Question 1

Conservatives and liberals, men and women, and representatives from a diverse group of voters are all working hard to have Jonathan Pryce elected President of the United States in 2012. This pattern of social interaction, in which individuals, groups, and societies work together to achieve a shared goal, is called ________.
A) exchange
B) competition
C) cooperation
D) collusion

Accepted Answer

Cooperation is the pattern of social interaction described in the passage, as individuals from different political backgrounds and demographic groups are working together towards a shared goal of electing Pryce as President. Exchange refers to the giving and receiving of goods or services between individuals or groups, competition implies a rivalry between individuals or groups to achieve a goal, and collusion refers to a secret agreement between individuals to deceive or manipulate others.

Question 2

What do sociologists call groups, such as family, education, religion, government, and the economy, that address fundamental social needs?
A) total institutions
B) agents of socialization
C) bureaucracies
D) social institutions

Accepted Answer

Sociologists call the groups that address fundamental social needs social institutions. This includes family, education, religion, government, and the economy. These institutions play a crucial role in shaping individual behavior and beliefs, as well as social norms and values. Social institutions are often studied in sociology to understand how they impact society and how they can be improved or changed.

Question 3

Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and family background each comprise a socially defined position in the social structure called ________.
A) achieved status
B) role set
C) role strain
D) ascribed status

Accepted Answer

Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and family background are all ascribed statuses, which are positions in society that are assigned to individuals without regards to their actions or abilities. This is in contrast to achieved statuses, which are positions that individuals attain through their own efforts and abilities. Role set refers to the different roles that an individual is expected to play in a particular status, and role strain refers to the tension or difficulty that arises from trying to fulfill the expectations of a particular role.

Question 4

According to functionalists, what is the basic necessity required for society to exist, which is defined as the patterned and recurrent relationships among group members?
A) social integration
B) structure
C) stratification
D) social solidarity

Accepted Answer

Functionalists believe that structure, specifically patterned and recurrent relationships among group members, is the basic necessity required for society to exist. Social integration, stratification, and social solidarity are all concepts related to but not defining the basic necessity for society's existence according to functionalists.

Question 5

Police officers are expected to be fair, courteous, knowledgeable of the law, and efficient. This set of expectations, rights, and duties attached to the status of police officers is called ________.
A) role
B) their profile
C) a stereotype
D) a network

Accepted Answer

The set of expectations, rights, and duties attached to the status of police officers is commonly referred to as their role.

Question 6

Why did Philip Zimbardo discontinue his classic experiment that involved students' playing the roles of prisoners and guards?
A) Students could not visualize themselves as "guards" or do the work expected of them.
B) The behavior of the "guards" became brutal and the "inmates" lost their self esteem.
C) The concept of the project was a major ethics violation.
D) The project was too conservative for the liberal political views of the campus where it took place.

Accepted Answer

The behavior of the "guards" became brutal and the "inmates" lost their self esteem.

Question 7

Jim and Mark have been neighbors for several years. When Jim asks Mark to help him with a household project, Mark always makes the time to lend a hand. He knows Jim will do the same for him when he has a similar chore. This basic form of social interaction, which is based on norms of reciprocity, is called ________.
A) exchange
B) profiteering
C) competition
D) impressionism

Accepted Answer

The scenario described involves a reciprocal exchange, where Jim and Mark help each other with household projects based on the norm of reciprocity. This basic form of social interaction is called exchange.

Question 8

Socially defined positions in the social structure that are relationships to others, such as father, son, professor, and student are called ________.
A) roles
B) statuses
C) classes
D) stereotypes

Accepted Answer

Statuses are socially defined positions in the social structure that individuals occupy in relation to others. Roles, on the other hand, are the expected behaviors associated with a particular status. Classes refer to hierarchical positions in society based on economic, social, or cultural factors, while stereotypes are overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group of people.

Question 9

Barbara feels uneasy when her professor walks within 18 inches of her desk while he lectures and was offended when her roommate's boyfriend gave her a big hug when she first met him. What explanation would Edward Hall offer for Barbara's negative reaction to both her professor and her roommate's boyfriend's behavior?
A) She feels both men are sexually harassing her.
B) Her professor and roommate's boyfriend have violated her personal space.
C) The professor is abusing his authority, and the boyfriend is taking advantage of her relationship with her roommate.
D) Neither the professor nor the roommate's boyfriend understands social boundaries.

