Sociology Final Exam

The percentage of women senior executives in Fortune 500 companies as of 2008 is approximately _____.

16%

In ______, the marriage rate reached an unprecedented and to-date unsurpassed peak.

1946

In the 2008 presidential campaign, the total amount spent by presidential candidates, candidates for Congress, political parties and independent interest groups trying to influence the federal election was approximately _____.

5 billion

Estimates are that the percentage of high school graduates prepared for college is about

5 percent.

What does rule by a power elite mean?

A few important groups have power.

Political pluralism means which of the following?

A variety of groups have power.

Why do we have different expectations about people at different ages?

Age norms vary widely.

The state of __________ has the smallest percentage of persons over age 65, while __________ has the highest percentage.

Alaska; Florida

According to the functionalist perspective, the functions of the family include _____.

All of the above

American denominations are distinguished on the basis of _____.

All of the above

Children in one-parent families that are not suffering from poverty usually _____.

All of the above

Choice of marriage partner is regulated in the United States by norms of _____.

All of the above

Other social functions of religion include which of the following?

All of the above

Single children tend to be _____.

All of the above

The family is _____.

All of the above

The word "career" describes any job _____.

All of the above

What argument do Piven and Cloward give concerning voter apathy?

All of the above

Conflict theorists hold that schools teach

American patriotic beliefs.

Divorce occurs most frequently _____.

Among the lower class

The University of Virginia was founded in 1810 by Thomas Jefferson to train

An aristocracy of leaders.

The profane was defined by Durkheim as _____.

Anything that is part of the everyday world, such as food and clothing

The secularization of American society is most apparent in that fewer people _____.

Are concerned with religious organizations

Prophets differ from priests in that the former _____.

Are frequently critical of society and social institutions

Conflict theorists believe that religion serves _____.

As a tool of the ruling class

Animism is a type of religion involving the _____.

Belief that spirits inhabit rocks, trees, and animals

Dual-career marriages refer to those marriages in which of the following is true?

Both husband and wife are committed to careers.

A cult differs from a sect in that a cult _____.

Calls for a totally new lifestyle

A matrilineal system is one in which ______.

Children are considered descendants of the mother

The religion with the most adherents worldwide is _____.

Christianity

The "electronic" church refers to _____.

Church attendance through television

Religious systems are _____.

Closely linked to the family, the economy, politics, and education

According to conflict theory, which of the following applies?

Conflicts within the family are struggles for power and control.

Why is secularization is self-limiting?

Cults flourish where conventional churches are weak.

The teaching of Darwinism in the public schools has been criticized by some religious groups for which of the following reasons?

Darwinism goes against literalist religious beliefs in divine creation.

Ecumenism means _____.

Denominations are uniting to work for common interests

The structure of families is _____.

Different in different cultures

New religious movements in the United States reflect the social need for _____.

Diversity, reflecting a complex society

Conflict theorists believe which of the following?

Elites use the law to shape the values of society.

White ethnic groups are distinguished from the majority of Americans on the basis of their _____.

European background

A child is born and raised in his or her family of procreation.

False

A natural accompaniment of old age is poor health.

False

According to conflict theorists, the intended function of education is to provide upward mobility for the less privileged.

False

African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans are the three largest minority groups in the United States.

False

Age is a status achieved by living a long time.

False

All elderly receive Social Security payments, which provide for their basic needs.

False

All religions have sacred objects and beliefs, even when they have no organization.

False

Because comparable worth is fair, it will be enacted soon.

False

Childbearing is a natural drive that in recent years has become more and more inhibited by social demands.

False

Conflict theorists believe that the elderly should be entitled to more power than young groups.

False

Conflict theorists hold that the gender roles assigned by a society are functional for both men and women.

False

Conflict theorists maintain that people form a society in order to develop values.

False

Controlling a society through force is the most efficient use of power.

False

Durkheim defined religion as the one practice of individuals that was not related to social life.

False

Education plays an important role in the lives of children, but not in the lives of adults.

False

In active euthanasia, actions are deliberately taken to end a person's life.

