Sociology 101 C.1 Quiz
Which of the following is a major critique of conflict theory?
In focusing on conflict and change, it sometimes ignores the stable and enduring parts of society.
Howard Becker said that sociology can best be understood as the study of people "doing things together." This definition reminds us that:
neither society nor the individual exists in isolation; each is dependent on the other.
On any given day, within ten minutes of waking up, you probably depend on more than 100 strangers to provide electricity, water, natural gas, weather forecasts, and more. According to Durkheim, this interdependence gives rise to:
organic solidarity
Christine Williams looked at patterns of occupational sex segregation, examining the ways large-scale social structures created the constraints within which individuals lived their lives. Based on this information, her work would be characterized as what kind of sociology?
macrosociology
You are looking over the courses being offered at your school and you see a class called "The Sociology of Media and Popular Culture." You don't think you need this course because you listen to lots of music, watch a wide variety of television, and often go to the movies. What would a sociologist tell you?
you have reciped knowledge
Which of the following is a weakness of the sociological approach to everyday life?
It labors to grasp things everyday actors understand implicitly.
Although everyday cultural practices—such as greeting a friend, giving flowers, or using the thumbs-up sign—seem like natural ways of acting, why does an awareness of how they vary across cultures demonstrate a healthy sociological imagination?
It reminds us that everyday interactions are connected to larger social structures.
In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Emile Durkheim argues that, in the past, religion was a powerful source of social solidarity. Why?
Religion reinforced collective bonds and cultivated shared moral values.
What does Marx see as the primary tool for the oppression of the lower classes in modern society?
industrial capitalism
In focusing on conflict and change, it sometimes ignores the stable and enduring parts of society.
interdependence and individual rights
According to Chapter 1, what was probably Harriet Martineau's most important contribution to the development of sociology as a discipline?
her translation of the work of Auguste Comte into English
If a sociologist wanted to study the social meaning of pizza, he would be hampered by a lifetime of preconceptions and assumptions about pizza. It would be hard for him to think about it objectively because it is so familiar. Which concept describes a process that might help?
culture shock
Which social theory focuses on micro-level interactions?
symbolic interactionism
Which theoretical perspective shows how large-scale social structures are produced by individuals at the micro level?
symbolic interactionism
Most of the time people use psychological rather than sociological arguments to explain why the world is the way it is and why things happen to us. Why?
We have insufficiently developed our sociological imagination.
If you possess a sociological imagination and someone asks you to study unemployment rates in a city of fifty million people where fifteen million are unemployed, what would you conclude?
We should consider the economic and political structures of the society.
What economic system emerged during the Industrial Revolution?
capitalism
If you meet a sociologist whose work requires that she use a tape recorder to painstakingly transcribe all of her data, what best describes her methodology?
conversation analysis
The reality television show Wife Swap exchanges the matriarchs from two very different families and films the result, as the participants are exposed to radically different ways of life. Although the television network is simply trying to be entertaining, which principle is being demonstrated?
culture shock
Some Marxists believe that conflict between medieval burghers and small merchants on the one hand, and the nobility on the other, led to the creation of modern capitalism, which was distinct from either of the opposing forces. What would Marx call this model of historical change?
the dialectical model
Which of the following people sounds like he or she is experiencing anomie?
A teenager in a gothic phase is dressed all in black, reads poems about death and suicide, and feels as though life is meaningless.
Who coined the phrase "the survival of the fittest"?
Herbert Spencer
What does Max Weber mean when he says that modern people are trapped in an "iron cage"?
Most aspects of life are increasingly controlled through rigid rules and rationalization.
Macrosociology and microsociology seem to make very different assumptions about how society works. How does sociology, as a discipline, deal with these two very different perspectives?
Most sociologists think of these two perspectives as being on a continuum with each other, adopting whatever perspective seems most useful for a particular problem.
If you didn't know anything about Pam Fishman but that she studied conversation patterns, what could you logically determine about her?
She is a microsociologist.
According to symbolic interactionism, what is the relationship between the self and society?
The self is shaped by society, but society is also shaped by the self.
According to the textbook, hip-hop music is an example of a postmodern art form.
True
Conflict theory uses a dynamic model of historical change that presents change as constant, ongoing, and inevitable.
True
Emile Durkheim's pioneering work, Suicide, used statistical data to look for correlations between demographic variables and suicide. This made his work compatible with Auguste Comte's ideas about how society should be studied.
True
C. Wright Mills argued that not only do "people often feel that their private lives are a series of traps," but also that "they are often quite correct" in this feeling. However, he does not feel that we are ultimately helpless. Why not?
