soci 101 exam 1 & 2
What decade in US history saw the peak in union membership?
1950s
In which decade did the Information Revolution begin?
1970s
The rate of poverty among African Americans is roughly how many times higher than that of white Americans?
2 times, or double
Approximately how many Americans currently are experiencing poverty?
38 million
Approximately how many Americans receive SNAP (food stamps) benefits?
40 million
According to 2020 Census, approximately what percent of Americans identify as Asian?
6%
According to the 2020 Census, what percent of the population identifies as non-Hispanic White?
60%
Role conflict occurs when an individual has
multiple roles that are in conflict with each other.
Josie wore a pair of short shorts to school. They were against the rules. Because this was the third time that she had broken the same rule, the principal gave her a detention. The principal's action was a means of enforcing norms through _____________.
negative sanction
In which states does the combination on TANF and SNAP provide enough assistance to lift a family out of poverty?
none
Which of the following research techniques focuses on gaining an insider's perspective of the everyday lives of participants under investigation, which often dispels stereotypes about the group being investigated?
participant observation
Color blindness contributes to racial inequalities because it
perpetuates racial inequalities by making subtle forms of racism difficult to recognize and therefore difficult to address.
Many sociologists have worried that the modern economy demands both geographic and occupational mobility, which, in turn, means that bureaucratic organizations have become the norm. What sort of groups might become weaker or strained if people have to move frequently throughout their lives for work?
primary group
Some Americans are angry about how many immigrants enter the country every year. A supporter of structural functionalism would argue that this anger
promotes social cohesion among nonimmigrants as they come together and label immigrants as outsiders.
A young man is told by his friends that, when at a bar, he should drink beer, but buy women shots in the hopes of getting the women drunk and increasing his chance of having sex with them. He tells his friends that they are encouraging
rape culture
What do sociologists call the norms and values that people actually follow as opposed to the norms and values that people believe should be followed?
real culture
The sociologist Mitch Duneier wrote his ethnography Sidewalk about street vendors in NYC's Greenwich Village. While writing the book, Duneier was particularly concerned that the people he was studying would alter their behavior when he was present, especially since his background was different from their own. This caused him to think critically about his activities and role as a researcher. What do sociologists call this?
reflexivity
What sort of measure of poverty are we using when we compare the salaries of the lowest-paid members of a corporation with the salary of the CEO?
relative deprivation
A conflict theorist might argue that the true function of schools is that they
reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to that of their parents.
What are the tactics used by workers to reclaim control of the conditions of their labor called?
resistance strategies
Someone who is newly divorced after a long marriage and now wants to start dating again may find that many of the norms of dating have changed. Behaviors like splitting the check or talking about safe sex may be new for this person. This process of having to learn and adjust to the new rules of dating is an example of
resocialization
In 1998, former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman was forced to choose between staying with his sick wife and playing professional football. What sort of sociological phenomenon was he experiencing?
role conflict
Norms are enforced in everyday settings by
sanctions
Consider the major theoretical perspectives explored throughout the text. Which type of theorist might explore the idea that occupations traditionally held by men earn more money than those held by women, with the result being that men tend to be more financially successful and powerful?
conflict theorists
According to Émile Durkheim, what is the basis for the bonds created through organic solidarity in industrialized societies?
difference, interdependence, and individual rights
What is it an example of when office workers hang pictures in their cubicles or waste time daydreaming while on the clock?
individual resistance
As shown in the film Coded Bias, existing biases embedded in computer algorithms that reproduce existing inequalities is best thought of as an example of:
institutionalized racism
What is it an example of when the children of working-class parents manage to attend college and get a job in a professional field?
intergenerational mobility
In Coded Bias, Joy Buolamwinni's research on the limits of facial recognition algorithms is most consistent with which of the following sociological concepts?
intersectionality
The mother of a university student is worried about her son joining a fraternity. She worries that peer pressure and groupthink may lead her son to do things he wouldn't normally do, such as binge drinking. What perspective best describes her views?
symbolic interactionism
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?
symbolic interactionism
Many people in the United States express disgust at the idea of people snacking on grasshoppers and crickets despite the fact that people do so in places such as Thailand. This suggests that, in the United States, eating insects is a
taboo
Approximately how many Americans receive cash assistance from the US government through TANF (welfare)?
