Sociology Exam 1 (quiz 1)
Sheila is interested in studying the way that riders choose seats on the city bus. Which level of analysis is she most likely to use in this study?
microsociology FEEDBACK: Sociologists study all levels of social phenomena, ranging from macro to micro. Different perspectives best address different levels of analysis.
If someone has no way to make money but to sell his or her own labor, then he or she must be a member of what social group?
proletariat
What term did Max Weber use to describe the process that resulted in modern life becoming an "iron cage" of disenchantment and dehumanization?
rationalization
Which of the following statements best characterizes microsociology?
A-It is an approach that focuses exclusively on gender and power as they manifest themselves socially. B- It is an approach that examines interactions between individuals and how those interactions reflect larger societal patterns. C-It is an approach that quantifies data about social structures so they can be analyzed statistically. D-It is an approach that examines institutional interactions that occur over time. B
How does thinking with a "beginner's mind" help us to gain a sociological perspective?
Being open and receptive to new experiences helps us to see things differently.
Sociology can be approached from both a microsociological and a macrosociological perspective. Which is more useful?
Both are useful in different ways because they each provide different types of information about the same object of study.
Theory that developed as a result of applying conflict theory assumptions specifically to gender inequality?
Feminist theory
What is the most serious critique of structural functionalism?
It tends to argue that any social feature that exists must serve a function
A large scale study on a society
Macro
A small scale study on small groups within a society
Micro
Social media influencers attract millions of followers by showcasing their personal lives and experiences through stylized photos and vlogs. How might a sociologist explain the widespread appeal of these forms of social media?
People are curious about how others in their society live. FEEDBACK: People are social, and neither society nor individuals exist in isolation from one another. People get a sense of self from their membership in society and relationships to other people.
There is a key difference between the everyday actor and the social analyst in their interactions with the social world that can be summed up in which way?
The actor takes for granted what the analyst can grasp deeply, and the analyst must struggle to understand what the actor implicitly understands.
Émile Durkheim's study on suicide found that suicide rates went up when the economy slumped, but they also increased when the economy boomed. Which of Durkheim's concepts explains why both positive and negative economic conditions could increase suicide rates?
anomie
What basic idea associates George Herbert Mead with symbolic interactionism?
assigned meanings as social processes requiring the interaction of many individuals FEEDBACK: George Herbert Mead was a key contributor to symbolic interactionism.
According to the theoretical position developed by Karl Marx, what is the engine of social change?
conflict between social groups
If we think of sociological perspectives as different camera lenses, a wide-angle lens is most likely to capture which perspective?
conflict perspective FEEDBACK: Sociological perspectives are much like differing camera lenses. For example, a wide-angle lens will capture the "big picture," much like conflict and functionalist perspectives explore the "big picture" or the macro level of analysis.
The argument that racism does not only come from individuals, but also is deeply embedded in American laws and institutions, is part of what offshoot of conflict theory?
critical race theory FEEDBACK: Critical race theory came from legal scholarship in the 1970s and 1980s and is concerned with the way race, racism, and power are related. In addition to studying these relationships, critical race scholars actively work to end racial oppression.
Nasko moved to the United States from Bulgaria at the age of nine. After moving, he felt disoriented because the environment was so strange to him. He experienced
culture shock
Soledad carefully considers how she wants to present herself at an upcoming job interview. She intends to offer a very different presentation of herself than when she goes out with friends. With which theoretical paradigm does this scenario best align?
dramaturgy FEEDBACK: Dramaturgy is a theoretical perspective that uses the metaphor of the theater to understand how individuals present themselves to others.
What term did Karl Marx use to describe the fact that most of the population accepts inequality even when it does not benefit them personally?
false consciousness
Auguste Comte is credited with coining the term "sociology," largely through the development of a theory of human thinking called positivism. What does positivism attempt to do?
identify laws that describe the behavior of a reality FEEDBACK: Auguste Comte felt that to improve society as a whole required guidance in the form of how we construct our reality.
Which of the following is a latent function of the educational system in the United States?
keeping children out of trouble while parents are at work
Joe wants to conduct a study to test the claim that as societies become wealthier their cultures shift to become more open and tolerant. Which level of analysis would Joe use in his research?
macro FEEDBACK: Joe is looking at large-scale social patterns, which is a macro approach. If he opted to speak to local foster parents and the children in their care about their experiences, this would be an example of a micro approach.
In the field of education, teaching students to solve math problems is an example of what kind of function?
manifest FEEDBACK: Manifest functions are the obvious, intended functions of a social structure.
According to Émile Durkheim, what did mechanical solidarity create?
social bonds that held agrarian societies together FEEDBACK: In Durkheim's view, agrarian societies were held together by mechanical solidarity, which refers to many people doing very similar kinds of work (rather than extensive specialization).
Howard Becker reminds us that humans are social beings when he uses the phrase "the study of people 'doing things together'" to describe _____.
sociology FEEDBACK: This is an informal definition of sociology that reminds us that neither the individual nor society exists in isolation.
What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures, which contribute to the equilibrium of the whole?
structural functionalism
Billie is studying how changes in the economy over the last several decades have affected the family and other parts of society. Which sociological perspective is most relevant to her study?
structural functionalist FEEDBACK: Structural functionalism was the dominant theoretical perspective within sociology well into the mid-twentieth century. It assumes that the whole of a society functions as a result of all its constituent parts.
Skylar is writing a sociology research paper on the controversy over whether the "okay" hand gesture has a racist meaning or not. Which of the following approaches or perspectives would be most applicable to their paper?
symbolic interactionism
Which of the following theories focuses on how our behaviors are dependent on the ways we interpret, make sense of, and define ourselves, others, and social situations?
symbolic interactionism
What is the sociological imagination?
the ability to understand the connections between biography and history or the self and the world
Max Weber believed that as the Industrial Revolution progressed, society became increasingly rationalized. How did he define rationalization?
the application of economic logic to all aspects of social life
In regard to social classes, what sharp distinction did Karl Marx draw between the proletariat (laborers) and the bourgeoisie (owners) in a society?
the control and ownership of the means of production FEEDBACK: The theories and writings of Karl Marx have had a profound effect on many aspects of society and scholarship. The concept of the means of production, the way in which wealth can be created, was a central part of his work.
What was Marx criticizing when he said that religion is "the opiate of the masses"?
the use of religion by the ruling class to oppress the working class
