SOC Study

1. There is a close relationship between sociology and the other social sciences. Why does sociology still exist as a separate discipline given how much overlap there is between these fields? a. All the other social sciences are more specialized, but sociology is a field that considers a huge intellectual territory b. Sociology does not use historical context, which other social sciences do c. Sociology departments are an academic tradition and would be difficult to disband d. Political science and economics are more politically conservative, and sociology provides a liberal counterbalance

a. All the other social sciences are more specialized, but sociology is a field that considers a huge intellectual territory

1. What kind of power is exhibited by a police officer who pulls over a suspect after a high-speed pursuit? a. Coercive b. Influential c. Traditional d. charismatic

a. Coercive

1. Conflicts within mainstream society about which values and norms should be upheld are called a. Culture wars b. symbolic culture c. Counterculture d. hegemony

a. Culture wars

1. What is it called when an individual uses their group's way of doing things as the standard for judging others? a. Ethnocentrism b. culture shock c. cultural relativism d. celf-centeredness

a. Ethnocentrism

1. Sociologists refer to the norms and values that people aspire to as ________ culture. a. Ideal b. Dominant c. Real d. Symbolic

a. Ideal

1. What did Max Weber mean when he said that modern people are trapped in an "iron cage"? a. Most aspects of life are increasingly controlled by rigid rules and rationalization b. More and more people live under totalitarian dictators and therefore lose their basic rights and freedoms c. Increasingly, modern society has more laws and it uses them to put more people in prison d. The conditions of modern life create a psychic prison that leaves most people discontent with civilization

a. Most aspects of life are increasingly controlled by rigid rules and rationalization

1. What do the several cases of children who grew up in extreme social isolation, such as the case of Genie in 1970, suggest? a. Most of our mental capacities, and perhaps even the ability to think, are learned through social interaction b. Human intelligence is almost entirely determined by heredity c. The effects of isolation at an early age are easily reversible if caught in time d.The effects of extreme isolation in children are irreversible if the situation isn't corrected by the time the child is five years old

a. Most of our mental capacities, and perhaps even the ability to think, are learned through social interaction

1. People attend high school class reunions and often compare their own personal and professional successes and failures with those of their former classmates. This means that classmates are a(n) ________ group. a. Reference b. Secondary c. Professional d. identity

a. Reference

1. ________ are the webs of direct and indirect ties that connect individuals to others who may influence them. a. Social networks b. Reference groups c. Inner circles d. In-groups

a. Social networks

1. Which of the following groups is MOST likely to be classified as a counterculture? a. a militia group living in Montana b. New York City taxi drivers c. students who belong to a Middle Eastern Studies Club d.members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

a. a militia group living in Montana

1. A pilot study is a. a smaller study used to investigate the feasibility of a larger one b. a study designed to improve the target population of a larger study c. a study that concerns itself with media use and popular culture d. a study that definitively answers a question that has confused sociologists

a. a smaller study used to investigate the feasibility of a larger one

1. Structural functionalist theory is concerned with the ways in which structures contribute to the stability of society. What is a structure? a. a social institution that is stable over time and helps meet the needs of society b. any aspect of society that generates conflict or change c. a class hierarchy d.an informal agreement between people over a wide geographical area

a. a social institution that is stable over time and helps meet the needs of society

1. An example of ________ is Asian American students being more likely to be placed in Advanced Placement classes, earn higher grades, and be treated well by teachers a. a stereotype promise b. a self-fulfilling prophecy c. tertiary deviance d. a stereotype threat

a. a stereotype promise

1. You want to conduct some sociological research on whether people on social networking sites are less likely to meet in person as a result of their online community participation. What is the next step in the scientific method? a. conduct a literature review b. form a hypothesis c. choose a research design or method d. collect data

a. conduct a literature review

1. According to the theoretical position developed by Karl Marx, what is the catalyst for social change? a. conflict between social groups b. exploration beyond the boundaries of a given society c. development of technology d.shared moral values

a. conflict between social groups

1. Almost any ________ can have a stigmatizing effect, including a physical disability, an addiction, or a mental illness. a. departure from the norm b. social control c. secondary deviance d. conformity

a. departure from the norm

1. A woman attributes her teenage son's deviant behavior to him "falling in with a bad crowd." Which symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation MOST closely resemble? a. differential association b. labeling theory c. self-fulfilling prophecy d. structural strain theory

a. differential association

1. Children raised with minimal or no human interaction are referred to as a. feral children b. institutionalized children c. cognitively disadvantaged children d. environmentally challenged children

