CLEP Introductory Sociology Sample Test Questions

According to Emile Durkheim, the more homogeneous a group the greater its A) organic solidarity B) mechanical solidarity C) functional differentiation D) co-optation E) stratification

B

An example of a folkway in American society is A) joining a religious cult B) eating a sandwich for lunch C) failing to pay income taxes on time D) stopping for a red light E) being fined for jaywalking

B

Communities that form adjacent to central cities are called A) secondary groups B) suburbs C) neighborhoods D) exurbs E) development zones

B

Demographic transition theory explains population changes by A) connecting them exclusively to changes in the food supply B) linking population changes to technological development C) focusing on the migration of people in and out of specified territories D) tying population growth to changes in the sex ratio E) referring to a culture's religious attitudes.

B

In Gesellschaft, people are more likely than in Gemeinschaft to A) have frequent face-to-face contact with those they know B) see others as a means of advancing their own individual goals C) be united by primary group bonds. D) have altruistic concerns for others E) be tradition-directed

B

In general, females perform better than males do on the tests of A)general intelligence B) verbal ability C) visual-spatial ability D) scientific information E) mathematics

B

In the United States, semiskilled positions held primarily by women, such as waitperson, cashier, and receptionist, are known as which type of occupation? A) Blue-collar B) Pink-collar C) White-collar D) Nonpatriarchal E) Matriarchal

B

Which of the following is true of a dependent variable? A) It is spurious B) It is influenced by another variable. C) It is manipulated D) It causes other variables to increase. E) It is used to draw a sample from a population.

B

Which of the following theorists argued that class conflict was inevitable in a capitalistic society and would result in revolution? A) C. Wright Mills B) Karl Marx C) Robert Park D) Max Weber E) Karl Mannheim

B

"This may sound really strange, but..." The statement above is an example of A) a disclaimer B) an account C) an excuse D) a justification E) a concession

A

A characteristic of a triad is that it A) is prone to coalition formation B) allows more power per member than a dyad C) is the smallest type of group D) can develop the strongest relationships E) has little impact on human behavior

A

According to sociological terminology, an analysis of the amount of violence in mass media, such as television shows, would be which of the following? A) Content analysis B) Secoundary analysis C) Quasi-experiment D) Participant observation E) Ethnographic interview

A

In order for an occupation to be considered a profession by a sociologist, it must be an occupation that A) is based on abstract knowledge and a body of specialized information B) has high public visibility in the community C) requires training from a specialized school rather than from a university D) serves government and industry as well as individuals E) is a full-time position with a regular salary

A

In the United States, economic growth between 1985 and 2005 resulted in A) growth in the gap between the rich and poor B) a narrowing of the gap between the rich and poor C) no change in the gap between the rich and poor D) growth in the economic gap between men and women E) no change in the economic gap between men and women

A

Industrialization is most likely to reduce the importance of which of the following functions of the family? A) Economic production B) Care of young children C) Regulation of sexual behavior D) Socialization of the individual E) Social control

A

Ken works on an assembly line in a paper factory in the midwestern United States. He believes that if he works hard enough, he will become very wealthy. According to Karl Marx, Ken's belief reflects which of the following? A) False consciousness B) Class consciousness C) Collective consciousness D) The caste system E) Rational choice

A

Max Weber linked the emergence of capitalism to the A) Calvinist doctrine of predestination B) Catholic monks' belief in asceticism C) Protestants' desire for material luxuries D) increasing power of the nobility in medieval Europe E) Hindu belief in reincarnation

A

Max Weber's principle of verstehen was meant to A) explain the subjective beliefs that motivate people to act B) determine how society is dysfunctionally organized C) focus on the inequality in society D) search for the social structures that fulfill people's needs E) identify the patterns of exchange among individuals or groups

A

The claim that the division of labor based on gender has survived because it is beneficial and efficient for human living is an example of A) structural functionalist B) conflict theory C) ethnomethodology D) symbolic interactionism E) phenomenology

