Sociology Exam 1
In the 1980s, many politicians argued that listening to heavy metal music led teenagers to die by suicide. Though you might find this belief silly, it is a(n) a. variable. b. paradigm shift. c. hypothesis. d. operational definition.
c
Only an authoritative body or formal institution can impose negative sanctions.
f
There is only one correct theoretical explanation for any particular social phenomenon.
f
Lili is conducting a sociological research study on the underground music scene. She has just finished collecting data for the study. What is the next step Lili should take in the scientific method? a. share findings b. analyze data c. provide operational definitions for variables d. choose a research design or method
b
If someone has no way to make money but to sell his or her own labor, then he or she must be a member of what social group? a. bureaucrats b. proletariat c. bourgeoisie d. capitalists
b
A sociologist wants to study popular attitudes and perceptions about astrology among college students in California. She believes that people who have astrological signs associated with fire will have a greater knowledge of astrology because fire signs tend to have more interesting and attractive symbolism. What are the variables in this study? a. astrological signs and knowledge of astrology b. college students and symbolism c. popular attitudes and perceptions d. California and college students
a
Alejandra believes that religion is the basis for good values and that promoting religion in society promotes social order. What perspective best describes Alejandra's views? a. structural functionalism b. conflict theory c. symbolic interactionism d. promote a fashion brand
a
It's all too common to see someone driving a car on a busy freeway while cursing and gesturing at another motorist whose poor driving has offended him or her. Cursing and gesturing are an individual's attempt at a. negative sanctions. b. positive sanctions. c. multiculturalism. d. taboos.
a
The application of economic logic to human activity is known as a. Weberian theory. b. critical theory. c. class consciousness. d. social Darwinism.
a
Which of the following is an example of something that would be part of a person's or a society's material culture? a. weapons of war b. democracy as a political system c. belief in a supreme being d. a preference to have health rather than wealth
a
A famous social scientist tells you that the most important task in her research was entering the social world of the people she was studying. What can you say about this researcher? a. She worries about ethical issues in her research. b. She is a qualitative researcher. c. She cannot use interviews as a methodology. d. She exclusively uses quantitative methods.
b
A space shuttle, graffiti, a new coding language, and a new instrument are all examples of a. sanctions. b. technology. c. counterculture. d. cultural imperialism.
b
Together and in groups, people organize their lives and social interactions to produce a real and meaningful world. Sociologists can study this because a. they are interested in all aspects of human psychology. b. people organize their lives in patterned ways. c. sociology understands the importance of human psychology. d. we often assign characteristics to an entire group based on experience with a single group member.
b
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
What research method is a sociologist using if he or she watches a lot of television and counts the number of times women play roles with lower status than those played by men? a. experimental research b. content analysis c. ethnography d. interview
b
What was probably Harriet Martineau's MOST important contribution to the development of sociology as a discipline? a. her theory of alienation b. her translation of the work of Auguste Comte into English c. her work on an early theory of symbolic interactionism d. her struggle for women's rights
b
When Patti Sue took a world tour, she had lunch at McDonald's in Tokyo, ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hong Kong, purchased clothes at Macy's in London, and was entertained at a Disney show in Paris. This homogenization of cultures around the world is called a. multiculturalism. b. cultural leveling. c. social control. d. folkways.
b
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
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
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
Why do ethnocentric people tend to view other cultures as abnormal? a. They have values and beliefs that are universally recognized. b. They use their own culture as a standard of judgment. c. They are practicing cultural relativism. d. They are part of a counterculture.
b
Jai is conducting a sociological research study on differences in interactions between similar and dissimilar co-workers. After reviewing the literature, he developed a hypothesis and has operationalized the variables he will study. What is the next step Jai should take in the scientific method? a. identify a problem or ask a question b. analyze data c. choose a research design or method d. collect data
c
Sarah believes that thanks to the ability of science and technology to create progress, problems will be solved and life will improve. Sarah would best be described as a a. Marxist. b. positivist. c. modernist. d. postmodernist.
c
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
A cultural group that exists harmoniously within a larger, dominant culture is called a a. counterculture. b. cultural spin-off. c. subdominant culture. d. subculture.