False

Living together, or cohabitation, has replaced marriage as a long-term way of having a permanent relationship.

False

Medicare covers all medical costs of the elderly.

False

Men in all societies are more assertive than women.

False

Mexican Americans are noted for problems relating to the breakdown of the family.

False

Mills argued that power elites try to dominate each other in order to rule the country.

False

Minorities such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans, suffer from low incomes, but nevertheless receive as much education as mainstream white Americans.

False

PACs are agreements between groups to support the same issues.

False

Pentecostal religion is a well-established middle-class denomination.

False

Prejudice is an overt act barring people from social institutions.

False

Race is a meaningful biological concept for physical anthropologists.

False

Representation on college boards of trustees reflects the fact that colleges are interested only in education.

False

Representation on the school board reflect the American belief that all citizens are equal.

False

Retirement is functional for society, and every society has a system for retiring the elderly from the work force.

False

Sacred things have a sacred quality recognized in all societies.

False

Saying of a group that "They breed like rabbits" is an example of discrimination.

False

School performance is not linked to socioeconomic background in Catholic schools, as it is in public schools.

False

Schools typically teach all of the skills needed for jobs in the United States.

False

The Chinese have a history of being assimilated into American culture very rapidly.

False

The United States, unlike some other countries, does not teach patriotism in the schools.

False

The gap between the earnings of men and women has steadily narrowed for the past fifty years.

False

The nuclear family consists of only the husband and wife.

False

The poor, aged, and handicapped are some examples of ethnic minority groups.

False

The reason American public schools are failing is because less money is being spent on education.

False

The women's movement has successfully made treatment fair for the victims of rape.

False

When churches flourish, cults flourish.

False

While monogamy is the ideal in all societies, some societies vary family structure.

False

Women hold high-status occupations proportionate to their numbers in the work force about on a par with men.

False

The developmental perspective on the family suggests which of the following?

Families develop in stages.

_____ is the field that encompasses the study of aging.

Gerontology

Exchange theory assumes that marriage is based on _____.

Getting the best spouse for what one has to offer

The function of social placement means that families _____.

Give children status in society

When does religion develop?

Groups develop feelings of awe.

A one-parent family is usually _____.

Headed by a woman

_____ is the largest identified ethnic group in the United States.

Hispanic

Shamanism is a type of religion in which belief centers on the _____.

Idea that certain people are able to communicate with spirits

Symbolic interactionists hold that marital adjustment _____.

Is an ongoing process, not an end result

The belief in supernatural powers _____.

Is held by many who are not church members

A patrilocal family system is one in which _____.

Married sons live in their father's home

A persistent theme in American religion is _____.

Millennialism

Which religious group tends to have the largest families?

Mormons

At the beginning of the twentieth century, women were doing which of the following?

Most women married.

From physicians to assembly-line workers, anyone training for an occupation learns

Much more than is necessary to do their job.

_____ is the belief that spiritual or divine truths come from intuition and meditation.

Mysticism

Which minority group has the lowest life expectancy, lowest school enrollment rates, and highest rate of alcoholism?

Native American

Which of the following is not true?

New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio have relatively few elderly people.

Why is age sixty-five is considered elderly in America?

Our society has arbitrarily chosen that age.

What do symbolic interactionists point out concerning marriage?

People bring certain expectations to a marriage.

The most common form of polygamy is _____.

Polygyny

Cashion's review of research on female-headed families concluded that the major problems stem from _____.

Poverty and stigmatization

According to Durkheim, the primary function of religion is to _____.

Preserve and solidify society

All the following statements are true, except which one?

Rape is best prevented by avoiding strangers

"A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things" defines _____.

Religion

Sects are intent on _____.

Returning to the old ways

The sacred was defined by Durkheim as anything _____.

Set apart and treated with reverence and awe

The most common source of income for the elderly is _____.

Social Security

The chief means of sexual regulation is by _____.

Socialization

An ecclesia is a _____.

State religion

What is Weber's argument in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism?

The Protestant emphasis on work helped develop the capitalist economic system.

