Course Questions Flashcards
What is sociology?
a) the academic study of mind and behavior
b) the academic study of social behavior
c) the study of life and living organisms
d) the study of the distribution of goods and services
the academic study of social behavior
Feedback: The correct answer is B. Sociology is a social science that studies social behavior through empirical investigation and critical analysis.
In what kind of settings can sociology be used?
a) academics
b) policy research
c) criminal justice
d) all of the above
academics
policy research
criminal justice
Feedback: The correct answer is D. Other than academics, sociology can be applied to policy research and counseling.
Which of the following statements best describes the sociological imagination?
a) It looks at personal issues from a wider, more general perspective.
b) It is the ability to form new images and sensations in the mind.
c) It is a method of testing hypotheses through data collection.
d) It focuses on a social way of accomplishing personal goals.
It looks at personal issues from a wider, more general perspective.
Feedback: The correct answer is A. The sociological imagination approaches individual problems by taking into account social systems.
What is a hypothesis?
a) a tentative statement about the world that the researcher knows to be true
b) a tentative statement about the world that cannot be proven or disproven
c) a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more concepts
d) a tentative statement about the world that helps to explain certain phenomena
a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more concepts
Feedback: The correct answer is C. A hypothesis is the tentative answer to a question being asked, which can be tested through research.
What is the first step of the sociological research process?
a) Ask a question.
b) Conduct research.
c) Evaluate data.
d) Form a hypothesis.
Ask a question.
Feedback: The correct answer is A. Before starting any study, a sociologist must first pose a question that they hope to answer from with their findings.
What is a theory?
a) a proposed explanation for something that can actually be tested
b) a scientific activity meant to make a certain aspect of the world easier to understand
c) a judgment or decision reached through reasoning
d) a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and sometimes predict social events
a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and sometimes predict social events
Feedback: The correct answer is D. A theory is a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and sometimes predict social events. Theories are often used in social sciences.
What is the difference between correlation and causation?
a) Correlation means two variables are unrelated, while causation means two variables are related.
b) Correlation means two variables are related, while causation means that one variable causes the other.
c) Correlation means one variable causes the other, while causation means the two variables are related.
d) Correlation means two variables are affected by an outside force, while causation means two variables are unrelated.
Correlation means two variables are related, while causation means that one variable causes the other.
Feedback: The correct answer is B. When two variables are correlated, it means they are associated, but one does not cause the other. Causation happens when one variable directly causes the other to occur.
What is the research method called when a person observes and records in-depth detailed information about a group of people?
a) survey
b) biography
c) experiment
d) ethnography
ethnography
Feedback: The correct answer is D. Ethnography is the systematic study of a group of people, in order to better understand their social life.
Who introduced the idea of double consciousness?
a) Jane Addams
b) Harriet Martineau
c) W.E.B. DuBois
d) Émile Durkheim
W.E.B. DuBois
Feedback: The correct answer is C. W.E.B. DuBois coined the term double consciousness to describe the turmoil that comes with feeling like you have more than one social identity.
While psychology might consider whether stress leads people to smoke at a higher rate, sociology would most likely ask…
a. how the price of cigarettes affects smoking rates.
b. how the prevalence of smoking in a peer group affects the decision to start smoking.
c. how a genetic predisposition might affect someone’s decision to smoke.
d. the extent to which smoking will have detrimental effects on a person’s health.
b. how the prevalence of smoking in a peer group affects the decision to start smoking.
Correct. Sociologists study the social forces surrounding an individual.
Which of the following choices provides the best example of the sociological imagination? “The sociological imagination is recognizing that…
a. someone’s predisposition to anxiety might be influenced by her genes.”
b. someone who is relatively impoverished will be unable to afford a luxury coffee like Starbucks.”
c. someone might be influenced to go see an action film by the fact that his best friend loves action films.”
d. someone’s choice to ask for a raise at work might be influenced by her sense of what is appropriate behavior for women.”
d. someone’s choice to ask for a raise at work might be influenced by her sense of what is appropriate behavior for women.”
Correct. An individual’s decision to ask for a raise might be determined not just by her personality and the particularities of her work environment but also by her sense of gender.
Who explored the importance of conflict within a society?
a. W.E.B. du Bois
b. Harriet Martineau
c. Karl Marx
d. Max Weber
Karl Marx
Correct. Marx first identified the conflict as social classes vie for power.
Which theorist co-founded the Chicago Hull House?
a. Jane Addams
b. Herbert Spencer
c. Émile Durkheim
d. Harriet Martineau
Jane Addams
Correct. Addams founded the Hull House to house recent immigrants.
How does the work of both Karl Marx and Max Weber set the field of sociology apart from anthropology?
a. Both deal with modern rather than pre-modern societies.
b. Both deal with social conflict rather than social cooperation.
c. Both deal with the sociological imagination, which is not found in anthropology.
d. Both see the general in the particular, which is not found in anthropology.
a. Both deal with modern rather than pre-modern societies.
Correct. Both theorists helped define sociology as oriented towards the study of modern societies.
Which of the following is the best example of a situation in which the sociological imagination would have some insight?
a. A shopper chooses to go to a store that’s further away because she likes the produce better at the farther market.
b. A student recognizes that she may be avoiding studying because her peers make her feel unaccepted when she gets a good grade.
c. A man suffering from cancer is unable to get the medicine he needs because he cannot afford it.
d. A reader chooses to read a dystopian novel over a romance because she just broke up with her boyfriend.
b. A student recognizes that she may be avoiding studying because her peers make her feel unaccepted when she gets a good grade.
