Sociology Final Exam

Among all forms of life, humans stand out as the only species that

relies on culture to ensure survival.

Sociologists use which concept to refer to behavior that people expect from someone who holds a particular status?

role

Which concept is involved when a surgeon chooses not to operate on her own son because the personal involvement of motherhood could impair her professional objectivity as a physician?

role conflict

What is the term for the process by which people disengage from important social roles?

role exit

Turning metals into automobiles is work that falls within the

secondary sector.

A minority is defined as a category of people who are ________

set apart by that society and subordinated or disadvantaged.

In his structural-functional analysis, Talcott Parsons claimed that society responds to illness by

sing the "sick role" to relieve ill people of many daily responsibilities and possible opportunities.

The Thomas Theorem states that

situations defined as real are real in their consequences.

According to the ___________ perspective, schooling in the United States transforms social privilege into personal merit, furthering social inequality through things like standardized testing and tracking.

social conflict

If you were to put together the lesson learned from the cases of Isabelle and Genie, you would correctly conclude that

social experience plays a crucial part in forming human personality.

In his effort to understand socialization, Mead placed the origin of the self in

social experience.

A major sphere of social life, or societal subsystems, are organized to meet basic human needs. Sociologists call these subsystems

social institutions.

The environmental racism thesis falls within which theoretical approach as it examines patterns that expose poor people to environmental hazards?

social-conflict approach

The theoretical approach in sociology draws attention to patterns of social inequality is called the

social-conflict approach.

What concept refers to the lifelong social experience by which human beings develop their potential and learn culture?

socialization

Based on what you have read in this chapter, you would correctly conclude that

society shapes how we think, feel, and act.

The concept of "cultural lag" refers to the fact that

some cultural elements change more quickly than others.

Which of the following concepts defines a social position that a person holds?

status

What concept refers to a powerful and negative label that greatly changes a person's self-concept and social identity?

stigma

The theoretical approach in sociology that assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability is the

structural-functional approach.

Which sociological perspective seeks to understand why people do or don't engage in activities related to environmental problems?

symbolic interactionism

Which theoretical approach claims that it is not so much what people do that matters as much as what meaning they attach to their behavior?

symbolic-interaction approach

Which of the following examples illustrates a micro-level focus?

ten new employees in an office at new employee orientation/training

Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory links deviance to

the amount of contact a person has with others who encourage or discourage conventional behavior.

Social epidemiology us the study of

the distribution of health and illness in a population.

According to Durkheim, functions of deviance include

the idea that responding to deviance promotes social unity.

The US could be categorized as

a representative democracy

Sociologists define the concept of "race" as

a socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important.

Social networks are typically

a web of weak social ties made up of people we "know of" rather than those we know well.

Which concept refers to a social position that is assumed voluntarily and that reflects a significant measure of personal ability and effort?

achieved status

If you wanted to visit the world's low-income nations, where would you travel?

africa

A sociological discussion of health and medicine includes

all of the above

The Logic of Growth Thesis is

an optimistic view of the world that holds that powerful technology has improved our lives and new discoveries will continue to do so in the future.

While prejudice is a matter of _____, discrimination is a matter of _____.

attitude; action

Race refers to _____ considered important by a society; ethnicity refers to _____.

biological traits; cultural traits

Gender is learned by the age of 3 through socialization Question options: by the primary agent of socialization, family. by media. Both A and B Neither A nor B

both a and b

What are the three types of religious organizations?

church, sect, cult

In a total institution such as prison, staff members

closely supervise and control all the elements of daily life of inmates.

Jean Piaget's focus on understanding socialization was on

cognition, or how people think and understand.

To impress her friends, Laura wears an expensive designer dress to a party. A sociologist might say Laura is engaging in ________

conspicuous consumption.

Applying the sociological perspective, we see that the high rate of obesity in the United States currently reflects

cultural forces that encourage people to eat large portions of unhealthy fast food.

You would be expressing a "stereotype" if you

described every person in some category using a overarching generalization or exaggerated description.

The basic idea behind labeling theory is that

deviance arises not so much from what people do as how others respond to what they do.

Men and women

differ physically in some ways such as height and weight.

According to the social-conflict approach, what a society labels as deviant is based primarily on

differences between various categories of people determines who has the power to set norms.

Politics is a social institution that is defined in terms of a society's

distribution of power, goals, and decision making.

