Sociology Test 1
Karl notes that in all human societies, people use symbols to communicate ideas to one another. Karl is taking note of a. language. c. emoticons. b. morality. d. poetry.
A
Jennifer wants to collect rich data about the lives of Native Americans who live on reservations. She wants to be able to not only document their lived reality but also to describe it as closely as possible. The best method of research for this kind of study would be a. survey research. b. experimental research. c. ethnography. d. comparative research.
C
Mihir notes that altruism seems innate to humans rather than learned. Mihir is taking note of a. values. b. norms. c. material goods. d. instinct.
D
The textbook defines a(n) ________ as a system of interrelationships that connects individuals. a. culture b. sociobiology c. ethnocentrism d. society
D
A society that includes more than one distinct cultural or linguistic group, where no group is dominant over the others, is characterized by a. multiculturalism. c. functionalism. b. ethnocentrism. d. assimilation.
A
According to the chapter, compared with larger societies—particularly modern societies, such as the United States—most hunting and gathering groups are a. egalitarian. b. materialistic. c. competitive. d. authoritarian.
A
According to the textbook, George Herbert Mead reasoned that language allows us to become self-conscious beings—aware of our own individuality. This idea forms the basis of the theoretical perspective known as a. symbolic interactionism. b. postmodern theory. c. feminist theory. d. Marxism.
A
According to the textbook, two cultural universals particularly stand out in human societies. They are _______ and _______. a. ways of expressing meaning; material goods b. material goods; money c. competition; ways of expressing meaning d. competition; money
A
An American begins to take an interest in the culture of India and starts wearing saris and bindis in public. Another American likes to wear elaborate feathered headdresses to music festivals. These individuals are engaging in what social scientists call a. cultural appropriation. b. assimilation. c. cultural relativism. d. multiculturalism.
A
Anita puts forward the idea that under capitalism, working people and their bosses will struggle against each other. From this struggle, a new kind of society will emerge. Her thoughts most closely mirror those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx b. Émile Durkheim c. Harriet Martineau d. Max Weber
A
Carolina studies mainstream American culture. One of her colleagues notices that she consistently ignores material objects, such as food, clothing, and art. Why might her studies be criticized? a. These objects are crucial parts of culture that influence how we live our lives. b. Studying American culture is useless because it has spread all over the globe. c. Culture is a secondary effect of social structures, so Carolina would do better to begin her studies with capitalism and the state. d. Art matters in the context of studying culture (but not food or clothing).
A
Danny is examining U.S. culture for the possibility that different immigrant communities in the United States maintain more or less separate cultures but might still manage to participate equally in economic and political life. His study focuses on which concept? a. multiculturalism b. assimilation c. globalization d. nationalism
A
Elise collects data on homeless people in New York City by widely distributing structured questionnaires. What kind of sociological research best describes what she is doing? a. survey research b. experimental research c. ethnography d. comparative research
A
Farhang begins his research knowing he wants to compare and contrast the lives of gay and straight teenagers. After some consideration, he decides that he will focus on the differences in self-esteem between gay and straight teenagers. What part of the research process is Farhang in? a. defining the research problem b. working out a design c. reviewing the evidence d. interpreting the results
A
Identify which of the following research methods is qualitative. a. An observer takes notes on the nonverbal behavior of members of a focus group for car commercials. b. The number of people in a large gathering is recorded. c. Each person in a sample group is recorded as being either a U.S. citizen or a citizen of another country. d. A researcher compares countries' currency rates.
A
In a(n) ________, the sociologist works or lives with members of a group, organization, or community and perhaps participates directly in its activities as part of the research process. a. ethnographic study c. survey research study b. historical/comparative study d. experiment
A
Kevon believes that society should be looked at like a body, with each of the parts necessary to the functioning of the whole. His ideas most closely mirror those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx b. Émile Durkheim c. Harriet Martineau d. Max Weber
A
Lucinda hears about the common practice among Nordic parents of leaving babies in their strollers outside of restaurants and shops. Although this is an accepted practice in Nordic society, Lucinda concludes that Nordic parents are neglectful and that this behavior should lead to arrest. Lucinda is engaging in a. ethnocentrism. b. multiculturalism. c. cultural relativism. d. assimilation.
A
Many languages may have an equivalent to the color yellow, but an object that may be classified as yellow in one language may not be described so in another. This is an example of a. the linguistic relativity hypothesis. b. the echo chamber. c. culture as "toolkit." d. culture shock.
A
Sociologists recognize that "personal" troubles, if occurring in patterned ways and to large numbers of individuals, reflect a. public issues. b. individualized problems. c. anomie. d. organic solidarity.
A
The term ______ does not refer only to people from different cultural backgrounds or to those who speak different languages within a larger society. It can also refer to any segment of the population that is distinguishable from the rest of society by its cultural patterns. a. subculture b. race c. ethnicity d. colony
A
Theorists of ________, such as Auguste Comte and Émile Durkheim, compared societies to the workings of a human body. a. functionalism b. postmodern theory c. feminist theory d. symbolic interactionism
A
What is the concept that sociologists use to understand the economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world? a. globalization b. structuration c. sociological imagination d. organic solidarity
A
Which of the following examples of social control is informal? a. A man who drinks heavily at social events stops receiving social invitations. b. A woman is sentenced to a year in prison for driving while under the influence of alcohol. c. A social worker explains to a child that the law requires kids to attend some form of school. d. A teenager receives a small fine for littering.
A
Which pair of concepts consists of two direct opposites? a. ethnocentrism and cultural relativism b. semiotics and signifiers c. norms and values d. culture and cultural universals
A
Women began entering the workforce in larger numbers in the United States until it eventually became normal, altering women's structural place in society. This is an example of a. structuration. b. triangulation. c. postmodernism. d. globalization.
A
Yang is researching how certain groups that live in Spain seem to have their own sets of norms and values that are at times different from mainstream Spanish norms and values. Which sociological concept best describes what he is studying? a. subcultures b. colonialism c. postmodernism d. Westoxification
A
______ is one of the best examples for demonstrating both the unity and the diversity of human culture, because there are no cultures without it. a. Language c. Agriculture b. Writing d. Monogamy
A
_______ are widely agreed-upon principles or rules people are expected to observe; they represent the dos and don'ts of social life. a. Norms b. Signifiers c. Values d. Sanctions
A
________ argued that class struggles were what led to historical progress and development. a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber
A
________ coined the term double consciousness to refer to the African American experience. a. W. E. B. Du Bois b. George Herbert Mead c. Harriet Martineau d. Robert Merton
A
A key difference between functionalism and conflict theory is a. functionalism was developed at a time of great social upheaval. b. functionalism emphasizes cooperation while conflict theory stresses competition. c. functionalism is an example of microsociology, whereas conflict theory is an example of macrosociology. d. functionalism stresses the importance of science in the study of sociology.
B
A(n) ________ enables a researcher to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the investigator. a. ethnographic study b. experiment c. quantitative study d. psychological method
B
Abbey studies how people negotiate personal space when they speak to each other in person by closely observing their behaviors. Her study is an example of a. quantitative research. b. microsociology. c. macrosociology. d. survey research.
B
According to August Comte, what is the proper role of sociology? a. to observe human behavior without influencing it b. to study human society scientifically c. to restore religion to its proper central role in human society d. to overthrow the established social order
B
Adherents of ________ contend that there are no longer any "grand narratives" or overall conceptions of history or society that make any sense. a. functionalism b. postmodern theory c. feminist theory d. symbolic interactionism
B
At the height of the most developed traditional civilizations, such as ancient Rome or preindustrial China, a. most of the population lived in urban areas. b. most people engaged in food production. c. most people fell in love. d. "falling in love" was a precondition for marriage.
B
Camilo wants to see whether people in France react the same way to authority as people in the United States. He will likely develop what kind of research question? a. factual question b. comparative question c. developmental question d. theoretical question
B
Candace is doing a comparative study to compare different societies' expectations of how husbands should treat their in-laws. Candace will be analyzing a. values. b. norms. c. material culture. d. instincts.
B
Danny studies winks, waves, language, smiles, frowns, laughs, and any other kind of symbolic communication. What is he researching? a. material culture b. signifiers c. emoticons d. cultural relativism
B
Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the a. materialist conception of history. b. sociological imagination. c. emergence of a double consciousness. d. recognition of self.
B
Mario is researching how genetic factors influence human behaviors. His research would best be described as a. social constructionism. b. sociobiology. c. conflict theory. d. structural functionalism.