1 million
Approximately what percent of American workers are members of a labor union?
10%
Over the last 50 years, the US poverty rate has largely remained in what range?
10-15% of the population
Which of the following is an example of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?
A language have no equivalent words for planet, Earth, or world. Its speakers do not view a macro picture of multiple planets.
Which of the following situations is an example of deviance avowal?
A man decides to quit smoking but asks his friends and family to identify him as a smoker, not an ex- smoker, because he believes the addiction is lifelong.
In Hillbilly, the director seeks to challenge the dominant cultural representations of hillbillies by depicting:
African American Appalachians
A research team is curious about the relationship between exercise habits and academic performance among American college students. 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?
American college students
Which of the following is the best example of secularization?
Crosses are used for decoration and worn as fashion accessories
Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?
Curriculum may recognize and celebrate diversity, but most professors and administrators are white and heterosexual.
Which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist perspective?
Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms.
What does a sociological perspective tell us about education in the United States?
Educational success often has as much to do with social stratification as it does with individual ability.
Which group had the highest rate of poverty in the 1950s?
Elderly
________ is the research method that might involve shifting between participating in a social situation and being an observer.
Ethnography
True/False: a majority of college students attend schools with acceptance rates less than 50%
False
Homer Simpson, a character on the TV show The Simpsons, has a wife who stays home to take care of the children while he works, but he is often responsible for disciplining the children when they are particularly bad. Even if this is all that you know about the show, you know that Homer:
Homer has taken the instrumental role.
As shown in Hillbilly, what component of Appalachian culture did Silas House discuss in his radio show discussion of code switching?
Language and dialect used at home and at work
Which answer best describes how people who went to Camp Jened maintained their networks after camp?
Many former campers moved to the same cities and kept in touch
How has union membership changed in recent years?
Membership has slightly increased
How do sociologists study the way in which people, as part of groups, organize their lives and social interactions to produce a real and meaningful world?
People organize their lives in patterned ways.
What explanation does functionalism have for prejudice and discrimination today?
Prejudice and discrimination help to increase group cohesion.
The fact that immigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America tended to be shorter than native-born Americans was taken as evidence that there were inherent racial differences between these populations. However, the immigrants had children who grew up to be as tall as anyone else. Geneticists now understand that, although there can be considerable variation in height within a group due to genetics, height differences between groups are largely caused by diet. What does this demonstrate?
Racial differences are socially constructed and not genetic
In the Sermon on the Mount of the Christian New Testament, believers are told, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." Of which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you?
Religion provides morals, values, rules, and norms for participants
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?
She is a qualitative researcher.
A key challenge for one nation's campaign to improve public health in rural areas was to convince isolated villagers to boil their drinking water in order to kill parasites. The only families who adopted the practice were not well integrated into the village and had few connections to their neighbors. What does this example demonstrate?
Social ties don't just connect us to others but also influence our behavior
Which of the following statements best describes the current rate of labor strikes in the US?
Strike rates are higher recently than a decade ago but still much lower than their peak
In 2009, South African track star Caster Semenya broke the world record in the 800-meter race. Subsequently, she was asked to prove to the world that she was a woman. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) subjected her to a complex series of tests that included physical and medical examinations. The controversy over Semenya's gender raises which of the following issues?
The IAAF's response assumes an essentialist idea of gender.
A sociologist wants to study racial discrimination in hiring, and decides to either distribute a survey asking employers about their hiring methods, or conduct an experiment that involves sending fake resumes to employers to see who gets an interview. Which method would best examine racial discrimination in hiring and why?
The experimental method because the researcher can isolate the effect of race by creating otherwise identical resumes.
How has the Information Revolution changed the nature of work?
The importance of the physical space in which work is done has been greatly diminished.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, replacing a housewife with paid laborers would cost at least $100,000 per year. How could this be interpreted according to conflict theory?
