Nature of Society

Question 1

society connotes a group of people linked through a sustained interaction.

Answer 1

anthropology

Question 2

define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common
culture.

Answer 2

sociologists

Question 3

represents a geographical aggregate with boundaries, a similar government, and a
common culture, where members live together for mutual benefit.

Answer 3

society

Question 4

consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of
a particular group or society.

Answer 4

culture

Question 5

people and groups define themselves, conform to societys shared values, and
contribute to society.

Answer 5

culture

Question 6

refers to clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with
specific social activities. Common institutions are the family, education, religion, work, and
health care.

Answer 6

institution

Question 7

may be ethnic or racial, based on gender, or due to shared beliefs, values, and
activities.

Answer 7

cultural bond

Question 8

Members live and work together for mutual benefit. Group as
well as individual ends can be achieved only through collective and collaborative manner or teamwork.

Answer 8

solidarity.

Question 9

enables them to follow patterns of action for
harmonious existence with others.

Answer 9

common culture

Question 10

used to communicate with each other.

Answer 10

common language

Question 11

It is the largest social unit.

Answer 11

large membership.

Question 11

It is an economic, social and industrial organization.
There are leaders and followers, different economic and social classes.

Answer 11

hierarchical organization.

Question 12

Members live in a definite geographic area.

Answer 12

specific territory.

Question 13

It has the ability to endure, produce and sustain
several generations of membership.

Answer 13

ability to sustain membership.

Question 14

defined societies in terms of their technological
sophistication.

Answer 14

Gerhard Lenski

Question 15

• with rudimentary technology
• rely on their environment for their subsistence
• Economic production was limited to the amount of labor a human being could provide, and there
  were few specialized occupations.

Answer 15

Pre-industrial societies

Question 16

 One of the earliest forms of society
 Characterized by subsistence economies that rarely produce surplus
 Anthropologists estimate that men hunted for food at least 1 million years ago.
 People survived by searching and gathering food and by small game of hunting wild
animals.
 Basic unit of social organization was the household/family and the local clan, to which most
of the hunting and gathering were organized.
 Nomadic

Answer 16

Hunting, fishing and gathering society

Question 17

 Believed to have existed 12,000 to 15,000 years ago
 Gave way to the first breakthrough in subsistence economy, which was the development of
agriculture
 During these times, people began to plant and cultivate crops rather than just to harvest
whatever nature provided
 Semi-nomadic; move to another place when soil nutrients and water are depleted

Answer 17

Horticultural society

Question 18

 Depends on herding and domestication of animals for food and clothing
 Animals provide milk, fuel, sheared fur and even blood.
 Rely partly on horticulture to subsist
 Developed almost the same time as the horticultural society
 Common where crops cannot be supported
 Some specialization (division of labor) existed: those who produce tools and clothing

Answer 18

Pastoral society

Question 19

 have been around for at least five thousand years
 Economy is almost exclusively based on agricultural production
 Primary form of wealth is in agricultural activities
 Agricultural production relies primarily upon human and animal labor
 Division of labor, many are engaged in the cultivation of the field, other artisans exist to
support the process, e.g. blacksmith, who makes and repairs tools, potter who makes the
storage containers for the harvest

Answer 19

Agricultural/Agrarian society

Question 20

Depends on special knowledge to bring about continuing progress in technology
 The spread of computer industries is one of the characteristics of this society
 Highly trained specialists work to increase the capabilities of computers

Answer 20

Post-industrial society

Question 21

 Advent of industrialization in Europe some 200 years ago brought about the 3 rd major revolution
in production
 The substitution of mechanical, electrical and fossil-fuel energy for human and animal labor
caused an explosive growth in productivity, not only of goods but also of knowledge and
technology.

Answer 21

Industrial society