SOC Midterm

A limitation of the symbolic-interaction approach is that it a. does not focus on the widespread influence of culture. b. is not concerned with the meaning people attach to behavior c. does not use the sociological perspective. d. is not focused on macro-level social structures.

A

A social-conflict approach claims that who a society calls deviant depends on a. who has and does not have power b. a society's moral values c. how often the behavior occurs d. how harmful the behavior is

A

Carol Gilligan added to Kohlberg's findings by showing that a. girls and boys typically use different standards in deciding what is right and wrong b. girls are more interested in right and wrong than boys are c. boys are more interested in right and wrong than girls are d. today's children are far less interested in right and wrong than their parents are

A

Crime is a special type of deviance that a. refers to violations of law b. involves punishment c. refers to any violation of a society's norms d. always involves a particular person as the offender

A

If you were trying to measure the "social class" of various people, you would have to keep in mind that a. it is necessary to specify exactly what you are measuring. b. everyone agrees on what "social class" means. c. you must measure "social class" in every way possible. d. there is no way to measure "social class."

A

In her study of human emotion, Arlie Hochschild explains that companies typically a. try to regulate the emotions of workers b. want workers to be unemotional c. encourage people to express their true emotions d. profit from making customers more emotional

A

In participant observation, the problem of "breaking in" to a setting is often solved with the help of a a. key informant b. research assistant c. bigger budget d. all of the above are correct

A

Most people arrested for a violent crime in the US are a. white b. African American c. Hispanic d. Asian

A

Of all the world's countries, the US is the most a. multicultural b. culturally uniform c. slowly changing d. resistant to cultural diversity

A

Our basic drives or needs as humans are reflected in Freud's concept of the a. id. b. generalized other. c. superego. d. ego.

A

Rosabeth Moss Kanter claims that large business organizations a. need to "open up" opportunity to encourage workers to perform well b. must have clear and stable rules to survive in a challenging world c. do well or badly depending on how talented the leader is d. suffer if they do not adopt the latest technology

A

Science is defined as a. a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation b. belief based on faith in some ultimate truth c. knowledge based on a society's traditions d. information that comes from recognized "experts"

A

Standards by which people who share culture define what is desirable, good, and beautiful are called a. values. b. folkways. c. mores. d. norms.

A

Subculture refers to a. cultural patterns that set off a part of a society's population. b. people who embrace high culture. c. people who embrace popular culture. d. a part of the population lacking culture.

A

The "self," said George Herbert Mead, is a. the part of the human personality made up of self-awareness and self-image b. the presence of culture within the individual c. basic drives that are self-centered d. present in infants from birth

A

The discipline of sociology first developed in a. countries experiencing rapid social change b. countries with little social change c. countries with a history of welfare d. the world's poorest countries

A

The fact that instant messaging is based on a new set of symbols shows us that a. culture changes over time. b. we are not dependent on our culture's symbols. c. today's young people are smarter than their parents. d. symbols are static elements.

A

The research done by Solomon Asch, in which subjects were asked to pick lines of the same length, showed that a. groups encourage their members to conform b. most people are stubborn and refuse to change their minds c. groups often generate conflict d. group members rarely agree on everything

A

The social-conflict approach sometimes receives criticism for a. being openly political. b. ignoring factors like class. c. focusing on values that everyone shares. d. promoting the status quo.

A

The structural-functional approach is concerned with a. the consequences of social patterns for the operation of society. b. patterns of social inequality. c. ways in which each person differs from all others. d. the meaning people attach to their behavior.

A

Two variables are said to display correlation if a. they vary together. b. they are caused by the same factor. c. both measure the same thing. d. one occurs before the other.

A

What is the term for the value that occurs most often in a series of numbers? a. the mode b. the median c. the means d. all of the above are correct

A

Which of the following is the correct meaning of "presentation of self"? a. efforts to create impressions in the minds of others b. acting out a master status c. thinking back over the process of role exit d. trying to take action away from others

A

Which region of the US has the largest share of people who speak a language other than English at home? a. the Southwest b. the Northeast c. the Northwest d. the South

A

Which sociological research method is best used to study what cannot be directly observed, such as attitudes and values, among large numbers of people? a. survey b. secondary analysis c. participant observation d. experiment

A

Which term refers to the recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern? a. manifest functions b. latent functions c. eufunctions d. dysfunctions

A

Wrong-doing, such as an adult forcing a child to engage in sexual activity, is an example of violating cultural a. mores. b. folkways. c. symbols. d. control.

