Sociology Exam 2 (Practice Exams)

Who among the following managers is most likely an authoritarian leader?

Steve, who makes all major group decisions without asking for inputs from his team members and demands their compliance

Which of the following is not an example of a rite of passage?

a weekly religious service

A number of people who may never have met one another but share a similar characteristic, such as education level, age, race, or gender, is called a(n) __________.

category

Total institutions, such as boot camps, prisons, and some mental hospitals, are examples of...

coercive organizations

The leader of a work group has proposed a solution to a problem. Some group members believe that the solution will lead to negative results. However, instead of discussing their concerns, they decide not to challenge the leader's authority. The result is an unwise decision. This scenario exemplifies __________.

groupthink

Who among the following is a member of a utilitarian organization?

Angela, who works as a lawyer at a prestigious law firm and earns $60,000 annually

Who among the following pioneered sociobiology, arguing that genetic inheritance underlies many forms of social behavior, including war and peace, envy of and concern for others, and competition and cooperation?

Edward Wilson

The sociological term for any physical or social attribute or sign that devalues a person's social identity and disqualifies that person from full social acceptance is __________.

stigma

Which theorists emphasize that during infancy and early childhood, family support and guidance are crucial to a child's developing self-concept?

symbolic interactionists

Dyads are different from triads because:

the active participation of both members is crucial to the survival of dyads.

According to the symbolic interactionist perspective on socialization, four components make up our self-concept. Which of the following components is illustrated by the statement "I am good at soccer"?

the active self

In the context of George Herbert Mead's stages of self-development, children become concerned about the demands and expectations of others and of the larger society in __________.

the game stage

Which of the following concepts is based on the central idea that those who control bureaucracies not only wield power but also have an interest in retaining their power?

the iron law of oligarchy

Which of the following perspectives on socialization asserts that we cannot form a sense of self without intense social contact with others?

the symbolic interactionist perspective

Which of the following statements is true of laissez-faire leaders?

they are minimally involved in decision making and encourage group members to make their own decisions

Which of the following refers to a place where people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and come under the control of the officials who run the institution?

total institution

T / F Denver is a lawyer, a son, a husband, a part-time writer, and a citizen of the United States. All these positions make up his status set.

true

T / F Fiona is a 6-year old girl who attends school. Her network will consist of her friends and her family, her teachers, her peers, everyone she knows of, and everyone who knows of her.

true

T / F Milgram's study provides evidence that obedience to authority may be more common than most of us would like to believe.

true

T / F Most human behavior is influenced by social interaction.

true

T / F People voluntarily become members of utilitarian organizations.

true

T / F Piaget suggested that some children move through the stages of cognitive development more quickly than others.

true

T / F The media function as socializing agents because they provide an array of viewpoints on current issues and entertain individuals by providing them with the opportunity to live vicariously.

true

T / F Wanda is a student who works as a part-time waitress at a local restaurant. She is embarrassed about having to wait tables, so she tries to make it clear to the customers that she is not interested in the job and is working at the restaurant merely to make some money until she graduates. In this case, Wanda is engaging in role distancing.

true

T/ F An individuals perception about the meaning of a situation depends on his or her unique personal experiences. For example, unlike men, women often do not perceive street encounters to be routine rituals because of fear for their personal safety

true

T/F According to German political sociologist Robert Michels, all organizations encounter the iron law of oligarchy.

true

T/F According to ethnomethodologists, interaction is based on assumptions of shared expectancies.

true

T/F As the number of one-parent families and families in which both parents work outside the home has increased dramatically, the number of children in daycare and preschool programs has also grown rapidly. This, combined with the increasing amount of time that students spend in educational settings, means that the importance of schools as agents of socialization has increased.

true

T/F It is possible for a secondary group or an aggregate to become a primary group.

true

T/F Roles are relational and are defined in the context of roles performed by others. For example, for an individual to perform the role of a mother, she must have one or more children.

true

T/F The symbolic interactionist perspectives of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead help us understand that we cannot form a sense of self or personal identity without social contact with others.

true

Students walking to class, shoppers in a department store, and people lined up to buy tickets are examples of __________.

aggregates

A young woman decides that she wants to become a professional basketball player. She joins her school's basketball team, reads articles about the world's best basketball players, and attends basketball camps. This scenario best illustrates __________.

anticipatory socialization

Which of the following is an ideal characteristic of bureaucracies as identified by Weber?

bureaucracies are impersonal in that they require everyone to follow the same rules and to be treated the same

Which of the following terms refers to the ways in which an individual shows an awareness that another is present without making this person the object of particular attention?

civil inattention

In 2008, Langhout and Mitchell investigated the "hidden curriculum" in a low-income elementary school and concluded that African American and Latino boys were disproportionately punished for violating rules when compared to their white and female counterparts. This example aligns with the views of....

conflict

Recent research indicates that women athletes have their own ways of dealing with the "female/athlete paradox." This paradox is an example of role....

conflict

Which theorists maintain that in capitalistic societies, where a few people control the labor of many, the social structure reflects a system of relationships of domination among categories of people?

conflict theorists

Brenda is a housekeeper who is supposed to stand in the presence of her employers as a sign of respect. Given this information, it can be said that Brenda is required to show __________.

deference

Both Emile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tӧnnies __________.

developed typologies to explain changes in the social structure of societies

According to Erving Goffman, social interaction can be compared to a theatrical presentation in that an individual is an actor, observers are audiences, and interactions are guided by social scripts. The study of social interaction in this context is referred to as __________.

dramaturgical analysis

Part of the movement to humanize bureaucracy includes:

efforts to reduce the number of people in dead-end jobs

T / F Biological inheritance is more important than social interaction in establishing an individual's characteristics.