Goffman's study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance is referred to as

dramaturgical analysis.

The likelihood a person will be arrested for a street crime rises sharply

during the late teenage years.

Which of the following concepts refers to the study of the interaction of living organisms and the natural environment?

ecology

Max Weber claimed that social position was based on a person's

economic class, degree of social status, and amount of power.

What does the term "presentation of self" mean?

efforts to create impressions in the minds of others during social interactions, often putting ourselves in the best light

Which of the following concepts refers to a shared cultural heritage?

ethnicity

Intersection theory seeks to Question options:

explain the interplay between gender, class, and race that result in multiple dimensions of disadvantage.

Of the four discussed, which is considered the primary (first and most important) agent of socialization?

family

Durkheim, applying the structural functional theory, pointed to three functions of religion for society. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

fostering social conflict

Which concept refers to attitudes and activities that a society links to people of each sex?

gender roles

In the study of economics, ________ are defined as tangible commodities ranging from necessities to luxury items while ________ are defined as intangible activities that benefit people.

goods; services

Which of the following concepts refers to the formal organization that directs the political life of a society?

government

According to Emile Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate typically has

high social marginality.

The "second shift" refers to

how caring for the home and children is considered "women's work" even if the woman works outside the home.

According to the structural functional approach in the Davis-Moore thesis,

the jobs with great functional importance must carry greater rewards to attract the necessary people to perform them.

Absolute poverty is

the life threatening deprivation of resources.

The concept of gender refers to

the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male.

The factor which accounts for the greatest share of the difference in the earnings of working women and men in the US is

the type of work men and women do.

In the very poorest of nations of the world today, a majority of people die before reaching

their teens.

Two variables are said to display correlation if

they vary together.

In principle, bureaucratic organizations pay little attention to

tradition

The family is a social institution that

unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another.

Many U.S. business organizations differ from those a century ago because they

use more competitive work teams.

Standards by which people who share culture define what is desirable, good, and beautiful are called

values

The total amount of financial assets, minus any debts, is referred to as ________

wealth.

The concept of "intergenerational social mobility" refers to change in social position

when comparing children to their parents.

In sociological research, reliability refers to

whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results.

The "beauty myth" refers to the idea that:

women learn to measure their personal importance in terms of physical appearance.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: The stigma of deviance can encourage an individual to engage in further deviance. Emile Durkheim's analysis suggests it would be impossible for a society to completely eliminate deviance. Crime is only one category of deviance. "Primary deviance" refers to the most serious criminal offenses.

"Primary deviance" refers to the most serious criminal offenses.

In the United States in 2013, women in the labor force earned _______ to every dollar earned by men.

78 cents

What is functional illiteracy?

A lack of reading/writing skills necessary for everyday life.

Which of the following statements about humor is TRUE?

All of the above

Terms that are used to define family ties include

All of the above.

As a social institution, the economy

All of these responses are correct.

Education is the social institution by which society provides people with important knowledge, including

All of these responses are correct.

Society shapes human health because

All of these responses are correct.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? - Studying other societies is a good way to learn about our own way of life. - The sociological perspective helps us to assess the truth of the "common sense" beliefs most people tend to take for granted. - Sociology is useful training for any job that involves working with people. - All of these statements are TRUE.

All of these statements are TRUE.

Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? Question options: Global wealth disparity is more pronounced than income disparity in the U.S. People with income at or below the U.S. poverty line live better than the majority of the world's population. In low-income nations, the majority of the population live in villages or rural areas where farming is the most common way of making a living. Although poverty continues, the world has ended the practice of slavery.

Although poverty continues, the world has ended the practice of slavery.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Men and women are equally as likely to vote. Most people in the upper class vote. In the United States, minorities are less likely to vote in national elections than whites. American adults 18 to 24 years of age are twice as likely to vote than those over 65.

American adults 18 to 24 years of age are twice as likely to vote than those over 65.

The term "sociology" was coined in 1838 by

Auguste Comte.

Economic revolutions produce social changes such as

Both A and B are true

When considering socialization, which of the following statements is NOT true?

Childhood is defined in the same way and has the same characteristics in all known societies.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: An age-sex pyramid is useful, in part, because it helps predict the demographic future of a society and therefore the potential allocation of necessary resources. It would be fair to say that Thomas Robert Malthus, in his mathematical progression of the world's population, was pessimistic about the future of the world. Demographic transition theory states that humanity must act now to reduce fertility if we are to save the planet. All of the above are true.

