CHAPTER 1: SOCIOLOGY AND THE REAL WORLD
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Sociologists observe society:
a. by studying the various parts of a society and the ways they interact and influence each
other.
b. by focusing solely on individual behaviors.
c. by studying society as if it were a concrete object, in the same way a geologist studies
rocks.
d. by utilizing the preconceptions, assumptions, and beliefs that come from living in a
society.
e. through the use of special scientific tools that allow unmediated access to the very heart of
society.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 10 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Applying
2. Even though a small number of people have been trained academically as sociologists, we all can
be described as “natural sociologists” because:
a. sociology is a part of human nature.
b. society is a part of nature, so everyone has to be a natural sociologist.
c. our parents taught us to be sociologists even before they sent us to school.
d. we are all members of society and therefore have a great deal of background knowledge
about how society works.
e. sociologists are really just observers of conventional wisdom.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 9
TOP: Practical versus Scientific Knowledge (I) MSC: Remembering
,3. Unlike sociologists, most people base their knowledge of the world on:
a. expert knowledge based on surveys and interviews.
b. journals and other publications that summarize the conclusions of professional researchers.
c. conventional wisdom, background knowledge, and personal experience.
d. the opinions of their parents and other family members.
e. the opinions of political leaders and other influential public figures.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 9
TOP: Practical versus Scientific Knowledge (I) MSC: Remembering
4. Sociology can be defined as the systematic and scientific study of human society and social
behavior. Given this definition, what level(s) of social structure listed below best describe(s) what
sociologists might examine?
a. only small groups
b. almost any level—from interactions between two people to large-scale institutions
c. mass culture and large institutions
d. relations between individuals
e. large-scale social structures that involve significant numbers of people
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Understanding
5. Howard Becker said that sociology can best be understood as the study of people “doing things
together.” This definition reminds us that:
a. neither society nor the individual exists in isolation; each is dependent on the other.
b. sociology is only interested in the way people act, not in the way they think.
c. only large-scale interactions that involve many people can be understood by sociologists.
d. people must have some knowledge of each other before they can really do anything
, together.
e. individuals exist independently of society and can be understood without considering
social influence.
ANS: A DIF: Hard REF: Page 9 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Applying
6. The social sciences are all those disciplines that study:
a. the human, or social, world.
b. the natural world.
c. the physical universe.
d. digital communication.
e. the relationship of animals to places.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 20 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Remembering
7. Sociology can be approached from either a microsociological or a macrosociological perspective.
Which is more useful?
a. Macrosociological—it explains how large-scale social institutions influence individuals.
b. Microsociological—it explains how individuals shape and create large-scale social
institutions.
c. Macrosociological—it helps to understand how face-to-face interactions shape society.
d. Both are useful in different ways, because any study that uses only one or the other will be
unable to explain anything useful about society.
e. Both are useful in different ways, because they each provide different types of information
about the same object of study.
ANS: E DIF: Hard REF: Pages 16–18
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Applying
, 8. Which of the following best characterizes microsociology?
a. It is an approach that examines large-scale social structures in order to see how they affect
individual lives.
b. It is an approach that examines interactions between individuals and the ways those
interactions reflect larger patterns within a society.
c. It is an approach that examines institutional interactions that occur over time.
d. It is an approach that quantifies data about social structures so that they can be analyzed
statistically.
e. It is an approach that exclusively focuses on gender and power as they are enacted
socially.