a. feral children

1. Erving Goffman theorized social life as a kind of con game in which we work to control the impressions others have of us. What did Goffman call this process? a. impression management b. definition of the situation c. cooling the mark out d. expressions of behavior

a. impression management

1. Researchers usually transcribe responses after they conduct a series of interviews. The transcription process is fairly time-consuming, but it is valuable, in part, because it allows researchers to a. look for patterns in their data b. check for bias in how they asked questions c. think up new questions they did not ask d. determine the average age of their interviewees

a. look for patterns in their data

1. Role conflict occurs when an individual has a. multiple roles that are in conflict with each other b. a role with contradictory expectations that lead to conflict within themselves c. a role that requires them to constantly challenge other people, resulting in a great deal of conflict d. a role that generates a great deal of controversy and conflict within their social circle

a. multiple roles that are in conflict with each other

4. Durkheim theorized that the rapidly changing conditions of modern life lead to anomie. What is anomie? a. normlessness or a loss of connections to the social world b. anger and disillusionment with progress c. the transfer of destructive urges to socially useful activities d. a kind of social solidarity based on interdependence

a. normlessness or a loss of connections to the social world

1. Which of the following research techniques focuses on gaining an insider's perspective of the everyday lives of participants under investigation, which often dispels stereotypes about the group being investigated? a. participant observation b. surveys c. analysis of existing data d. experiments

a. participant observation

1. A married man in the United States with several mistresses is violating a ________, but he is violating a ________ if he is married to more than one woman at the same time. a. set of mores; law b. law; taboo c. norm; folkway d. folkway; more

a. set of mores; law

1. Which of the following theories views society as a whole unit made up of interrelated parts that work together? a. structural functionalism b. conflict theory c. symbolic interactionism d. postmodernism

a. structural functionalism

1. A team of sociologists is commissioned to study the effects of lighting levels and amount of time for breaks on workers' productivity in an office setting. Before the study begins, office workers are told why the researchers are there. When the team analyzes their data, they find that no matter what they do, productivity levels go up while they are physically present. When the team is not physically present, productivity levels return to normal. What is the likely explanation for these findings? a. the Hawthorne effect b. a lack of confidentiality c. excessive objectivity d. a lack of a control group

a. the Hawthorne effect

1. Which of the following agents of socialization has the most enduring, lifelong impact on the individual? a. the family b. Peers c. the media d. school

a. the family

1. Some people worry about maintaining a tan. If they do not have the time to tan naturally, they sometimes go to a tanning salon or use chemicals to simulate a tan. This might seem bizarre in some cultures, which can help us realize that a. the line between beauty and deviance is fluid and changes across time and place b.there are some types of body modification that are never tolerated anywhere c. the rest of the world keeps backward practices and superstitions d. people who get fake tans are deviant

a. the line between beauty and deviance is fluid and changes across time and place

1. What was the Asch experiment measuring? a. the power of peer pressure b. the extent of social networks c. the value of teamwork compared with individual effort d. the type of organization that can best achieve social goals

a. the power of peer pressure

1. Simon Langlois studied government employment in Quebec, Canada. He found that more than 40% of the people he surveyed found their jobs through personal contacts, even though the government had made efforts to formalize recruitment. The personal contacts were fairly casual acquaintances in the majority of cases, not close friends. What principle is demonstrated here? a. the strength of weak ties b. the power of strong triads c. the role of group cohesion d. power of groupthink

a. the strength of weak ties

1. Young army recruits arriving at boot camp are about to enter a(n) a. total institution b. orientation course c. open institution d. partial institution

a. total institution

1. Some subcultures have adopted branding as a form of body art, though it is no longer used as a form of punishment in the United States. This demonstrates that a. what is considered deviant changes over time b. many people find punishment desirable c. some acts are simply inherently deviant d. deviant acts of the past eventually become mainstream acts of the future

a. what is considered deviant changes over time

1. ________ argues that punishments for rule violators are unequally distributed, with those near the top of society subject to more lenient rules and sanctions than those at the bottom. a. Labeling theory b. Conflict theory c. Functionalist theory d. Symbolic interactionism

b. Conflict theory

1. Members of a/an ________ interact with one another and think of themselves as belonging together. a. Aggregate b. Group c. Category d. queue

b. Group

1. Robert Merton's typology of deviance outlines the strain that people experience as they attempt to access cultural goals through legitimate, institutionalized means. In which of the following categories would gangsters and con artists be found? a. Conformity b. Innovation c. Ritualism d. retreatism

b. Innovation

1. Why did C. Wright Mills think that it is important for everyone, even people who will never take a sociology class, to develop a sociological imagination? a. It will help create more jobs for sociologists b. Many people are unaware of the connections between their own lives and the larger course of history c. The sociological perspective is innately understood by nearly everyone, but we rarely acknowledge it d.It will encourage growth in the field of microsociology

b. Many people are unaware of the connections between their own lives and the larger course of history

