Question 1

In sociology, the term "agency" refers to

Accepted Answer

Agency in sociology refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices, thereby influencing their social environment.

Question 2

As most sociologists understand things,

Accepted Answer

Latent functions are the unintended or unrecognized consequences of social structures, and they can often have more significant impacts than the intended, visible manifest functions.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a social institution carrying out its manifest function?

Accepted Answer

Manifest functions are the recognized and intended consequences of social institutions. Courts punishing people found guilty of crimes is an intended and recognized function of the judicial system.

Question 4

Sociologists may refer to those aspects of society that do not make positive contributions to the well-being of society as

Accepted Answer

Dysfunctional aspects of society are those that do not contribute positively to the well-being or stability of society, according to sociological theory.

Question 5

In most universities and colleges, young professors must work like crazy to earn tenure. Often, special stress is placed on how much the young professor publishes. One consequence of this is that some faculty don't pay much attention to their teaching. A sociologist would most likely call this outcome

Accepted Answer

A latent dysfunction is an unintended negative consequence of a social system or institution, such as the tenure system leading professors to neglect teaching in favor of publishing.

Question 6

Many people fall in love and marry someone they meet in college. Sociologists would refer to this mate selection phenomenon as ____________________ of attending college.

Accepted Answer

A latent function is an unintended or unrecognized consequence of an activity or social process. In this case, falling in love and marrying someone met in college is an unintended outcome of attending college.

Question 7

Regular attendance at church, synagogue, or temple allows people to keep current on what others are wearing in public and to gossip with their friends. A sociologist would refer to these as the________________________ functions of attending religious services.

Accepted Answer

Latent functions are the unintended or less obvious functions of an activity or institution. In this case, attending religious services for socializing and observing fashion trends are not the primary purposes, making them latent functions.

Question 8

When McIntyre refers to sociology as a science that studies fuzzy objects,

Accepted Answer

Sociology deals with complex human behaviors and social phenomena, which often require probabilistic predictions rather than deterministic ones, similar to some areas of physics.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists using different paradigms focus on different social processes, and functionalists study factors that maintain social cohesion.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about theoretical paradigms in sociology is false?

Accepted Answer

The statement that the major paradigms are generally ignored by most sociologists is false. In reality, these paradigms are foundational to sociological theory and analysis, and they are widely used and debated within the field.

Question 11

The view that society is not really harmonious but is made up of groups in competition for resources is tied to which sociological paradigm or perspective?

Accepted Answer

The conflict paradigm views society as composed of groups competing for limited resources, emphasizing power struggles and inequality.

Question 12

Which of the following ideas is most characteristic of the functional point of view or paradigm?

Accepted Answer

The functionalist paradigm emphasizes the integration and interdependence of society's parts, consensus on values, and the avoidance of conflict, suggesting that all the options are characteristic of this viewpoint.

Question 13

Which of the following ideas is most characteristic of the conflict view of the social world?

Accepted Answer

The conflict view of the social world, often associated with Marxist theory, emphasizes that society is composed of groups competing for scarce resources, leading to ongoing conflict and power struggles.

Question 14

Which of the following ideas is NOT a characteristic of symbolic interactionism?

Accepted Answer

Symbolic interactionism emphasizes the social construction of reality through interaction, not independent understanding.

Question 15

"Is it moral to provide free condoms to high school students?" Why would most sociologists say that this is not a proper question for sociologists?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists focus on questions that can be studied empirically, and moral questions are subjective and not empirically testable.

Question 16

Which of the following is not an empirical question?

Accepted Answer

Empirical questions are those that can be answered through observation or experimentation. Question D is not empirical because it involves beliefs about the afterlife, which cannot be observed or measured scientifically.

Question 17

The kinds of questions appropriate for sociologists to ask

Accepted Answer

Sociologists focus on questions that can be answered through empirical research, using data and observations to understand social phenomena.

Question 18

Most sociologists would not regard as sociological questions about the moral inferiority of communism compared to capitalism because

Accepted Answer

Sociology focuses on empirical research and observable social phenomena, rather than moral or ethical judgments, which are subjective and not empirically testable.

Question 19

To successfully study the Yanomamö , Napoleon Chagnon had to overcome

Accepted Answer

Chagnon had to overcome culture shock, which is the feeling of disorientation experienced when encountering an unfamiliar culture or way of life.

Question 20

Annabelle Smith has a firm personal conviction that the American criminal justice system treats everyone fairly. Then, in a sociology course she reads several studies that demonstrate that, compared to the punishments others receive, members of minority groups receive harsher sentences. Max Weber would tell Ms. Smith that

Accepted Answer

Max Weber would describe the evidence contradicting Annabelle's belief as an "inconvenient fact," which challenges her preconceived notions about the fairness of the criminal justice system.

Quiz 1: Responding to Chaos: A Brief History of Sociology, the Sociological Eye, Science and Fuzzy Objects: Specialization in Sociology, and Whos Afraid of Sociology