Deck 24: Social Change: Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a common cause of social change?

A) discovery of existing things
B) diffusion from one cultural system to another
C) invention of new ideas and things
D) maintaining tradition

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Who wrote the theories of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft?

A) Max Weber
B) Ferdinand Tönnies
C) Georg Simmel
D) Karl Marx

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Ralph Linton explained that most familiar elements to our way of life

A) actually came to us from other cultures.
B) are unique to our own society.
C) were unknown even a few decades ago.
D) were discovered completely by accident.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Ferdinand Tönnies described modernity as the loss of

A) Gemeinschaft.
B) Gesellschaft.
C) social diversity.
D) personal choice.

Question 5

Max Weber's thesis on the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism highlighted the importance of which of the following in the process of social change?

A) invention
B) ideas
C) social conflict
D) cultural diffusion

Question 6

Which of the following concepts refers to changes brought on by the Information Revolution?

A) feudalism
B) tradition
C) modernity
D) postmodernity

Question 7

The chapter-opening story about the Kaiapo centres around the influence of _______ on their lives and culture.

A) the internet
B) television
C) industrialization
D) electricity

Question 8

A central concept in the study of social change is

A) mechanical solidarity.
B) modernization.
C) diffusion.
D) Gemeinschaft.

Question 9

Rocket technology, which began during the 1940s, is an example of which of the following?

A) invention
B) diffusion
C) discovery
D) hysteria

Question 10

Karl Marx highlighted which of the following in the process of social change?

A) invention
B) ideas
C) social conflict
D) cultural diffusion

Question 11

The fact that the coins we use were an idea that came from the Middle East centuries ago is an example of which of the following?

A) invention
B) discovery
C) diffusion
D) exclusion

Question 12

Demographic change in Canada over the course of the last century includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) migration.
B) a larger share of elderly people.
C) living in cities.
D) rapidly expanding rural communities.

Question 13

Modernity is the concept used for the social patterns that began to change the world about when?

A) the 1490s
B) the 1600s
C) the 1750s
D) the 1920s

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a trait that Berger links to modernity?

A) the decline of large cities
B) the expansion of personal choice
C) increasing social diversity
D) a future orientation and growing awareness of time

Question 15

Social change is almost always

A) controversial.
B) planned.
C) good for everyone in a society.
D) organized.

Question 16

Which of the following would Peter Berger point to as a good indicator of a society's degree of modernization?

A) cave dwellings
B) wristwatches
C) fire
D) the wheel

Question 17

For Tönnies, the essence of Gesellschaft is

A) faith in established tradition.
B) rational self-interest.
C) kinship.
D) neighbourhood and friendship.

Question 18

The concept of modernity refers to changes in social patterns brought on by which of the following?

A) the fall of the Roman Empire
B) the Enlightenment
C) the Industrial Revolution
D) globalization

Question 19

Sociologists point out that

A) some societies change and others do not.
B) social change happens all the time.
C) all social change is good.
D) social change occurs in fits and starts.

Question 20

Sociologists explain that the consequences of social change are

A) always positive.
B) always negative.
C) usually both positive and negative.
D) impossible to assess.

Question 21

Durkheim's concept of organic solidarity is roughly the same as Tönnies's concept of

A) Gemeinschaft.
B) Gesellschaft.
C) mechanical solidarity.
D) specialization.

Question 22

A criticism of Tönnies's thinking about modernity is that he

A) saw modernity as entirely positive.
B) claimed modern people are business-like in their relationships.
C) overlooked the fact that strong social ties still exist in modern society.
D) did not see the Industrial Revolution as making much difference in social patterns.

Question 23

To say that modern society has a "mass scale" means that many fewer people

A) live in small communities.
B) have a strong sense of cultural heritage.
C) are very sure about what is right and wrong.
D) live in large metropolitan centres.

Question 24

Max Weber saw all of the following as evidence of modernization EXCEPT

A) the rise of capitalism.
B) the rise of science.
C) the spread of bureaucracy.
D) the increasing importance of religion.

Question 25

Max Weber defined modernity in terms of which of the following concepts?

