CLEP - Sociology 11-14

Question 1

Rational-legal authority

Answer 1

Authority stemming from within the framework of a body of laws that have been duly enacted

Question 2

Charismatic authority

Answer 2

Authority based on the extraordinary, uncanny, & supernatural powers or abilities that have been associated with a particular person

Question 3

Authoritarian

Answer 3

A form of govt in which rulers tolerate little, if any, opposition to their authority

Question 4

Totalitarian

Answer 4

A form of govt in which there are, in principle, no recognizable limits to authority that rulers are willing to acknowledge

Question 5

Democratic

Answer 5

A form of govt in which authority ultimately lies with the people, whose participation in govt is considered a right

Question 6

Religion

Answer 6

A theory, creed, or body of dogma that seeks to comprehend the universe & human beings place in it, god or the gods, as well as the supernatural realm

Question 7

Sacred

Answer 7

The sphere of ideas, activities, persons, objects, abilities, & experiences that have been deemed holy, divine, supernatural, or mystical & hence, unalterable

Question 8

Profane

Answer 8

Things that ARE NOT sacred, things that are mundane like our jobs or bills etc…

Question 9

Cult

Answer 9

A religious organization consisting of a small group of followers surrounding a charismatic religious leader

Question 10

Church

Answer 10

A religious organization whose leadership is formally established, economic foundation has been institutionalized, membership is by birth (not voluntary), & sanctions take the form of interdiction & excommunication

Question 11

Sect

Answer 11

A religious organization that, unlike a cult, does not depend on the kind of personal inspiration offered by a charismatic leader for its continuity

Question 12

Social stratification

Answer 12

The structured inequality characterized by groups of people with differential access to the rewards of society bc of their relative position in the social hierarchy

Question 13

Social hierarchy

Answer 13

Ranked statuses in which people function

Question 14

Social mobility

Answer 14

The ability of a given individual or group to move thru the social strata

Question 15

Race

Answer 15

The attribution of hereditary differences to human populations that are genetically distinct

Question 16

Ethnicity

Answer 16

A population known & identified on the basis of their common language, national heritage, &/or biological inheritance

Question 17

Mass hysteria

Answer 17

A collective emotional response to tension & anxiety in a group

Question 18

Panic

Answer 18

A collective action caused by the overwhelming feeling & awareness of needing to escape a dangerous situation immediately

Question 19

Craze

Answer 19

A situation of collective behavior in which people become obsessed with wanting something bc of the popular belief that “everyone else” seems to have it

Question 20

Fad

Answer 20

The type of short term obsession with a behavior that is unexpected & widely copied

Question 21

Fashions

Answer 21

Widely held beliefs, styles, & attitudes toward dress, hair styles, music & the like

Question 22

Rumor

Answer 22

A piece of unconfirmed public info that may or may not be accurate

Question 23

Mass

Answer 23

Those people who are similarly concerned with the same problem or phenomena w/out necessarily being together in the same place at the same time

Question 24

Audience

Answer 24

The type of “passive crowd” that is both oriented toward & responding to a social situation in a relatively orderly & predictable way

Question 25

Mob

Answer 25

The type of crowd that is easily aroused & easily bent to taking aggressive action of a violent or disruptive nature

Question 26

Riot

Answer 26

Similar to mob action, although usually larger numbers of people, longer in duration, & not as spontaneous

Question 27

Contagion theory

Answer 27

Theory developed by Gustave LeBon that contends that crowds exert a distinct milieu that powerfully influences its members

Question 28

Convergence theory

Answer 28

Theory that individuals, not the crowd, possess particular motivations

Question 29

Emergent-norm theory

Answer 29

Theory developed by Ralph Turner & Lewis Killian that argues that crowds do not necessarily begin with individuals sharing the same interests & motives but, rather, certain individuals construct new norms, which are soon adopted by the entire collective

Question 30

Traditional authority

Answer 30

Authority based on long-held & sacred customs