The instrumental role is more valuable than the expressive role.
504 protesters depicted in the film Crip Camp best demonstrated the strength of weak times when:
The secured assistance from the Black Panthers
How does social class relate to race, ethnicity, gender, and age in the United States today?
These multiple dimensions of status and inequality intersect to shape who we are and how we live.
Why might LGBTQ rights groups emphasize that homosexuality has a genetic origin?
They believe that if sexual orientation is something we are born with, then discrimination against gays and lesbians is much less acceptable.
In 2005, teaching assistants at the University of Oregon went on strike. Which aspect of their job made it easier for them to strike than most American workers?
They have more cultural capital, and therefore can better strategize about how to make a strike succeed.
Which of the following examples highlights the autonomy experienced by knowledge workers such as those who work at Google?
They often have the freedom to take breaks when they choose.
Intrinsic religiosity can be defined as
a person's inner religious life.
What do all religions have in common?
a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane
Émile Durkheim's study on suicide found that not only did suicide rates increase when the economy slumped they also increased when the economy boomed. Which of Durkheim's concepts explains why both positive and negative economic conditions could increase suicide rates?
anomie
Attending religious services would be an example of
extrinsic religiosity.
In Los Angeles, you may see cars sporting a bumper sticker that reads, "My favorite teams are UCLA and whoever's playing USC." What is this an example of?
hostility toward an out-group
Regarding stigma, symbolic interactionists are interested in
how people manage their stigmatized identities on an everyday basis.
Which of the following groups is engaged in contingent work?
independent contractors
Socialization is the
lifelong process by which people learn the norms, values, and beliefs of their culture.
Researcher Christine Williams looked at patterns of occupational sex segregation by examining the ways large-scale social structures create the constraints within which individuals live their lives. Her work would be characterized as what kind of sociology?
macrosociology
As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama argued that racial prejudice is one of America's defining social problems. He was implicitly acknowledging that
membership in socially constructed categories of race and ethnicity can affect people's life chances
A(n) ________ is a position in a social hierarchy that comes with a set of expectations.
status
What is Mother Teresa an example of, given that she was a person with tremendous power and prestige yet she was very poor?
status inconsistency
If researchers find that the Great Recession of 2008 led to large numbers of middle-class people experiencing downward mobility to the lower-middle class, it would be an example of
structural mobility.
According to the symbolic interactionist George Herbert Mead, the generalized other is
the perspectives/expectations of a network of others that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior
Karl Marx believed that workers in a capitalist economy experience alienation because
they are paid for their labor but do not own the things they produce.
A goal of socialization is
to teach norms, values, and beliefs.
Ethnography's main goal is
to understand the meanings people attach to their activities.
An example of in-group orientation is when a
woman writes on her social media, "I am black, trans, and proud!"
How is a counterculture different from a subculture?
Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but a counterculture actively opposes important aspects of the mainstream.
There are usually serious consequences when a politician is caught cheating on his spouse. In some cases, the politician is forced to resign from office when his constituents express their unhappiness with such behavior. According to Émile Durkheim, what function does this reaction serve?
It helps to clarify moral boundaries and reinforce the idea that marital infidelity is wrong
Religion fulfills what role in society from a structural functionalist perspective?
It provides its supporters with a set of values, norms, and rules by which to live.
How did the Industrial Revolution create "work" in the modern sense?
It used machines to produce more goods, more efficiently.
Sociologists have criticized scientists searching for a "gay gene" for their narrow understanding of sexual orientation. Scientists' approach does not take into account the way biology and the social environment interact to produce sexual behaviors. Which of the following theorists makes this point?
Social historian Jeffrey Weeks, who points out that even though homosexual acts have been documented throughout history, homosexual identity as we know it today didn't exist before the 20th century
According to a conflict perspective, why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?
They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thereby minimizing competition and ensuring that there are a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
Michelle was born and raised in the United States, but her grandparents are from Korea. Her white classmate was also born and raised in the United States, but his grandparents are from Poland. He tells Michelle that she speaks English very well because he assumes, based on her race, that she is an immigrant. This is an example of
a microaggression.