A) capitalism
B) specialization
C) self-interest
D) rationality

Question 26

Which of the following statements would NOT be made by someone who believes we live in a mass society?

A) There are more poor people now than in the past.
B) Kinship ties are weaker now than in the past.
C) Religious beliefs play a smaller role in society than ever before.
D) People experience more moral uncertainty about how to live than ever before.

Question 27

Karl Marx understood modernity in terms of which of the following?

A) the rise of rationality
B) increasing productive specialization
C) the rise of the capitalist economic system
D) the loss of traditional community

Question 28

A mass society is one that

A) has a shrinking bureaucracy.
B) is poor and limited in terms of economic production.
C) has lost much of its traditional social ties.
D) has very strong traditional social ties.

Question 29

The class-society theory of modernity is based on the ideas of which of the following sociologists?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Ferdinand Tönnies

Question 30

Durkheim's greatest concern about modern societies focused on

A) a rise of anomie.
B) increasing personal choice.
C) increasing productive specialization.
D) increasing personal privacy.

Question 31

Mass-society theory offers a criticism of modern society as having

A) become less and less affluent.
B) pushed minorities to the margins.
C) become an impersonal mass of socially rootless people.
D) become an interconnected and socially conscious group of tight-knit communities.

Question 32

The problem mass-society theory sees with the expansion of bureaucracy and the state is that

A) as bureaucracy and the state grow, people in local communities have little control over their lives.
B) government is not very efficient.
C) there is an increase in social inequality.
D) people feel the need for more personal freedom.

Question 33

The class-society approach to modernity focuses on which of the following?

A) marked social stratification
B) productive specialization
C) loss of traditional community
D) rationality

Question 34

For Weber, pre-industrial societies are characterized by a focus on

A) personal choice.
B) tradition.
C) productive specialization.
D) rationality.

Question 35

A number of sociologists contributed to a mass-society theory of modernity. Which of the following sociologists is NOT one of them?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Ferdinand Tönnies
D) Max Weber

Question 36

Which of the following thinkers was, on balance, most critical of modern society?

A) Max Weber
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Peter Berger
D) Ferdinand Tönnies

Question 37

You have chosen to defend a Marxist interpretation of social structure and change in an upcoming classroom debate. What will be the core of your presentation?

A) Ideas cause social change.
B) Conflict between classes motivates social change.
C) The natural environment causes social change.
D) Religion causes social change.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is NOT accurate?

A) In many modern societies, we find many statuses and many specialized roles.
B) In traditional societies, schooling is limited to elites.
C) In modern societies, there is little religious pluralism.
D) In traditional societies, change is slow.

Question 39

You are a Weberian and you wish to promote social change throughout the world, leading to industrial capitalism and national wealth. What would you do?

A) eliminate social classes
B) change the non-material culture of countries to embrace rationality and a work ethic
C) heighten global social conflict
D) eliminate the work ethic

Question 40

Emile Durkheim claimed that the defining trait of modernity was

A) faith in established tradition.
B) kinship.
C) common beliefs.
D) an increasing division of labour.

Question 41

David Riesman described tradition-directed social character as which of the following?

A) eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B) rigid conformity to established ways of life
C) being highly individualistic
D) loose, even absent, conformity to established ways of life

Question 42

The Kaiapo of Brazil's rainforest show us that

A) "progress" is typically good.
B) social change is usually good for everyone.
C) people do not have to change if they do not want to.
D) people sometimes gain money at the cost of losing their cultural foundation.

Question 43

Following class-society theory, the key problem of living in a modern society is

A) economic inequality with most people feeling powerless.
B) too much personal freedom.
C) difficulty building a clear personal identity.
D) too much rationality.

Question 44

Following mass-society theory, the key problem of living in a modern society is

A) finding any personal freedom.
B) dealing with persistent poverty.
C) gaining a sense of power.
D) building a confident personal identity in a quickly changing and morally relativistic world.

Question 45

Applying mass-society theory, you would claim that the biggest problem facing individuals in modern society is

A) poverty.
B) too much tradition.
C) powerlessness.
D) establishing a clear personal identity.

