Chapter 1: Understanding Sociology

Marx's view of society describes social institutions as a means of

keeping some groups subservient to others.

Sociology is a science because

sociology involves organized, systematic observation.

Sociologists develop ______ in an attempt to explain social problems, actions, or behaviors.

theories

When an immigrant family arrives in a new country and engages in previously functional behavior that no longer serves a social function in the new cultural environment, the functionalist perspective predicts that the

family unit will dissolve.

The three theoretical perspectives most widely used by sociologists are

functionalist, conflict, and interactionist.

Which of the following did queer theorist Eve Sedgwick argue?

Any analysis of society is incomplete if it does not include the spectrum of sexual identities.

Which of the following early social thinkers created the term sociology?

Auguste Comte

W. E. B. DuBois advocated research on the lives of which group of people?

Blacks

The concept of the sociological imagination was developed by

C. Wright Mills.

Which of the following illustrate the level of globalization in our world today?

Changes in U.S. gas prices caused by oil production fluctuations in the Middle East Rock songs by Australian artists recorded by American record companies owned by Japanese corporations Unemployment in the U.S. caused by production shifting overseas Worldwide economic downturn in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks

While Marx lived in exile in Paris, France, he met _____, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship.

Friedrich Engels

Which sociologist is widely considered to be the founder of the interactionist perspective?

George Herbert Mead

Which of the following would best describe clinical sociology?

It facilitates change through practices such as family therapy or the reorganization of a medical center.

Which of the following best describes the interactionist perspective?

It generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole.

Although sociologists draw on all approaches for various purposes, they do tend to favor one particular perspective over others. Which of the following statements about this tendency is true?

It influences their choice of what to study and how to study it.

Durkheim believed that the growing division of labor in industrial societies caused laborers to become more specialized in their tasks, leading to a loss of direction he called

anomie.

Individuals who feel a loss of direction when social control has become ineffective experience a state of what Durkheim called

anomie.

Social science is the study of human interaction and change. Which of the following are examples of social science?

anthropology sociology

Using sociology to yield practical applications for human behavior and organizations is better known as

applied sociology.

Common sense beliefs are not always reliable because such beliefs lack which of the following?

a systematic analysis of the facts

Which type of sociologists act on and attempt to implement their evaluations?

clinical

Sociologists work to understand the experiences of all people equally, but achieving such parity is not always possible due to

discrepancies in attention and funding.

The theory that explains the methods individuals use to "put on a show" in order to manage how others view them is called

dramaturgy.

An element or a process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or reduce its stability is known as

dysfunction.

If sociologists were studying the social ranking of women in a sorority using Weber's verstehen, they would likely do which of the following?

learn how sorority members relate to other members of differing status consider the women's beliefs and attitudes examine the women's grades, social skills, or seniority within the sorority

Studying a society through the lens of large-scale phenomena would be an example of which of the following?

macrosociology

Parsons believed an aspect of society that does not contribute to society's survival or stability will

not be passed on from one generation to the next.

Which of the following would best describe a manifest function of education?

providing knowledge to students

Michael Burawoy encouraged scholars to engage a broader audience in bringing about positive outcomes through what he called

public sociology.

George Herbert Mead studied social issues from the interactionist point of view, thereby gathering his information from which of the following?

small groups

When you are offered a job because your uncle's best friend owns the company, you are benefiting from what sociologist Pierre Bourdieu referred to as

social capital

Parsons's functionalist theory rests upon the idea that

social components work together to maintain society.

Cultural capital refers to the kind of education that is valued by which of the following?

the socially elite

A set of statements that seeks to explain social problems, actions, or behaviors is called a sociological

theory

Robert Merton's contribution to the study of sociology combined

theory and research.

According to W. E. B. Du Bois, what is the greatest source of power in our society?

wealth

Macrosociology

Studying how different societies educate their children.

Weber believed that individuals should use ______, the German word for "understanding" or "insight," to analyze social behavior.

verstehen

In the early 1900s Jane Addams and other female sociologists established settlement houses to care for immigrants who were migrating to

cities.

Why did Marx leave his homeland of Germany?

A paper he wrote in Germany was suppressed (censored).

Which of the following statements about W. E. B. DuBois's beliefs is true?

DuBois believed Blacks needed full political rights to progress socially and economically.

Jane Addams did which three of the following?

Helped create a women's trade union Helped establish a juvenile court system Helped prevent racial segregation in Chicago public schools

Which sociologist wrote from the perspective of an African American woman and used her analysis of society as a means of combating oppression?

Ida Wells-Barnett

Which of the following statements about sociological approaches are true?

No one sociological approach is correct by itself. Sociologists draw on all of the approaches for various purposes. Sociologists choose their approach based on the results they desire for a particular study.

Which of the following sociologists contributed to the discipline by successfully combining theory and research in his sociological work?

Robert Merton

In general, which of the following best describes the discipline of sociology?

Sociology is concerned with understanding the experiences of all people.

True or false: People use verbal and nonverbal symbols in social interaction.