d
A graduate student is almost done with his dissertation when he is informed that twenty years ago someone did a similar project and already demonstrated what he had hoped to be the first to discover. What basic step of the scientific method should have saved him from this problem? a. developing an operational definition b. selecting a research method c. analyzing data d. reviewing the literature
d
For a survey to be considered valid, there must be a sufficiently a. large target population. b. large number of existing sources. c. large pilot study. d. high response rate.
d
Maria is worried about the representativeness of her study. She is conducting interviews, but each one seems to last at least five hours. What strategy might she use to increase her sample size given that she only has one month to collect her data? a. end interviews at two hours whether or not all questions have been answered b. conduct a focus group c. ask only open-ended questions d. request that respondents write out answers during interviews instead of answering verbally
d
Recently, curators at museums have experienced problems with the preservation of plastic objects, almost all of which disintegrate over time. The Smithsonian collection contains the first-ever plastic toothbrush, which soon will be nothing more than a pile of crumbs. This problem is leading many historians to worry that we will lose the history of our a. symbolic culture. b. signs and gestures. c. linguistic relativity. d. material culture.
d
Researchers must avoid negative questions when writing a survey, which are defined as questions that a. ask about two different topics. b. let the respondent know how the researcher hopes he or she will answer. c. belittle or insult a group or individual. d. ask respondents what they do not think rather than what they think.
d
Sociology can be approached from both a microsociological and a macrosociological perspective. Which is more useful? a. The macrosociological perspective is more useful because it explains how large-scale social institutions influence individuals. b. The microsociological perspective is more useful because it explains how individuals shape and create large-scale social institutions. c. Both are useful and any study that uses only one or the other will be unable to explain anything useful about society. d. Both are useful in different ways because they each provide different types of information about the same object of study.
d
What are researchers doing when they use a social networking site like Facebook to obtain data? a. being ethically questionable b. doing qualitative research c. using interview data d. using existing sources
d
What did W. E. B. Du Bois have in common with Harriet Martineau? a. Both made careers of studying race and racism. b. Both were from the American South. c. Both saw symbolic interactionism as the most promising aspect of social theory. d. Both were intrigued by America's democratic promise, but disappointed in its hypocritical injustices.
d
What do sociologists call it when cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar? a. cultural imperialism b. social control c. cultural diffusion d. cultural leveling
d
What economic system emerged during the Industrial Revolution? a. communism b. humanitarianism c. globalization d. capitalism
d
What is the definition of "culture"? a. Culture involves the reactions to the ways in which people follow or disobey norms in society. b. Culture is limited to rules or guidelines about what kind of behavior is acceptable and appropriate within a particular situation. c. Culture is the principle of evaluating another group or individual as abnormal or inferior. d. Culture is the entire way of life of a group of people and it acts as a lens through which we view the world.
d
A sociologist's responsibility is to question everything the everyday person would take for granted.
t
C. Wright Mills described a process by which biography (individual lives) and history (larger social forces) are related. He argued that this process works in two ways: individual lives influence society, while society also influences individuals.
t
Norms develop out of a culture's value system.
t
Signs are symbols that stand for or convey an idea.
t
Sociologists claim that culture is the lens through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on in the world around us.
t
Sociologists try to follow the steps of the scientific method or approach to gather new empirical data that can change and deepen our understanding of human social life.
t
Some "facts" sociologists once believed to be unambiguously true are now treated as opinions, biases, or speculation.
t
The writings of Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber were deeply influenced by their life experiences.
t
Jill is visiting her boyfriend's family in China. During a conversation, she points to him with her index finger, which his family doesn't seem to like. Later, her boyfriend explains that she should point with an open hand instead of using a finger. Why is this instruction needed? a. The meaning of gestures is not universal. b. Jill was attempting to be rude to his family. c. Sanctions exist in China, but not in the United States, where Jill is from. d. The action of pointing does not have symbolic meaning.
a
Designer labels on purses and logos on shirts are both examples of a. values. b. material culture. c. counterculture. d. cultural essentials.
b
Many everyday cultural practices such as greeting a friend, giving someone flowers, or using the thumbs-up sign seem like natural ways of acting. Why does having an awareness of how these practices vary across cultures demonstrate a healthy sociological imagination? a. It reminds us that everyday interactions are connected to larger societies and norms. b. It helps us economically when we do business in different countries. c. It lets us understand how immigrants perceive America when they move here. d. It shows us that cultures are not as different as we sometimes think they are.