B
Marissa rejects the idea that we can make historical claims about society progressively developing. Her idea most mirrors which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism b. postmodernism c. symbolic interactionism d. feminist theory
B
Shannon notes that women in some cultures voluntarily alter their bodies with sometimes painful piercings that, in her opinion, look weird. Based on this, Shannon decides that women in those cultures must be horribly oppressed compared with women in her own culture. Shannon's position might be best interpreted as a. Westoxification. b. ethnocentrism. c. cultural relativism. d. historical materialism.
B
Simone de Beauvoir once famously asserted that "one is not born a woman, but becomes one," to suggest that women are created by cultural forces. How might sociobiologists respond to this? a. De Beauvoir does not account for the role of industrialization in creating the category of woman. b. De Beauvoir misses that what constitutes a woman is biological as well as cultural. c. De Beauvoir fails to show how the category of woman is purely an effect of economics. d. De Beauvoir is correct because our biology determines our culture.
B
Society, according to Karl Marx, was a. a fully functioning grouping of social equals. b. primarily divided by social class. c. primarily divided by race. d. made of parts working together for the benefit of the whole.
B
The study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called a. comparative research. b. microsociology. c. quantitative research. d. macrosociology.
B
Wesley conducts research that involves meeting with subjects in a controlled setting. He treats some subjects kindly but behaves rudely to others. He notes how the different groups react to his behavior to make inferences about how people react to kindness and rudeness in certain situations. His research would best be described as: a. survey research. b. experimental research. c. ethnography. d. comparative research.
B
Which of the following statements related to the development of sociology is most accurate? a. At the start of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, sociology as a scientific discipline had been firmly established. b. Major historical events in the late 1700s and early 1800s forced thinkers to develop new understandings of both the social and natural worlds. c. Questions about human nature and why societies change had largely been solved by the late 1700s. d. The scientific study of human behavior dates back to the Middle Ages.
B
Which phrase best represents the beliefs of Herbert Spencer? a. "equality for all" b. "survival of the fittest" c. "all human history thus far is the history of class struggles" d. "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line"
B
Writing was first used for what purpose? a. to record the teachings of religious leaders b. to assist in the administrative needs of early civilizations c. to send messages long distances d. to record creation stories
B
______ can be defined as judging other cultures in terms of the standards of one's own. a. Multiculturalism b. Ethnocentrism c. Cultural relativism d. Assimilation
B
______ refer(s) to the physical objects that individuals in society create. These objects, in turn, influence how we live. a. Norms b. Material culture c. Values d. Sociobiology
B
______ refers to the application of biological principles to explain the social activities of animals, including human beings. a. Multiculturalism b. Sociobiology c. Social constructionism d. Social Darwinism
B
________ invented the word sociology. a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber
B
________ is when the research study ends, and the investigator discusses with the subjects their concerns and acknowledges whether strategies such as deception were used. a. Informed consent b. Debriefing c. IRB review d. Triangulation
B
____________ occur(s) when members of one cultural group borrow elements of another group's culture. a. Ethnocentrism b. Cultural appropriation c. Cultural relativism d. Linguistic relativity
B
According to ________, sociology must study social facts—aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals—in order to become a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber
C
According to the textbook, ________ involve(s) constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of situations. a. factual research b. triangulation c. theories d. formulating hypotheses
C
According to the textbook, ________ was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations. a. Émile Durkheim b. W. E. B. Du Bois c. Harriet Martineau d. George Herbert Mead
C
According to the textbook, the sociological study of culture began with which theorist? a. George Herbert Mead b. Karl Marx c. Émile Durkheim d. Max Weber
C
Alice stole a bit of money from her friend Rosa to buy groceries. Rosa finds out and angrily chastises Alice for her behavior. What does this exchange demonstrate? a. instincts c. social control b. cultural appropriation d. cultural relativism
C
Allen participated in religious rituals with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years. He kept field notes of his experiences, identified major themes within the notes, wrote a paper about his process and results, and submitted the paper to a major research journal. What part of the research process is he in? a. defining the research problem b. reviewing the evidence c. reporting the findings d. interpreting the results
C
Ana is studying the ways different societies socially sanction and formally approve of certain sexual relationships. As she studies this in each society, she will come across a. countercultures. b. industrialization. c. marriage. d. cultural appropriation.
C
Anthropological linguist Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Lee Whorf argued that the language we use influences our perceptions of the world. This is known as a. social control theory. b. the echo chamber. c. the linguistic relativity hypothesis. d. structuration theory.
