Midterm #2 Review Flashcards
In a family conversation with her teenage children, Carmela described the family’s financial situation. She told her children that the total value of everything they owned minus the total amount of debt that they owed was approximately $1200. Which term do sociologists use to describe this number?
wealth
Which term refers to statements such as these: “Those people are poor but honest”; and “Those people are poor because they don’t want to work”?
stereotypes
When Carolina is interested in nurturing her baby dolls and playing with her Easy-Bake Oven, what is she following?
gender role
After a four-year study of salary and gender, a university found that female faculty received, on average, $2000 less in salary than their male counterparts even after adjustments were made based on seniority, tenure, faculty, and age. This gender earnings gap is an example of which of the following?
gender discrimination
What do functionalists contend?
Stratification is inevitable.
What are crimes such as embezzlement, false advertising, tax evasion, insider stock trading, fraud, copyright infringement, and price fixing examples of?
white-collar crimes
Kasia has worked as a junior manager for nine years. She has watched several men younger than her get promoted over the years, despite her superior performance evaluations. What is Kasia likely experiencing?
the glass ceiling
The Canadian government instituted a policy of forcibly placing First Nations children in residential schools. Which term best describes the effects this had on Indigenous heritage?
cultural genocide
What alternative model to crime and punishment emphasizes individual and social healing, communication, and joint problem-solving between victims and their offenders?
restorative justice
Which theory states that society needs to create incentives so the most talented people are motivated to train for the most important jobs?
functionalist theory
Lauren is a firefighter working in a fire house where all the other firefighters are male. She endures the sexual innuendos, derogatory comments about her abilities as a firefighter, and “practical jokes” like having the hot water turned off every time she showers. What is Lauren experiencing in her workplace?
Sexual harassment
What is a major shortcoming of official crime statistics?
Authorities and the public decide which crime acts to report and which to ignore.
Salena bought a clothing factory, upgraded the sewing machines, and purchased higher-quality cloth to make high-fashion clothing. What would Karl Marx say she invested in?
The means of production
Ryan is interested in working at a multinational corporation as a manager. In order to increase his chances of getting hired there, he has enrolled in the Business Administration program at his university. What is he investing in by going to university?
Human capital
One of the most important expressions of gender inequality is the gap between female and male earnings. Which of the following is a primary factor that contributes to this gap?
Heavy domestic responsibilities
Selene speaks Greek fluently, makes traditional food, dances at traditional festivals, and was married at the Greek Orthodox Church. What is she a part of?
an ethnic group
What does heteronormativity imply about sex, gender, and sexual orientation?
They should be perfectly aligned.
In monetary terms, which type of crime likely costs society the most?
White-collar crime
According to the text, most people use which of the following to ensure others conform to conventional heterosexual gender roles?
positive and negative sanctions
Jelena was laid-off from her bookkeeping job four months ago. Having depleted her savings account, she now has no money to buy groceries for her children and shoplifts some bread and cheese from the local grocery store. Which type of crime is Jelena guilty of committing?
A street crime
What is the main source of crime statistics?
police reports
Garrett is interested in working at a large multinational manufacturing company. His uncle knows the family who owns the company, so Garrett asks his uncle if he can help get him an interview. What is Garrett making use of in asking his uncle?
social capital
Which term refers to the co-existence of a variety of ethnic groups, each of whom retains its own cultural heritage within a society where all groups have equitable access to resources?
pluralism
Ryker hates competing in the math competition at school when there are a lot of Asian competitors because he believes they are innately much better at math. What does Ryker’s attitude illustrate?
prejudice
Samir’s professor invited her colleague Leslie to give a guest lecture to their sociology of sexuality class. Leslie was invited to present their recent research undertaken to support the claim that stable sexual identities do not accurately describe the sexual experiences of humans. Instead, these identities are the result of labels being imposed on people by society. Which of the following theoretical perspectives is Leslie working in?
queer theory
Which of the following groups believes that apparently natural or innate features of life, such as gender, are actually sustained by social processes that vary historically and culturally?
social constructionists
Although Andrew has not yet met Cedric, his future dorm roommate, Andrew was told that Cedric was attending university on a football scholarship. He is anxious and unhappy about sharing his room with a football player because he expects Cedric will be a “party animal” who will make studying difficult. How can Andrew’s attitude be classified?
prejudice
What conclusion does the text reach regarding “race”?