While larger social forces influence individual lives, there are many ways in which we can affect society as well.
Stricter control of the border between the United States and Mexico was implemented to curb illegal immigration, but it also made illegal immigrants more likely to stay in the United States for longer periods of time, because frequent border crossings became both dangerous and costly. The increase in the number of illegal immigrants who stayed permanently or semi-permanently is:
a latent function of increased security.
Sociology can be defined as the systematic and scientific study of human society and social behavior. Given this definition, what level(s) of social structure listed below best describe(s) what sociologists might examine?
almost any level—from interactions between two people to large-scale institutions
In Emile Durkheim's work Suicide, he reported that suicide rates went up when the economy slumped but also spiked when the economy boomed. Which of Durkheim's concepts from Chapter 1 explain why both positive and negative economic conditions could increase suicide rates?
anomie
What institutions does Max Weber believe characterize modern industrialized societies?
bureaucracies
What did Karl Marx think the lower classes needed to do in order to end their oppression?
develop class consciousness
One of the key challenges sociologists face is studying something they are intimately familiar with. Like fish in water, sociologists often find it hard to see what is right in front of their faces. To overcome this, what might you try?
doing nothing
According to Emile Durkheim, traditional religious beliefs are the only source of social stability.
false
In 2008 Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wadja released his film Katyn, about the massacre of twenty thousand Polish officers by the Soviet Union during World War II. When asked why he had made this movie, Wadja said that he wanted to make a film for "those moviegoers for whom it matters that we are a society and not just an accidental crowd." Wadja believed that it was still possible for people to be bound together on the basis of shared traditions and experiences.
mechanical solidarity
Which of the following could NOT be used as a synonym for the term "theory"?
method
In Sidewalk, the sociologist Mitch Duneier spent a great deal of time interviewing and hanging out with street vendors in New York City. He was especially interested in how power associated with race and class was produced and reproduced in this setting. What sort of sociology was Duneier doing?
microsociology
Emile Durkheim suggested that, in traditional societies, people were bound together through mechanical solidarity. What was the basis of these sorts of bonds?
shared traditions and similar experiences
In the United States today, the richest 1 percent of Americans have 40 percent of the country's wealth. Marx would call this:
social inequality
In Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, Pierre Bourdieu explored the ways in which individual tastes or aesthetic preferences are determined by class status. Given this fact alone, in which step of the macro-micro continuum would you put Bourdieu?
social institutions
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?
structural issues
Conflict theorists believe that arguments over values and beliefs have their roots in:
struggles over scarce resources and power.
Together and in groups, people organize their lives and their social interactions to produce a real and meaningful world. Sociologists can study this because:
such organization is done in patterned ways.
The theory of symbolic interactionism was developed by:
the Chicago School of sociology.
What historical events convinced Auguste Comte that society needed to be guided by thinkers who understood social laws?
the French Revolution and the instability that followed it
What is the sociological imagination?
the ability to understand the connections between biography and history, or the interplay of the self and the world
Max Weber believed that, as the Industrial Revolution progressed, society became increasingly rationalized. How did he define rationalization?
the application of economic logic to all aspects of social life
The social sciences are all those disciplines that study:
the human, or social, world.
Which of the following is an important aspect of symbolic interactionism?
the idea that society is produced and reproduced by individuals interacting with each other, especially through language
Soon after college, Michael Jordan was made enormously wealthy by Nike and the Chicago Bulls. He has since purchased his own NBA team. Michael Jordan controls what Karl Marx called:
the means of production
If someone has no way to make money but to sell their own labor, then they must be a member of what social group?
the proletariat
Jane Addams was an early advocate of applied sociology. As a result, she did not just do research, she also:
tried to address the problems she researched through hands-on activity in the communities she researched.
Human societies comprise patterned groups of people.
true
Queer theory argues that no category of sexual identity is fundamentally deviant or normal.
true
The writings of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber were deeply influenced by their life experiences.
true
According to Karl Marx, how is class consciousness, or revolutionary consciousness, developed?
when the lower classes come to recognize how society works and challenge those in power
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:
with verstehen (understanding), which emphasizes the need for empathy with actors' experiences
If the only thing you remember about Max Weber is that he described modern people as being trapped in an "iron cage," which of the following quotes from the social theorist Marshall Berman would you think describes his work?
"Modern man as a subject—capable of response, judgment, and action in and on the world—has disappeared."
Which social theory was developed mostly in the United States?
symbolic interactionism
"Truth in our ideas means their power to work." This is the most basic statement of what theoretical perspective?
pragmatism
The most widely accepted definitions of sociology as a discipline are those that are narrow and focused.