Which of the following groups is MOST likely to be classified as a counterculture?
a militia group living in Montana
A twenty-eight-year-old woman is on the verge of a big promotion at work. She didn't finish college until she was twenty-five, and the entry-level job she currently has is unimpressive. She decides to attend her ten-year high school reunion only if she is promoted. What do sociologists say her high school classmates represent if they can have this much influence on her decision to attend the reunion?
a reference group
Structural functionalist theory is concerned with the ways in which structures contribute to the stability of society. What is a structure?
a social institution that is stable over time and helps meet the needs of society
Churches usually teach their members rules and often codify these rules into formal commandments to be followed. Given this, churches can be considered
agents of socialization
Which of the following was not depicted in the film Crip Camp as an agent of socialization?
churches
Every presidential candidate nominated by a major political party in the United States has been, at least publicly,
cisgender
The film Ascension showed instruction in emotional labor when depicting
classes that included smiling and hugging instructions
What kind of power is exhibited by a police officer who pulls over a suspect after a high-speed pursuit?
coercive
Which of the following sociological perspectives is concerned with the ways the educational practice known as "tracking" leads to inequality and different outcomes for different categories of students?
conflict
American criminologist Richard Quinney theorized that capitalism—and the exploitation and oppression of the working class—make deviant and even criminal behavior nearly inescapable for workers. The ruling class can make laws that target the poor. When the poor act out against repression, they become targets for law enforcement, while the rich and powerful remain free to do what they like. Quinney's theory falls under which sociological perspective?
conflict theory
Critical race theory is associated with which of the major theoretical perspectives or schools of thought in sociology?
conflict theory
A sociologist wants to examine how black men have been portrayed in television shows in the past year. Which type of study is most appropriate to examine this research topic and compare the portrayal of black men across different television shows?
content analysis
If changing one variable seems to lead to a change in another variable, this shows ________ but does not necessarily prove ________.
correlation; causation
An individual might be trying to gain ________ if they take adult education classes, attend lectures and concerts, or travel to Europe.
cultural capital
A woman attributes her teenage son's deviant behavior to him "falling in with a bad crowd." Which symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation MOST closely resemble?
differential association
The vast majority of crimes come to the attention of the police in response to citizen complaints. Citizens do not usually bother to inform the authorities if they do not think a crime is serious enough or feel that nothing can be done. This means that there might be serious bias in the
differential association theory
________ is taboo in American society.
drinking blood, incest
An elementary school student notices that exhibiting good behavior and following the instructions of the teacher can go a long way to earning him decent grades in school. This example highlights what sociological term about the education system?
hidden curriculum
A young person from Southern California has four German grandparents. She lived in Los Angeles all her life before accepting a job in Milwaukee. She has never really thought about her German heritage. In Milwaukee, she discovers many other people with similar ancestries and begins using her ethnicity as a way to develop social and professional relationships. Of what is this an example?
situational ethnicity
In 1978, cult leader Jim Jones forced more than 900 of his followers to drink poisoned Flavor Aid, which led to their deaths. In the run-up to this event, Jones had strictly enforced discipline, mocked and ridiculed anyone who expressed doubts, and even had doubters sedated. This extreme effort to enforce conformity is an example of
social influence
What are systems and structures within society that shape the activities of groups and individuals called?
social institutions
People are optimistic that the jobs lost in the U.S. recession of the late 2000s will be replaced with others. However, even if the optimists are right, the shift in the economy may permanently alter the social class status of many people. This is due to the jobs lost being largely in manufacturing and new jobs being mostly in information technology. This suggests that the newly unemployed will have trouble competing for newly created jobs. If this is the case, what is it called?
structural mobility
Marco is a fourth-generation Mexican American. Both his grandparents and parents were born in the United States. Neither he nor his parents have learned Spanish and he does not often think of his heritage. Most of his friends do not think of him as Hispanic or Latino. However, on Cinco de Mayo, Marco likes to go out and celebrate by eating Mexican food and wearing a sombrero. Marco's relationship with his ethnicity can be described as
symbolic
The most significant criticism of structural functionalism is that it
tends to argue that any social feature that exists must serve a function.