a
Regardless of their various approaches to social phenomena, what are all sociologists trying to do? a. illuminate the connection between the individual and society b. explain why poverty and inequality still exist c. compare the present with the past d. understand how our society is different from other cultures and other times
a
Researchers should try to avoid double-barreled questions or questions that a. ask about multiple issues. b. use emotional language that may bias the respondent. c. are vague or ambiguous. d. have a hidden agenda.
a
Sociologists observe society by a. studying the various parts of a society and the ways they interact and influence one another. b. studying society as if it were a concrete object, in the same way a geologist studies rocks. c. comparing the past and present, with a focus on the past. d. studying the relationship between individuals and society, specializing in internal states of mind.
a
Survey research tends to produce quantitative data. One key advantage of this kind of data is that it a. is easy to transmit to the public. b. includes observations and informal interviews. c. allows the researcher to review the literature. d. affords easy access to the norms, values, and meanings held by members of a group.
a
Survey researchers often use Likert scales to construct the possible answers when they write closed-ended questions. How do Likert scales allow respondents to answer? a. They allow respondents to answer along a continuum from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." b. They allow respondents to answer with their own opinions. c. They allow respondents to answer simply such as true/false or yes/no. d. They encourage respondents to include detailed responses.
a
The consistency of a measurement tool, or the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers, refers to a. reliability. b. ground theory. c. unobtrusive measures. d. value-free sociology.
a
The tendency to use your own group's way of doing things as the yardstick for judging others is called a. ethnocentrism. b. culture shock. c. cultural relativism. d. self-centeredness.
a
There is a close relationship between sociology and the other social sciences. Given how much overlap there is between these fields, why does sociology still exist as a separate discipline? a. All the other fields 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
Unlike folkways, mores are closely related to a. the core values of a group. b. formal but not informal norms. c. the dominant culture of a group. d. culture wars between groups.
a
What do you call broad theoretical models of the social or natural world? a. paradigms b. hypotheses c. interviews d. grounded theory
a
What has been achieved when the dominant culture, without the use of force, persuades the rest of society that its beliefs and values are the only or best values? a. hegemony b. high culture c. a culture war d. a counterculture
a
What is the difference between basic and applied research? a. Applied research is the search for knowledge for its own sake. b. Applied research is gathering knowledge that can be used for social change. c. Basic research is almost always done by Marxists. d. Applied research is usually quantitative.
a
What is the term used to describe sociological research that is intended to solve social problems, such as the research done by Jane Addams? a. practical sociology b. postmodern sociology c. moral sociology d. applied sociology
a
What will a good researcher always do after formulating a general research question? a. review the literature relevant to his or her topic b. clearly define his or her variables c. look for correlations between at least two phenomena d. form a hypothesis
a
Where should you start if you possess a sociological imagination and you are asked to study unemployment rates in a city with fifty million people, of which, fifteen million are unemployed? a. You should consider the economic and political structures of the society. b. You should consider the work ethic of the average citizen. c. You should worry about the intelligence level of the workers who have lost their jobs. d. You should ask the people who are unemployed how much they want to work.
a
Which of the following is a DISADVANTAGE of using existing sources of data for research? a. Researchers often seek answers to questions the data does not directly address. b. Researchers have to spend a great deal of time and money to get the data. c. Researchers do not have access to existing sources. d. Existing sources are irrelevant to the contemporary world because they are from a different time and place.
a
Which of the following statements best characterizes microsociology? a. It is an approach that examines interactions between individuals and how those interactions reflect larger societal patterns. b. It is an approach that examines institutional interactions that occur over time. c. It is an approach that quantifies data about social structures so they can be analyzed statistically. d. It is an approach that focuses exclusively on gender and power as they manifest themselves socially.
a
Which social theory focuses on micro-level interactions? a. symbolic interactionism b. structural functionalism c. conflict theory d. pragmatism
a
How is culture transmitted and internalized? a. We are born with these values and beliefs. b. We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally. c. It is human nature to accept one's own culture as superior. d. Values and beliefs are only taught in school.
