103. Conflict theory originated in the work of _____.
a. Karl Marx
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Robert Park
d. Max Weber
104. Conflict theory emphasizes
a. a person’sorgroup’sabilitytoexerciseinfluenceandcontroloverothers.
b. the significance of consensus in maintaining social order.
c. the benefits of dysfunctions that cause social change.
d. the significance of face-to-face interactions.
105. According to conflict theorists, social order in society is maintained by
a. a shared system of beliefs.
b. a shared system of values.
c. domination by the powerful.
d. social consensus.
106. Which of the following is not one of the arguments of conflict theory?
a. Inequality exists because those with wealth work to defend their advantages.
b. Society is fragmented into groups that compete for social and economic resources.
c. Social order is maintained by consensus and interdependence.
d. The dominant groups shape the beliefs of others through control of public information.
107. A criticism of _____ is that it understates the cohesion and stability found in society.
a. functionalism
b. conflict theory
c. symbolic interaction theory
d. exchange theory
108. Functionalist theorists and conflict theorists both share the belief that
a. all parts of society work together.
b. social behavior originates in the structure of society.
c. theory should focus on interpersonal, face-to-face interaction.
d. power and exploitation are the basis for order in society.
109. The idea that people give meaning to their behavior is a fundamental principle to which sociological theory?
a. Symbolic interactionism
b. Conflict theory
c. Functionalism
d. Feminism
110. “Society is socially constructed through human interpretation.” This statement is most closely associated with:
a. conflict theory.
b. functionalism.
c. symbolic interaction.
d. social exchange.
111. Symbolic interactionists view _____ as the primary motivation for human behavior.
a. whether or not action is functional
b. struggles for social and economic resources
c. achieving social solidarity
d. people’sdefinitionofthesituation
112. Much of what is presented as common sense in the media and elsewhere about society is often correct.
a. True
b. False
113. All human behavior occurs within a societal context.
a. True
b. False
114. Sociological conclusions are based on careful and systematic observations.
a. True
b. False
115. Sociologists focus on social change and ignore social stability.
a. True
b. False
116. From a sociological perspective, concerns with styles and personal appearance are the product of social forces.
a. True
b. False
117. C. Wright Mills defined the sociological imagination as the ability to see individual experiences within a larger
social context.
a. True
b. False
118. Sociologists, like other social scientists, are only interested in unusual or extreme human behavior.
a. True
b. False
119. According to Peter Berger, sociologists question actions and ideas that are typically taken for granted.
a. True
b. False
120. C. Wright Mills developed the idea of critical distance.
a. True
b. False
121. Sociology began as a discipline in response to the upheaval of World War I.
a. True
b. False
122. Sociology as a discipline began due to social changes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
a. True
b. False
123. According to Durkheim, the economic organization of society is the most important influence on what humans
think and how they behave.
a. True
b. False
124. Positivism was an important influence on empiricism.
a. True
b. False
125. According to Durkheim, examining social facts is the primary purpose of sociology.
a. True
b. False
126. Marx was primarily interested in the study of capitalism.
a. True
b. False
127. For Durkheim, society is made up of independent parts.
a. True
b. False
128. According to functionalists, deviance leads to social change.
a. True
b. False
129. The conflict perspective emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society.
a. True
b. False
130. According to Weber, sociological research should be used to promote political beliefs.
a. True
b. False
131. Weberbelievedthatpeople’sbehaviorcouldonlybeunderstoodfromtheobjectivepositionoftheoutside
observer.
a. True
b. False
132. The focus of the early American sociologists was solving social problems.
a. True
b. False
133. Social Darwinists believed that social arrangements, including poverty and inequality, were natural and inevitable.
a. True
b. False
134. The early African American and women sociologists, in particular, felt that the study of society should be
combined with social activism.
a. True
b. False
135. All functions are positive.
a. True
b. False
136. The Chicago School is characterized by thinkers who are mainly interested in macrosociology.
a. True
b. False
137. From a conflict perspective inequality serves a purpose in society by motivating members of society to achieve
more.
a. True
b. False
138. Both functionalists and conflict theorists see the source of human behavior in the structure of society.
a. True
b. False
139. Symbolic interactionists see meaning as constantly modified through social interaction.
a. True
b. False
140. SociologistswhowerepartoftheChicagoSchoolwereprimarilyinterestedinhowsocietyshapedpeople’s
identities.
a. True
b. False
141. For functionalist sociologists, society is made up of independent parts.
a. True
b. False
142. Symbolic interactionists are focused on the individual only.
a. True
b. False
143. According to symbolic interactionists, social order is negotiated.
a. True
b. False
144. Explain the statement, “All human behavior occurs in a social context.”
145. Explain what Mills means by “sociological imagination” and how individual experience differs from social
structure.
146. Define the ‘sociological imagination.’
147. Explain what makes sociology an empirical science.
148. What did Peter Berger mean when he called the process of sociological investigation “debunking”?
149. Explain how sociologists define diversity.
150. Explain how diversity serves as a central theme in sociology today.
151. Explain how the Enlightenment influenced the development of modern sociology.
152. What did Durkheim mean by his concept of social facts?
153. WhatdoesWeber’sconceptofverstehen mean?
154. According to the text, how was the approach of the early American sociologists different from the classical
European sociologists?
155. What is the difference between manifest and latent functions? Give an example.
156. What is the major difference between macrosociology and microsociology?
157. Explain the concept of debunking within sociology and develop an example. How is debunking accomplished
and how do sociologists achieve the objectivity they need in order to debunk common sense understandings of
social life?
158. Compare and contrast functionalism and conflict theory. Note the distinctive features of each as well as common
criticisms of each paradigm.
159. Explain how symbolic interactionism differs from functionalism and conflict theory. Define the symbolic
interactionist perspective view of human behavior.
160. Discuss the key contributions of feminism for the understanding of society.