Correct. Someone’s personal decision to study might be influenced by larger social structures, such as her peer group.
Rationalization was introduced by which thinker?
a. Karl Marx
b. Max Weber
c. W.E.B. du Bois
d. Émile Durkheim
Max Weber
Correct. Weber introduced rationalization, the idea that rational or economic goals replace traditional or emotional incentives for people’s behavior.
Which perspective is centered around the balance of a society, which relies on all of the contributing parts working together?
a. Functionalism
b. Conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionism
d. Feminism
Functionalism
Correct. Functionalists consider society in terms of what social structures work well, contributing to the well-being of the whole society, and what social structures detract from social well-being.
Which perspective focuses on communication between individuals influencing the way a society operates?
a. Functionalism
b. Conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionism
d. Feminism
Symbolic Interactionism
Correct. Sociologists who work from the perspective of symbolic interactionism consider how everyday interactions communicate social knowledge.
The _____________ places emphasis on symbols and how they influence social interactions and, in turn, society. (Perspective)
Symbolic Interactionism Perspective
The negative impact that dysfunction has on the balance of a society is related to the _____________. (Perspective)
Functionalist Perspective
Including a facial expression or object emoticon in a text message or email exemplifies the _____________. (Perspective)
Symbolic Interactionism Perspective
The _____________ believes that social classes and social inequality will inevitably lead to struggles for power. (Perspective)
Conflict Perspective
The _____________ studies two different sorts of outcomes: one is intended by the institution or social group; the other is unintended or unrecognized. (Perspective)
Functionalist Perspective
Philosopher Karl Marx was a proponent of the _____________. (Perspective)
Conflict Perspective
Which of the following would NOT be an example of applied sociology?
a. A study to measure how often former prisoners recommit crimes compared to how many times they are required to check in with their parole officers.
b. Medical researchers recording how often patients bring up partner abuse to a doctor during a regular check-up based on different scripts the doctors use to ask about the patients’ home situations.
c. A study measuring the effectiveness of two different youth programs in raising students’ grades.
d. A graduate student running a research project to see if including certain words into a passage volunteers read evokes greater feelings of patriotism in them as measured by a survey.
d. A graduate student running a research project to see if including certain words into a passage volunteers read evokes greater feelings of patriotism in them as measured by a survey.
Correct. This example does not have immediate social benefits and is an example of academic sociology.
A clinical sociologist would most likely be found in what area?
a. Business
b. Health care
c. Education
d. Academia
Healthcare
Correct. Clinical sociologists often work in the medical field.
Which of the following perspectives would focus on the social significance of rituals like handshakes, hugs, or high fives?
a. Functionalist perspective
b. Conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionist perspective
d. Feminist perspective
c. Symbolic interactionist perspective
Correct. Symbolic interactionists are focused on everyday social interactions.
Which of the following perspectives would focus on the social inequalities that exist in capitalist societies?
a. Functionalist perspective
b. Conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionist perspective
d. Feminist perspective
b. Conflict perspective
Correct. The conflict perspective, pioneered by Karl Marx, often focuses on the conflicts in a capitalist society, though it can take up other types of social conflict and inequality.
A feminist perspective is closest to which other major sociological perspective?
a. Functionalism
b. Conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionalism
d. None of the above
Conflict Perspective
Correct. Feminism does not primarily see gender as part of how a society creates balance but instead as part of how certain social groups oppress or exploit others, a perspective close to that of conflict theory.
A sociologist has a theory that greater social interaction would help older adults retain mental capacity. What might research do to help her theory?
a. It could further refine the theory by adding an explanation for why adults who interact more retain greater mental capacity.
b. It could raise issues about her theory by considering other theories that better explain the phenomenon.
c. It could provide evidence to support her theory by comparing the social interactions of mentally sharp older adults to the interactions of those who have average mental capacity.
d. It could spread her theory beyond older adults by addressing other social groups.
c. It could provide evidence to support her theory by comparing the social interactions of mentally sharp older adults to the interactions of those who have average mental capacity.
Correct. Research provides information to bolster or undermine a sociological theory.
Which of the following is the best example of descriptive research?
a. A project that records the language young Caucasians in a certain metro region use to describe people of African-American heritage.
b. A project that measures the frequency with which consumers buy a product after seeing images where a beautiful woman is shown using the product.
c. A study that compares the rates of vaping in different grades.
d. A survey that asks people about their beliefs on hot-button political issues and then asks about voting behavior.
a. A project that records the language young Caucasians in a certain metro region use to describe people of African-American heritage.
Correct. This project seeks to more fully describe a social situation, perhaps providing evidence for a theory or suggesting avenues of further research.
Why is creating an operational definition important?
a. It is needed to further refine the theory.
b. It is needed to raise methodological issues.
c. It is needed to analyze the research results.
d. It is needed to allow a hypothesis to be tested.
It is needed to allow a hypothesis to be tested.
Correct. Operational definitions allow a concept, such as “success,” to be measured and analyzed with data.
What is a disadvantage of using an experiment to gather data in sociological research?
a. It does not generate sufficient data.
b. People may not act the way they would in real life.
c. It may not be replicable by other social scientists.
d. The researchers presence in the field may change how those he observes behave.
b. People may not act the way they would in real life.
Correct. Since an experiment manipulates the environment to make the experiment replicable, it may change the way participants react. A response in an artificial environment may not give researchers accurate information about how people respond in the real world.
