Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective

Describe the three historical phases of sociology.

A tension between social reform and social analysis runs through sociology's history. First phase: main purpose— to improve society; time—origins until the 1920s. Second phase: main purpose—to develop abstract knowledge; time—from the 1920s until the 1960s. Third phase: main purpose—to seek ways to apply sociological research findings; time—from the 1960s to the present.

The corners in life that people occupy because of their place in a society are referred to as __________. a. social location b. social affiliation c. social empowerment d. dominant groups

A. Social Location

The __________ perspective emphasizes the social contexts in which people live. a. societal b. sociological c. natural sciences d. ethnocentric

B. Sociological

A group of people who share a culture and a territory is known as a(n) __________. a. global group b. extended family group c. society d. global village

C. Society

Discuss feminists and conflict theory.

Marx used conflict theory to examine conflict between capitalists and workers. Many feminists look at conflict between men and women in the same way: historical inequalities, contemporary inequalities, global inequalities. Not all feminists employ conflict theory.

Very broadly, where did Weber believe that capitalism was more likely to flourish?

Max Weber believed that religion was the main force in social change. He thought that Roman Catholicism encouraged followers to hold on to traditional ways. He also believed the Protestant belief system encouraged change. Weber compared the extent of capitalism in Roman Catholic and Protestant countries and found capitalism more advanced in the latter.

Give two ways that social research can be used. Because which of the two is preferable is under debate, do you have a preference? What is it, and why?

Some think that social research should be used by anyone for any purpose. Others think that social research should be used to improve society. The second of these is the opinion held by the majority of sociologists today.

How do sociologists differ from psychologists?

The difference is in the focus. Psychologists study what goes on within individuals. Sociologists study factors external to individuals.

Which of the social sciences concentrates on a single social institution? a. Economics b. Anthropology c. Psychology d. Sociology

a. Economics

One of the sociologists who developed symbolic interactionism is __________. a. George Herbert Mead b. Auguste Comte c. Robert Merton d. Herbert Spencer

a. George Herbert Mead

__________ focuses on politics and government. a. Political science b. Anthropology c. Psychology d. Economics

a. Political science

__________ meanings are what individuals ascribe to their own life circumstances and behaviors. a. Subjective b. Subjunctive c. Objective d. Obstructive

a. Subjective

__________ operates at the microsociological level. a. Symbolic interactionism b. Functional analysis c. Anthropology d. Conflict theory

a. Symbolic interactionism

More babies are delivered on Tuesdays than on any other day for the convenience of the __________. a. doctors b. patients c. babies d. midwives

a. doctors

Talcott Parsons was influential in __________. a. shifting sociology from reform to theory b. warning Americans about the power elite c. developing concrete models for social change d. shifting sociology from theory to reform

a. shifting sociology from reform to theory

Durkheim's concept of __________ refers to how much people are tied to their social groups. a. social integration b. revolution c. conflict theory d. religion

a. social integration

Auguste Comte is credited as being the founder of __________. a. sociology b. economics c. modern science d. political science

a. sociology

Face-to-face interaction is the focus of analysis in __________. a. symbolic interactionism b. conflict theory c. any sociological viewpoint d. functional analysis

a. symbolic interactionism

Capitalism becoming the world's dominant economic system is known as __________. a. the globalization of capitalism b. symbolic interactionism c. increasing isolationism d. the advance of democracy

a. the globalization of capitalism

Human relationships are examined by __________. a. the social sciences b. natural science c. all science d. mathematics

a. the social sciences

The phrase "survival of the fittest" was coined by __________. a. Charles Darwin b. Herbert Spencer c. Auguste Comte d. Karl Marx

b. Herbert Spencer

Why do women not figure more prominently among early sociologists? a. There were no early female sociologists. b. Once sociology became a recognized academic discipline, men in academic positions decided that women engaged in social reform were not legitimate sociologists. c. In no field has sexism been more evident than in sociology. d. The field of sociology seemed neither rigorous enough nor relevant enough to attract women.

b. Once sociology became a recognized academic discipline, men in academic positions decided that women engaged in social reform were not legitimate sociologists.

Charles was studying symbolic interactionism in his sociology class. Charles was surprised to find that sociologists who took this viewpoint thought that having love as the central reason for people to get married __________. a. prevents spouses from blaming each other b. actually may cause a weakening of the marriage c. makes divorce all but impossible d. actually may cause a strengthening of the marriage

b. actually may cause a weakening of the marriage

Robert Merton would say negative results of people's actions are __________. a. functions b. dysfunctions c. latent functions d. balancing functions

b. dysfunctions

Pure sociologists analyze some aspect of society to __________. a. make changes in the world b. gain knowledge for its own sake c. solve problems for the betterment of society d. get grants for their departments

b. gain knowledge for its own sake

Technological breakthroughs have enabled people to communicate, trade, and travel much more freely; the resultant erosion of what were once more impermeable national boundaries is known as __________. a. conflict theory b. globalization c. Verstehen d. focusing on the macro level

b. globalization

Xavier is doing research in organic chemistry. He is a chemist, but in a broader sense, he is a(n) __________. a. social scientist b. natural scientist c. biologist d. anthropologist