How does US levels of religiosity compare to countries of similar economic development?
the US is an outlier with high levels of religiosity
Samira does not have a computer in her house, so she uses computers in the library to complete school assignments. However, she often has less time than her peers to do research and type her assignments because the computers are sometimes occupied and the library closes early. What term describes Samira's situation?
the digital divide
What is religiosity?
the extent of a person's consistent and regular practice of their religious beliefs
Simon Langlois studied government employment in Quebec, Canada. He found that more than 40% of the people he surveyed found their jobs through personal contacts, even though the government had made efforts to formalize recruitment. The personal contacts were fairly casual acquaintances in the majority of cases, not close friends. What principle is demonstrated here?
the strength of weak ties
Among a group of military veterans who meet up regularly, the characteristic of others that they most often speak about is loyalty, which they see as the most desirable quality one can have. For this group, loyalty is a _____.
value
Many workers at auto plants in Michigan lost their jobs when plants closed. What has this resulted in for the vast majority of these workers?
vertical social mobility
According to 2020 Census, approximately what percrent of Americans identify as Hispanic or Latino?
18%
Approximately what percent of the 1940 US adult population had graduated from high school?
25%
What percent of the US population age 25 and older had a college degree in 2019?
36%
According to conflict theory, women's contributions to family life are devalued because
as a social group, men benefit from maintaining their dominant status.
A student at a university explains that he doesn't want to join a fraternity because he believes they create negative in- group and out-group dynamics. What perspective best describes his views?
conflict theory
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible, like this one, to justify gender roles. Conflict theorists might argue that this is a ________ of religion because it ________.
dysfunction; promotes sexism
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. After examining their data more closely, the researchers discovered that parental bonding was really a predictor for teen religiosity. Consequently, high levels of religiosity, rather than parental bonding, actually prevent drug use. This means that religiosity was a(n)
intervening variable
On any given day, you probably depend on many strangers to provide electricity, water, natural gas, weather forecasts, and other services. According to Émile Durkheim, this interdependence gives rise to
organic solidarity
A married man in the United States with several mistresses is violating a ________, but he is violating a ________ if he is married to more than one woman at the same time.
set of mores; law
According to Émile Durkheim, what was the basis for the bonds created through mechanical solidarity in traditional societies?
shared traditions and similar experiences
Parents often buy their children gender-specific toys. Boys are given action figures that encourage active and aggressive play, while girls are given dolls and toy ovens that reinforce traditional gender roles. This is part of what process?
socialization
Maxine comes from a working-class background. Her father worked in construction his whole life and her mother was a stay-at-home mom who dropped out of high school but later got her GED. Maxine becomes interested in computer programming at a young age and spends many hours in the school library teaching herself. Maxine attends the state university on a scholarship. While there, she develops a valuable algorithm for identifying neurological diseases that makes her a multi-millionaire. She drops out of college to continue her work. Which term related to social class best describes this scenario?
status inconsistency
Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance occurs. What is the cause of the strain suggested by the name of the theory?
strain between socially approved goals and the means of achieving them
Manny believes that religion gives meaning to his life. He believes that religion helps him understand the most fundamental questions about life and existence. Manny understands religion through which sociological lens?
structural functionalism
"Gender is socially constructed and maintained in our everyday lives. Gender is something we 'do' on a daily basis." This statement most likely comes from which perspective?
symbolic interactionism
The mother of a university student encourages her son to join a fraternity. She hopes that peer pressure and groupthink may lead her son to do things he hasn't tried before, such as volunteering and attending formal events. What perspective best describes her views?
symbolic interactionism
A sociologist observes that kindergartners are not just being taught about arts and crafts. They are also being taught how to be students, including skills such as following rules, remaining in their seats, and other things that will be necessary for the rest of their education. What are these skills called?
the hidden curriculum
An example of outsourcing shown in the film Ascension was:
the production of Keep America Great merchandise