1) ________ research offers characterizations and descriptions of studied phenomena; ________ research contains factors that are measured in numbers.
a) Quantitative; qualitative
b) Qualitative; quantitative
c) Hypothetical; qualitative
d) Quantitative; hypothetical
b) Qualitative; quantitative
Correct. Quantitative usually means numbers are involved while qualitative is related to description.
In the sociological research process, what step comes immediately after you ask a question and do background research?
a) gather evidence
b) report results
c) construct hypothesis
d) analyze data
c) construct hypothesis
Correct. Determining what you want to ask and researching the topic helps you form a working hypothesis that you can test.
Quantitative methods of sociological research rely on variables, which are ________.
a) the specific questions that a researcher is asking
b) the data from previous studies that other researchers have conducted
c) the results of the researcher’s first test of the hypothesis
d) the factors being measured that can change given different conditions
d) the factors being measured that can change given different conditions
Correct. Variables are the traits or characteristics that are measured in an experiment can be manipulated.
If ________ appears in an experiment, then the results of the study will not reflect the real situation.
a) bias
b) a sample
c) correlation
d) causation
a) bias
Correct. Bias is a methodological problem, such as a sample not accurately representing the population, which causes the results of the study to misrepresent the real situation.
Which of the following best explains the difference between correlation and causation?
a) Correlation is statistically significant; causation is not.
b) Correlation is the preferred type of data used in the social sciences; causation is the preferred type of data used in hard sciences.
c) Correlation indicates statistical association among multiple variables; causation indicates that one variable is the cause of another.
d) Correlation shows how multiple variables increase over time; causation shows how multiple variables decrease over time.
c) Correlation indicates statistical association among multiple variables; causation indicates that one variable is the cause of another.
Correct. Correlation does not prove causation.
Which of the following is NOT an unethical aspect of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment?
a. Researchers infected the men with syphilis.
b. Researchers failed to treat the men once there was an established treatment for syphilis.
c. Researchers allowed the infected men to infect their partners and children.
d. Researchers lied to participants about tests they conducted during the experiment.
a. Researchers infected the men with syphilis.
Correct. One of the few aspects of the experiment that researchers are not to blame for is the participants’ initial contracting of the disease.
Which of the following is the best example of a conflict of interest?
a. A researcher observes participants without their knowledge in a public park.
b. A researcher is paid by a university to engage in sociological research in addition to teaching.
c. A researcher does academic research on people’s attitudes towards products that are made by a company she consults for.
d. The researcher misleads participants in a study on exercise by telling them that studies have shown that exercise increases health risks.
c. A researcher does academic research on people’s attitudes towards products that are made by a company she consults for.
Correct. The researcher may not be conducting unbiased research on that topic since she is paid by a company that has an interest in the results.
What are some of the limitations of a survey as a research tool?
a. The presence of the researcher can influence how people act, and the questions may lack breadth.
b. People may not behave the same way in the setting as they would in their real lives, and they may be influenced by the knowledge they are being studied.
c. Researchers cannot learn important information from self-reported data, and there is often no way to get surveys to participants.
d. People may not accurately report their own experiences, and the questions themselves may shape the responses gathered.
People may not accurately report their own experiences, and the questions themselves may shape the responses gathered.
Correct. These are potential limitations of a survey.
What does it mean for results to be statistically significant?
a. The same results will occur the next time the experiment is repeated.
b. It means the results have probably not occurred by chance.
c. It means the researches designed the experiment well enough that the results show an actual social force on the individual.
d. It means the results are not correlated with the phenomenon being studied.
It means the results have probably not occurred by chance
Correct. For results to be statistically significant, it probably means they did not happen by chance.
When might a researcher choose to take a sample rather than measuring the entire population?
a. When the population is too small for the sample to be statistically significant.
b. When the population is too large for the results to be important.
c. When the population is too large for every member to be measured.
d. When the sample will have exactly the same number of members as the population.
c. When the population is too large for every member to be measured.
Correct. Samples are taken when a population is too large for all members to be measured.
A sociologist works for a children’s television program and advises about the social implications of what children will learn from the program. What is this an example of?
Applied Sociology
Whose ideas are the basis for the conflict perspective?
a) Auguste Comte
b) Jane Addams
c) Herbert Spencer
d) Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Feedback: The correct answer is D. Karl Marx’s studies of class conflict are the basis for the conflict perspective in sociology.
What is the best summary of George Herbert Mead’s theory of social interactions?
a) No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another, and people have to learn what symbols mean and how to use them.
b) People interact based on conflict between their statuses in life.
c) Each person occupies a specific place in society that contributes to the operation of their social group.
d) The unintended consequences of interactions create the basis of society’s problems.
No one is born knowing how to communicate with one another, and people have to learn what symbols mean and how to use them.
Feedback: The correct answer is A. Mead’s theory about social interactions and symbols created the basis for symbolic interactionism.
How might a functionalist classify the popularity and prominence of football in American society?
a) Football exacerbates the worst divisions of society, such as between rich athletes and blue collar workers, and maintains the subordinate role of minorities in society.
b) Football is almost a religious institution that uses rituals to reinforce common American values, such as competition, and it serves as an outlet for aggression in order to help maintain social cohesion.
c) Football encourages gender differences, especially since it is a sport almost exclusive to male athletes.
d) Football increases friendship networks, both between players and spectators, and reflects the social structure of our society.
Football is almost a religious institution that uses rituals to reinforce common American values, such as competition, and it serves as an outlet for aggression in order to help maintain social cohesion.
Feedback: The correct answer is B. A functionalist would say that football serves a specific purpose in society in order to help it better function.
Why are operational definitions of variables necessary for research?
a) Operational definitions are not usually used in sociological research.
b) Each variable needs to be identified as dependent or independent so that the researcher can know which variable is affecting the other.
c) Operational definitions are only necessary in experiments.
d) Variables need established operational definitions so that they can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
Variables need established operational definitions so that they can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
Feedback: The correct answer is D. Operational definitions of variables are necessary in research so that the variables can be measured and the data can be analyzed.
A researcher tests a sample of elementary school children in the United States on their reading abilities and also counts the number of books in their homes. He finds that those children who have books in their home have better reading skills. What is this an example of?
a) Hawthorne effect
b) correlation
c) causation
d) variables
Correlation
Feedback: The correct answer is B. Although the researcher found that owning more books is related to better reading ability, this does not mean that one causes the other; they are simply correlated. Perhaps wealthier families can both afford to buy more books and give their children other advantages that improve reading.
Which of the following is an advantage of field research?
a) It has breadth.
b) Information can be gathered relatively quickly and easily.
c) It can offer a lot of detail about a topic.
d) It provides objective information about people and society.
It can offer a lot of detail on a topic
Feedback: The correct answer is C. Field research can lack breadth, it can be very time-consuming, and different researchers might draw different conclusions about what they observed, but unlike other research methods, it offers detail about the situation.
If you wanted to compare the attitudes of Virginia residents towards gun control with the attitudes of Oregon residents, which research method would you choose?
a) experiment
b) ethnography
c) participant observation
d) survey
Survey
Feedback: The correct answer is D. Surveys are useful for gleaning information from large groups of people and drawing specific comparisons between respondents.
The ability to recognize the societal forces that influence individual behavior and attitude is known as __________.
a) materialist conception
b) organic solidarity
c) sociological imagination
d) applied sociology
Sociological Imagination
Feedback: The correct answer is C. Sociological imagination requires one to widen his or her perspective to understand the social forces that shape behavior and attitudes.
The requirement that all participants in a study be aware of potential risks is known as __________.
a) informed consent
b) exploitation of participants
c) confidentiality
d) participant care
Informed consent
Feedback: The correct answer is A. Informed consent requires that participants in a study are aware of all of the potential risks that could result from their participation in a study.
A sociologist analyzing the language of job ads from the early twentieth century looking for gender bias would be an example of which type of research?
a) field research
b) content analysis
c) secondary analysis
d) participant observation
Content analysis
Feedback: The correct answer is B. Analyzing the language of job ads would be a type of content analysis.
Luciana is a sociologist who studies the experience of first-generation Latinx families in St. Louis. She is asked by a non-profit to consult on how to decrease the stigmatization faced by prisoners upon their release from prison. What ethical issue does Luciana potentially face?
a) accurately reporting results
b) attribution
c) expertise
d) informed consent
Expertise
Feedback: The correct answer is C. Luciana does not have experience studying the prison population. If she does not explain what her area of expertise is to the non-profit, she might illegitimately benefit from her status as a sociologist without the necessary experience.
Auguste Comte employed which of the following philosophical systems which studied society through a scientific lens?
a positivism
b social Darwinism
c double consciousness
d rationalization
Positivism
When people take their own culture as the standard for judging others, they are _____.
a relativistic
b globalized
c modernized
d ethnocentric
Ethnocentric
How can folkways and mores be compared?
a Folkways are actions that are completely prohibited by a culture, while mores are simply traditional ways of doing something.
b Folkways are traditional ways of doing something, while mores are actions that are completely prohibited by a culture.
c Folkways are values that are considered morally right, while mores are traditional ways of doing something.
d Folkways are traditional ways of doing something, while mores concern moral values.
Folkways are traditional ways of doing something, while mores concern moral values.
Behavior that is preprogrammed is known as _____, which animals — as opposed to humans — are primarily equipped with.
a norms
b instincts
c sanctions
d enculturation
Instincts
What is the difference between subcultures and countercultures?
a Subcultures are always less powerful than the dominant culture, while countercultures may be as powerful as the dominant culture.
b Subcultures have their own distinctive language, values, and behaviors, while countercultures are oriented against what they perceive to be flaws in the dominant culture.
c Subcultures are creative forces that eventually change the dominant culture, while countercultures are most often smaller groups that absorb the values, language, and beliefs of the dominant culture.
d Subcultures are always countercultural, but countercultural groups can be as large and powerful as the dominant culture.
Subcultures have their own distinctive language, values, and behaviors, while countercultures are oriented against what they perceive to be flaws in the dominant culture.
Enculturation is the process of ______.
a identifying characteristics of a different culture
b learning, acquiring, and internalizing cultural patterns and practices
c creating a subculture within a larger culture
d representing cultural patterns and practices through symbols
learning, acquiring, and internalizing cultural patterns and practices
A twenty-year-old woman subconsciously compares her weight to those of women she sees in magazines and is constantly dieting to lose weight. What is this an example of?
a someone in the young adult phase of the life course
b someone in the game stage of development
c the mass media as an agent of socialization
d the influence of companies promoting dieting on our culture
the mass media as an agent of socialization
From a sociological perspective, which factor does not greatly influence a person’s socialization?
a) blood type
b) gender
c) socioeconomic status
d) race
a) blood type
Which of the following examples best exhibits how a school socializes a student?
a) The student learns that breakfast is the first meal of the day.
b) The student learns to pay attention and follow the instructions of someone in a position of authority.
c) The student reads a book and learns about British history.
d) The student learns to respect his or her parents.
b) The student learns to pay attention and follow the instructions of someone in a position of authority.
