Sociology Test Bank

Sociology Test Bank Multiple Choice 1. As defined by C. Wright Mills, which of the following “enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society”? a. formal sociology b. sociological imagination c. microsociology d. macrosociology ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 5 TOP: Factual OBJ: Sociological Imagination 2. Feeling discomfort about rural Chinese society, where many generations of a family sleep in the same bed, is known as: a. xenophobia. b. Verstehen. c. social identity. d. social ecology. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Pages 6–7 TOP: Applied OBJ: Sociological Imagination 3. How does the textbook author use dialogue from Pulp Fiction, in which the characters discuss how in Holland people put mayonnaise on their french fries? a. to introduce the sociology of film b. to explain the sociological imagination c. to explain social institutions d. to define formal sociology ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 7 TOP: Applied OBJ: Sociological Imagination 4. A female manager is attempting to climb her way to the top of the corporate ladder. She works as hard, if not harder, than her male colleagues, but nothing she seems to do helps her advance. She begins to notice that males are being promoted, but females tend to be overlooked for advancements. The realization that many women in her circumstance are experiencing the same discrimination is an example of: a. anomie. b. Verstehen. c. sociological imagination. d. social cohesion. ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Page 5 TOP: Applied OBJ: Sociological Imagination 5. Sociologists and economists have shown that the benefits of higher education include higher median incomes for college graduates. This is known as: a. educational investment. b. the returns to schooling. c. study hard or be poor. d. get an education; get a job. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 8 TOP: Factual OBJ: Returns to Schooling 6. After doing some sociological math, what is the net difference between the annual earnings of the average high school versus college graduate? a. about $5,000 per year b. about $10,000 per year c. about $15,000 per year d. about $50,000 per year ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Page 9 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Returns to Schooling 7. According to Randall Collins’s (1979) research, the expansion of higher education is: a. mainly caused by the globalization of capitalism. b. likely caused by less-prepared high school students entering college. c. a result of credentialism and expenditures on formal education. d. a result of increasing governmental interference in educational funding. ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Page 11 TOP: Factual OBJ: Credentialism 8. According to research used to question credentialism, what might it cost to buy a college diploma online? a. $29.95 b. $99.99 c. $250.00 d. at least $1,000 ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 11 TOP: Factual OBJ: Credentialism 9. In today’s society, Randall Collins might suggest that getting a “piece of paper” is more important to many than actually having the knowledge to do a job. He calls the priority placed on formal education: a. secondary education. b. credentialism. c. normlessness. d. xenophobia. ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Page 11 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Credentialism 10. All of the following are examples of social institutions used to prevent websites from undermining colleges’ degree-conferring abilities EXCEPT: a. copyright law. b. police forces. c. employers. d. families. ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 11 TOP: Factual OBJ: Social Institutions 11. Which of the following is defined as a set of stories embedded within a social network about the standard ways a society meets its needs? a. a social identity b. a social institution c. a theory d. anomie ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 12 TOP: Factual OBJ: Social Institutions 12. The author of your text states that the most age-segregated social institution in our society is: a. a hospital. b. a mental institution. c. a prison. d. a four-year college. ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 12 TOP: Factual OBJ: Social Institutions 13. A family, as a group of people living together sharing individual stories, makes up a(n): a. social institution. b. conflict institution. c. anomic institution. d. creative institution. ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: Page 13 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Social Institutions 14. The Phillip Morris Company changed its name to Altira in an attempt to start a new: a. line of cigarettes. b. defense against law suits. c. social identity. d. multinational company. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Page 13 TOP: Factual OBJ: Social Identity 15. The “grand narrative” that constitutes a social identity: a. is nothing more than a sum of individual stories told between pairs of individuals. b. remains the same throughout time. c. can only be defined by the individual him- or herself. d. is best displayed online on MySpace and Facebook. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 13 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Social Identity 16. As a formal field, sociology is a relatively discipline, as discussed in Chapter 1. a. old b. established c. young d. conservative ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 15 TOP: Factual OBJ: Early Sociological Theory 17. Who was the author of the first methods book in the discipline of sociology? a. Emile Durkheim b. Harriet Martineau c. Jane Addams d. Max Weber ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 18 TOP: Factual OBJ: August Comte and Harriet Martineau 18. In the book How to Observe Morals and Manners, the institution of marriage is criticized as: a. based on an assumption of the inferiority of women. b. based on an assumption of the inferiority of men. c. reinforcing compulsory heterosexuality. d. perpetuating social class stratification. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 18 TOP: Factual OBJ: August Comte and Harriet Martineau | Feminist Theory 19. Which of the following sociologists developed the theory of positivism? a. Auguste Comte b. Emile Durkheim c. Karl Marx d. Max Weber ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 15 TOP: Factual OBJ: Positivism 20. Positivism is best defined as: a. the idea that we can scientifically and logically study social institutions and the individuals within them. b. the effect of religion on social institutions and the individuals within them. c. the study of the symbolic interactions between social institutions and the individuals within them. d. the relationship between scientific and religious social institutions. ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: Page 16 TOP: Factual OBJ: Positivism 21. According to Comte, positivism arose out of a need to make sense of the social order in a time of declining religious authority. a. scientific b. moral c. rational d. economic ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 16 TOP: Factual OBJ: Positivism 22. The person that is often considered to be the founding father of positivism is: a. Émile Durkheim. b. Karl Marx. c. Georg Simmel. d. George Herbert Mead. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 23 TOP: Factual OBJ: Positivism 23. All of the following are known as the three epistemological stages of human society, as explained by Comte, EXCEPT: a. the theological stage. b. the metaphysical stage. c. the scientific stage. d. the post-scientific stage. ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Pages 16–17 TOP: Factual OBJ: Epistemological Stages 24. Which of the three historical epistemological stages of human society did Comte explain was highlighted by Enlightenment thinking such as Rousseau’s, Mill’s, and Hobbes’s beliefs in biological causes for human behavior? a. the theological stage b. the metaphysical stage c. the scientific stage d. the post-scientific stage ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 17 TOP: Factual OBJ: Epistemological Stages 25. Which of the three historical epistemological stages of human society did Comte claim was characterized by the development of social physics to explain human behavior? a. the theological stage b. the metaphysical stage c. the scientific stage d. the post-scientific stage ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Page 17 TOP: Factual OBJ: Epistemological Stages 26. Which of the three historical epistemological stages did Comte argue would explain human society by consulting the Bible or other religious texts? a. the theological stage b. the metaphysical stage c. the scientific stage d. the post-scientific stage ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 16 TOP: Factual OBJ: Epistemological Stages 27. Which of the following are known as “the founding fathers of the sociological discipline”? a. Comte, Martineau, and Marx b. Martineau, Addams, and Weber c. Durkheim, Marx, and Weber d. Cooley, Park, and Mead ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 18 TOP: Factual OBJ: Classical Sociology 28. Which of the following founders of sociology is known, in part, for having his writings become the basis of Communism? a. Auguste Comte b. Émile Durkheim c. Karl Marx d. Max Weber ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 19 Multiple Choice 1. The two broad approaches social scientists use to gather data about the social world are: a. deductive and inductive. b. qualitative and quantitative. c. implicit and explicit. d. correlational and causal. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Pages 42–43 TOP: Factual OBJ: Research Methods 2. A sociologist’s subject matter presents some difficult research problems of a kind that natural scientists rarely have to deal with. Which of the following does NOT describe such a problem? a. A sociologists is part of the very subject he or she is studying. b. For ethical reasons, it is not permissible to do particular kinds of studies on people. c. It is possible to have completely controlled experiments to delineate cause and effect relationships. d. The causes of social behavior are usually multiple, complex, and intricate. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Page 67 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Research Methods 3. Norm is interested in whether pet owners are more likely than those who do not own pets to have healthier lifestyles (excercise regularly, drink moderately, refrain from nicotine use, etc.). By comparing the numbers he gathers on both groups, Norm will most likely be using what particular research method? a. quantitative b. inductive c. deductive d. qualitative ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 42 TOP: Applied OBJ: Quantitative Research 4. The research method that uses statistical analysis to describe the social world is: a. qualitative research. b. quantitative research. c. deductive research. d. inductive research. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 42 TOP: Factual OBJ: Quantitative Research 5. What type of research describes people’s behavior in rich detail and focuses on the meanings people give to their actions? a. inductive research b. qualitative research c. quantitative research d. deductive research ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 43 TOP: Factual OBJ: Qualitative Research 6. Elizabeth would like to conduct a study to determine how women define spousal abuse and the meanings they attach to their abuse. What research method will Elizabeth most likely use? a. quantitative b. inductive c. qualitative d. deductive ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Page 43 TOP: Applied OBJ: Qualitative Research 7. If Kate begins her research with a theory, then forms hypotheses and makes some observations, what method is she using? a. independent b. dependent c. inductive d. deductive ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 43 TOP: Applied OBJ: Deductive Approach 8. Which of the following describes the deductive approach to research? a. A researcher makes some observations, and based on these observations develops a theory. b. A researcher develops some hypotheses to explain a correlation observed between two variables. c. A researcher starts with a theory, forms hypotheses, makes observations, and then analyzes the data. d. A researcher develops some hypotheses that lead to a theory about human behavior. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Page 43 TOP: Factual OBJ: Deductive Approach 9. Which approach to sociological research starts with empirical observations and then works to form a theory? a. statistical b. observational c. inductive d. deductive ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 43 TOP: Factual OBJ: Inductive Approach 10. Paula begins to notice there are patterns to where people sit on the bus, and that these patterns differ depending on whether the rider is male or female. Based on these observations she generates larger ideas (theories) about why men and women differ. This is an example of which kind of research approach? a. deductive b. inductive c. quantitative d. a case study ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 43 TOP: Applied OBJ: Inductive Approach 11. Which of the following is an example of a correlation? a. People who work harder have higher income. b. People with better health work harder. c. The more income a person makes, the easier it is to retire. d. People with higher levels of income tend to enjoy better overall health. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Page 44 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Correlation 12. A correlation is: a. a change in one variable that is caused by another. b. a simultaneous change in two variables. c. a relationship between two moderating variables. d. a relationship between cause and effect. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 44 TOP: Factual OBJ: Correlation 13. When one factor is said to influence another factor, we refer to this as: a. correlation. b. association. c. causation. d. mediation. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 46 TOP: Factual OBJ: Causality 14. All of the following are factors needed to establish causality EXCEPT: a. correlation. b. time order. c. ruling out alternative explanations. d. panel study results. ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 46 TOP: Factual OBJ: Causality 15. Which of the following is more difficult to do in social science research? a. to say that two things change at the same time b. to establish that something is the cause of something else c. to argue that two things are related d. to propose a relationship between two variables ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 46 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Causality 16. Martine is a sociologist who thinks that A is causing B, when in fact, B is causing A. She needs to be careful to not make the mistake known as: a. operationalization. b. reverse causality. c. deduction. d. induction. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 47 TOP: Applied OBJ: Reverse Causality 17. In establishing causation, it helps to know which variable precedes the other in time. If not, it is easy to make a mistake involving: a. reverse causality. b. spurious causality. c. alternative explanations. d. time order. Multiple Choice 1. The word culture derives from the Latin word colere, which means: a. a cult. b. an ideology. c. to cultivate. d. a plan of action. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 73 TOP: Factual OBJ: Culture 2. Which of the following was a poet and cultural critic who defined culture as the pursuit of perfection and broad knowledge of the world, in contrast to narrow self-centeredness and material gain? a. Matthew Arnold b. Émile Durkheim c. Dalton Conley d. Karl Marx ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 75 TOP: Factual OBJ: Culture 3. Culture can be said to be anything but: a. behavior. b. psychology. c. nature. d. symbols. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 73 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Culture 4. Culture tends to be: a. stable. b. relative. c. concrete. d. within the person’s personality. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 73 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Culture 5. During the 1800s culture was defined by Matthew Arnold as an ideal, something that is opposed to the real world in which we live. Sociologists today define culture as: a. the sum total of beliefs, behaviors and practices that humans create to adapt to the enviornment around them. b. only the nonmaterial aspects of people’s lives, like values and norms. c. only the material aspects of people’s lives, those things created by humans to adapt to the environment around them. d. a system of concepts and relationships that explains cause and effect. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 73 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Culture 6. The rapid social changes in Europe, particularly in Great Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, were mainly due to: a. the rise of the feudal system. b. industrialization. c. new farm implements. d. decrease in the population. ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Page 75 TOP: Factual OBJ: Culture 7. Sociologists tend to study culture: a. only as it applies in their home context. b. only as it applies to foreign cultures. c. as it applies to historical cultures. d. as it applies to foreign, historical and home cultures. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Page 77 TOP: Factual OBJ: Culture 8. One of the two main categories of culture that includes values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors is known as: a. subculture. b. counterculture. c. nonmaterial or symbolic culture. d. material culture. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Pages 76–77 TOP: Factual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 9. Everything in our constructed environment, including technology, buildings, furniture, clothing, and books, is part of: a. subculture. b. counterculture. c. nonmaterial or symbolic culture. d. material culture. ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 76 TOP: Factual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 10. According to , the language we speak directly influences and reflects the way we think about and see the world. a. the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis b. the high-low culture debate c. Marxist ideology d. the Law of Averages ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Page 78 TOP: Factual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 11. Baseball in the United States and cockfighting in Bali are examples of which of the following? a. counterculture b. nonmaterial or symbolic culture c. cultural scripts d. ethnocentrism ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Pages 82–83 TOP: Applied OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 12. An example of material culture is: a. values. b. money. c. norms. d. behavior. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 77 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial culture 13. An example of nonmaterial culture is: a. money. b. books. c. values. d. cars. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 77 TOP: Conceptual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 14. Terms such as LOL, ;-), and LMAO have been created by the Internet/instant messaging. This new type of “language” is called: a. subcultures. b. emoticons. c. anti-symbols. d. high culture. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 77 TOP: Factual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 15. The study of culture tells us that: a. the way “our” culture lives tends to be the most efficient. b. there are many ways to view the same symbol. c. most foreign cultures are primitive. d. most cultures don’t understand the meaning of morals. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Page 78 TOP: Factual OBJ: Material versus Nonmaterial Culture 16. A type of nonmaterial culture known as is a system of concepts and relationships sometimes used to understand cause and effect. a. high art b. ideology c. cultural relativism d. ethnocentrism ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Page 79 TOP: Applied OBJ: Ideology 17. Galileo’s discovery that the Earth revolved around the sun rather than standing at the center of the universe is an example of: a. cultural relativism. b. emoticons. c. the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. d. a disproved ideology. ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Page 79 TOP: Applied OBJ: Ideology 18. Ideologies are: a. systems that change only when massive revolutions take place in particular societies. b. systems that remain constant over time. c. often brought into question when certain aspects of that ideology are challenged. d. no longer existent in modern societies. ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Pages 79–80 TOP: Factual OBJ: Ideology 19. Margaret Mead wrote Coming of Age in Samoa (1928), where she found that women in Samoa engaged in and enjoyed casual sex before they were married. This finding challenged: a. ideology. b. sexual scripts. c. cultural scripts. d. all of the above. ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Page 81–82 TOP: Applied OBJ: Ideology | Cultural Scripts 20. Low culture such as hip-hop music is also known as: a. counterculture. b. popular culture. c. cultural scripts. d. cultural relativism.