Deck 5: Urban Sociology: Classic and Modern Statements

Question 1

According to Weber, the ideal city is characterized by

A) a dominance of trade and commercial relations.
B) large amounts of political visibility.
C) no related forms of association.
D) the availability of structural institutions.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Wirth's mistake was in

A) generalizing too much from the urban conditions of the time in which he lived.
B) underestimating the popularity of the suburbs.
C) failing to identify the exurbs.
D) not understanding the complexities of urban life.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to Wirth, the large population size of cities creates

A) greater cultural homogeneity.
B) a need for formal control structures.
C) a problem for economic growth.
D) the conditions for democracy.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The concept of gemeinschaft means

A) association.
B) community.
C) organism.
D) neighborhood.

Question 5

According to Marx, social institutions are determined by

A) the political structure.
B) religion.
C) the economic system.
D) tradition.

Question 6

According to Simmel, individual behavior in the city is dominated by

A) passion.
B) rationality.
C) compassion.
D) detachment.

Question 7

Sociology emerged with the work of

A) Auguste Comte.
B) Karl Marx.
C) Ferdinand Tönnies.
D) Max Weber.

Question 8

Which of the following is central to Claude Fischer's subcultural theory?

A) critical mass
B) cultural isolation
C) cultural infusion
D) nonurban living

Question 9

Which of the following is one of the types of urban lifestyles identified by Herbert Gans?

A) The cosmopolites
B) The unmarried
C) The urbanites
D) The sophisticates

Question 10

Authors in the classical European tradition all saw the city as

A) eradicating human choice.
B) a complex division of labor.
C) limiting the quality of life.
D) a potential for economic growth.

Question 11

The comparative approach to urban sociology was promoted by

A) Durkheim.
B) Tönnies.
C) Weber.
D) Simmel.

Question 12

Urban sociology emerged in the context of

A) the Industrial Revolution in Europe.
B) the U.S. Revolutionary War.
C) World War II.
D) the Civil War

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of gesellschaft?

A) Irrational behavior
B) Focus on community
C) Kinship and loyalty
D) Decline of family

Question 14

The "Asiatic modes of production" refer to

A) the factory system in China.
B) a concept developed by Weber.
C) an economic structure characterized by limited division of labor, common property, and lack of individualism.
D) an urban setting characterized by high specialization of labor and impersonal relationships.

Question 15

What does the murder of Ms. Genovese illustrate?

A) The concept of compassion
B) The concept of gemeinschaft dominant in modern cities
C) The mechanical aspect of solidarity emphasized by Durkheim
D) The cultivated indifference observed by Simmel

Question 16

Modern researchers have shown that

A) tolerance is more pervasive in rural areas.
B) people with lower levels of income are more tolerant.
C) urban tolerance is a product of migration.
D) modern technologies, such as television, have lowered tolerance in cities.

Question 17

Georg Simmel focused on

A) the structure of cities.
B) the economic function of cities.
C) the social mobility of individuals in cities.
D) the social psychology of city life.

Question 18

Park's image of the city includes all but which of the following?

A) A homogeneous population
B) Formal social structures
C) A more rational life
D) A commercial structure

Question 19

Compared to the classical European tradition, Parks' urban sociology

A) is more abstract.
B) is more empirical.
C) is less relevant to contemporary urban problems.
D) is more theoretical.

Question 20

Durkheim saw "organic solidarity" as

A) the equivalent to Tönnies's gemeinschaft.
B) a social order based on common belief, customs and rituals.
C) an automatic form of dependence.
D) a social order based on a complex division of labor.

Question 21

Park saw urban life as disorder and chaos.

Question 22

Simmel explained the spread of graffiti in cities by economic inequality.

Question 23

According to recent evidence, the city

A) is less tolerant than other types of settlements.
B) is as impersonal as many thought it was.
C) does not promote a greater malaise than rural areas do.
D) does not accept settlers without political process.

Question 24

An emphasis on historical perspective is one of Wirth's major contributions to urban sociology.

Question 25

For Marx, cities announced a transition to "barbarism."

Question 26

Urbanization necessarily generates urbanism.

Question 27

Marx and Engels believed that the flaws of capitalism cause poverty and unemployment.

Question 28

According to Simmel, money is very important in urban life.

Question 29

Park argued that urban research should be based on a disciplined observation.

Question 30

Durkheim's view of the city is pessimistic.

Question 31

Weber saw the modern city as closer to his ideal city type than the medieval city was.

Question 32

Wirth's idea of "social segmentalization" refers to discrimination in the housing market.

Question 33

Organic solidarity refers to a social order based on individual differences.

Question 34

White's study of ethnic neighborhoods supports Wirth's argument about urban anonymity.

Question 35

The positive relationship between density and pathological behavior

A) has been proven by genetic analysis.
B) is rejected by J.B. Calhoun.
C) is primarily biological.
D) appears to be linked to poverty and racial discrimination.

Question 36

Wirth attempted to define universal social characteristics of the city.

Question 37

Gemeinschaft characterized the large city.

Question 38

Tönnies understood cities as part of a continuum.

Question 39

One characteristic of urban "neighboring" is that it

A) varies markedly.
B) is always active.
C) is always impersonal.
D) usually involves only working-class people.

Question 40

Weber compared cities in different parts of the world.

Question 41

Compare and contrast Tönnies's and Durkheim's theories of urban life. What are the differences and similarities?

Question 42

Most classical theories were pessimistic about the urban life. Discuss what evidence of this is found in the text. What are the negative and positive aspects of urban life?

Question 43

Do you think urban life is as negative as the classic authors thought it was? Explain the positive and negative aspects of urban life.

Question 44

Cities create greater psychological distress.