Accepted Answer

Edward Hall's theory of proxemics suggests that individuals have different zones of personal space, and when someone enters that space without permission, it can cause discomfort or uneasiness. This is most likely the reason for Barbara's negative reaction to both her professor and her roommate's boyfriend's behavior.

Question 10

We often greet people with the comment "How 'ya doin'?" or "What's up?" The fact is we really don't care how they are doing or what is "up" in their lives. These are simply greetings equivalent to saying "Hi!" and do not require a response. What term did Harold Garfinkel use to describe these "taken-for-granted" aspects of social interaction?
A) definition of the situation
B) ethnomethodology
C) dramaturgical analysis
D) impression management

Accepted Answer

Harold Garfinkel used the term "ethnomethodology" to describe the study of the common, taken-for-granted practices that people use to understand and make sense of their social world, including greetings like "How 'ya doin'?" and "What's up?"

Question 11

Police officers are often guilty of overidentifying their occupation with the other statuses and roles that they must occupy and perform, such as father, husband, and neighbor. This over-emphasis on a role that becomes central to a person's identity so that the person literally becomes that role is called ________.
A) role merger
B) role strain
C) role embracement
D) role distance

Accepted Answer

The description fits the concept of role merger, where a person's occupation or role becomes so central to their identity that they merge with it and have difficulty separating their personal identity from their professional one. This can lead to difficulties in balancing different roles and identities, such as being a police officer and a father. Role strain refers to the stress and tension that arises from trying to balance different roles, while role embracement refers to fully embracing and taking on a role as part of one's identity. Role distance, on the other hand, refers to a deliberate separation and distancing from a role or occupation.

Question 12

What sociological approach is most aligned with the use of social networks to perpetuate the domination of clubs and associations by members of certain racial, ethnic, or social classes?
A) the structuralist perspective
B) the functionalist perspective
C) the symbolic interactionist perspective
D) the conflict perspective

Accepted Answer

The conflict perspective focuses on how power and resources are distributed in society and on the struggles between different groups for those resources. In this case, the use of social networks to perpetuate domination by certain groups falls under the conflict perspective because it highlights the uneven distribution of resources and privileges within clubs and associations. The conflict perspective is also concerned with issues of inequality and oppression, making it a natural fit to analyze this phenomenon.

Question 13

Becky believes she will fail the sociology course because she scored only a 59 on her first exam. Therefore, she withdrew from the class. The fact is that a score of 59 was in the upper third of all scores and equivalent to a "B" grade. Becky defined her situation as failing the course. But the fact is she withdrew. Such a scenario that occurs when people define situations as real and they become real in their consequences is a concept William I. Thomas proposed, which is called ________.
A) the definition of the situation
B) dramaturgical analysis
C) ethnomethodology
D) impression management

Accepted Answer

The concept of "the definition of the situation" is directly described in the scenario as the reason why Becky believes she will fail the course, even though she actually scored well on her first exam. This is a key concept proposed by William I. Thomas. The other answer choices (B, C, and D) are not directly applicable to the scenario.

Question 14

Bethany has worked diligently to become the new personnel manager at Acme University. She also holds the titles of wife, mother, and choir director at her church. Such titles and positions are called ________.
A) ascribed statuses
B) social roles
C) achieved statuses
D) social class

Accepted Answer

Achieved statuses are those that are attained by an individual's own efforts and abilities, such as becoming a personnel manager or a choir director, as opposed to ascribed statuses, which are assigned at birth or based on factors outside of an individual's control. Social roles refer to the expected behaviors and responsibilities associated with a particular status, such as being a wife or mother. Social class is a broader concept referring to a person's overall socio-economic position in society.

Question 15

What was Robert Nisbet referring to when he spoke of the "molecular cement" that binds people, groups, and societies together?
A) the economic health of a community
B) patterns of social interaction
C) racial and ethnic similarities
D) the sense of community shared by members of society

Accepted Answer

The answer of What was Robert Nisbet referring to when...