Symbolic interactionists try to understand the family in terms of _____.

The expectations each member has of other family members

What characterizes a totalitarian state?

The government has total control.

Modernization theorists hold true which of the following?

The lack of skills among elderly workers causes their unemployment.

The belief that one marriage in two ends in divorce reflects the fact which fact?

The number of divorces in any given year is about half the number of marriages in that year.

The "graying of America" refers to which of the following facts?

The proportion of the population over sixty-five is growing.

Structural functionalists theorize which of the following?

The roles of husbands and wives are becoming similar.

Structural functionalists believe which of the following?

The values of a society shape its political system.

In dual-career families, household chores are usually assigned to _____.

The wife

The ABC "A Better Chance" program was developed

To place poor minority students in prep schools.

All religions are organized in social groups.

True

All societies have norms of both exogamy and endogamy.

True

Alzheimer's disease has no cure and is fatal.

True

American students do worse than students in other industrialized nations in reading, writing, and mathematics.

True

Another function of religion is to reinforce social control.

True

Conflict theorists believe men need to control women so that they can be sure of the paternity of children.

True

Conflict theorists contend that the elite use the educational system to justify inequality.

True

Disengagement theory argues that the elderly want to be less involved in the activities of society.

True

Ethnicity is based on national origin, religion, and language.

True

Gender roles in a society are related to its structure.

True

Germany, Rwanda, Sudan, and the United States have all, at one time or another, encouraged genocide.

True

Hospices emphasize involvement with family members and prefer that patients have lots of visitors.

True

In the United States, the norm of residence is neolocal.

True

Jobs in the secondary labor force are being moved to developing world countries where women work for low wages.

True

Latent force is more effective than physical force in achieving compliance.

True

Legitimate power is power that is accepted by the people in a society as being beneficial.

True

Lobbies are groups who try to influence the political process.

True

Many elderly people have very adequate incomes, and they live comfortable and pleasant lives in retirement.

True

Modernization theory states that the more modern a society, the lower the status of the elderly.

True

Most old men are married; most old women are not.

True

Native Americans descend from a variety of groups who formed egalitarian bands.

True

One function of religion is to preserve and solidify the society.

True

One of the ways big business gains power is by organizing lobbies.

True

Parochial school students perform better than public high students.

True

People will be more or less happy depending on whether their spouses meet their expectations about what spouses should do and how they should behave.

True

Political pluralism, which holds that a number of groups participate in the political system, describes the perspective on U.S. government.

True

Power is the ability to make others follow the rules or dictates set down by those in control.

True

Prejudice is in part sustained through stereotypes.

True

Religion can persuade people to accept inequities and social injustice.

True

Religion develops out of group experiences.

True

Religion helps to reconcile the underprivileged to the hardships in their lives.

True

Sects have been an important form of religious movement in the United States.

True

Slavery had considerable impact on the culture of African Americans.

True

Stress among women who are housewives occurs more from lack of respect than from the nature of their work.

True

Structural functionalists hold that the majority of people in a society have the same values.

True

Structural functionalists maintain that the gender roles assigned by a society are functional to the society.

True

Students who do not compete with other students but instead pursue the activities they enjoy may fail in the regular program of study, become separated from their peer group, and be labeled slow, hyperactive, disabled, or otherwise deviant.

True

Swedish women receive one year of paid leave when they have a baby.

True

The Chinese were the first Asians to enter this country in large numbers.

True

The Puritans believed that children were possessed by the devil.

True

The elderly are more likely to live in cities and less likely to live in the suburbs than are other age groups.

True

The family suffers conflict when there is an unequal distribution of scarce resources between husband and wife.

True

The functions of the family include socialization, reproduction, and sexual regulation.

True

The intended function of education, according to structural functional theory, is to supplement the socialization of children that occurs in the family.

True

The smallest type of family is called the conjugal family.

True

Today most of the world is organized into nation-states.

True

When people choose mates, they try to get the best spouse in exchange for what they have to offer.

True

People in the United States have great faith that education will provide

Upward mobility.

Religion in the United States is ______.