A

The practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture is called A) ethnocentrism B) cultural relativism C) cultural integration D) transference E) multiculturalism

A

The process by which an immigrant or an ethnic minority is absorbed socially into receiving society is called A) assimilation B) accommodation C) cooperation D) interaction E) equilibrium

A

Which of the following made up the largest number of immigrants to the United States in the 2000s? A) Mexicans B) Chinese C) Italians D) Canadians E) Russians

A

Which statement about political participation in the United States in true? A) Almost everyone of voting age in the United States is registered to vote. B) Voter turnout in the United States is lower than in most European nations. C) Voter turnout has increased substantially in the last twenty years. D) People of higher social class tend to participate less in voting than lower social classes. E) Younger adults are more likely to vote than those over 65.

B

Within the scientific perspective, which of the following are the most important sources of knowledge? A) Common sense and tradition B) Empiricism and reason C) Authority and structure D) Paradigms and intuition E) Existentialism and reference groups

B

Compared to the United States population in general, Asian Americans have A) larger proportions of their populations in poverty B) lower median family incomes C) a higher level of formal educational achievement D) fewer ties to their family's county of origin E) a lower proportion of first-generation immigrants

C

Demographic patterns have clearly demonstrated that more males than females are born in A) technologically developing countries only B) technologically developed countries only C) virtually every known human society D) highly urbanized countries only E) countries with high nutritional standards only

C

Joe is on trial for selling drugs. He looks very different from when he was arrested. He has washed, cut, and combed his hair, and is wearing a clean, conservative suit and tie at the trial. Joe is engaged in A) dysfunctional behavior B) altruism C) impression management D) exchange E) anticipatory socialization

C

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that social order developed out of the A) recognition of the transcendent power of God B) biological need for humans to reproduce C) desire to escape a state of continuous social conflict D) discovery of agriculture E) reaction to the industrial revolution

C

Which of the following allows human beings to adapt to diverse physical environments? A) Instinct B) Heredity C) Culture D) Stratification E) Ethnocentrism

C

Which of the following distinguishes a crime from a deviant act? A) The degree of harm caused by the act B) The number of people who disapprove of the act C) The definition of the act as criminal by a political entity D) The social status of the person who committed the act E) The social status of the person who is harmed by the act

C

Which of the following is best described as an organized sphere of social life, or societal subsystem, designed to support important values and to meet human needs? A) Social structure B) Social organization C) Social institution D) Social culture E) Economic corporation

C

Which of the following is true of social norms for the structure of marriage? A) They have consistently required monogamy across all periods of history and cross-culturally around the globe. B) They have favored polyandry in those societies wanting to increase their birth rate. C) They have frequently held polygyny as the societal ideal, although this pattern was functionally available to and practiced D) They have no impact in democratic societies, since democracies allow individuals to choose their own form of marriage. E) They are based on the ideal of gender equality.

C

Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding patriarchy? A) It is a form of political organization in which the state assumes paternal responsibility for citizens. B) It is a form of social organization in which one's kinship lineage is traced through the family of the mother. C) It is a form of social organization in which males control most formal and informal power. D) It is found only in those societies that practice polyandry. E) It is not found in those societies that practice polygyny.

C

Which of the following terms refers to a philosophical system under which knowledge of the world and human behavior is deriverd from scientific observation in search of universal laws? A)Theology B) Determinism C) Positivism D) Phenomenology E) Metaphysics

C

Which of the following types of societies is least differentiated? A) Horticultural B) Pastoral C) Hunting and gathering D) Agricultural E) Industrial

C

Which theory assumes that deviance occurs among individuals who are blocked from achieving socially approved goals by legitimate means? A) Hirschi's social control theory B) Labeling theroy C) Merton's strain theory D) Differential association theory E) Cultural transmission theory

C

A sex ratio of 120 means that in a population there are A) 120 more males than females B) 120 more females than males C) 120 males for every 100 females D) 120 females for every 100 males E) 12% more males than females

C.

