Sociology Midterm

Identify the three sociologists who played a part in the development of sociology's structural-functional approach.

Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim

Which of the following statements is based on a symbolic-interaction analysis of sports?

Each player understands the game a little differently.

Both Karl Marx and W.E.B. Du Bois carried out their work following the structural-functional approach.

False

Participant observation is a research method by which researchers stand back from a setting, watch from a distance, and then carefully record the behavior of others.

False

The goal of the structural-functional approach is not simply to understand how society operates, but to reduce social inequality

False

Which of the following is an accurate criticism of the structural-functional approach?

It ignores inequality that can generate tension and conflict.

Which of the following founding sociologists urged sociologists to understand a social setting from the point of view of the people in it?

Max Weber

y stating that the sociological perspective shows us "the strange in the familiar," the text argues that sociologists

Rejects the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives

Which concept is used to describe relatively stable patterns of social behavior?

Social structure

When did sociology become established as an academic discipline in the United States?

about 1900

Akbar is an honor student. In sociological terms, being an honor student is an example of which of the following?

achieved status

The social-conflict approach sometimes receives criticism for

being openly political

Making use of the sociological perspective encourages

challenging commonly held beliefs.

"A statement of a possible relationship between two or more variables" is the definition of which concept?

hypothesis

Which of the following is the BEST example of a latent function of going to college?

keeping young people out of the labor force, which may not have jobs for them

A researcher doing participant observation may often "break in" to a setting more easily with the help of a

key informant

Building social relationships and creating jobs are two of the ____ of sports.

latent

Using the symbolic-interaction approach, sports becomes

less a system than an ongoing process

Jennie is studying how the President's new economic policies are affecting employment and unemployment rates, homelessness, and the amount of money people save. In view of this, Jennie is primarily utilizing which sociological approach?

macrosociology

Madeleine's position as president of the local university over shadows her work as a wife, mother, and volunteer for the Salvation Army. In view of this, university president is Madeleine'

master status

Which of the following is a criticism of the structural-functional approach?

not critical of inequalities based on social class, race, ethnicity, and gender

Sociologists use the term "social marginality" to refer to

people who are defined by others as an "outsider."

is a way of understanding the world based on science.

positivism

Which of the following is a manifest function of sports?

providing recreation and physical conditioning

A criticism of the symbolic-interaction approach is that it

says little about the influence of structural factors such as culture, class, gender, and race

The degree to which members of a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds is what Durkheim referred to as

social integration

The sociological focus of microsociology places its emphasis on ________.

social interaction

The people of Moravia share a common culture and have a specified territory in which they live. Sociologically, they would best be classified as a

society

The people of Swataraland share the same tools, technology, values, beliefs, mores, and norms. They also live together in a territory with definitive borders. In view of this, the people of Swataraland comprise a[n] ________.

society

The social contexts in which people live and how those contexts influence their lives are called

sociological perspective

An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by a third variable is called a(n) ________ correlation.

spurious

Qualitative research has special appeal to investigators who favor the ________ approach.

symbolic interaction

The social institution responsible for protecting a society from its enemies and supporting the national interests is

the military

W.E.B. Du Bois described African Americans as having a "double consciousness" because

they are American citizens who have a second identity based on skin color

Looking at the operation of U.S. schools, the social-conflict approach might lead a sociologist to conclude that

tracking provides some students with far better schooling than others