1. In all probability, the sociology professor who is giving this test would be totally unable to grade a test given in the chemistry department. What aspect of bureaucracy does this illustrate? a. Impersonality b. Specialization c. rules and regulations d. hierarchy

b. Specialization

1. It is always important to ask clear and unambiguous questions regardless of the method you use. Why is it especially important to avoid confusion when conducting surveys? a. Survey research methods commonly use statistics b. Survey researchers are usually not present to clarify any misunderstandings c. Survey researchers talk to many people d.Survey researchers tend to look at large-scale social pattern

b. Survey researchers are usually not present to clarify any misunderstandings

1. Which of the following is an example of a culture war? a. one Democrat and two Republicans serving together as county commissioners b. anti-abortion advocates demonstrating in front of a family planning clinic c. Christians celebrating Easter, Jews celebrating Passover, and Muslims celebrating Ramadan d.the existence of both a football team and a debate team in many high schools

b. anti-abortion advocates demonstrating in front of a family planning clinic

1. According to Robert Merton, manifest functions a. usually have something to do with social conflict and change b. are intended and obvious c. are designed to alleviate inequality d.are designed to critique the social system that produced them

b. are intended and obvious

1. Individuals who are NOT socialized a. are likely to produce their own words and create a unique language b. are unable to fully develop without contact with others c. have a much harder time with reading and math ad. re more likely to divorce

b. are unable to fully develop without contact with others

1. Which theory suggests that crimes committed by the upper classes are typically treated more leniently than crimes committed by the lower classes because laws represent the interests of those in power? a. differential association theory b. conflict theory c. principled deviance d. functionalist theory

b. conflict theory

1. If changing one variable seems to lead to a change in another variable, this shows ________ but does not necessarily prove ________. a. a paradigm shift; causation b. correlation; causation c. causation; correlation d. applied research; a paradigm shift

b. correlation; causation

1. What is it called when someone has the ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture's own norms and values without reference to any other culture's standards? a. Ethnocentrism b. cultural relativism c. cultural lag d. culture shock

b. cultural relativism

1. Which of the following is a latent function of the U.S. educational system? a. teaching reading and writing b. keeping children out of trouble while parents are at work c. preparing a modern workforce to use technology d. teaching new immigrants about American values and history

b. keeping children out of trouble while parents are at work

1. Metaphorically, what part of sociology is most like a zoom lens on a camera? a. qualitative research b. microsociology c. quantitative research d.macrosociology

b. microsociology

1. What kind of question usually produces a wide variety of responses by allowing respondents to answer in whatever way seems appropriate to them? a. closed-ended b. open-ended c. double-barreled d.Leading

b. open-ended

2. According to C. Wright Mills, what is one quality of mind that all great sociologists possess? a. open-mindedness b. sociological imagination c. praxis d. attention to detail

b. sociological imagination

1. Which of the following theories focuses on how our behaviors are dependent on the ways we interpret, make sense of, and define ourselves, others, and social situations? a. conflict theory b. symbolic interactionism c. pragmatism d. structural functionalism

b. symbolic interactionism

1. A ________ is a kind of norm so deeply ingrained in that the very thought of violating it evokes feelings of disgust or horror. a. federal law b. taboo c. folkway d.more

b. taboo

1. When a child can internalize the expectations of other specific people, they have learned how to a. overcome the looking-glass self b. take the role of the particular or significant other c. take the role of the generalized other d. follow the rules of games

b. take the role of the particular or significant other

1. An example of an aggregate is a. a family with members living in different states b. the audience at a Broadway show c. a Little League baseball team d. a bird-watching club

b. the audience at a Broadway show

1. What does the nature vs. nurture debate help us understand? a. the contradictions between primary and secondary group socialization b. the complex interaction between hereditary traits and social learning c. why biology has nothing to do with human potential d. how biology determines physical characteristics, whereas social learning alone determines a person's personality and habits

b. the complex interaction between hereditary traits and social learning

1. Some theorists have suggested that all individuals act like mirrors to each other. What do sociologists call this concept? a. Status b. the looking-glass self c. the unconscious d. the particular other

b. the looking-glass self

1. A goal of socialization is a. to ensure that society self-evaluates b. to teach norms, values, and beliefs c. to teach people how to avoid incarceration d. to teach the skills necessary to satisfy our love of technology