A

You wish to conduct an exploratory and descriptive study of people in a particular neighborhood. You have plenty of time, but you have little money or other resources. What research method should you use? a. participant observation b. a survey c. secondary analysis d. an experiment

A

"Role set" refers to a. a number of roles found in any one society b. a number of roles attached to a single status c. a number of roles that are more or less the same d. a number of roles within any one organization

B

According to Jean Piaget, at which stage of development do individuals first use language and other cultural symbols? a. formal operational stage b. preoperational stage c. sensorimotor stage d. concrete operational stage

B

According to Robert Michels, bureaucracy always means a. inefficiency b. oligarchy c. alienation d. specialization

B

Applying Freud's thinking to a sociological analysis of personality development, you would conclude that a. humans can never become cultural creatures. b. humans have basic, self-centered drives that must be controlled by learning the ways of society. c. human behavior is basically random. d. societies encourage people to become self-centered.

B

Applying Robert Merton's strain theory, a person selling illegal drugs for a living would be an example of which of the following categories? a. conformist b. innovator c. retreatist d. ritualist

B

Based on what you have read in this chapter, how would sociologists explain the fact that many young people in the United States experience adolescence as a time of confusion? a. Parents are no longer providing proper guidance to young people. b. There are cultural inconsistencies in the definition of this stage of life as partly childlike and partly adult-like. c. Growth always involves change and change is confusing. d. Hormones greatly affect young people as they mature.

B

In global perspective, which statement about childhood is correct? a. in every society, the first ten years of life are a time of play and learning b. rich societies extend childhood much longer than poor societies c. poor societies extend childhood much longer than rich societies d. childhood is defined by being biologically immature

B

In terms of dramaturgical analysis, tact is understood as a. helping someone take on a new role b. helping another person "save face" c. making it hard for someone to perform a role d. negotiating a situation to get your own way

B

It is difficult to establish all the cause-and-effect relationships in a social situation because a. most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all. b. most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors. c. sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect. d. most patterns of behavior have a single cause.

B

Kingsley Davis's study of Anna, the girl isolated for 5 years, shows that a. humans have all the same instincts found in other animal species b. without social experience, a child never develops personality c. personality is present in all humans at birth d. many human instincts appear in the first few years of life

B

One contribution education makes to the socialization process that teaches about rules and schedules is a. exposing the child to people of similar social backgrounds. b. exposing the child to a bureaucratic setting. c. teaching children to be highly flexible and to express their individuality. d. helping children break free of gender roles.

B

Sociologists refer to tangible or physical human creations as a. nonmaterial culture. b. artifacts. c. technology. d. values.

B

The "McDonaldization of society" implies that a. organizations can provide food for people more efficiently than families can b. impersonal organizations concerned with efficiency, uniformity, and control are becoming more and more common c. it is possible for organizations to both do their job and meet human needs d. society today is one vast social network

B

The FBI's criminal statistics used in this chapter to create a profile of the street criminal reflect a. all crimes that occur b. offenses known to the police c. offenses that involve violence d. offenses resulting in criminal conviction

B

US culture holds a strong belief in a. the traditions of the past b. individuality c. equality of condition for all d. all of the above are correct

B

When Jake's friends began calling him "dope-head," he left the group and spent more time smoking marijuana. He also began hanging out with others that used drugs, and by the end of the term, he had dropped out of college. Edwin Lemert would call this situation an example of a. primary deviance b. the development of secondary deviance c. the formation of a deviant subculture d. the beginning of retreatism

B

Which early sociologist studied patterns of suicide? a. Peter Berger b. Emile Durkheim c. Auguste Comte d. Karl Marx

B

Which of the following is a description of ethnocentrism? a. taking pride in your ethnicity b. judging another culture using the standards of your own culture c. seeing another culture as better than your own d. judging another culture by its own standards

B

Which of the following is not a defining trait of a cause-and-effect relationship? a. the independent variable must happen before the dependent variable b. each variable must be shown to be independent of the other c. the two variables must display correlation d. seeks to increase social justice

B

Which of the following is the oldest justification for punishing an offender? a. deterrence b. retribution c. societal protection d. rehabilitation

B

Which term defines who and what we are in relation to others? a. role b. status c. role set d. master status