Which of the following is usually the earliest agent of socialization in a person’s life?
a) religion
b) family
c) mass media
d) school
b) family
Because Mary is a girl, she presumes that when she’s in high school, she will wear makeup, shop for shoes, and try out for the cheerleading squad. Which of the following do all these characteristics that Mary believes she must employ fall into?
a agents of socialization
b gender roles
c biological roles
d gender schemas
Gender roles
Which of the following best represents how a sociologist would view marriage?
a. Love is a natural human emotion; therefore, marriage exists in every culture.
b. Marriage is such an important social institution in the Western tradition that it will always be a part of Western cultures.
c. Marriage provides a way of publicly signaling love and commitment, but it is always changing.
d. At this point in time, marriage means whatever the two people getting married decide it means.
Marriage provides a way of publicly signaling love and commitment, but it is always changing.
Correct. People “know” what being married means because the institution provides stability, but what people expect from marriage—who marries, how long they’ll be married, spouses’ behavior to one another and to others—slowly changes over time.
Which of the following is an example of a subculture?
a. People from around the world who identify as players of a particular video game, but who do not speak the same language
b. People who enjoy photography and are always taking photographs, whether at home or on vacation
c. People who earn their living by providing ride hailing services and band together to force companies to pay a higher wage
d. Dedicated birdwatchers who often meet, share common goals, and use a specialize language to talk about their experiences
Dedicated birdwatchers who often meet, share common goals, and use a specialize language to talk about their experiences
Correct. Any group of people who identify strongly with each other and have identified their own language and values is a subculture.
Which of the following is purely an instinct?
a. A gardener almost steps on a snake he knows to be harmless and screams.
b. A person has sex with someone she finds attractive.
c. A traveler punches someone who threatens to steal his wallet.
d. A young child’s first word is “Mama.”
a. A gardener almost steps on a snake he knows to be harmless and screams.
Correct. An immediate reaction, such as a scream, in response to a situation the person knows is non-threatening is likely an instinctive response.
What would a sociologist say to someone who argued that drives control a lot of human behavior since we all need to eat, drink, and sleep?
a. A sociologist would argue that human lives are basically very similar because of these common innate attributes.
b. A sociologist would argue that the extent to which humans feel these drives is conditioned by their culture.
c. A sociologist would argue that humans vary widely in how they express and fulfill those drives.
d. A sociologist would argue that drives are irrelevant because there are human societies in which people are not influenced by them.
c. A sociologist would argue that humans vary widely in how they express and fulfill those drives.
Correct. Sociologists are interested in the ways in which a hunger strike can have political significance or the various times and ways people are taught to sleep.
A law is passed requiring that girls’ sports be given the same resources as boys’ sports. This law leads to universities awarding valuable scholarships, which encourages parents to invest in girls’ sports. Stronger female athletes attract more viewers to women’s professional sports, which leads to a shift in how the culture views and values women. What sociological concept is this an example of?
a. Drive
b. Enculturation
c. Holism
d. Construction
Holism
Correct. This is an example of how culture should be thought of as a whole, how a change in one aspect of culture can have wide-reaching effects.
What would a desire to eat be considered?
a. A reflex
b. An instinct
c. A drive
d. A cultural construction
a drive
Correct. A generalized desire that’s important for survival, such as the desire to eat, sleep, or have sex, is considered a drive.
Which aspect of eating would a sociologist be most likely to study?
a. Whom a person chooses to eat with
b. The nutritional value of the meal
c. The link between how often a person eats and his or her level of stress
d. The foods available in a certain region
a. Whom a person chooses to eat with
Correct. Just because eating is a biological drive does not mean that it doesn’t have social significance. Sociologists would focus on how eating was culturally meaningful.
Punishments and rewards that are used to enforce social norms (Key Characteristics of Culture)
Sanction
A traditional way of doing something (Key Characteristics of Culture)
Folkway
Governs a society’s understanding of right and wrong (Key Characteristics of Culture)
More
A violation considered too horrible to mention (Key Characteristics of Culture)
Taboo
Represents what is acceptable within a society but does not necessarily dictate what is moral (Key Characteristics of Culture)
Norm
Which of the following examples is a folkway?
a. Placing your napkin on your lap at dinner
b. Letting your children hit one another
c. Keeping money that the bank cashier gave you by accident
d. Praying five times a day to show your devotion to God
a. Placing your napkin on your lap at dinner
Correct. Folkways are norms that are customarily taken without thinking. Placing your napkin on your lap at dinner is polite, and it is considered appropriate dinner behavior. It is unlikely that anyone will scold you for not putting your napkin on your lap. For these reasons, it is a folkway.
. How do cultural norms differ from mores?
Choose only one answer below.
a. Norms are ways of thinking, and mores are ways of acting.
b. Norms are those actions that we take without thinking, while mores require serious consideration before acting.
c. Mores are norms; however, mores govern a society’s notion of right and wrong.
d. Cultural norms and mores are the same thing.
c. Mores are norms; however, mores govern a society’s notion of right and wrong.
Correct. Cultural norms are behaviors that society has deemed “normal.” Mores are those norms that govern a culture’s ethical and moral standards.
The Gadsden flag originated as a symbol of American opposition to British oppression in the Revolutionary War. It was later taken by the Tea Party movement to symbolize government overreach. What does flying this flag do for the Tea Party?