“Race” is significant because people believe it is and they act toward others on the basis of their beliefs.
Which term refers to the unfair treatment of people due to their group membership?
discrimination
Which of the following involves boys playing stereotypically girls’ games and girls playing stereotypically boys’ games?
boundary crossing
What is the definition of colonialism?
people from one country invading and taking political, cultural, and economic control over people in another country
Which term refers to a change in social status from the time of a person’s first job to their current job?
INTRAgenerational mobility
Canada grants visas for foreigners to enter the country at various times and for various reasons. For example, visas are granted to let female Jamaicans work as nannies or to let Mexicans harvest crops. When these visas expire, the people must go home. Which theory of ethnic relations best accounts for this kind of practice?
split labour market theory
According to Max Weber, how are status groups differentiated?
according to social honour and prestige
What definition is consistent with a person’s gender identity?
self-definition
What do the feelings, attitudes, and behaviours typically associated with being male or female constitute?
gender
A young person from a disadvantaged inner-city background works part-time while going to university, starts a high-tech company, earns millions of dollars, buys the local NHL franchise, and later becomes a member of Canada’s parliament. Which term best explains this life path?
social mobility
What does UCR stand for?
Uniform Crime Reporting survey
According to the data reported for 2019, which category of crimes accounted for the majority of Criminal Code incidents in Canada?
property crimes
In class, Morley argued that high immigration levels make it more difficult to achieve Canada’s fiscal objectives. When immigrants come to Canada, they cost the Canadian taxpayer (e.g., in health care and education) while not contributing their “fair share” in taxes. Which of the following characterizes Morley argument?
scapegoating
Which term refers to the social mechanisms of ensuring conformity to norms and laws?
social control
Yuri has been feeling increasingly resentful at the long hours he is forced to work in dangerous conditions without being paid adequately, while his boss is taking more exotic vacations every year. In the lunchroom at work, the other workers are beginning to echo Yuri’s discontent, and a union organizer is finally called to come to talk to the workers. What Marxist concept do the actions of Yuri and his co-workers represent?
class consciousness
Which theory proposes that intergroup interactions under appropriate conditions can effectively reduce racial and ethnic prejudice between majority and minority group members?
contact hypothesis
Alyssa’s grandma believes that males and females are naturally suited for their complementary roles as breadwinners and homemakers. When Alyssa asks her to explain, her grandma replies that males are innately competitive, and females are born to be nurturing mothers. Which perspective has Alyssa’s grandma adopted?
essentialism
René and Jacques were discussing their grandparents experience growing up in Québec City during the Great Depression. Both of their grandparents remembered very clearly that all the men who worked with them on the docks were French-speaking and how they came to resent that, even though all the work was done in French, their bosses never bothered to learn to speak French. What do sociologists call this phenomenon?
ethnic stratification
Courtney and Rob both work but have been able to find only part-time jobs. After they pay their monthly rent, they have little money left to pay their overdue bills and must make frequent visits to the local food bank. What does their situation illustrate?
absolute poverty
In contrast to explanations of poverty that emphasize individual inadequacies of the poor, what does the sociological view of poverty examine?
the social organization of society and of social subsystems that create poverty
Which term refers to the way society is organized in layers?
social stratification
According to the text, which statement is a critique of essentialism?
Essentialists ignore historical and cultural variability in their analysis.