b. to teach norms, values, and beliefs

1. Why do social scientists who use interviews rarely speak with large numbers of people for a project? a. It is hard to find people willing to be interviewed b. There are usually very few people interesting enough to be interviewed c. Face-to-face interviewing is a very time-consuming process d. The data is so rich that few interviews are typically needed

c. Face-to-face interviewing is a very time-consuming process

1. Why does the family have such a powerful impact as an agent of socialization? a. Respect for parents is one of the key values of modern society b. Family plays an important role in our everyday lives no matter what stage of life we are in c. Family begins the socialization process before there are any other competing influences d. Family values are strong today in the United States

c. Family begins the socialization process before there are any other competing influences

1. What are group members engaging in when they withhold their reservations and criticisms for the sake of consensus? a. group solidarity b. laissez-faire decision making c. Groupthink d. expressive leadership

c. Groupthink

1. A deviant label transitions from primary to secondary deviance when the deviant label is applied by a large number of people a. applied by someone very b. powerful c. Internalized d. applied later in life

c. Internalized

1. What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis propose? a. All humans share the same sense of social perception, although we have different labels for things b. Nonverbal communication is as powerful as language in social interaction c. Language can structure our perception of reality d. We relate to each other on a symbolic rather than a literal level

c. Language can structure our perception of reality

1. Someone who is newly divorced after a long marriage and now wants to start dating again may find that many of the norms of dating have changed. Behaviors like splitting the check or talking about safe sex may be new for this person. This process of having to learn and adjust to the new rules of dating is an example of a. Adaptation b. Copresence c. Resocialization d. impression management

c. Resocialization

1. When conducting experiments, how is the experimental group different from the control group? a. The experimental group includes people who are very different from those in the control group b. The experimental group is administered the dependent variable, while the control group is not c. The experimental group is administered the independent variable, while the control group is not d. The control group is administered the independent variable, while the experimental group is not

c. The experimental group is administered the independent variable, while the control group is not

1. Émile Durkheim worried that individuals would feel less connected to groups in an increasingly fragmented modern world, which would lead to a. the rise of hate groups b. a need for new types of etiquette c. anomie or normlessness d. unemployment

c. anomie or normlessness

1. You are conducting research on violence in the media. In what part of the research process are you engaged in if you are trying to decide whether "violence" includes words as well as actions? a. choosing a topic b. analyzing the data c. defining the variables d.reviewing the literature

c. defining the variables

1. The values, norms, and practices of the most powerful group within a society are called a. cultural leveling b. symbolic culture c. dominant culture d. minority culture

c. dominant culture

1. Which term describes a policy of honoring diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds? a. cultural imperialism b. high culture c. multiculturalism d.cultural relativism

c. multiculturalism

1. For Robert Merton, a prediction that came true only because the prediction was made is a a. defining prophecy b. Thomas prediction c. self-fulfilling prophecy d. labeling prophecy

c. self-fulfilling prophecy

3. The divorce rate has steadily increased over time, and now more than a quarter of all marriages end within the first four years. What sort of factors would C. Wright Mills suggest investigating to explain this increase? a. religious b. personal c. structural d. psychological

c. structural

1. Members of a fraternity believe that they help create social cohesion by bringing together students with shared values. What perspective best describes their views? a. symbolic interactionism b. coercive power c. structural functionalism d. conflict theory

c. structural functionalism

1. Ethnography's main goal is a. to develop quantitative data sets that allow researchers to discover correlations b. to conduct interviews with people who have very different ways of life c. to understand the meanings people attach to their activities d.to develop ethics and standards for sociological research

c. to understand the meanings people attach to their activities

1. Max Weber helped lay the groundwork for sociologists who would develop symbolic interactionism as a theory because he believed that a social scientist should approach the study of human action? a. through a theoretical lens that emphasizes disenchantment and bureaucracy b. from a value-free point of view c. which emphasizes empathy with individuals' experiences d. through psychoanalysis and the work of Sigmund Freud

c. which emphasizes empathy with individuals' experiences

1. The widespread use of plastic in American culture is no accident; plastic offers consumers convenience and disposability. A researcher documenting plastic objects commonly found in American households is researching a. Folkways b. the development of the self c.material culture d. the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

c.material culture

1. Which of the following terms is used to describe a group with values and norms that oppose the dominant culture? a. Subculture b. mainstream culture c. symbolic culture d. Counterculture

d. Counterculture

1. Which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist perspective? a. Deviance breaks down social cohesion and leads to revolution b. Deviance makes it easier for the upper class to control the poor c. Deviance helps the upper class maintain its power and influence in society d. Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms

d. Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms

1. What term did sociologist George Ritzer use to describe the spread of rationalization and bureaucratic ways of operating into everyday life? a. the spirit of capitalism b. legal-rational authority c. bureaucratic creep d. McDonaldization

d. McDonaldization

1. What does it mean that social networks can influence people through a Connections that lead to disease or infection are called contagion, according to sociologists b. Social networks are contagious given that they tend to mimic each other over the long run c. This borrows from a biological model in that people who are weak are likely to "catch" the influence of their social network d. People who are connected to social networks are more likely to be affected by them

d. People who are connected to social networks are more likely to be affected by them