All of the following are examples of voluntary associations EXCEPT the A) Republican Party B) League of Women Voters C) Federal Bureau of Investigation D) First Baptist Church of Atlanta E) Little League Baseball Association

C.

According to world-systems theory, the global system is primarily A) political B) military C) social D) economic E) cultural

D

All of the following are properties of primary groups EXCEPT A) They are important sources of social support. B) They tend to be ethnocentric C) They significantly influence personality development. D) They tend to be large in number E) They are frequently characterized by face-to-face relationships.

D

Cooley called a person's self-conception based on the responses of others A) the divided self B) self-esteem C) the concrete operational stage D) the looking-glass self E) the 'I' and 'me'

D

In the study of social class, a sociologist would be LEAST likely to focus on A) power B) social mobility C) style of life D) motivation E) occupational status

D

Max Weber's three dimensions of social stratification are which of the following? A) Class, politics, education B) Prestige, politics, occupation C) Residence, occupation, religion D) Status, class, power E) Status, religion, prestige

D

Some sociologists view the family as an economic unit that contributes to social injustice because it is the basis for transferring power, property, and privilege from one generation to the next. Which of the following perspectives best describes that view? A) Interactionist B) Exchange C) Structural functionalist D) Conflict E) Rational choice

D

Standra is femal, she is African American, and she is sixteen years of age. These three characteristics are examples of Sandra's A) role sets B) cultural roles C) achieved statuses D) ascribed atatuses E) mobility aspirations

D

The process by which an individual learns how to live in his or her social surroundings is known as A) amalgamation B) association C) collective behavior D) socialization E) innovation

D

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the Chicago School of Sociology? A) They studied urban neighborhoods in the city of Chicago. B) They were influenced by Herbert Spencer and Frederic Clements. C) They used ethnography and field methods in their research. D) Talcott Parsons was a proponent of the school. E) They were most influential during the twentieth century.

D

Which of the following is an example of an informal positive sanction? A) Marguerite receives a bronze medal for gymnastics at the Olympics B) Hank is awarded a high school diploma by the school board. C) Halle receives a million dollars for her performance in a movie D) Danisha receives a new car from her parents when she scores 2300 on the SAT E) William is sentenced to one year of community service and a $5,000 fine for shoplifting.

D

Which of the following relies most heavily on sampling methods? A) Small group experiment B) Laboratory experiment C) Participant observation D) Survey research E) Case study

D

Which of the following would most likely be an agent of involuntary resocialization? A) Mass media B) An institution of higher learning C) A peer group D) A total institution E) The family

D

The economy of the postindustrial United States is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT A) computer-facilitated automation B) relocation of manufacturing plants to less-developed countries C) international competition in the manufacturing sector of the economy D) increasing numbers of service compared to manufacturing jobs. E) increased job security due to globalization

E

The term "SMSA" used in the United States census refers to a A) summary of many small areas B) statistical mean of sampling error C) summary of metropolitan shopping areas D) standard measure of suburban areas E) standard metropolitan statistical area

E

Which of the following can properly be considered norms? I. Laws II. Folkways III. Mores A) I only B) III only C) I and II only D) II and III only E) I, II, and III

E

Which of the following sociologists asserted that race is the most serious problem in the United States? A) Karl Marx B) Max Weber C) Harriet Martineau D) Jane Addams E) W.E. B. Du Bois

E

Which of the following terms refers to something that has an unexpected detrimental effect on social institutions or society? A) Secret function B) Manifest function C) Manifest dysfunction D) Latent function E) Latent dysfunction

E

In the world's economic system, which of the following is true about the relationship between high-income countries and low-income countries? A) High-income countries depend on low-income countries to purchase natural resources from them. B) High-income countries build manufacturing plants in low-income countries to obtain cheap labor. C) High-income countries encourage the development of state-owned economic enterprises in low-income countries. D) High-income countries are more likely than low-income countries to have an agriculturally based economy. E) High-income countries have less-diversified sources of income.