b
You are doing a research project on the effects of contemporary media. What are your variables if your hypothesis is "watching violence on television causes an increase in violent behavior"? a. violence on television and violent behavior b. watching television and violence on television c. watching nonviolent television d. causes of violent behavior
a
________ occurs when the dominant culture succeeds in imposing its values and ideas on all of society. a. Hegemony b. Cultural diffusion c. Cultural relativism d. Cultural leveling
a
Macrosociology and microsociology approach the study of society from different perspectives. How does the discipline of sociology deal with these two very different approaches? a. Most sociologists are macrosociologists; microsociologists are only a small minority. b. These two perspectives are on a continuum with each other and sociologists can adopt the perspective most useful for a particular problem. c. Although the field is fairly evenly split between these two perspectives, almost every sociologist feels strongly that his or her perspective is the correct one. d. Microsociology used to dominate the field, but more recently macrosociology has become the dominant perspective.
b
Many Marxist sociologists assume that large-scale economic structures are the most important factors in shaping people's lives. This assumption is an example of a. microsociology. b. macrosociology. c. rationalization. d. symbolic interactionism.
b
Some Marxists believe that conflict between small merchants and the nobility 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? a. a critical model b. a dialectical model c. a class consciousness model d. a nihilist model
b
The Yale sociologist Kai Erikson wrote a book called Wayward Puritans in which he drew on court records from colonial Massachusetts. He learned that the rate of out-of-wedlock births was much higher than it is now and that the amount of alcohol consumed per capita was higher as well. What research methodology was Erikson using? a. ethnography b. comparative-historical research c. interviews d. surveys
b
The ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture's own norms and values, without reference to any other culture's standards, is called a. ethnocentrism. b. cultural relativism. c. cultural lag. d. culture shock.
b
There are many sushi restaurants in the United States and many McDonald's-style fast-food restaurants in Japan. This is an example of a. the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. b. cultural diffusion. c. counterculture. d. a culture war.
b
Countercultural groups such as the hippies of the 1960s a. actually had a lifestyle that was similar to that of the mainstream culture. b. were considered members of the popular culture. c. rejected the norms of the dominant culture. d. are now seen as members of a subculture.
c
Despite the fact that people snack on grasshoppers and crickets in Thailand, many people in the United States express disgust at the idea. This suggests that, in the United States, eating insects is a a. folkway. b. crime. c. taboo. d. sanction.
c
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
c
In the article "Jihad vs. McWorld," Benjamin R. Barber points out that "in November of 1991 Switzerland's once insular culture boasted best-seller lists featuring Terminator 2 as the #1 movie, Scarlett as the #1 book, and Prince's Diamonds and Pearls as the #1 record album." Many people worry that the prominence of American culture goes beyond the media and represents the wholesale imposition of American values on other cultures, which is a process called a. culture war. b. ideal culture. c. cultural imperialism. d. counterculture.
c
Some researchers suggest that interviews give "voice" to people who may never have been heard before and offer privileged access to authentic experience, private worlds, and true selves. How do interviews do this? a. Interviews may contribute to unfair stereotypes. b. Interviews are relatively quick and economical and can provide a vast amount of data. c. Interviews allow respondents to speak in their own words, which can reveal their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. d. Respondents are not always forthcoming or truthful, are sometimes difficult to talk to, and may try too hard to be helpful.
c
The widespread use of plastic in American culture is no accident; plastic offers consumers convenience, disposability, and choice. 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
What did Karl Marx think the lower classes needed to develop in order to end their oppression? a. a critical theory of gender b. a stronger sense of verstehen c. class consciousness d. false consciousness
c
What is the sociological imagination? a. a characteristic of society that ensures people remain ignorant of the connections between their lives and social change b. a particular way of understanding the criminal mind such as that of a serial killer c. the ability to understand the connections between biography and history or the self and the world d. the sociological approach that assumes individual decisions and interactions are independent of larger social institutions
c
What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures, which contribute to the equilibrium of the whole? a. symbolic interactionism b. dramaturgy c. structural functionalism d. conflict theory
c
Which best describes the research goals of sociologists who use a macrosociological approach and the research goals of sociologists who use a microsociological approach? a. Sociologists using a microsociological approach focus only on local concerns. b. Sociologists using a macrosociological approach are much more likely to be worried about globalization. c. No matter what approach they take, all sociologists aim to illuminate the connection between the individual and society. d. Regardless of which method they use, the research goal of all sociologists is to prove that individuals are ultimately in control of their own destinies.
c
Which methodology MOST closely resembles the scientific method? a. ethnography b. survey research c. experimental research d. interviews
c
Which of the following is a DISADVANTAGE of using ethnography as a method of social research? a. Participants are self-selected. b. Participants are not completely honest when asked to describe their attitudes and behaviors. c. It is difficult for another researcher to repeat or replicate any particular ethnography. d. Ethnographies tend to have ethical problems that are of central concern to most sociologists.
c
Which of the following is an advantage of using ethnography to study social life? a. Ethnography is a quick and easy form of social science research. b. Ethnography requires the researcher to spend little time gaining familiarity with research subjects. c. Ethnography allows the researcher to gather abundant data on a small population. d. Ethnography requires no training since it is something we all do as human beings.
c
Which of the following is an example of a taboo in American society? a. divorce b. bankruptcy c. incest d. drunkenness
c
Why do high schools often use surveys rather than a more direct form of communication like interviews when they ask students about sensitive subjects like drug use or sexual health? a. Surveys allow respondents to speak in their own words and can reveal respondents' thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. b. Surveys allow researchers to ask much more complex questions than they could with any other methodology. c. Surveys allow students to answer the questions in private and assure the confidentiality of their responses. d. Surveys are more expensive and allow for larger staffs and budgets.
c
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
You are conducting research on violence in the media. In what part of the research process are you engaged 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
A man is listening to loud music and singing along in public. The people around him glare and frown at him, hoping that he will stop. The man ignores them, indicating that he a. doesn't know that some activities are taboo. b. must be part of the dominant culture. c. is engaged in a culture war. d. doesn't seem to care about negative sanctions.
d
A research team is curious about the relationship between exercise habits and academic performance among American college students. In order to get their data, the researchers randomly select seventeen colleges by pulling names out of a hat. They travel to campuses and stand in prominent public places asking for volunteers until they have ten people from each campus willing to be interviewed. What is the researchers' target population? a. students at the seventeen colleges they visited b. the 170 students who were interviewed c. young people d. American college students
d
A researcher must identify a target population before engaging in sampling. What is the target population? a. the group of people whose behavior he or she wishes to change b. the group of people from whom he or she will gather data c. the group of people least often studied in the past d. the larger group of people about whom he or she wishes to generalize
d
A simple random sample is defined as a sample a. with only one variable. b. that takes into account other demographic variables. c. that weights one variable more than another. d. that provides the same chance of being included to every member of the population.
d
A sociologist performs an experiment designed to investigate the effect of marriage counseling on divorce. He or she divides research participants into two similar groups of troubled couples, provides only one group with counseling, and observes whether, 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
A study found a strong correlation between parental bonding and adolescent drug use. Children with stronger bonds to their parents were far less likely to try drugs or alcohol. However, the researchers, after examining their data more closely, discovered that parental bonding was really a predictor for teen religiosity. Consequently, high levels of religiosity prevent drug use rather than parental bonding. This means that religiosity was a(n) a. spurious variable. b. issue of reflexivity. c. paradigm shift. d. intervening variable.
d
An employee who has a special relationship with his boss is promoted instead of a more deserving co-worker. This is an example of the a. way culture wars happen. b. role of subculture in determining status and rank. c. ideal way to conduct business. d. distinction between ideal culture and real culture.
d
Every four years, when it is time to elect a new president, we pay much attention to surveys, which we usually call "polls." Even though there are more than 300 million people in the United States, most political pollsters ask about a thousand people who they plan to vote for and use that information to predict how the election will turn out. Who is the sample for a presidential poll? a. every person who is planning on voting b. every American c. people who have strong political opinions d. the 1,000 people who are asked whom they will vote for
d
In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Fox News and CNN presented vastly different viewpoints of the ACA, appealing to either conservative or liberal viewers, respectively. The media's handling of this law is an example of a. mores. b. ideal culture. c. counterculture. d. culture wars.
d