1. People today are more likely to identify themselves through personal characteristics than through group membership or affiliation. Why is this cause for concern to some sociologists? a. People who identify themselves through personal characteristics are less likely to try to achieve their goals and advance themselves b. People who identify themselves through personal characteristics are more likely to blindly follow orders and bow to peer pressure c. People who identify themselves through personal characteristics are more likely to have large social networks and maintain connections to their communities d. People who identify themselves through personal characteristics might care less about the common good

d. People who identify themselves through personal characteristics might care less about the common good

1. Which of the following is a quality of charismatic leaders? a. They inherit their positions of power b. Their personal qualities don't really matter c. They can't be replaced by legal proceedings d. They possess extraordinary personal qualities

d. They possess extraordinary personal qualities

1. What is a simple random sample? a. a sample with only one variable b. a sample that takes into account other demographic variables c. a sample that weights one variable more than another d. a sample that provides the same chance of being included to every member of the population

d. a sample that provides the same chance of being included to every member of the population

1. Western companies are powerful enough to impose their products on markets worldwide because of their economic strength. This phenomenon is known as a. material culture b. cultural relativism c. cultural diffusion d. cultural imperialism

d. cultural imperialism

1. A characteristic of primary groups is that they a. are larger and more anonymous than secondary groups b. are often formal or impersonal c. tend to be based on specific roles or activities d. involve a strong sense of belonging

d. involve a strong sense of belonging

The definition of "culture" a. involves reactions to the ways in which people follow or disobey norms in society b. is limited to rules or guidelines about what kind of behavior is acceptable and appropriate within a particular situation c. is the principle of evaluating another group or individual as abnormal or inferior d. is the entire way of life of a group of people, and it acts as a lens through which we view the world

d. is the entire way of life of a group of people, and it acts as a lens through which we view the world

1. A sociologist performs an experiment designed to investigate the effect of marriage counseling on divorce. They divide research participants into two similar groups of troubled couples, provide only one group with counseling, and observe whether or not, over time, the two groups eventually divorce at different rates. What is the independent variable in this experiment? a. Divorce b. troubled couples c. the overall divorce rate d. marriage counseling

d. marriage counseling

1. Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance occurs. What is the cause of the strain suggested by the name of the theory? a. strain between deviant and nondeviant citizens b. strain between social norms that are codified in laws and those that are not c. strain between different value systems within a society d. strain between socially approved goals and the means of achieving them

d. strain between socially approved goals and the means of achieving them

1. According to Sigmund Freud's theoretical perspective, the parts of the mind are a. the looking-glass self and the dual nature of the self b. the dual nature of the self, the significant other, and the generalized other c. the significant other and the generalized other d. the id, ego, and superego

d. the id, ego, and superego

1. A researcher must identify a target population before engaging in sampling. What is the target population? a. the group of people whose behavior they wish to change b. the group of people from whom they will gather data c. the group of people least often studied in the past d. the larger group of people about whom they wish to generalize

d. the larger group of people about whom they wish to generalize

1. ________ is the research method that might involve shifting between participating in a social situation and being an observer. a. Interviews b. Surveys c. Comparative-historical research d.Ethnography

d.Ethnography

1. Postmodernists are interested in ________, or taking apart and examining stories and theories. a. dramaturgy b. praxis c. antitheses d.deconstruction

d.deconstruction

1. What term did Karl Marx use to describe the fact that most of the population accepts inequality even when it does not benefit them personally? a. class consciousness b. existentialism c. ethnomethodology d.false consciousness

d.false consciousness

1. Many American colleges and universities require students to take classes on non-Western cultures. Why do these requirements exist? a. to demonstrate the value of multiculturalism and to reduce ethnocentrism b. to prepare students who will eventually work in other countries c. to offer international exchange students studying in America classes they will like d. to offer students fascinated by exotic cultures classes they will like

to demonstrate the value of multiculturalism and to reduce ethnocentrism