false

T / F In the context of leadership functions from a functionalist perspective, expressive leadership is task oriented, whereas instrumental leadership provides emotional support for members.

false

T / F Pastoral societies are based on technology that supports the cultivation of plants to provide food.

false

T / F Social structure is essential for society, but it is not an essential part of any particular individual's life.

false

T / F Statuses depend on the specific people occupying them, and the expectations attached to these positions vary over time.

false

T / F The most frequent form of child maltreatment is sexual abuse.

false

T / F The relative size of a group is the number of members the group actually has, and the absolute size is the number of potential members.

false

T/ F A person's gender is the most significant predictor of whether that person will participate in mainstream normative organizations.

false

T/F Social networks function equally well for members of all social classes.

false

T/F The most important aspects of racial identity and attitudes toward other racial-ethnic groups must be taught directly and intentionally; these beliefs cannot be transmitted in subtle or unconscious ways.

false

Sean and Amy are the parents of two young children, a boy and a girl. They adopt different parenting approaches for their son and daughter. They engage in rough play with their son, whereas they only engage in nonphysical activities with their daughter. They also give their son more freedom. This scenario exemplifies the concept of __________.

gender socialization

In the "nature-versus-nurture" debate regarding socialization, the "nature" component refers to:

heredity

In his study of bureaucracies, Weber relied on an abstract model that describes the recurring characteristics of some phenomenon (such as bureaucracy). This model is called a(n) __________.

ideal type

People engage in civil inattention in an elevator, regardless of where the elevator is located. This illustrates that meanings shared across situations serve to regulate the form and process of interaction, but not the content. Which of the following terms refers to this pattern?

interaction order

Alex was imprisoned for four years for arson. On the day he was taken into custody, he had to go through a degradation ceremony in which he was asked to strip, was searched by the prison guards, and was asked to wear the inmate uniform. Over time, the prison guards encouraged him to conform to institutional norms through a system of rewards and punishment. By the time Alex's prison sentence was over, he was rehabilitated. This scenario exemplifies __________.

involuntary resocialization

Which of the following is a criticism of Weber's ideal-type analysis of bureaucracies?

it largely failed to take into account the informal side of bureaucracy

Which of the following is composed of large-scale organizations that use print or electronic means (such as radio, television, film, and the Internet) to communicate with large numbers of people, to inform people about events, and to provide an array of viewpoints on current issues?

mass media

Which of the following terms refers to the social cohesion of preindustrial societies, in which there is minimal division of labor and people feel united by shared values and common social bonds?

mechanical solidarity

Which of the following terms refers to the social cohesion found in industrial societies in which people perform very specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual dependence?

organic solidarity

Sean is a member of The Artists, a theatre club in his college. Despite performing well, his club has lost many theatre competitions to Rendezvous, a rival theatre club. As a result, Sean feels hostile toward the members of the Rendezvous. In this context, Rendezvous is an example of a(n)....

outgroup

Which of the following terms refers to a society in which technology supports a service- and information-based economy?

postindustrial society

Who among the following is most likely to believe that groups and organizations are generally characterized by superficiality and depthlessness in social relationships because employee interactions with customers are largely scripted and customer behavior and responses are often tried-and-tested ways of dealing with employees?

postmodernist

George and Finn have been friends for the past 12 years. They met in college and now live in the same neighborhood. Both regularly share their problems with and seek advice from each other. Both have toddlers and often share their experiences of fatherhood as well. In this scenario, George and Finn form a(n) __________.

primary group

Which of the following includes our family, close friends, and school- or work-related peer groups?

primary groups

Henry, the father of a 15-year-old boy, recently noticed that his choice of music is being influenced by that of his son. Henry and his son often have long discussions about pop culture and his son's preferences in music. As a result, Henry has started listening to rock music, which his son introduced to him. This is an example of __________.

reciprocal socialization

Katy is a member of the literature club in her college, but she neither accepts nor follows the values and norms of the club. She, however, follows the norms and values portrayed by the members of her college sorority because she is a member. In this scenario, Katy's college sorority is most likely an example of a(n) __________.

reference group

Which of the following terms refers to a set of behavioral expectations associated with a given status?

role

Which of the following occurs when the expectations associated with a role are unclear?

role ambiguity

Sociologist Charles H. Cooley referred to a large, specialized group in which members engage in impersonal, goal-oriented relationships for a limited period of time as a(n) __________.

secondary group

According to Durkheim, social solidarity in industrialized societies is sustained by:

shared dependence established through division of labor

The family, religion, education, the economy, the government (politics), mass media, sports, science and medicine, and the military are examples of __________.

social institutions

Which of the following terms refers to the state of being part insider and part outsider in the social structure, such as that of immigrants who simultaneously share the life and traditions of two distinct groups?

social marginality

Which of the following refers to a group's ability to maintain itself in the face of obstacles?

social solidarity

The systematic study of how biology affects social behavior and asserts that nature, in the form of our genetic makeup, is a major factor in shaping human behavior is known as __________.

sociobiology

Who among the following is most likely explaining the role of schools in the socialization of children from a conflict perspective?

Susan, who states that school experiences of students differ on the basis of their social class, their racial-ethnic background, and their gender

Which of the following terms refers to a social position a person assumes voluntarily as a result of personal choice, merit, or direct effort?

achieved status

The significant difference between childhood socialization and adult socialization is that __________.

adult socialization involves greater freedom of choice than does childhood socialization

Samantha, a teenager, has a 69-year-old grandmother who lives with her. Despite the fact that Samantha's grandmother is very active and flexible in her thoughts and ideas, Samantha always assumes that she is slow and rigid. As a result, Samantha refuses to go for walks with her and does not share any personal information with her because she assumes that her grandmother will not be able to understand her. This scenario exemplifies the concept of __________.

ageism