Very diversified

The theory of complementary needs suggests that people marry those _____.

Who will satisfy their needs

What is found in families according high status to housewives?

Women's level of stress is reduced, especially in Mexico.

Totemism is a type of religion involving the _____.

Worship of animals, plants, or other natural objects

Violence between the sexes is likely to continue as long as there is _____.

a lack of mutual respect between sexes

Conflict theorists argue that the elderly are _____.

a minority group in a youth-oriented society

Racism is _____.

a set of beliefs, and actions based on those beliefs, about a racial group

The first I.Q. test was designed in 1916 to assess the

ability of children to do well in upper-middle-class jobs.

Catholic high schools, compared to public high schools

achieve higher performance from their students.

The diplomas, degrees, or other credentials offered by educational institutions, according to conflict theorists, indicate that students have

acquired appropriate norms for holding particular jobs.

What is discrimination?

action intended to exclude another group

Stereotypes about older people can lead to prejudice and discrimination. This is referred to as _____.

ageism

Children learn to respect our political system when they learn that political leaders _____.

all of the above

Trends in the labor market show _____.

all of the above

Schools are run by

all of the above in a complex system.

According to structural functional theory, education

all of the above.

Local school boards primarily consist of

all of the above.

There is concern about the performance of American public schools because

all of the above.

What is age?

an ascribed status

Conflict theorists believe that women _____.

are easily trapped in the split labor market

Private preparatory schools

are interested in intellectual and moral development.

The most effective type of power for controlling a person is _____.

authority

Referenda are _____.

ballot questions

Social exchange theory argues that the elderly _____.

bargain for rewards by being compliant

Conflict theorists believe that academic competition is unfair because the understanding of subject material is

based on the norms and values of the middle class.

The group having the longest life expectancy is _____.

black females

What, generally, occurs in hunting and gathering societies?

both men and women learn to be assertive and independent

Assimilation and pluralism _____.

can occur together

Institutional discrimination is _____.

caused by criteria established by institutions

Once a leader has won the confidence, support, and trust of a group of people, what type of power does he or she have?

charismatic authority

The split labor market causes fears about which of the following?

cheap labor replacing workers in well-paying jobs

Melting pot assimilation occurs in the United States when groups _____.

combine cultural practices

The most prestigious private colleges

consider a variety of criteria favoring prep school students.

In melting pot assimilation each group _____.

contributes a bit of its own culture in a new synthesis

Ethnic groups are identified by _____.

cultural characteristics, with a consciousness of kind

Jewish Americans are distinguished from the majority of Americans on the basis of their _____.

cultural traditions

Structural functionalists believe that women will eventually _____.

develop roles similar to those of their husbands

Disengagement theory states that the elderly _____.

do not wish to be employed or otherwise involved

If a society is ethnically stratified, all except which of the following elements are present?

equal opportunity

Supporters of wages based on comparable worth demand _____.

equal pay for work requiring similar levels of skills, even if not identical

In the United States the women's movement focused on _____.

equal rights for women

Retirement is a problem for those who _____.

face mandatory retirement

What does the cross-cultural studies of gender differences show that?

gender roles vary enormously

Heterosexual cohabitation is _____.

generally a short-term event

The study of the medical care of the aging population is known as _____.

geriatrics

Minority groups are groups that _____.

have less power and fewer privileges than the majority group

A ________ is a therapeutic environment designed for the terminally ill.

hospice

Women's economic role in society is _____.

important in all societies and always has been

Most PAC money goes to _____.

incumbents

The major goal of lobbies is to _____.

influence legislation

According to some research, the elderly gain most satisfaction from _____.

interaction with family and friends

The practice of systematically destroying a whole race _____.

is called genocide

Critics of I.Q. tests argue that they measure

knowledge of upper-middle-class American culture.

What is part of the reason women remain in low-paying jobs?

lack experience in autonomy and authority

Attitudes toward death and dying are _____.

learned through the socialization process

The president of the United States has by definition _____.

legal authority

Compulsory public education was chiefly supported by

local leaders.