False
There is a close relationship between sociology and the other social sciences. Given how much overlap there is, why does sociology still exist as a discipline?
Despite significant overlap, there is still a good deal of unique territory that only sociologists study.
What does Bernard McGrane, the "Zen sociologist" who recommends the beginner's mind as a way to develop a sociological perspective, say about discovery?
Discovery is a new way of seeing things.
Why would culture shock be a useful state of mind for a sociologist?
It makes us realize that we lack an understanding of our surroundings, so we are able to truly perceive what is right in front of us.
Sociology can be approached from either a microsociological or a macrosociological perspective. Which is more useful?
both are useful in different ways, because they each provide different types of information about the same object of study.
According to Erving Goffman, a person's sense of self is constant and stable over time.
false
There is only one correct theoretical explanation for any particular social phenomenon.
false
which social theory focuses on micro-level interactions?
symbolic interactionism
Which of the following theories focuses on how our behaviors are dependent upon the ways we interpret, make sense of, and define ourselves, others, and social situations?
symbolic interactionsim
What did W. E. B. Du Bois have in common with Harriet Martineau?
Both were intrigued by America's democratic promise but disappointed in its hypocritical injustices.
Why is the term "queer" used to describe queer theory?
It emphasizes the importance of difference and rejects the idea of a single gay or lesbian identity.
Which of the following best characterizes microsociology?
It is an approach that examines interactions between individuals and the ways those interactions reflect larger patterns within a society.
Which social theorist is associated with communism?
Karl Marx
Why are there disagreements within sociology about how to define the discipline?
Sociology encompasses a large intellectual territory of potential subject matters.
It is the responsibility of a sociologist to question everything the everyday person would take for granted.
True
In Great Britain in the eighteenth century, a series of Enclosure Acts were established that broke up small farms, forced many small farmers to move to large cities in search of wage labor, and increased agricultural profits for landowners. What large-scale social system was this a part of?
capitalism
Pragmatism, associated with William James, evaluated the truth of an idea by:
considering its truthfulness in everyday life.
The everyday actor approaches the social world with "reciped"—or practical—knowledge, which allows him to do everyday things. What are the limitations of this sort of practical knowledge?
it is not necessarily as clear, coherent, or consistent as it could be.
According to Peter Berger, in Invitation to Sociology, what sort of people should NOT study sociology?
people who dislike shocking discoveries
Which school of social theory argues that everything is relative, fragmented, temporary, contingent, and ephemeral?
postmodernism
The Egg McMuffin is a vastly more efficient version of eggs benedict. Egg McMuffins are cheaper, are ready almost instantly at drive-through windows, and can be eaten with one hand while driving. However, they do not improve on the taste or the experience of eggs benedict. Max Weber might have described the Egg McMuffin as the ____________ of breakfast.
rationalization
According to Karl Marx, what is the most important factor in a person's social life?
relationship to the means of production
Emile Durkheim argued that even an action as seemingly individual as suicide has important social components. What social factors did he examine?
religious affiliation and marital status
According to C. Wright Mills, what one quality of mind do all great sociologists possess?
sociological imagination
What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures, each of which contributes to the equilibrium of the whole?
structural functionalism
Which of the following theories views society as a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that work together?
structural functionalism
Sociology allows you to see the world in a new light. Does this mean you have to reevaluate old opinions?
yes
Symbolic interactionism argues that people act toward things on the basis of their meaning. According to this perspective, how does meaning arise?
Meaning is negotiated through interaction with others.
What are the weaknesses of the everyday actor when it comes to everyday life?
The everyday actor makes assumptions and glosses over many things the social analyst strives to understand systematically.
In order to find links between the macro and the micro levels of analysis, what is a sociologist most in need of?
a sociological imagination
What is the term used to describe sociological research intended to solve social problems, such as that done by Jane Addams?
applied sociology
While a dishonest judge must pretend to be an honest judge, even an honest judge must play the role of "honest judge" for an audience in order to interact and work with others effectively. What theoretical perspective considers this performance?
dramaturgy
According to C. Wright Mills, most people think about their problems as issues of social structure, rather than as matters of character, psychology, or chance.
false
What term did Karl Marx use to describe the fact that most of the population accepts the pervading ideology, even when it fails to tell the truth about their lives?
false consciousness
Unlike earlier religious traditions, which attempted to determine the ultimate cause or source of reality, Auguste Comte developed positivism in order to:
identify laws that describe the behavior of a particular reality.
