Chapter 1 - The Sociological Perspective

Question 1

Postmodern perspective (p. 21)

Answer 1

cultural and social changes characteristics of postmodernity are closely linked to post-industrialization, consumerism, and global communications.

Question 2

Proletariat (p. 12)

Answer 2

The working class (proletariat) is composed of those who must sell their labour because they have no other means to earn a livelihood.

Question 3

Social Darwinism (p. 10)

Answer 3

the belief that those species of animals (including human beings) best adapted to their environment survive and prosper, whereas those poorly adapted die out.

Question 4

Social Facts (p. 11)

Answer 4

are patterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual.

Question 5

Social Solidarity (p. 17)

Answer 5

that is, the state of having shared beliefs and values among members of a social group, along with intense and frequent interaction among group members.

Question 6

Societal Consensus (p. 16)

Answer 6

whereby the majority of members share a common set of values, beliefs, and behavioural expectations.

Question 7

Society (p. 4)

Answer 7

is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

Question 8

Sociological Imagination (p. 5)

Answer 8

the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and larger society.

Question 9

Sociology (p. 4)

Answer 9

is the systematic study of human society and social interaction.

Question 10

Symbol (p. 20)

Answer 10

is anything that meaningfully represents something else.

Question 11

Symbolic Interactionist perspective (p. 20)

Answer 11

society is the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups.

Question 12

Theory (p. 16)

Answer 12

a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and (occasionally) predict social events.

Question 13

Urbanization (p. 8)

Answer 13

is the process by which an increasing proportion of a population lives in cities

Question 14

Alienation (p. 12)

Answer 14

the exploitation of workers results in alienation - a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself.

Question 15

anomie (p. 11)

Answer 15

a condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and of a sense of purpose in society.

Question 16

Bourgeoisie (p. 12)

Answer 16

the capitalist class comprises of those who own and control the means of production - the tools, land, factories, and money.

Question 17

Class Conflict (p. 12)

Answer 17

is the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.

Question 18

common sense knowledge (p. 4)

Answer 18

guides ordinary conduct of everyday life.

Question 19

Conflict perspective (p. 17)

Answer 19

groups in society are engaged in continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources.

Question 20

Dysfunctions (p. 16)

Answer 20

are the undesirable consequences of any element of a society.

Question 21

Feminist perspective (p. 19)

Answer 21

focus on the significance of gender in understanding and explaining inequalities that exist between men and women, in the household, in the paid labour force, and in the realms of politics, law, and culture.

Question 22

Functionalist (p. 16)

Answer 22

are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system. values & beliefs

Question 23

Global interdependence (p. 4)

Answer 23

a relationship in which the lives of all people are closely intertwined and any on nation’s problems are part of a larger global problem.

Question 24

High income countries (p. 7)

Answer 24

are nations with highly industrialized economies; technologically advanced industrial, administrative, and service occupations; and relatively high levels of national and personal income.

Question 25

Industrialization (p. 8)

Answer 25

is the process by which societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries.

Question 26

Latent Functions (p. 16)

Answer 26

are unintended functions that are hidden and remain unacknowledged by participants. (contrast to manifest function)

Question 27

Low-income countries (p. 7)

Answer 27

are primarily agrarian, with little industrialization and low levels of national and personal income.

Question 28

Macrolevel analysis (p. 20)

Answer 28

examines whole societies, large-scale social structures, and social systems.

Question 29

Manifest Functions (p. 16)

Answer 29

are intended and/or overtly recognized by the participants in a social unit. (contrast to latent function)

Question 30

Means of Production (p. 12)

Answer 30

tools, land, factories, and money

Question 31

Microlevel analysis (p. 20)

Answer 31

which focuses on small groups rather than large-scale social structures.

Question 32

Perspective (p.16)

Answer 32

an overall approach to or viewpoint on some subject.

Question 33

Positivism (p. 9)

Answer 33

a belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry.