C) a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane
D) certain days that are considered holy

Question 67

Schools that blend high school and college are called:

A) charter schools.
B) early college high schools.
C) junior colleges.
D) college achievement schools.

Question 68

In the Sermon on the Mount,in the Christian New Testament,believers are told,"Whatever you want men to do to you,do also to them." Of which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you?

A) Religion helps us understand our lives as meaningful.
B) Religion provides morals, values, rules, and norms for participants.
C) Religion gives people a set of social connections.
D) Religion reinforces sexism and provides separate roles for men and women.

Question 69

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer,recited five times each day.This means that,in theory,five times each day every Muslim is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time.What function or dysfunction of religion does the adhan help bring about?

A) It supports economic development.
B) It creates social solidarity.
C) It reinforces sexism.
D) It creates a bias against homosexuals.

Question 70

Attending religious services would be an example of:

A) intrinsic religiosity.
B) extrinsic religiosity.
C) unchurched spirituality.
D) spirituality.

Question 71

Intrinsic religiosity can be defined as:

A) any approach to religion that meets the fundamental needs of a person.
B) the process by which worldly concerns come to dominate a person's life.
C) a person's inner religious life.
D) a cosmology that justifies a set of behaviors in terms of absolute good or evil.

Question 72

from a structural functionalist perspective,religion fulfills what role in society?

A) It makes women subservient to men.
B) Its shows religious organizations how to become agents of change.
C) It is an instrument against oppression and exploitation.
D) It provides its adherents with a set of values, norms, and rules by which to live.

Question 73

According to Mark Juergensmeyer's book,Terror in the Mind of God,what accounts for the rise in religious violence across the world?

A) the rise of Christian Evangelical fundamentalism
B) the rise of Muslim fundamentalism
C) the growing dissatisfaction with the growing separation of the church and state in various countries
D) Extremist religious beliefs can grant a sense of control to people who otherwise feel powerless.

Question 74

What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?

A) the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002
B) a rise in immigration, leading to a large population of non-English-speaking students
C) the deterioration of the infrastructure in educational institutions
D) the rise of the Internet

Question 75

Which of the following is an advantage cited by supporters of school vouchers?

A) Vouchers provide more funding for public schools.
B) Vouchers provide better pay for teachers, which improves the quality of education across the board.
C) Vouchers create more schools that specialize in math and science.
D) Vouchers give more choices to parents for their children's education.

Question 76

"Wives,submit yourselves unto your own husbands,as unto the Lord.for the husband is the head of the wife,even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible,like this one,to justify gender roles.This may be a ________ of religion,because it ________.

A) dysfunction; is homophobic
B) function; promotes equality
C) function; teaches us a basic sociological tenet
D) dysfunction; promotes sexism

Question 77

What is one reason that critics might object to school vouchers?

A) They believe vouchers will undermine the independence of private schools.
B) They believe vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.
C) They believe vouchers will reduce the number of choices and amount of control parents have over their children's education.
D) They fear that vouchers will cause students to be socially, rather than educationally, disadvantaged.

Question 78

What are religions called that worship one divine figure?

A) pluralistic
B) secular
C) monotheistic
D) Judeo-Christian

Question 79

How is a sociological definition of religion different from a commonsense,everyday definition?

A) A sociological definition looks only at the macro elements of religion.
B) A sociological definition looks only at the way religion is created and re-created through everyday interaction.
C) A sociological definition must be broad enough to encompass all brands of religious experience.
D) A sociological definition cannot take into account personal relationships with God.

Question 80

How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?

A) Homeschooled students perform better in reading, but worse in math and science.
B) Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
C) No one knows because there is no way to test homeschooled students.
D) Homeschooled students do well only if their parents are certified as teachers; otherwise they do fairly badly.