Choose only one answer below.
a. The flag helps people outside the group understand the movement’s connection to the American Revolution.
b. The flag helps people inside the group feel an emotional identification with the movement through an implicit connection to the American Revolution.
c. The flag helps people inside the group understand how their movement is similar to the American colonists’ desire for freedom from Great Britain.
d. The flag informs all people about the group’s values and beliefs.
b. The flag helps people inside the group feel an emotional identification with the movement through an implicit connection to the American Revolution.
Correct. The Tea Party movement took a symbol from the American Revolution (like the name “Tea Party” itself) and used it to help members feel a sense of patriotism from their connection to the historical American value of fighting against government overreach.
. How would a sociologist regard a print dictionary?
Choose only one answer below.
a. The sociologist would say the dictionary is necessary for people to fully understand the complexity of language because it was written by experts.
b. The sociologist would say that because words are not symbols, a dictionary is not of primary importance to the field.
c. A sociologist would say that because language is always changing, the dictionary would not have the most up-to-date information.
d. A sociologist would say that the dictionary is valuable because it compiles word meanings across time and different geographical regions.
c. A sociologist would say that because language is always changing, the dictionary would not have the most up-to-date information.
Correct. A sociologist would study language in the field to find the most up-to-date words and their meanings.
Which is an example of ethnocentrism?
a. A shopkeeper is offended when a foreign tourist tries to negotiate a price in the store, and the shopkeeper tells him to either buy the item or leave it.
b. A student visits France and enjoys the custom of kissing on both cheeks so much he adopts that practice while in France.
c. A student visits France and enjoys the custom of kissing on both cheeks so much he adopts that practice back at home.
d. After careful thought, an immigrant decides to ask visitors to take off their shoes as they enter the house, a custom in her country of origin.
a. A shopkeeper is offended when a foreign tourist tries to negotiate a price in the store, and the shopkeeper tells him to either buy the item or leave it.
Correct. Negotiating prices in most shops in the United States would be considered odd, but feeling offended shows an attachment to the shopkeeper’s own culture and an unwillingness to think about the tourist’s perspective.
What is cultural relativism?
a. The practice of treating people differently depending on a person’s private beliefs about others’ morality
b. The practice of treating everyone a person meets with respect no matter what the person’s private beliefs about others’ morality
c. The belief that one’s own group has the best culture
d. The belief that the set of cultural practices and beliefs of one group is no better than those of other groups
The belief that the set of cultural practices and beliefs of one group is no better than those of other groups
Correct. This is the definition of cultural relativism.
Which of the following is true about a subculture?
a. Subcultures are less powerful than the dominant culture.
b. Subcultures are always critical of some aspect of dominant culture.
c. People in subcultures are alienated from the dominant culture.
d. People in subcultures share distinctive aspects that set them apart as a group.
d. People in subcultures share distinctive aspects that set them apart as a group.
Correct. A subculture is a group of people with distinctive beliefs, practices, and languages.
What is the definition of argot?
a. A language unique to a subculture
b. A counterculture
c. A group of people who are oriented against the dominant culture
d. A group of people who have a distinctive set of beliefs, practices, and language
a. A language unique to a subculture
Correct. Argot is a language used by a subculture.
How does modernization change a society’s culture?
a. It changes culture by putting more people in contact with one another and by changing the technological conditions of life.
b. It changes culture by being a cataclysmic event that shifts how people in a society think about their culture.
c. It changes culture by increasing the number of people visiting other countries and cultures.
d. It changes a culture by being oriented against one aspect of the dominant culture.
a. It changes culture by putting more people in contact with one another and by changing the technological conditions of life.
Correct. Modernization is changing the economic and technological conditions in a society which will change its culture.
There are generally three causes for cultural change. Which scenario best exemplifies one of those three reasons?
a. A presidential speech
b. A civil rights campaign
c. A visit to another country
d. A book
b. A civil rights campaign
Correct. A civil rights campaign exemplifies a focused movement to change an aspect of the mainstream culture, and this is one of the three main ways a cultural shift can occur.
What is the main reason that sociologists struggle with defining certain parts of society as subcultures?
The word inherently implies a place within the hierarchy of society
___________ can lead to cultural change, because it allows new and different ideas to be exchanged between cultures that they might not have had access to previously.
Globalization
A sociologist is studying the culture of Afghanistan, where the mistreatment and subjugation of women has been standard for many years. If she sets aside her moral judgments to better understand the culture’s reasoning for this norm, what is this called?
Cultural relativism
What is the difference between race and ethnicity?
a. Race is a biological category while ethnicity is a set of share practices and beliefs.
b. Race is a social category while ethnicity is a set of shared practices and beliefs.
c. Race is a social category while ethnicity is a shared ancestry and heritage.
d. Race is a social and biological category while ethnicity is a shared ancestry and heritage.
c. Race is a social category while ethnicity is a shared ancestry and heritage.
Correct. Race has no biological basis but is an important social category. Ethnicity refers to shared ancestry.
What do sociologists think about ethnocentrism?
a. It is uniformly negative since it prevents people from learning about other cultures.
b. It is useful insofar as it gives people a sense of belonging, but it can prevent them from learning about other cultures.
c. It is useful insofar as it makes people proud of their own culture, which increases their sense of belonging, but it can make people hostile to other cultures.
d. It is uniformly positive since people could not live together without a shared sense of culture.
b. It is useful insofar as it gives people a sense of belonging, but it can prevent them from learning about other cultures.
Correct. Ethnocentrism is useful because it allows people to move through their own society easily, but it can become a barrier to experiencing other cultures.