B

Laura is conducting an experiment to determine the effect of caffeine on wakefulness. She gives half of her subjects a caffeinated beverage to drink. These subjects are the A) control group B) experimental group C) independent variable D) dependent variable E) study population

B

Mrs. Jones has a parent-teacher meeting scheduled at the school where she teaches. The meeting is scheduled at the same time as her daughter's piano recital. Mrs. Jones will have to decide how to juggle the contradictory expectations of teacher and parent. This situation is referred to as A) role strain B) role conflict C) status conflict D) status set E) role set

B

Nathan wants to study the behavior of city residents as they travel on the subway to work every day. What type of research would be most appropriate for Nathan's research project? A) Experimental research B) Field research C) Content analysis D) Secondary analysis E) Survey method

B

Raw materials are processed and converted into finished goods in which sector of the economy? A) Agricultural B) Industrial C) Public D) Service E) Information

B

Tamara worked as a waitress for five years after high school before she went to college. After college, Tamara got a job as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. This best exemplifies which of the following types of mobility? A) Intergenerational B) Intragenerational C) Unilateral D) Horizontal E) Structural

B

The increase in prejudice that sometimes resulted from court-ordered desegregation in public schools is a A) manifest function of desegregation B) latent dysfunction of desegregation C) functional alternative to desegregation D) secondary function of desegregation E) rational exchange for desegregation

B

The term "sociology" was coined by its founder, the nineteenth-century positivist A) Emile Durkheim B) Auguste Comte C) Max Weber D) Harriet Martineau E) George Herbert Mead

B

A collection of people who happen to be walking down the street at the same time but who have nothing else in common is known as A) a social movement B) a social category C) an aggregate D) a primary group E) a secoundary group

C

A school system that teaches children of different ethnic groups in the children's own heritage illustrates a policy of A) structural assimilation B) cultural assimilation C) accommodation D) rationalization E) ethnocentrism

C

According to Max Weber, authority derived from the understanding that individuals have clearly defined rights and duties to uphold and that they implement rules and procedures impersonally is A) traditional authority B) charismatic authority C) ratinal-legal authority D) coercion E) persuasion

C

According to Emile Durkheim, a society that lacks clear-cut norms to govern aspirations and moral conduct is characterized by A) rationalism B) altruism C) egoism D) secularism E) anomie

E

All of the following characteristics are commonly attributed to postmodern culture EXCEPT A) moral relativism B) skepticism toward traditional authority C) growing tolerance of diversity D) loss of faith in absolutes E) adherence to traditional gender roles

E

In the past 30 years, the infant mortality rate in the United States has A) remained about the same as in other industrialized countries. B) declined for African American people but not for Caucasian people C) declined among Caucasian people, while increasing among African American people. D) declined among Caucasian people, while remaining stable among African American people. E) declined among both African American people and Caucasian people, while remaining twice as high among African American people.

E

Most of the funding for public schools in the United States comes from A) lottery revenues B) state income taxes C) local sales taxes D) local income taxes E) local property taxes

E

Socialization takes place A) only in childhood B) mainly in adolescence C) mainly in early adulthood D) mainly through the reproductive years E) throughout the life cycle

E

Sociological studies of gender socialization show that A) girls' games are more likely than boy's games to encourage asssertive behaviors B) girls' games are more likely than boys' games to emphasize strict observance of rules C) girls are more likely than boys to learn to suppress emotions of sadness D) girls are more likely to engage in competitive play and boys in cooperative play E) girls are less likely than boys to receive attention from teachers.

E

The concept of "glass ceiling" affecting women in the workforce is best illustrated by which of the following? A) The instability of female-dominated jobs B) The pay inequity between men and women for comparable jobs C) The breakdown of gender stereotypes in the job market D) The instability of marriages for women who are successful in the workforce E) The barriers that limit career advancement for women.

E