ANS: B DIF: Hard REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Remembering
9. Pam Fishman studied conversations between heterosexual couples to determine how power is
created and maintained through face-to-face interactions on an everyday basis. Given this
information, how would you describe her approach?
a. macrosociological
b. historical
c. microsociological
d. comparative
e. global
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Applying
10. Sociologists assert that there is a close relationship between the individual and society. How does
Pam Fishman’s research on gender and power in heterosexual couples characterize this
relationship?
a. Fishman’s data show how macro-level phenomena like gender and power manifest
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Sociologists observe society:
a. by studying the various parts of a society and the ways they interact and influence each
other.
b. by focusing solely on individual behaviors.
c. by studying society as if it were a concrete object, in the same way a geologist studies
rocks.
d. by utilizing the preconceptions, assumptions, and beliefs that come from living in a
society.
e. through the use of special scientific tools that allow unmediated access to the very heart of
society.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 10 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Applying
2. Even though a small number of people have been trained academically as sociologists, we all can
be described as “natural sociologists” because:
a. sociology is a part of human nature.
b. society is a part of nature, so everyone has to be a natural sociologist.
c. our parents taught us to be sociologists even before they sent us to school.
d. we are all members of society and therefore have a great deal of background knowledge
about how society works.
e. sociologists are really just observers of conventional wisdom.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 9
TOP: Practical versus Scientific Knowledge (I) MSC: Remembering
,3. Unlike sociologists, most people base their knowledge of the world on:
a. expert knowledge based on surveys and interviews.
b. journals and other publications that summarize the conclusions of professional researchers.
c. conventional wisdom, background knowledge, and personal experience.
d. the opinions of their parents and other family members.
e. the opinions of political leaders and other influential public figures.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 9
TOP: Practical versus Scientific Knowledge (I) MSC: Remembering
4. Sociology can be defined as the systematic and scientific study of human society and social
behavior. Given this definition, what level(s) of social structure listed below best describe(s) what
sociologists might examine?
a. only small groups
b. almost any level—from interactions between two people to large-scale institutions
c. mass culture and large institutions
d. relations between individuals
e. large-scale social structures that involve significant numbers of people
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Understanding
5. Howard Becker said that sociology can best be understood as the study of people “doing things
together.” This definition reminds us that:
a. neither society nor the individual exists in isolation; each is dependent on the other.
b. sociology is only interested in the way people act, not in the way they think.
c. only large-scale interactions that involve many people can be understood by sociologists.
d. people must have some knowledge of each other before they can really do anything
, together.
e. individuals exist independently of society and can be understood without considering
social influence.
ANS: A DIF: Hard REF: Page 9 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Applying
6. The social sciences are all those disciplines that study:
a. the human, or social, world.
b. the natural world.
c. the physical universe.
d. digital communication.
e. the relationship of animals to places.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 20 TOP: What Is Sociology? (II)
MSC: Remembering
7. Sociology can be approached from either a microsociological or a macrosociological perspective.
Which is more useful?
a. Macrosociological—it explains how large-scale social institutions influence individuals.
b. Microsociological—it explains how individuals shape and create large-scale social
institutions.
c. Macrosociological—it helps to understand how face-to-face interactions shape society.
d. Both are useful in different ways, because any study that uses only one or the other will be
unable to explain anything useful about society.
e. Both are useful in different ways, because they each provide different types of information
about the same object of study.
ANS: E DIF: Hard REF: Pages 16–18
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Applying
, 8. Which of the following best characterizes microsociology?
a. It is an approach that examines large-scale social structures in order to see how they affect
individual lives.
b. It is an approach that examines interactions between individuals and the ways those
interactions reflect larger patterns within a society.
c. It is an approach that examines institutional interactions that occur over time.
d. It is an approach that quantifies data about social structures so that they can be analyzed
statistically.
e. It is an approach that exclusively focuses on gender and power as they are enacted
socially.
ANS: B DIF: Hard REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Remembering
9. Pam Fishman studied conversations between heterosexual couples to determine how power is
created and maintained through face-to-face interactions on an everyday basis. Given this
information, how would you describe her approach?
a. macrosociological
b. historical
c. microsociological
d. comparative
e. global
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Page 16
TOP: Levels of Analysis: Micro- and Macrosociology (IV) MSC: Applying
10. Sociologists assert that there is a close relationship between the individual and society. How does
Pam Fishman’s research on gender and power in heterosexual couples characterize this
relationship?
a. Fishman’s data show how macro-level phenomena like gender and power manifest