Which of the following is the best example of how globalization might impact the culture in the United States?
a. A South Korean music video is widely seen in the United States.
b. Immigrants from India in the United States purchase food they previously ate in India through immigrant-owned grocery stores.
c. Americans traveling to West Africa bring home kente cloth.
d. Jewish Americans travel to Israel to learn more about their religious and ethnic heritage.
a. A South Korean music video is widely seen in the United States.
Correct. Globalization refers to the spread of ideas across the globe, often through media.
Which of the following agents of socialization has a profound effect on an individual because of its influence during younger, developmental years?
a. Peers
b. Institutions
c. Family
Family
Correct. Family has a major impact on the development of an individual’s sense of self, especially since its influence is present during the individual’s youngest, most formative years.
Which of the following agents of socialization strongly influences respect for authority and appropriate interaction with others?
a. Institutions
b. Mass Media
c. Social media
Institutions
Correct. Institutions (school in particular) teach appropriate social behavior and discipline.
____ is the process by which people discover where they fit in relation to society and how to function as a member of that society.
Socialization
In the United States, it is generally considered acceptable for a teenager to work a part-time job that is not related to her career choice. Many people, however, assume that by their early 30s they will be working a job that will be their career. What is the sociological explanation for these preconceived ideas about childhood and adulthood.
a. Life course approach
b. Play stage
c. Liminal stage
d. Role taking
Life course approach
Correct. The life course approach examines the connection among roles we take throughout life that are largely determined by our age.
How can life course expectations be detrimental?
a. Older adults face discrimination in the job market because they are assumed to be less capable than their younger peers.
b. Older adults are not as able as younger adults and therefore can remain unemployed for longer if they happen to be laid off from a job.
c. Because we think of childhood as a time of preparation and self-development, childhood is prolonged beyond physical maturity.
d. Children might get stuck in the ‘play’ phase of socialization when it is time for them to move on to the ‘game’ phase.
a. Older adults face discrimination in the job market because they are assumed to be less capable than their younger peers.
Correct. The expectations and stereotypes that come with people’s ideas of certain stages of life can be detrimental because they lead to discrimination.
.A four-year-old girl goes out trick or treating in a nurse’s outfit she chose at a local department store. Throughout the evening, she receives a lot of positive attention. She is told she is cute and asked what patients she is taking care of. What aspect(s) of gender does this reinforce?
a. Sex identity
b. Gender identity
c. Gender variant
d. Gender role and gender identity
d. Gender role and gender identity
Correct. Women are supposed to be nurturing, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau about 90 percent of nurses are women. Therefore, dressing as a nurse reinforces a female gender role associated with nurturing. The girl’s sex matches with her chosen gender identity, reinforcing that as well
What does “doing gender” refer to?
a. It refers to someone’s appearance as a man or woman.
b. It refers to everyday interactions that evoke and reinforce gender differences.
c. It refers to the biological sex that someone is born into.
d. It refers to the set of behaviors and characteristics associated with a certain gender.
It refers to everyday interactions that evoke and reinforce gender differences.
Correct. Doing gender posits that people perform their gender during everyday interactions with others.
What do the Navajo concepts of nádleeh í and dilbaa suggest about sex and gender?
a. Gender roles are learned and universal.
b. Gender roles are innate.
c. Gender roles are not learned and not universal.
d. Gender roles are learned and not universal.
Gender roles are learned and not universal.
Correct. Gender roles are learned and not universal, meaning different cultures have different conceptions of gender
What is the difference between transsexual and intersex?
a. Intersex can refer to someone who is agender, while transsexual refers only to people who have had medical interventions to acquire sexual characteristics (such as breasts or facial hair) associated with men and women.
b. While intersex refers to someone who is born with sexual characteristics from both sexes, transsexual refers to someone who has chosen to assume some sexual characteristics associated with the opposite sex.
c. Intersex informs gender identity while transsexual is only about sexual characteristics.
d. Intersex refers to someone who is born with sexual characteristics associated with both sexes while transsexual refers to someone who identifies as the opposite gender from the sex he or she was born with.
While intersex refers to someone who is born with sexual characteristics from both sexes, transsexual refers to someone who has chosen to assume some sexual characteristics associated with the opposite sex.
Correct. Intersex is a condition present at birth, while transsexual refers to someone who has chosen to get medical treatment to acquire sexual characteristics that reflect his or her felt identity.
In what way was Kinsey innovative in his treatment of sexual identity?
a. He saw heterosexuality and homosexuality as a continuum.
b. He first coined the term “bisexual.”
c. He legitimized homosexuality, which was previously viewed as unacceptable.
d. He did not believe that sexual identity was socially constructed.
a. He saw heterosexuality and homosexuality as a continuum.
Correct. He thought some people fell squarely into one of those two categories, but he also believed other people might be in the middle, for example, pretty strongly attracted to the opposite sex, but somewhat attracted to their own.
Which term is queer closest to in meaning?
a. Transsexual
b. Asexual
c. Gay
d. Heterosexual
c. Gay
Correct. Both refer to a non-heterosexual sexual identity.
What did Margaret Mead’s research on the gender roles of the Arapesh, the Mundugumor (now called Biwat), and the Tchambuli (now called Chambri) suggest?
a. Gender roles are learned and not universal.
b. Gender roles are innate and not universal.
c. Gender roles are learned and universal.
d. Gender roles are innate and universal.
Gender roles are learned and not universal.