Question 16

Many people wear their "Sunday's finest" to church, respond politely when someone in authority asks a question, and make sure they are on time for work every day. These influences of dress and behavior serve as examples of ________.
A) social interaction
B) status inconsistency
C) role merger
D) stereotyping

Accepted Answer

The influences of dress and behavior mentioned in the statement are examples of social interaction, which refers to the ways in which individuals and groups interact with one another through social norms and customs.

Question 17

How would a conflict theorist view the purpose of roles, statuses, and institutions that provide structure to society and, by doing so, makes the concept of society possible?
A) They are basic to the proper functioning of society and provide justice for all.
B) They act as incentives for the poor to advance and improve their status.
C) They provide a means by which individuals can judge their relative success in life.
D) They are designed to maintain the status quo by defining and maintaining class structure.

Accepted Answer

Conflict theorists would view roles, statuses, and institutions as designed to maintain the status quo by defining and maintaining class structure. They would argue that these structures primarily benefit the dominant groups and the wealthy, while perpetuating and reinforcing inequality and oppression. Therefore, they would not see them as just or fair, but rather as contributing to societal tensions and conflicts.

Question 18

A belief that all football players are intellectually dull and that all African Americans are superior athletes are examples of static and oversimplified ideas about a group or a social category called ________.
A) master status
B) social manifestations
C) status sets
D) stereotypes

Accepted Answer

Stereotypes are static and oversimplified ideas about a group or a social category. A master status is the most important status a person holds in a particular situation or context. Social manifestations are visible and tangible expressions of culture, such as clothing, music, and language. Status sets refer to all the statuses or positions a person holds at a given time.

Question 19

It is customary for executioners to wear hoods. By doing so, the individual assigned this status can remain detached from his or her role to avoid the negative aspects associated with it. This is called ________.
A) role distance
B) role merger
C) status inconsistency
D) status continuity

Accepted Answer

Role distance refers to the psychological separation an individual creates between themselves and the role they are playing. Wearing a hood can be seen as a physical manifestation of this separation.

Question 20

Jacob is a 56-year-old married philosophy professor dating one of his 18-year-old students. Such an arrangement, which is frowned upon by other members of society, is called ________.
A) role merger
B) status continuity
C) status inconsistency
D) role embracement

Accepted Answer

The situation described in the question is an example of status inconsistency, where Jacob's social roles as a philosophy professor and a romantic partner of one of his students are in conflict with each other and do not fit the normative expectations of his society. Role merger refers to the combination of two or more social roles into a single role, status continuity refers to the maintenance of a consistent social position over time, and role embracement refers to the enthusiastic embrace of a social role or identity.

Quiz 5: Social Interaction in Everyday Life

What do sociologists call groups, such as family, education, religion, government, and the economy, that address fundamental social needs?

Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and family background each comprise a socially defined position in the social structure called ________.

According to functionalists, what is the basic necessity required for society to exist, which is defined as the patterned and recurrent relationships among group members?

Police officers are expected to be fair, courteous, knowledgeable of the law, and efficient. This set of expectations, rights, and duties attached to the status of police officers is called ________.

Why did Philip Zimbardo discontinue his classic experiment that involved students' playing the roles of prisoners and guards?

Socially defined positions in the social structure that are relationships to others, such as father, son, professor, and student are called ________.

What sociological approach is most aligned with the use of social networks to perpetuate the domination of clubs and associations by members of certain racial, ethnic, or social classes?

Bethany has worked diligently to become the new personnel manager at Acme University. She also holds the titles of wife, mother, and choir director at her church. Such titles and positions are called ________.

What was Robert Nisbet referring to when he spoke of the "molecular cement" that binds people, groups, and societies together?

Many people wear their "Sunday's finest" to church, respond politely when someone in authority asks a question, and make sure they are on time for work every day. These influences of dress and behavior serve as examples of ________.

How would a conflict theorist view the purpose of roles, statuses, and institutions that provide structure to society and, by doing so, makes the concept of society possible?

A belief that all football players are intellectually dull and that all African Americans are superior athletes are examples of static and oversimplified ideas about a group or a social category called ________.

It is customary for executioners to wear hoods. By doing so, the individual assigned this status can remain detached from his or her role to avoid the negative aspects associated with it. This is called ________.

Jacob is a 56-year-old married philosophy professor dating one of his 18-year-old students. Such an arrangement, which is frowned upon by other members of society, is called ________.