C
Chris insists that any decent analysis of our social world must include investigations into the lived experiences of women. Chris's ideas match most closely with those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx b. Émile Durkheim c. Harriet Martineau d. Max Weber
C
Florence is interested in researching how men's lives have changed as women have increasingly entered the workforce. What kind of research question will she be formulating? a. factual question b. comparative question c. developmental question d. theoretical question
C
Identify which of the following is an example of random sampling method. a. A journalist approaches a table at a political event and asks everyone at the table their opinion of the host organization. b. A focus group, made up of volunteers, is asked what they think of three videos promoting water conservation. c. A health insurer uses a computer-generated random list of plan members to conduct a quality-control review. d. An administrative assistant sends a survey about her company's new product to everyone on a subscriber's mailing list.
C
Jerome looks at how the global economy functions in continental free-trade zones. His studies might be described as a. an ethnography. b. microsociology. c. macrosociology. d. survey research.
C
Laud Humphreys's studies on tearooms were controversial because he a. was completely honest with his research subjects. b. studied society to make it better. c. used deception in his research. d. focused on gay men.
C
Laura attends a prestigious university on a full scholarship. Most of her classmates come from upper-class backgrounds. Her own family has trouble making ends meet, and they encourage her to do well in school. They believe that if she works hard, she will be able to escape poverty and achieve the same economic stability as that of her fellow classmates. This belief in the merit of individual achievement is an example of a. a symbol. b. cultural appropriation. c. a value. d. ethnocentrism.
C
Lucy wants to study American culture. Why might sociologists be critical of such a study? a. Americans do not produce their own culture; they only copy others. b. Culture originated with the high art associated with western Europe, not the United States. c. There is no single American culture but rather a contested terrain of mainstream culture and hundreds, if not thousands, of subcultures. d. Americans are notoriously uncultured people.
C
Marxist and feminist theory often have different objects of study. Why are they both considered conflict theories? a. They regularly contradict each other. b. Marxists and feminists have both been historically ostracized by academia. c. They both focus on the role of power in shaping society. d. They are often criticized by people of color.
C
Michelle has spent the past year among a subculture of twentysomethings who all listen to the same kind of music. She spends time with them, participates in their events, and observes their interactions and behaviors. All the while, she records what she witnesses in her field notebook. What kind of sociological research best describes what Michelle is doing? a. survey research b. experimental research c. ethnography d. comparative research
C
Mohammed believes that studies of human behavior should focus primarily on how we construct meaning through abstract representations. His position is closest to which theoretical perspective? a. functionalism b. Marxism c. symbolic interactionism d. feminist theory
C
Pablo studies clothing choices in subcultural groups. He is investigating a. values. b. linguistic relativity. c. material culture. d. instincts.
C
The German sociologist Max Weber was highly influential in sociology for his studies of a. race relations. b. gender relations. c. bureaucracies. d. suicide.
C
We might identify one of the latent functions of public schools as a. providing low-cost education to the public at large. b. teaching children skills required to function in society. c. training children to obey authority and grow up to become obedient workers. d. teaching children math and science.
C
What distinguished early humans from other animals? a. Early humans were physically superior to all other mammals. b. Early humans relied more on instinct to survive than most other mammals. c. Early humans relied more on culture to survive than other mammals. d. Early humans were less able to adapt to the physical environment than most other mammals.
C
When Juan drinks his morning coffee, he thinks about its production in Colombia, its transportation through many countries, the taxes and tariffs applied for international commerce, and the diverse array of social relations behind his drink. According to the textbook, one might say that Juan is using a ________ perspective. a. bureaucratic b. postmodern c. global d. domestic
C
When Yale administrators cautioned students to be thoughtful and sensitive in their choice of Halloween costume, their concern was that cultural elements used in some costumes can reduce cultural groups to demeaning stereotypes. This concern is about the issue of a. ethnocentrism. b. cultural relativism. c. cultural appropriation. d. assimilation.
C
Which of the following is an example of the linguistic relativity hypothesis? a. An indigenous people's word for coffee is "cacha." b. A non-English speaking group learns English as a second language at a very high rate due to the worldwide popularity of English. c. An indigenous people have no equivalent words for planet, Earth, or world. They do not view a macro picture of multiple planets. d. A non-English speaking group adopts particular English words, such as coffee and Earth, into their own language.
C
Which of the following statements concerning writing is the most accurate? a. Writing has had little impact on culture. b. For most of human history, humans communicated by writing. c. The development of writing made possible different forms of social organization than those that had previously existed. d. Writing has not changed over the last fifty years.