True

Unlike other sociological disciplines, ______ sociology is less concerned with practical applications and instead aims for a deeper understanding of the fundamental aspects of social issues.

basic

An interactionist sociologist would be likely to study which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

behavior in small groups how workers communicate on the job

When an immigrant family arrives in a new country and engages in previously functional behavior that no longer serves a social function in the new cultural environment, the functionalist perspective predicts that the

behavior will not be passed on to a new generation.

Common sense

cannot always be relied upon to discover the truth of a situation.

Emile Durkheim ignored accepted explanations of the suicide rate and instead relied on which of the following?

careful scientific research

According to French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, which of the following refers to noneconomic goods, such as family background and education, which are reflected in a knowledge of language and the arts?

cultural capital

Which of the following forms of symbolic interaction are forms of nonverbal communication?

facial expressions postures gestures

Charles Horton Cooley studied society from a sociological perspective but focused on

families and other small groups.

The functionalist perspective emphasizes

how parts of a society are structured to maintain stability.

A good theory

is both explanatory and predictive.

Some sociologists, notably Karl Marx, Jane Addams, and Ida Wells-Barnett, have used their understanding of social inequality to advocate for social

justice

Which of the following is a latent function of the automobile in American society?

manufacturing and road construction jobs

According to Durkheim's research, which of the following people are least likely to commit suicide?

people socially connected to others

Which of the following are examples of something a clinical sociologist might do?

restructure a medical center family therapy

Marx and Engels, writing in The Communist Manifesto, were concerned about which of the following?

the domination of the working class by the business owners

Durkheim believed that understanding human behavior required looking at the behavior

within a broader social context.

________ refers to a person's opinions formed through life experiences and conversations.

Common sense

Why is cow worship, which prohibits eating beef, a functioning aspect of society in India?

Cow dung is used for fertilizer and as fuel for cooking. The cow produces milk. The cow is used for plowing fields.

Comparing everyday life to theater and stage, the dramaturgical approach to sociology was made popular by

Erving Goffman.

Microsociology

Examining how a family goes on after the death of a loved one.

True or false: When examining the members of a social organization using Weber's verstehen, one would need to understand only how the members function within the organization and not the members' beliefs, attitudes, and emotions regarding the organization.

False

How are the findings of sociologists different from common sense?

Such findings have been tested by researchers.

Crime is generally viewed as a dysfunction in society, but the criminal justice system employs millions of people to keep crime in check. Therefore, the dysfunction of crime

also serves functions for society.

Karl Marx's view of social classes is best described as part of which of the following sociological perspectives?

conflict

Which theoretical perspective best helps shed light on the tensions and problems society faces?

conflict

Which theoretical perspective takes the view that the social world is characterized by continual struggle between competing groups?

conflict

The ______ proposes that social behavior can best be understood by looking at tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources.

conflict perspective

An effective theory may have the ability to ______ relationships between seemingly isolated things and to ______ how a change in an environment will lead to other changes.

explain; predict

Charles Horton Cooley pursued the discipline of sociology by studying which of the following?

families groups of friends

Ida Wells-Barnett is best known for examining social problems from which perspective?

feminist

Which sociological perspective has as its central tenet that gender inequality is central to all behavior and organization?

feminist

The sociological perspective that focuses on how parts of society contribute to help maintain social stability is known as the _______ perspective.

functionalist

The feminist perspective in sociology focuses on the study of ______ inequity.

gender

Natural science is the study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change. Which of the following are examples of natural science?

geology biology

Sociologists have identified additional levels of research beyond those that Robert Merton used. These include which of the following?

global sociology mesosociology

is the worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.

globalization

An interactionist sociologist would be likely to study which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

how workers communicate on the job

The conflict perspective focuses on

inequality of power and the tension between groups.

According to Merton, _______ use illegal or deviant means of obtaining the accepted goal of achieving material wealth.

innovators

What does Robert Merton call someone who engages in deviant behavior in order to achieve socially approved goals?

innovators

Examining social problems through smaller groups and more intimate settings would be an example of which of the following?

microsociology

The study of society from the perspective of a broad spectrum of sexual identities is known as

queer theory.

According to French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, the collective benefit of social networks, which are built on reciprocal trust, is known as

social capital.

Comparing the life of a company president or CEO with a dishwasher or taxi driver shows us glaring examples of

social inequality.

The condition in which members of a society have differing amounts of power, prestige, and wealth is called

social inequality.

Social science is the study of human interaction and change. Which of the following are examples of social science?

sociology anthropology

Auguste Comte advocated for a systematic study of social behavior that he believed would lead to more rational human interactions, calling it

sociology.

Weber used the term verstehen to analyze social behavior. He believed that to understand behavior we must look at how other people view and explain their own behavior from a(n) ______ perspective.

subjective

Marx argued that the domination of owners over workers was maintained by

the economic, political, and social relationships in a capitalist society.

What are the views most widely used by sociologists in examining society?

the interactionist perspective the functionalist perspective the conflict perspective

Marx and Engels authored The Communist Manifesto, wherein they argued that

the proletariat workers should unite and overthrow the capitalists.