Demographic transition theory states that humanity must act now to reduce fertility if we are to save the planet.

Which of the following statements is TRUE about issues facing families today in the US?

Divorce is cause, in part, by a rise in individualism and the increase in social acceptability of divorce.

In which of the following job categories are the workers mostly women?

Elementary school teachers and service sector jobs

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: Endogamy limits marriage prospects. Exogamy limits the spread of culture. Endogamy refers to the pattern of people marrying partners from the same social category. Exogamy refers to the pattern of marriage between people of different social categories.

Exogamy limits the spread of culture

Read the following four statements. Which is NOT TRUE? Question options: - Expressive leadership emphasizes the completion of tasks. - Expressive leadership refers to group leadership that emphasizes collective well-being. - Instrumental leadership emphasizes the completion of tasks. - Instrumental leadership focuses on such things as making plans and achieving goals.

Expressive leadership emphasizes the completion of tasks.

Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? Question options: More women than men claim religion is important in their life. 7 out of 10 US adult identify with a specific religious tradition. In general, older people tend to be more religious. Family has little to no influence on a person's religious affiliation.

Family has little to no influence on a person's religious affiliation.

_________ are rules for everyday, casual living; __________ are rules with great moral significance.

Folkways; mores

Which of the following statements about gender is TRUE?

Gender affects the opportunities and constraints each of us encounter throughout our lives.

The Rwandan racial tension between the Hutu and Tutsi existed for generations and finally erupted in a systematic killing of one group by the other. This is an example of

Genocide

Which of the following statements is NOT a strategy of sustainable living?

Have more children.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: The extent of schooling in a society is closely tied to its level of economic development. Education is the social institution providing members of a society with important knowledge. What is taught in schools around the world reflects local cultures. Historically, the poorest people in every society have been the most likely to go to school, so that they could learn what they needed to know to earn a living.

Historically, the poorest people in every society have been the most likely to go to school, so that they could learn what they needed to know to earn a living.

Which of the following is an example of nonmaterial culture?

Humor

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Question options: The average life expectancy for US children born today is about 60 years. In the US, the infant mortality rate is more than twice has high for children born in poverty. There is little to no difference in infant mortality rates amongst high income nations and low in come nations. Race, class, and gender do not affect life expectancy.

In the US, the infant mortality rate is more than twice has high for children born in poverty.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: Prejudice and discrimination can be either positive or negative. Institutional discrimination is bias that is built into the operation of society's institutions. Institutional discrimination is easier to identify than individual acts of discrimination and therefore is quickly eliminated. Prejudice and discrimination can reinforce one another (often referred to as the cycle of discrimination).

Institutional discrimination is easier to identify than individual acts of discrimination and therefore is quickly eliminated.

Read the following four items. Which of the four is NOT a characteristic of secondary groups?

Intimate personal interaction

Formal organizations are:

Large secondary groups organized to achieve goals efficiently.

Which of the following statements is consistent with the findings of Solomon Asch's research, in which subjects were asked to match lines?

Many people are willing to compromise their own judgment to avoid being seen as different.

Which of the following statements about the agents of socialization is TRUE?

Members of a peer group share common interests and social position and usually have a similar age.

Which of the following four statements about migration is NOT true?

Migration has little to no effect on the study of population.

Which of the following states about occupational prestige is TRUE?

Occupational rankings are based on a variety of factors that are culturally based and include things like income and influence.

Read the following statements. Which one is TRUE? - People riding together on a subway are correctly called a social group. - The development of social media has resulted in social networks becoming smaller. - One person's in-group can be another person's out-group. - As groups increase in size, interaction between members becomes more intense and personal.

One person's in-group can be another person's out-group.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Question options: Over past decades, an increasing number of people have been willing to define themselves as multiracial. In most cases, race and ethnicity refer to the same thing. Scientific research shows that there are three biologically pure races. All of the above are true.

Over past decades, an increasing number of people have been willing to define themselves as multiracial.

Stanley Milgram's research, in which subjects used a "shock generator" showed that:

People are surprisingly likely to follow the orders of "legitimate" authority figures even when those orders go against their personal judgment.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: -People create reality through their social interaction. -Social structure, including status and role, provides a guide for everyday living. -A status set refers to the roles people have over the course of their lifetimes. -Typically, each status is linked to several roles.