Question 46

In global perspective, we see that some societies change but others do not.

Question 47

Modernity is the product of social changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution.

Question 48

Which of the following four statements is FALSE?

A) The future probably will not be as good as the present.
B) Science does not hold all the answers.
C) Cultural debates are intensifying.
D) The family and other social institutions are not changing.

Question 49

Individuals experience modern mass societies in terms of

A) pronounced moral relativism.
B) little personal choice.
C) too little privacy.
D) powerlessness.

Question 50

Which of the following four statements is TRUE?

A) Members of traditional societies conform; members of modern societies do not.
B) Members of modern societies conform; members of traditional societies do not.
C) Members of both traditional and modern societies conform, but to different degrees and for different reasons.
D) Neither members of traditional nor modern societies conform.

Question 51

Social change results from invention, discovery, and cultural diffusion.

Question 52

David Riesman described other-directed social character as which of the following?

A) eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B) rigid conformity to established ways of life
C) being highly individualistic
D) an unwillingness to adopt the latest fashions and fads

Question 53

William Ogburn's theory of cultural lag states that non-material culture usually changes faster than material culture.

Question 54

The concept "postmodernity" refers to which of the following?

A) societies that have yet to industrialize
B) societies that keep their traditions
C) societies that have entered the post-industrial era
D) societies that are just beginning to industrialize

Question 55

Scholars who take a postmodernist approach claim that

A) in many respects, modernity has failed.
B) science holds the important answers.
C) people should be optimistic about their future.
D) in most respects, modernity has been a success.

Question 56

If you were following the class-society approach, which factor would you focus on as shaping modern society the most?

A) rationality
B) interdependency
C) capitalism
D) anomie

Question 57

In the post-industrial world, control of the "means of production"-using Marxist terms-means access to

A) wealth.
B) information.
C) power.
D) industrial capital.

Question 58

Social change is usually controversial.

Question 59

What did Herbert Marcuse have to say about science?

A) Science is the key to modern affluence.
B) Science is not new to modern societies; it has existed for centuries.
C) Science causes as many problems as it solves.
D) Science is only one dimension of "rationality."

Question 60

Herbert Marcuse challenged Max Weber by claiming that modern societies

A) are much too rational.
B) are irrational because they fail to meet most people's needs.
C) have made great strides in reducing inequality.
D) have little effect on the individual.

Question 61

Max Weber declared modern societies to be "disenchanted."

Question 62

Mass-society theory argues that the scale of social life is increasing, leaving people feeling lost in a world of vast and impersonal bureaucracies.

Question 63

A criticism of mass-society theory is that it pays too much attention to social inequality.

Question 64

Max Weber worried that modern societies were prone to a condition he called "anomie."

Question 65

Sociologist Peter Berger suggests that the rising popularity of wearing wristwatches is a good indicator that a traditional society is beginning to modernize.

Question 66

Karl Marx claimed that conflict between classes had the effect of preventing social change.

Question 67

Modernization means that fewer people live in small, traditional communities.

Question 68

While Max Weber linked modern alienation to inequality, Karl Marx linked modern alienation to expanding bureaucracy.

Question 69

Saying that people are "essentially united in spite of all separating factors" is a good way to describe what Tönnies called Gemeinschaft.

Question 70

Durkheim considered a rising suicide rate a good indicator that mechanical solidarity was getting stronger.

Question 71

Modernization typically decreases social diversity.

Question 72

According to mass-society theory, the mass media transform people in countless local communities forming a national culture.

Question 73

According to Emile Durkheim, modern societies are held together by difference, a process he called "organic solidarity."

Question 74

Karl Marx considered the defining trait of modern society to be capitalism.

Question 75

Ferdinand Tönnies described Gesellschaft as based on the power of the community over the individual.

Question 76

Modernization touched off the development of sociology.

Question 77

Emile Durkheim's concept of mechanical solidarity parallels Tönnies's concept of Gesellschaft.

Question 78

Karl Marx was a major architect of mass-society theory.

Question 79

Emile Durkheim understood modernization in terms of changes in societal solidarity.

Question 80

Modernization typically reduces the range of personal choice about how to live.