Ch 1: Practice Problems

Question 1

The discipline of sociology is very similar to that of _____.

a. geography
b. psychology
c. political science
d. cultural anthropology

Answer 1

cultural anthropology

Question 2

Anthropology primarily studies which of the following?

a. Physical, biological, and cultural development of humans
b. The rates of mental illness in the contemporary world
c. Patterns of social organization throughout history
d. Patterns of war throughout history

Answer 2

Physical, biological, and cultural development of humans

Question 3

Capital punishment does NOT deter crime.

Answer 3

true

Question 4

Which person is LEAST likely to fear death?

a. A 25-year-old
b. A 40-year-old
c. A 35-old-year
d. An 80-year-old

Answer 4

An 80-year-old

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a component of the sociological imagination?

a. A conscious effort to reinforce social stereotypes and prejudices
b. An understanding of the influence of history and biography on interaction
c. Experience guides our perceptions
d. A form of sociological thinking

Answer 5

A conscious effort to reinforce social stereotypes and prejudices

Question 6

(T/F) The primary focus of the discipline of history is describing unique historical events.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

What is sociology concerned with?

a. Understanding how the social world impacts environmental and economic processes.
b. Explaining human behavior and how it relates to mental processes.
c. Understanding how the social world affects the self, our thoughts and our interactions.
d. Controlling those aspects of the social world that have the greatest impact on the self.

Answer 7

Understanding how the social world affects the self, our thoughts and our interactions.

Question 8

Sociology is _____.

a. a physical science
b. a sub-discipline of anthropology
c. a sub-discipline of history
d. a social science

Answer 8

a social science

Question 9

Sociology is _____.

a. a physical science
b. a sub-discipline of anthropology
c. a sub-discipline of history
d. a social science

Answer 9

a social science

Question 10

Social anthropology and _____ are synonymous with each other.

a. cultural sociology
b. cultural anthropology
c. cultural psychology
d. cultural social work

Answer 10

cultural anthropology

Question 11

(T/F) The sociological imagination is a theoretical framework rooted in conflict theory that examines how the interconnections between race, power, and the law can explain social and cultural phenomena, events, and situations.

Answer 11

False

Question 12

Which of the following is the focus of social geographers?

a. Linguistic communication
b. Distributions of people
c. Social processes and social structures
d. Rates of droughts and floods

Answer 12

Distributions of people

Question 13

(T/F) The social sciences are just as natural as the physical sciences.

Answer 13

true

Question 14

(T/F) Sociologists generally study society as a whole, while anthropologists are likely to concentrate on only one aspect of society.

Answer 14

False

Question 15

At the microsociological level, what are sociologists trying to understand?

a. The total person
b. Small-scale units in social interaction
c. Large-scale structures and processes
d. The behavior of individuals

Answer 15

Small-scale units in social interaction

Question 16

Which of the following kinds of science best helps us discover general truths, propositions, or laws?

a. Pure science
b. All science
c. Physical science
d. Applied science

Answer 16

All science

Question 17

Which of the following projects would NOT be of professional interest to a social worker?

a. Identifying the per-capita income in all state counties
b. Creating a mentoring program with local executives for teens adjudicated delinquent
c. Developing an after-school program for at-risk teens
d. Applying for a grant to give teen mothers financial support for daycare

Answer 17

Identifying the per-capita income in all state counties

Question 18

(T/F) Macrosociology is concerned with issues such as war, unemployment, and divorce.

Answer 18

true

Question 19

(T/F) Sociology is the study of the regular, recurrent patterns in social life.

Answer 19

true

Question 20

(T/F) The American Sociological Association’s definition of sociology reflects the belief that people can only be understood in a biological context.

Answer 20

False
Rationale: The American Sociological Association’s definition of sociology reflects the belief that people can only be understood in a social context.

Question 21

(T/F) Sociologists believe that only physical forces affect human behavior.

Answer 21

False
Rationale: Sociologists believe that social forces affect human behavior.

Question 22

Sociologists believe that we should only study societies that have democratic governments to understand various points of view.

Answer 22

False
Rationale: Sociologists believe that we can understand various points of view by studying a variety of societies.

Question 23

(T/F) Sociology encourages us not only to look at how both people and events are unique and different from each other but also how we should seek to understand the total person.

Answer 23

False
Rationale: Sociology encourages us to look at how people and events demonstrate regular and recurrent patterns.

Question 24

(T/F) The sociological perspective operates on both the macrosociological and microsociological levels.

Answer 24

true

Question 25

(T/F) Microsociology is concerned with issues such as war, unemployment, and divorce.

Answer 25

False Rationale: War, unemployment, and divorce are macrosociological issues.

Question 26

(T/F) There is the same amount of people experiencing poverty in rural and urban environments.

Answer 26

False Rationale: A higher percentage of people in rural America experience poverty than those in urban environments.

Question 27

(T/F) Capital punishment deters crime but only in urban centers and NOT in rural areas.

Answer 27

False Rationale: Capital punishment does NOT deter crime.

Question 28

(T/F) Globally, rates of suicide are always higher for males than for females.

Answer 28

False Rationale: Globally, a majority, but not all, of the suicide rates are higher for males than for females.

Question 29

(T/F) An 80-year-old and a 29-year-old are equally likely to fear death.

Answer 29

False Rationale: An 80-year-old is less likely to fear death than a 29-year-old.

Question 30

(T/F) When reading a table, it is NOT important for a sociologist to check the source of the information.

Answer 30

False Rationale: When reading a table, sociologists should check the source of the information.

Question 31

(T/F) The social sciences are the only sciences that attempt to discover general truths, propositions, or laws.

Answer 31

False Rationale: All science attempts to discover general truths, propositions, or laws.

Question 32

(T/F) Political science is an example of a social science.

Answer 32

true

Question 33

(T/F) Sociologists are biological scientists.

Answer 33

False Rationale: Sociologists are social scientists.

Question 34

(T/F) The social sciences are a subcategory of physical sciences.

Answer 34

False Rationale: Both the social sciences and the physical sciences look at the natural world, although the social sciences focus on humans and the physical sciences on the physical world.

Question 35

(T/F) Academic sociologists are not applied social scientists.

Answer 35

True

Question 36

(T/F) Economists generally study society as a whole, while sociologists are likely to concentrate on only one aspect of society.

Answer 36

False Rationale: Anthropologists generally study society as a whole, while sociologists are likely to concentrate on only one aspect of society.

Question 37

(T/F) Economists study economic systems.

Answer 37

True

Question 38

(T/F) Social geographers study distributions of people, while cultural geographers study climate, agriculture, the distribution of plant species, and oceanography.

Answer 38

False Rationale: Social geographers study distributions of people, while physical geographers study climate, agriculture, the distribution of plant species, and oceanography.

Question 39

(T/F) Social work is the social science of social relationships.

Answer 39

False Rationale: Social work is the field in which the principles of the social sciences are applied to social problems.

Question 40

(T/F) Psychology’s primary concern is economic deprivation’s effects on rates of mental illness.

Answer 40

False Rationale: Psychology’s primary concern is individual mental processes and behavior.

Question 41

(T/F) The primary focus of the discipline of history is discovering general truths about society.

Answer 41

False Rationale: The primary focus of the discipline of history is describing unique historical events.