Sociology Unit 10 & 11 Quiz Questions and Answers

Why would a company outsource or contract out labor it might otherwise employ its own staff to preform?

It's cheaper.

In a capitalist system,what do workers have available to sell?

their own labor

In which century did the Industrial Revolution begin?

1769

In Great Britain, the government owns the British Broadcasting Corporation,or BBC which is the world's largest television and radio broadcasting service. This tells you that Great Britain is:

At least partially socialist

How could the Information Revolution effect urbanization?

Cities might shrink because people can live anywhere and still work at the same job.

Which of the following techniques is used to disenfranchise part of the American population today?

Denying people who have been convicted of felonies for the right to vote for their lives.

For which of the following reasons could the suppose increase in voter turnout in 2004 election really be just artifact of the way that that voter is measured?

For the first time, the turnout rate was based on eligible voters,as opposed to all residents of voting age.

How did the Industrial Revolution create"work " in the modern sense?

In the preindustrial economies,most worked happened in the home.

According to Robin Leidner's Fast Food,Fast Talk,what are the consequences of scripting worker's interactions with customers?

It is damaging to workers and surpress their real selves.

According to critics of globalization, what Disvantages result from increased international trade?

Multinational corporations will increasing shape the policies of government.

When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?

Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would have made him look better on camera.

What large-scale social change had made celebrity politicians more popular and successful?

Politicians and the increasing importance of TV.

What do you think Barbara Ehrenreich would say about efforts to reform welfare that tried to move people off welfare rolls and into minimum wage jobs?

She would disapprove because she thinks that low-wage work is demeaning and insufficent to service on.

Which change was associated with the Industrial Revolution?

The rapid transformation of social life resulting from technological and economic developments that began with the assembly line,steam power and urbanization.

What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?

They are all social institutions.

How are 'gold farms' different than traditional sweatshops?

They exploit workers to produce virtual goods instead of material goods.

Firms that purposely transcend national borders so that their products can be manufactured at sites all over the world are called:

Transcontinental Corporations

Why are political action committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

Unlike candidates or political parties,there are no limits on how much money an individual can give.

What serious social problem might be made worse if more people were encouraged to telecommute?

alienation and loneliness

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega's government?

authoritarianism

What is a political system called that denies ordinary people participation or represtation of their government?

authoritarianism

The term that refers to the legitimate use of power is called:

authority.

In "The Credential Society" sociologist Randall Collins argues that :

class inequalities are reproduced in education settings and there very little schools can increase learning. Although many people assume that better teachers, better facilities and better funding can increase test scores, he points when class background factors are held constant,none of these factors seem to have any effect. ( pg 306)

Donald Roy's classic study of the workforce called "Banana Time" showed that:

communities of coping emerge with co-workers during coffee breaks.

Since 1917, all Puerto Ricans have been considered U.S. citizens, but they are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections. In this sense they are:

disenfranchised

What is it called, when a government bars an individual, either temporarily or permanently,from voting?

disenfranchised

An association of workers who organize to improve their working economic status and working condition is called:

labor union.

During the 2012, Barack Obama was endorsed by singer and celebrity Beyonce Knowles. To the extent that people pay attention to her and care about what she says, she is a (n):

opinion leader.

Organizations designed to raise money to support the interests of a particular group is called:

political action committees.

The methods and tactics of managing political entity are called:

politics

Robert is walking down the street late at night in New York City when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert's mugger had ____________ but not ____________.

power; authority

The Soviet Russia,it was common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood, and to treat the doctored photos as represtations of reality,rather than modifications of it. For example, Stalin's friends who turned into his enemies were cut out of pictures with him. These pictures were examples of:

simulacrum.

Short sentences or phrases on a political subject, designed to be catchy and memorable but not necessarily to convey much information are called:

soundbites

The majority of appointed US Treasury secretaries have been either partners and/or managers of Goldman Sachs,a global investment management firm. Sociologists would argue that this overlap between private business and the federal government is an example of:

the increasing importance of television.

C.Wright Mills indentifies the small and unified group of people who occupy the highest positions of the major economic, political and military insitutions and exercise tremendous influence in America social life as :

the power elite

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year that provides food for homeless and the poor. It is also one of the biggest days of the year for volunteers,as more people decide to donate their time efforts,making them,even if just for the day,part of the:

third sector.

In the past, most voters formed political opinions by listing to speeches, meeting with representatives of political parties, or attending town hall meetings. How do voters today tend to learn about political issues?

through human interest stories in the media.

The former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene, but voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene. This indicates that:

we are both secular and nonsecular society at the same time.