Sociology Exam 2 Quiz Practice

Members of which of the following think of themselves as belonging together and interact with one another?

a group

People today are more likely to identify themselves through personal characteristics than through group membership or affiliation. Why is this cause for concern to some sociologists?

People who identify themselves through personal characteristics might care less about the common good.

Which type of group is characterized by long-term, intimate, and face-to-face relationships?

Primary

University leaders ignore rumors and complaints about the football coach sexually abusing students in order to uphold the reputation of the university's award-winning football program. This action to preserve public image over protecting the safety of students is a result of

Groupthink

A producer for a cable news show is feeling insecure. She complains to her boss that she isn't very smart and that she only does well because she's scared of being yelled at. Her boss tells her to stop whining and not worry about it. He says, "I'm a results guy. I don't care why it works as long as it works!" What leadership style do you think her boss has?

Instrumental

What is the danger of too much group cohesion?

It can lead to groupthink, in which dissenting opinions are strongly discouraged.

Many sociologists have worried that the modern economy demands both geographic and occupational mobility, which in turn means 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 Groups

Mark Granovetter has argued that the people you know best are likely to possess only information you already have. This is why he believed that when looking for employment, it is advantageous to have

Casual acquaintances who are connected to different social networks.

What type of group provides most of our emotional satisfaction?

Primary

Which of the following is an example of McDonaldization as George Ritzer used the term?

A worker says, "Sometimes I felt just like a robot. I push a button and I go this way. It was like I was a mechanical nut."

What kind of leadership style is typically expected of women in contemporary society?

Expressive

Google has implemented employment policies like increasing the use of women interviewers for female job applicants and expanding maternity leave from three months to five in order to hire and retain more female employees. Which characteristic of bureaucracy is Google attempting to address with these changes?

Impersonality

Which type of conformity has occurred when someone joins an animal rights group and then adopts a vegan diet?

Internalization

What do sociologists call it w hen members of groups are influenced by other members?

Peer Pressure

In all probability, the sociology professor who is giving this test would be totally unable to grade a test given in the chemistry department. What aspect of bureaucracy does this illustrate?

Specialization

Members of a fraternity believe that they help create social cohesion by bringing together students with shared values. What perspective best describes their views?

Structural Functionalism

Which of the following statements would be most convincing to a sociologist if you were trying to explain the shift from A-mode and B-mode responses to C-mode responses on the Twenty Statements Test?

The accelerated pace of social change makes it increasingly difficult to think about the self in terms of group membership.

Émile Durkheim worried that individuals would feel less and less connected to groups in an increasingly fragmented modern world, which would lead to

anomie or normlessness.

0 out of 4 points The Solomon Asch experiment, in which groups of participants were asked to compare the lengths of lines, demonstrated that

groups have great power to induce conformity.

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

In 1978, cult-leader Jim Jones forced more than 900 of his followers to drink poisoned Flavor Aid, leading 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

peer pressure

When people attend high school class reunions, they often compare their own personal and professional successes and failures with those of their former classmates. This means that classmates are a(n) ________ grou

reference

Which of the following is a characteristic of primary groups?

they involve a strong sense of belonging

Members of a table tennis club in upstate New York seem to have come together as much for connections with others as for the love of the game. This club can be viewed as a counterpoint to the message of Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone because it is an example of

a type of civic engagement that brings people together.

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