b. natural scientist

The __________ examined by sociologists are societal characteristics or events that happen over and over. a. individual motivations b. patterns of behavior c. nonsocial forces d. rationales

b. patterns of behavior

Our ancestors __________. a. lived in a global village b. perceived the world beyond their communities only dimly c. lived in big cities d. bought all their food even though they raised and sold crops

b. perceived the world beyond their communities only dimly

Using __________, Comte applied the scientific method to the social world. a. negativism b. positivism c. natural science d. anthropology

b. positivism

After a sociologist has been able to generalize from his or her findings, the next goal is to __________. a. publish the study b. predict what is likely to happen based on those findings c. prove prior research has been inaccurate d. question the findings

b. predict what is likely to happen based on those findings

Rather than Verstehen, Durkheim focused on societal patterns, which he called __________. a. nicht Verstehen b. social facts c. research into dreams d. emotion

b. social facts

In __________, symbols are the key to understanding how we look at the world and communicate with each other. a. functional analysis b. symbolic interactionism c. conflict theory d. order theory

b. symbolic interactionism

When did sociology first take root in the United States? a. the middle of the eighteenth century b. the late nineteenth century c. the middle of the twentieth century d. the early twenty-first century

b. the late nineteenth century

The first goal of science involves __________. a. contradicting previous research b. trying to make sense of something c. proving why "common sense" is right d. sticking with the individual case rather than the broader group or situation

b. trying to make sense of something

Early sociologist and social reformer Jane Addams __________. a. fought against the American Civil Liberties Union b. won the Nobel Peace Prize c. married W. E. B. Du Bois d. never joined the American Sociological Society

b. won the Nobel Peace Prize

Who is the audience for basic sociology? a. Policy makers b. Clients c. Fellow sociologists and anyone interested d. All social and natural scientists

c. Fellow sociologists and anyone interested

What does the German word Verstehen mean? a. To explain b. To investigate c. To understand d. To reject

c. To understand

Applying symbolic interactionism, as divorce became more common, divorce became __________, a. more stigmatized b. a symbol of failure c. associated with new beginnings d. a symbol of success

c. associated with new beginnings

W. E. B. Du Bois __________. a. was primarily a novelist b. collected and interpreted the work of others rather than making original contributions c. became a revolutionary Marxist and moved to Ghana d. had the good fortune to grow up in an era virtually free of racism

c. became a revolutionary Marxist and moved to Ghana

In __________, the focus is on the struggle for scarce resources by different groups in society. a. functional analysis b. classical sociology c. conflict theory d. symbolic interactionism

c. conflict theory

In the eyes of __________, society consists of connected parts working together as a whole. a. symbolic interactionists b. conflict theorists c. functionalists d. George Herbert Mead

c. functionalists

The __________, according to Marx, were the workers who were oppressed by those who owned the means of production. a. capitalists b. communists c. proletariat d. fascists

c. proletariat

According to Max Weber, the key factor in society is __________. a. economics b. politics c. religion d. tradition

c. religion

Constance, a sociologist, found a piece of research performed by another sociologist intriguing. It looked at the impact of learning new activities on the aging process. When she read the results, which were reported in a journal she read, she saw that the number of people studied had been very small. But the report itself was well written and enthusiastic. Much as Constance was excited by the findings, she wondered if bias might have affected them. Things looked just a little bit too good. The way to check this would be to __________ the study. a. demand that the author defend b. denounce c. replicate d. ask colleagues about

c. replicate

The __________ uses objective, systematic observations to test theories. a. naturalistic method b. commonsense method c. scientific method d. research-free technique

c. scientific method

Judy is a Ph.D. candidate currently studying divorce rates in Western Europe. She is likely a sociologist rather than an anthropologist because __________. a. sociologists must have an advanced degree b. "anthropologist" is just the outdated term for "sociologist" c. she is focusing mainly on industrialized and post-industrialized societies d. she is focusing mainly on primitive societies

c. sociologists focus mainly on industrialized and post-industrialized societies

Perhaps ahead of the times, __________ warned of the dangers of the coalescing interests of the top leaders of business, politics, and the military. a. Talcott Parsons b. Ernest Burgess c. Jane Addams d. C. Wright Mills

d. C. Wright Mills

Who was the founder of conflict theory? a. Robert Merton b. George Herbert Mead c. Max Weber d. Karl Marx

d. Karl Marx

__________ harnesses the sociological perspective for the public good. a. Basic sociology b. Experimental sociology c. Classical sociology d. Public sociology

d. Public sociology

__________ is the study of society and human behavior. a. Natural science b. Science c. Psychology d. Sociology

d. Sociology

The social science closely related to sociology, which traditionally focuses on tribal peoples, is __________. a. economics b. political science c. psychology d. anthropology

d. anthropology

Karl Marx believed that __________ was the most relevant factor in history. a. democracy b. communism c. reconciliation d. class conflict

d. class conflict

The work of W. E. B. Du Bois, an African American, __________. a. was recognized as an important part of the foundations of sociology from the earliest times b. has been completely ignored until the present c. was rejected by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) d. is recognized as important by contemporary sociologists

d. is recognized as important by contemporary sociologists

Max Weber said that sociology should be __________. a. class conscious b. biased c. guided by personal values d. value free

d. value free