Which theory proposes that crime is a function of the conflict between the goals people have and the means they can use to legally obtain them?
strain theory
How did body image become so important for self-definition through the twentieth century and to present day?
through widespread advertising and consumerism
In her term paper, Sarah argued that the class struggle between the rich and poor in Canada controls the context of criminal law. Which view of crime has Sarah adopted?
the conflict view
Whether or not a particular act is considered deviant depends upon which of the following?
social context
Inexpensive international communication and travel allow ethnic group members to maintain strong ties to their ancestral homeland in a way never before possible. Which of the following has this trend encouraged?
transnational communities
Alisha is studying the process of identity formation among second-generation “immigrants” and is trying to determine which theory will allow her to analyze how people negotiate identity. Which sociological theory would work best for her analysis?
symbolic interactionism
Why does the text assert that “everyone” is deviant?
because what is considered deviant varies across cultures
How is Max Weber’s analysis of social stratification different from that of Karl Marx?
Weber believed that class was not the only factor in the way a society is stratified.
Which of the following distinguishes crime from other forms of deviance?
legal sanction
According to the text, why do sociologists believe that “race matters”?
because it allows social inequality to be created and maintained
According to John Porter’s description, which term best describes a society where ethnic groups tend to occupy different and unequal positions?
a versatile mosaic
Alexandra has recently graduated with a heavy equipment operator diploma from a community college. She had excellent grades and did especially well in the practical courses. Her co-op work placement supervisor wrote her a glowing reference letter. She cannot understand why even though many of her male classmates have already found work in their field, she hasn’t even been offered an interview yet. The only work she has found is as a waitress. What do sociologists call this employment situation?
occupational sex segregation
Why does white-collar crime result in few prosecutions and still fewer convictions?
Much of it takes place in private and is difficult to detect.
After his sociology class, Steven shared with his father what he had learned about the increasing global inequality and the desperate living conditions millions of people find themselves in around the world. Steve’s father suggested that if only governments in the poorer countries would encourage trade with the Western countries they would see an increase in their wealth, just like the Western countries themselves experienced following the Industrial Revolution. Which theory discussed in the text is consistent with this view?
modernization theory
Megan believes that the subordination of women developed alongside industrial capitalism: when people began to acquire surplus wealth and property, they required a system of inheritance. Because men can never be sure of the parentage of their children in the same way women can, men needed to develop a way to control women. Which theory is Megan’s belief consistent with?
conflict theory
Nina comes from a poor, working-class family. However, she worked hard and got extremely high grades in high school, which resulted in her being awarded a scholarship to a prestigious university. After graduating with top marks, she landed a great job and is now considered upper-middle class. Nina is an example of which kind of occupational mobility?
INTERgenerational mobility
Until the 1970s, social scientists rarely collected data on a type of violence that is widely researched today. What is that type of violence?
sexual assault
According to the text, labelling theory is a variant of which of the following?
symbolic interactionism
According to Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore’s theory of stratification, talented people require an incentive or they will not be motivated to undergo the sacrifices required to train for most important jobs. Which of the following correctly identifies these incentives?
money and prestige
Liza has taught her teenage son Marcus how to cook, clean, and do laundry so he can be independent and self-sufficient, yet his grandparents view this as teaching him how to do “woman’s work.” This illustrates which of the following in operation?
gender ideology
What can we conclude about ethnic categories?
they are in a constant state of flux
Talcott Parsons characterized the essence of femininity as nurturance and sensitivity to others. Which term is used to describe these traits?
expressive traits
Which of the following involves people in one country gaining virtually complete control over other people in the same country, and seeking to destroy their culture?
internal colonialism
Which statement best reflects the impact of Canada’s aging population on crime rates?
Crime is a young person’s pursuit generally, and there are fewer young people.
The definition and measurement of poverty is important because of its impact on which of the following?
social policies
Eric is serving time for manslaughter, while his brother Michael is serving his country overseas. They have both killed other human beings, yet Eric is labelled a “murderer,” and Michael is considered a “hero.” What does this illustrate?
crime is socially defined
Which statement best describes the sociological explanation of deviance and crime?
Certain acts are socially identified and defined as deviant or criminal.
Which statement best characterizes a caste system?
Status is determined by birth and cannot be changed.
What sort of group is composed of people whose perceived cultural markers are deemed socially significant?
an ethnic group
Which of the following theoretical approaches adopts an essentialist viewpoint in claiming that traditional gender roles help to integrate society?
functionalists
What is the definition of expulsion?
the forcible removal of a population from a territory claimed by another population