B

Which term refers to a social group that someone uses as a point of reference in making an evaluation or decision? a. out-group b. reference group c. in-group d. primary group

B

Which term refers to measuring exactly what one intends to measure? a. reliability b. validity c. congruence d. repeatability

B

Which theoretical approach focuses on the link between cultural and social inequality? a. the structural-functional approach b. the social-conflict approach c. the symbolic-interaction approach d. the sociobiology approach

B

Which theoretical approach is closest to that taken by early sociologists Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim? a. the symbolic-interaction approach b. the structural-functional approach c. the social-conflict approach d. none of the above is correct

B

Cheating on a final examination is an example of violating campus a. folkways b. symbols c. mores d. high culture

C

Empirical evidence refers to a. quantitative rather than qualitative data b. what people consider "common sense" c. information people can verify with their senses d. patterns found in every known society

C

Frank excels at football at his college, but he doesn't have enough time to study as much as he wants to. This problem is an example of a. role set b. role strain c. role conflict d. role exit

C

From the point of view of a nurse, a hospital is a a. normative organization b. coercive organization c. utilitarian organization d. all of the above

C

If you were to put together the lesson learned from the cases of Anna, Isabelle, and Genie, you would correctly conclude that a. the effect of long-term social isolation can never be overcome in any situation. b. both social experience and the presence of the birth mother are crucial to early development. c. social experience plays a crucial part in forming human personality. d. the effect of long-term social isolation can be overcome in a relatively short time.

C

In the historical perspective, the importance of the mass media to the socialization process has a. decreased over time. b. never been very important. c. increased over time. d. been about the same over the last century.

C

Interpretive sociology is a research orientation that a. focuses on action b. sees an objective reality "out there" c. focuses on the meanings people attach to behavior d. seeks to increase social justice

C

Labeling theory states that deviance a. is a normal part of social life b. always changes people's social identity c. arises not from what people do as much as how others respond d. all of the above

C

Modern, high-income societies typically define people in old age as a. the wisest of all b. the most up-to-date on current fashion trends c. less socially important than younger adults d. all of the above

C

Most sociologists take the position that a. humans have instincts that direct behavior b. biological instincts develop in humans at puberty c. it is human nature to nuture d. all of the above

C

Paul Elkman points to what as an important clue to deception by another person? a. smiling b. using tact c. inconsistencies in a presentation d. all of the above

C

People are likely to "get" a joke when they a. know something about more than one culture b. have a different social background than the joke teller c. understand the two different realities being presented d. know why someone wants to tell the joke

C

Social class position affects socialization: lower-class parents tend to stress ____, and well-to-do parents stress ____ a. independence; protecting children b. independence; dependence c. obedience; creativity d. creativity; obedience

C

Sociologists cannot identify "laws of society" that allow us to precisely predict the behavior of an individual because a. sociology is still very young. b. no sociologist would wish to predict human behavior. c. human behavior may be patterned, but it is also spontaneous. d. no sociologist ever tried to discover such laws.

C

Sociologists define a symbol as a. any gesture that insults others b. any element of material culture c. anything that has meaning to people who share a culture d. any pattern that causes culture shock

C

Sociologists use the term "cultural lag" to refer to a. the slowing of cultural change in the US b. the fact that some societies change faster than others do c. the fact that some elements of culture change faster than others d. people who are less cultured than others

C

Sociology's social-conflict approach draws attention to a. how structure contributes to the overall operation of society b. how people construct meaning through interaction c. patterns of social inequality d. the stable aspects of society

C

The structural-functional approach might prompt you to consider a. how can we help people find more pleasure in their marriages. b. what people think marriage means. c. the consequences of marriage for the operation of society. d. how marriage benefits women and men unequally.

C

We can correctly say that two variables are correlated if a. change in one causes no change in the other b. one occurs before the other c. their values vary together d. both measure the same thing

C

What does the sociological perspective tell us about whom any individual chooses to marry? a. There is no explaining personal feelings like love. b. People's actions reflect human free will. c. The operation of society guides many of our personal choices. d. In the case of love, opposites attract.