C
______ refer(s) to abstract ideals in a given society. a. Norms b. Cultural relativism c. Values d. High culture
C
According to the textbook, a key difference between subcultures and countercultures is that a. subcultures seek to be absorbed into mainstream culture. b. countercultures are only found in industrialized societies. c. subcultures can often turn into cults due to their inability to allow freedom of expression. d. countercultures reject the values and norms of dominant society.
D
According to the textbook, marriage is a cultural universal, which means that a. norms that relate to marriage are the same across all cultures. b. due to globalization, divorces in Western societies will inevitably spread and influence the rest of the world. c. marriage always involves one man and one woman even through marriage ceremonies across cultures. d. marriage is present in all societies even though the norms related to marriage may differ.
D
After working out a design, what is the next step of the sociological research process? a defining the research problem b. making the problem precise c. reviewing the evidence d. carrying out the research
D
Hector is doing research on a tribe called the Malagasians. This group organizes itself in highly participatory ways, moves around frequently, and affords older people respect within the group. This group could be described as a. pastoral. b. agrarian. c. industrial. d. hunter-gatherer.
D
If the language of a highly individualistic society contains many words and phrases about personal success and individual achievement that someone from a more communal society has difficulty fully understanding, this is an example of a. cultural appropriation. b. Westoxification. c. culture as "toolkit." d. the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
D
Johann is from the United Kingdom. He sees that women in Afghanistan are often expected to wear head scarves, but women in the United Kingdom are not. He concludes, then, that women in Afghanistan would be freer if their culture were more like that of the United Kingdom. How might sociologists likely critique Johann's position? a. Johann has not yet made an argument for how the United Kingdom might free the women of Afghanistan. b. Johann first needs to look at class relations in the two countries because gender expression is mainly determined by class. c. Johann cannot make meaningful cross-cultural comparisons without at least four more sample countries. d. Johann would be better served as a social scientist if he avoided those kinds of value judgments.
D
Kendrick studies which human behaviors might be innate and which might be learned through social processes. His studies contribute most to which sociological debate? a. macro vs. micro b. economics vs. culture c. functionalist vs. conflict d. nature vs. nurture
D
Max studies marriage rituals in Sweden, India, China, and South Africa to note similarities and differences in the ceremonies. His research would best be described as a. survey research. b. experimental research. c. ethnography. d. comparative research.
D
Michelle claims that all human cultures are different and cannot be compared. How might sociologists critique her claim? a. They would not. All cultures are different and cannot be meaningfully compared. b. Sociologists would respond that we cannot talk about human culture because it is not separate from our natural environment. c. They would criticize it because it focuses on something as vague as human culture instead of our institutions. d. Sociologists would point out that there are cultural universals that all human cultures seem to share.
D
Sangeeta argues that African Americans often see themselves through the eyes of white society. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist? a. Karl Marx b. Émile Durkheim c. Harriet Martineau d. W. E. B. Du Bois
D
Scholars have argued that immigrant groups like the Irish and Italians were initially considered a race apart from native-born Anglo-Saxon white Americans. However, over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Irish and Italian immigrants managed to become part of dominant white culture. This historical context reveals how different cultures are absorbed into a single mainstream culture, a process also known as a. multiculturalism. b. ethnocentrism. c. nationalism. d. assimilation.
D
Societies whose subsistence derives from the rearing of domesticated animals are called ________ societies. a. agrarian b. industrialized c. hunting and gathering d. pastoral
D
Sociology was founded by thinkers who sought to understand the initial impact of transformations that accompanied a. the domestication of animals. b. the invention of writing. c. the invention of the printing press. d. industrialization in the West.
D
Tori's father loses his job during a time of economic crisis when many people are losing their jobs. Her mother is a skilled daycare worker with years of experience, but like many daycare workers, she cannot find any jobs that pay well. Sociologists would likely see the struggle of Tori's parents as a. a personal trouble. b. the fault of Tori's father for not providing for the family. c. the result of a socialist economy. d. a public issue.
D
What is a characteristic of fixed-choice questions? a. They usually provide more detailed information than open-ended questions. b. Respondents express their views in their own words. c. They are considered qualitative data. d. Answers are easier to compare than answers to open-ended questions.
D
Émile Durkheim believed that for a society to function and persist over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with each other and function as an integrated whole. He referred to this as a. social facts. b. social constraint. c. ideology. d. organic solidarity.
D