People who retire early are likely to be _____.

married and have high social status

What happens in societies as they become more complex?

men and women become more differentiated

What has one argument of conflict theorists?

men have long considered women valuable property

The elderly most often live in _____.

metropolitan areas

When it was founded, Harvard College specialized in the teaching of

morals and ethics.

Structural functionalists believe women in the work force will _____.

move into higher positions in the bureaucracy

Increased educational requirements create a hardship for working-class students because they

must invest in additional years of education without ultimately improving their earning power.

Prejudice is a(n) _____.

negative attitude about another group

The dependency ratio for the entire population compares the number of _____.

non-working elderly and young to the number of working people

Mass expulsion of a race _____.

none of the above

Compared with middle-class children, poor children are politically _____.

not as well socialized because they do not witness much equality or opportunity

In the United States, political socialization _____.

occurs in all areas of life

Medical care for women _____.

often interferes with the normal reproductive process

Voter turnout in the United States is _____.

one of the lowest in the world

Asian-Americans are distinguished from the majority of Americans on the basis of _____.

physical characteristics

Groups of citizens formed with the express intent of gaining control of the political body of the state are known as _____.

political parties

Conflict theory states that _____.

political power is used to support economic interests

People who retire late are likely to be _____.

poor women without husbands

Someone having an authoritarian personality _____.

prefers orderliness and stability

Robert Atchley (1982) believes the retirement process involves all the following periods except _____.

preliminary retirement

Medieval women _____.

produced goods in the home for income

When manufacturing began on a large scale and workers protested low pay and poor working conditions, laws were passed to _____.

protect the manufacturers

As nation-states emerged in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they passed laws to _____.

protect their shipping interests

Cultural pluralism occurs when a variety of _____.

racial and ethnic groups maintain their distinctive cultural patterns

PACs can legally _____.

raise money for political candidates

Teaching of rules in the educational system emphasizes that

rules must be obeyed

Affirmative action originally meant to _____.

seek out minorities and provide equal opportunity

When wives work and husbands are unemployed, which of the following occurs?

she does most of the housework

According to conflict theorists, the powerful get others to obey the law by _____.

socialization through the mass media

Racial groups are _____.

socially defined, based on selected physical characteristics

In Europe the women's movement focused on _____.

special privileges for women

To what does exploitation refer?

stigmatizing another group as inferior to justify their subordination

Mexican-Americans are distinguished from the majority of Americans on the basis of _____.

strong family ties and size

Structural functional theory states that societies develop laws that will _____.

support the values of the society

Conflict theorists point out that the hidden curriculum

teaches behavior appropriate for one's class position.

Gender is differentiated from sex in that gender pertains to _____.

the cultural concepts of masculinity and femininity

Conflict theorists argue that the educational system is used by which of the following to maintain their position?

the elite

When does institutional racism occur?

the folkways, mores, and laws of a society are racist

The system of compulsory public education grew quickly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to accommodate

the influx of immigrants.

Women's negative self-perceptions are often based on _____.

the low status given to housewives

An old-age dependency ratio compares which of the following?

the number of working-aged people to the number of non-working elderly

Interracial contact leads to reduced prejudice when _____.

the parties are of equal status

Americans tend to vote for _____.

the same party year after year

European history provides many examples of how elites have used the law to support _____.

their own economic interests

Prior to the founding of Johns Hopkins University, professions such as medicine, law, and dentistry were usually learned

through apprenticeship.

One criticism of the public schools is that they put

too much effort on values and not enough on math.

The authority of the eldest male in the village is most likely to be _____.

traditional

Which of the following is one major reason women earn less than men?

wages in the secondary labor force, in which most working women are employed, are so low

Political systems grow more powerful as societies become _____.

wealthier and more complex

What group has the highest level of life-expectancy of all races and genders in the United States?

white females

In the Middle Ages, what was the status of the woman?

women could join communes or convents if they did not wish to marry

No-fault divorce has resulted in which of the following?

women having a much reduced standard of living following divorce

According to the United Nations: _____ account for about ___ percent of the world's poor.

women; 70