C

What term did Charles Cooley give to a small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships? a. expressive group b. in-group c. primary group d. secondary group

C

When trying to measure people's "social class" you would have to keep in mind that a. your measurement can never be both reliable and valid b. there are many ways to operationalize this variable c. there is no way to measure "social class" d. in the United States, everyone agrees on what "social class" means

C

Which woman, among the first sociologists, studied the evils of slavery and also translated the writings of Auguste Comte? a. Elizabeth Cady Staton b. Jane Addams c. Harriet Martineau d. Margaret Mead

C

A good example of cultural lag is a. a slowing in the rate of invention in the computer industry. b. older people trying to make younger people respect tradition. c. virtual culture replacing traditional culture. d. gaining the ability to modify genetic patterns in humans before understanding the possible social consequences of doing so.

D

A network is correctly thought of as a. the most close-knit social group b. a category of people with something in common c. a social group in which most people know one another d. a web of weak social ties

D

According to Erving Goffman, the purpose of a total institution is a. to reward someone for achievement in the outside world b. to give a person more choices about how to live c. to encourage lifelong learning in a supervised context d. to change a person's personality or behavior

D

Bureaucracy is a type of social organization characterized by a. specialized jobs b. offices arranged in a hierarchy c. lots of rules and regualtions d. all of the above

D

By stating that the sociological perspective shows us "the strange in the familiar," the text argues that sociologists a. believe that people often behave in strange ways. b. focus on the bizarre elements of society. c. believe that even people who are most familiar to us have some very strange habits. d. reject the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives.

D

Emile Durkheim explains that deviance is a. defined by the rich and used against the poor b. harmful not just to victims but to society as a whole c. often at odds with public morality d. found in every society

D

Ethnocentrism refers to a. claiming that another culture is better than your own. b. people taking pride in their ethnicity. c. understanding another culture using its own standards and values. d. judging another culture using the standards of your own culture.

D

Flirting is a playful way of seeing if someone is interested in you without risking outright rejection. From this point of view, flirting illustrates a. the Thomas theorem. b. street smarts. c. the process of role exit. d. the social construction of reality.

D

Ideas created by members of a society are part of a. high culture b. material culture c. norms d. nonmaterial culture

D

In US society, which of the following is often a master status? a. occupation b. physical or mental disability c. race or color d. all of the above

D

Lawrence Kohlberg explored socialization by studying a. cognition b. the importance of gender in socialization c. the development of biological instincts d. moral reasoning

D

Making use of the sociological perspective encourages a. accepting commonly-held wisdom. b. people to be happy with their lives as they are. c. the belief that society is mysterious. d. challenging commonly-held beliefs.

D

Stealing a laptop computer from the study lounge in a college dorm is an example of which criminal offense? a. burglary b. motor vehicle theft c. robbery d. larceny-theft

D

Subculture refers to a. a part of the population lacking culture b. elements of popular culture c. people who embrace high culture d. cultural patters that set apart a segment of society's population

D

The Thomas theorem states that a. our statuses and roles are the keys to our personality b. most people rise to their level of incompetence c. people know the world only through their language d. situations defined as real are real in their consequences

D

The personal value of studying sociology includes a. seeing the opportunities and constraints in our lives b. the fact that it is good preparation for a number of jobs c. being more active participants in society d. All of the above are correct

D

The social-conflict approach draws attention to a. how people construct meaning in their interaction. b. how elements contribute to the overall operation of society. c. the stable aspects of society. d. patterns of social inequality.

D

To study the effects on test performance of playing soft music during an exam, a researcher conducts an experiment in which one test-taking class hears music and another does not. According tot he chapter discussion of the experiment, the class hearing the music is called a. the placebo b. the control group c. the dependent variable d. the experimental group

D

What term refers to the arithmetic average of a series of numbers? a. the mode b. the correlation c. the median d. the mean

D

When measuring any variable, reliability refers to a. whether you are really measuring what you want to measure b. how dependable the researcher is c. results that everyone would agree with d. whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results

D

Which early sociologist coined the term sociology in 1838? a. Karl Marx b. Herbert Spencer c. Adam Smith d. Auguste Comte

D

Which of the following illustrates a micro-level focus? a. analyzing the operation of the US political system b. studying patterns of global terrorism c. describing class inequality in the armed forces d. observing two new dormitory roommates getting to know one another

D

Which type of group leadership is concerned with getting the job done? a. laissez-faire leadership b. secondary group leadership c. expressive leadership d. instrumental leadership

D

Why is the family so important to the socialization process? a. family members provide vital caregiving to infants and children b. families give children social identity in terms of class, ethnicity, and religion c. parent's behavior can greatly affect a child's self-concept d. all of the above

D