Correct. The fact that the gender roles varied among these groups suggests that they are learned, not innate.
Which of the following scenarios is an example of a person experiencing a liminal state?
a. Joey learns from his parents that he should respect adults.
b. Parth works at a coffee shop after school in order to pay for some household expenses, but his parents still impose a curfew on him.
c. Amanda’s father is sick, so he moves in with her. She has to split her time between caring for him and caring for her two young children.
d. Eugene and his friends play four square on the playground each day where they learn to take turns and follow rules.
b. Parth works at a coffee shop after school in order to pay for some household expenses, but his parents still impose a curfew on him.
Correct. Parth is taking on adult-like responsibilities by working to pay for some necessary expenses, but he is being treated like a child when his parents give him a curfew.
How do particular others help socialize a child?
Choose only one answer below.
a. The child interacts with these characters in order to learn what they expect of the child so he or she can meet those expectations.
b. The child interacts with these characters in order to learn what society expects of the child.
c. The child imitates the actions or behaviors of these characters in order to learn about the social expectations for a particular role.
d. The child imitates the actions or behaviors of these people, who are personally known to the child, in order to learn what they are like.
c. The child imitates the actions or behaviors of these characters in order to learn about the social expectations for a particular role.
Correct. The child uses characters he or she knows in order to play at taking on a certain role, such as that of “father” or “teacher.”
With which of the main schools of sociological thought do Mead’s ideas about socialization and role-taking most closely align
a. Functionalism
b. The conflict perspective
c. Symbolic interactionism
d. Feminism
Symbolic Interactionism
Correct. Symbolic interactionism focuses on how people negotiate and enforce social norms through their interactions.
Mimicking a facial expression, such as smiling
Imitating a wave
(Stages of Self and Socialization)
Preparatory
Coloring
Using building blocks
On the jungle gym in the school playground
Using imagination with dolls or action figures
(Stages of Self and Socialization)
Play
Tag in the playground
Building a LEGO set
Board games
Pick-up soccer in the park
(Stages of Self and Socialization)
Game
What are the three stages of Cooley’s looking-glass self?
a. We imagine how others see us, we judge ourselves based on those conceptions, we decide if we’re happy with our judgment or not.
b. We imagine how others judge us, we adopt their judgments, we decide if we’re happy with those judgments or not.
c. We imagine how others see us, we imagine how they judge us, we respond to their perceived judgment.
d. We imagine how others see us, we imagine how they judge us, we judge them for those judgments.
We imagine how others see us, we imagine how they judge us, we respond to their perceived judgment.
Correct. These are the stages of Cooley’s looking-glass self.
According to George Henry Mead, the game phase is characterized by:
a. An understanding of rules and structure
b. Free-form imaginative play
c. The newly cultivated ability to be a good loser
d. The ability to differentiate between self and other
An understanding of rules and structure
Correct. Children move from free-form play to a recognition that there are rules that assign different players roles in the play.
If Arvo is wondering how his co-workers are judging the new outfit he wore to work, he is at which stage of the looking-glass self?
a. The first stage
b. The second stage
c. The third stage
The second stage
Correct. He is imagining others’ judgments of himself.
Which of the following is the best example of self-concept?
a. Felix knows he is a good student.
b. Felix knows he passed a recent math test and feels good about himself.
c. Felix knows he has passed a recent math test and attributes it to his hard work before the test.
d. Felix does not know how he did on a recent math test and feels uncertain.
Felix knows he is a good student.
Correct. This is an example of a durable idea about himself.
Why is the play stage important for a child’s socialization?
It allows the child to practice another role
Yolanda thinks of herself as spontaneous and outgoing. At a party, she will introduce herself to strangers; in a class, she is likely to strike up a conversation with her classmates. Sociologists call this aspect of personality, _____.
a looking-glass self
b self-assessment
c self-image
d self-concept
Self-concept
Which of the following studies would be following the life course approach?
a) a study of whether people choose marital partners with similar levels of education
b) a study of whether parents who have greater levels of education have higher expectations of their children than parents with lower levels of education.
c) a study that considers whether people who were entering college during the Vietnam era are more politically active than those who were younger or older during the Vietnam war.
d) a study that uses a survey to study whether Americans support more tax cuts in more liberal states
c) a study that considers whether people who were entering college during the Vietnam era are more politically active than those who were younger or older during the Vietnam war.
A young child has a tea party with her dolls and pretends to be the mother. What is this an example of?
a the “game” phase
b self-image
c the “play” phase
d self-conception
The play phase
Recognizing the “generalized other” accompanies which stage of a child’s life:
a the fantasy stage
b the particular other stage
c the play stage
d the game stage
The game phase
A _____ is an action that is forbidden or sacred depending on strong cultural beliefs.
a folkway
b norm
c more
d taboo
Taboo
New members of a sorority learn the appropriate behavior and dress at a chapter meeting through _______.
a relativism
b enculturation
c holism
d ethnocentricity
Enculturation
Radicals or anarchists would be considered members of a ______.
a counterculture
b ethnic group
c enculturation
d diffusion
Counterculture
The increasing popularity of meeting via webcam is an example of the _________ of world culture.
a diffusion
b modernization
c relativism
d symbolism
Modernization
Which of the following is an example of ethnocentrism?
a) German students learn two to three foreign languages in school.
b) An American finds it rude when a Chinese person burps loudly at dinner.
c) British people speak with a particular accent according to their region.
d) A heavy metal music fan does not enjoy listening to folk music.
b) An American finds it rude when a Chinese person burps loudly at dinner