People create reality through their social interaction.

Read the following statements. Which one is TRUE? Question options: Prostitution and illegal drug use are widely regarded as a victimless crimes. Victimization surveys show that the actual amount of crime in the US is about half of what official reports indicate. Men, who represent about half of the US population, account for about 98 percent of all arrests for property crime. None of these are true.

Prostitution and illegal drug use are widely regarded as a victimless crimes.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Question options: In general, the way of life of people living in low-income nations causes much more harm to the environment than the way of life of people living in high-income nations does. Protecting the rain forests is vital to maintaining the Earth's biodiversity. Because our planet is mostly covered with oceans, there is no shortage of fresh water. As societies gain technological power, more population, and affluence they have a smaller and smaller effect on the natural environment.

Protecting the rain forests is vital to maintaining the Earth's biodiversity.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Question options: The concept "sacred" refers to the familiar, everyday elements of life. Faith refers to what we know to be true based on what our five senses tell us. Religiosity is how important religion is to a person's life. There are only a handful of religions in the world today.

Religiosity is how important religion is to a person's life.

Which theoretical analysis of family would explain the ways in which the family unit perpetuates social inequality including generational wealth, patriarchy, and racial/ethnic inequality?

Social Conflict

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Sociology is defined as the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and society.

Which theoretical analysis of family would explain the vital tasks of the family including socialization the young and regulation of sexual activity?

Structural Functional

According to the ___________ perspective, schooling supports the smooth operation and stability of society by providing socialization, cultural innovation, social integration, and social placement.

Structural Functionalist

Which of the following statements is TRUE? Question options: Subculture refers to a part of the population lacking culture. Most people are not part of a subculture during their lifetime. Subcultures are more at odds with mainstream culture than countercultures. Subcultures demonstrate cultural patterns that are set apart from a society's population.

Subcultures demonstrate cultural patterns that are set apart from a society's population.

According to the ____________ perspective, stereotypes can have important consequences for how people perform academically, as indicated by Jane Elliott's experiment.

Symbolic Interactionist

Gerhard Lenski focused on which of the following factors as having great power to shape a society?

Technology

Which of the following statements is TRUE? The concept of social mobility refers to changes in people's positions in the social hierarchy. In the United States, social inequality is simply a matter of people's talents and abilities. Social stratification is found in most — but not all — societies. In class systems, categories in the social hierarchy are more clearly and rigidly defined than they are in caste systems.

The concept of social mobility refers to changes in people's positions in the social hierarchy.

Which of the following statements is TRUE? The concepts "primary sector," "secondary sector," and "tertiary sector" refer only to how productive a sector is in terms of economic value. The economy organizes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Socialism has spread around the world to the point that, today, a majority of the world's nations have a socialist economic system. None of the above statements are true.

The economy organizes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Which of the following statements is NOT true? Question options: Marriage that unites only two partners is called monogamy. The most common form of marriage is polyandry. Marriage that unites a person with two or more spouses is called polygamy. The most common form of marriage is monogamy.

The most common form of marriage is polyandry.

Applying the Symbolic Interactionist theory to religion, we might see how the sacred is constructed. Which would NOT be an example of this level of analysis?

The ways in which religion perpetuates gender inequality because virtually all the world's major religions are patriarchal.

Which of the following statements about urbanization is NOT true?

Urbanization and the development of cities is a social phenomenon of the 20th century directly linked to industrialization.

As a rich nation that values consumption and convenience, the U.S. can be described as ________

a "disposable society."

Which of the following sociological concepts refers to people who identify with one another, sometimes based on a shared, common status such as "college student"?

a category

Relative poverty

is found everywhere

Ethnocentrism refers to

judging another culture using the standards of your own culture.

Culture is defined as the _____________ ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people's way of life.

learned

The concept of "environmental deficit" refers to ________

long-term harm to the environment caused by a short-sighted focus on material affluence.

Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation?

monarchy

Criminal statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reflect

offenses known to the police.

Cultural transmission refers to the process of

passing cultural patterns from one generation to another, primarily through language.

Erik Erikson's view of socialization state that

personality develops over the entire life course in patterned stages based on challenges.

Capitalism is an economic system in which there is

private ownership of property.

Social stratification is a concept that refers to

ranking categories of people in a hierarchy.

"Crime" differs from "deviance" in that crime

refers to a violation of norms enacted into law.