Henslin, Essentials of Sociology, 12th Edition, Test Bank
Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective
Multiple-Choice Questions
TB_Q1.1.1
The _____ perspective emphasizes the social contexts in which people live.
a. societal
b. sociological
c. natural sciences
d. ethnocentric
TB_Q1.1.2
A group of people who share a culture and a territory is known as a(n)
a. global group.
b. extended family group.
c. society.
d. global village.
TB_Q1.1.3
The corners in life that people occupy because of their place in a society are
referred to as
a. social location.
b. social affiliation.
c. social empowerment.
d. dominant groups.
TB_Q1.2.4
Auguste Comte is credited as being the founder of
a. sociology.
b. economics.
c. modern science.
d. political science.
TB_Q1.2.5
Using _____, Comte applied the scientific method to the social world.
a. negativism
b. positivism
c. natural science
d. anthropology
TB_Q1.2.6
The phrase “survival of the fittest” was coined by
a. Charles Darwin.
b. Herbert Spencer.
c. Auguste Comte.
d. Karl Marx.
TB_Q1.2.7
Karl Marx believed that the engine of human history is
a. democracy.
b. communism.
c. reconciliation.
d. class conflict.
TB_Q1.2.8
The _____, according to Marx, were the exploited workers who did not own the
means of production.
a. capitalists
b. communists
c. proletariat
d. fascists
TB_Q1.2.9
Durkheim’s concept of _____ refers to the degree to which people are tied to their
social groups.
a. social integration
b. revolution
c. conflict theory
d. religion
TB_Q1.2.10
The _____ examined by sociologists are recurring characteristics or events.
a. individual motivations
b. patterns of behavior
c. nonsocial forces
d. rationales
TB_Q1.2.11
According to Max Weber, the central force in social change is
a. economics.
b. politics.
c. religion.
d. tradition.
TB_Q1.3.12
Why do women not figure more prominently among early sociologists?
a. There were no female early sociologists.
b. Once sociology became a recognized academic discipline, men designated the
women—who were activists—as social reformers, not sociologists.
c. In no field has sexism been more evident than in sociology.
d. The field of sociology seemed neither rigorous enough nor relevant enough to
attract women.
TB_Q1.3.13
Early sociologist and social reformer Jane Addams
a. fought against the American Civil Liberties Union.
b. won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
c. married W. E. B. Du Bois.
d. never joined the American Sociological Society.
TB_Q1.3.14
Talcott Parsons was influential in
a. shifting sociology from reform to theory.
b. warning Americans about the power elite.
c. developing concrete models for social change.
d. shifting sociology from theory to reform.
TB_Q1.3.15
With basic sociology, the goal of analyzing some aspect of society is that of
a. making changes.
b. gaining knowledge.
c. solving problems.
d. getting grants.
TB_Q1.3.16
_____ harnesses the sociological perspective for the benefit of the public.
a. Basic sociology
b. Experimental sociology
c. Classical sociology
d. Public sociology
TB_Q1.4.17
In _____, symbols are the key to understanding how we look at the world and
communicate with one another.
a. functional analysis
b. symbolic interactionism
c. conflict theory
d. order theory
TB_Q1.4.18
One of the sociologists who developed symbolic interactionism is
a. George Herbert Mead.
b. Auguste Comte
c. Robert Merton
d. Herbert Spencer
TB_Q1.4.19
In the eyes of _____, society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that
work together.
a. symbolic interactionists
b. conflict theorists
c. functionalists
d. George Herbert Mead
TB_Q1.4.20
Robert Merton used the term _____ for the harmful consequences of people’s
actions.
a. function
b. dysfunction
c. latent function
d. balancing function
TB_Q1.4.21
Who was the founder of conflict theory?
a. Robert Merton
b. George Herbert Mead
c. Max Weber
d. Karl Marx
TB_Q.1.6.22
In the research model, specifying what it is that you want to learn about a topic is
the stage of
a. defining the problem.
b. reviewing the literature.
c. sharing the results.
d. unobtrusive measures.
TB_Q.1.6.23
A ________ predicts a relationship between or among variables.
a. research design
b. literature review
c. hypothesis
d. topic
TB_Q.1.6.24
Sharon had spent months carrying out her sociological experiments. She had
collected a ton of data. What was Sharon’s next step?
a. Analyze the results
b. Generate more hypotheses
c. Select another topic
d. Share the results
TB_Q.1.6.25
The eighth and final step of the research model is to
a. begin the case study.
b. formulate a hypothesis.
c. define the problem.
d. share the results.
TB_Q.1.6.26
What you expect to find according to predictions from a theory is known as a(n)
a. variable.
b. research design.
c. hypothesis.
d. analysis of documents.
TB_Q.1.6.27
A(n) ________ is a factor thought to be significant for human behavior, which
can vary (change) from one case to another.
a. operational definition
b. variable
c. hypothesis
d. research method
TB_Q.1.6.28
________ is a precise way to measure a variable.
a. Reliability
b. Validity
c. The hypothesis
d. An operational definition
TB_Q.1.6.29
________ is the extent to which an operational definition measures what it is
intended to measure.
a. A variable
b. Validity
c. Hypothesis
d. Reliability
TB_Q.1.6.30
Reliability refers to
a. the extent to which research produces consistent or dependable results.
b. secondary analysis.
c. how close the data we gathered comes to proving what we want to prove.
d. the way in which a researcher measures a variable.
TB_Q.1.7.31
A(n) ________ is the collection of data by having people answer a series of
questions.
a. sample