1. Sociology is defined as the study of _____.
a. past societies
b. individuals and their personalities
c. past cultures
d. human behavior in society
2. Sociology is a(n) _____ discipline, meaning conclusions are based on systematic observations.
a. empirical
b. faith-based
c. common sense
d. rigorous
3. According to The Sociological Imagination, the current high numbers of college graduates moving back in with their
families reflect:
a. individual choices.
b. social forces impacting private lives.
c. failed socialization.
d. faith-based choices.
4. Georg Simmel explained the concept of “critical distance,” which refers to being _____.
a. physically separate from one’s research subjects
b. able to detach from the situation at hand to view things critically
c. a stranger in social groups
d. able to not participate in one’s own research
5. Auguste Comte believed sociology could:
a. not solve social problems.
b. discover the laws of the natural world.
c. discover the laws of human nature.
d. help solve social problems.
6. Auguste Comte is known for:
a. developing the first sociology program.
b. writing the first sociology textbook.
c. conducting the first sociological research.
d. coining the term “sociology.”
7. According to _____, scientific observation is viewed as the highest form of knowledge.
a. theology
b. positivism
c. functionalism
d. sui generis
8. _____‘s work is the basis for conflict theory.
a. Emile Durkheim
b. Georg Simmel
c. Karl Marx
d. Auguste Comte
9. Which of the following social theorists coined the term sui generis?
a. Marx
b. Weber
c. Durkheim
d. Comte
10. Which of the following is not a basic dimension of society, according to Max Weber?
a. Political
b. Economic
c. Cultural
d. Social
11. Weber defined verstehen as _____.
a. the multidimensionality of society
b. understanding social behavior from the point of view of those engaged in it
c. a constantly evolving organism
d. a hands-off approach to understanding society
12. Which of the following sociologists was a leader in the settlement house movement?
a. Max Weber
b. Jane Addams
c. Ida B. Wells
d. Karl Marx
13. Robert Park
a. was interested in urban problems.
b. focused on immigrant workers.
c. emphasized qualitative research.
d. was interested in rural issues.
14. Jane Addams was the only practicing sociologist to have won a _____.
a. Pulitzer Prize
b. Preston Award
c. Nobel Peace Prize
d. Fulbright Fellowship
15. W.E.B. DuBois was most interested in which of the following?
a. Social justice
b. Empiricism
c. Discovering the laws of society
d. Social stability
16. W.E.B. Du Bois wrote in 1901
a. “he who discriminates shatters the world.”
b. “the line between rich and poor is Black.”
c. “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.”
d. “education is only available to those that can afford it.”
17. Durkheim, Marx, and Weber have which of the following in common?
a. They were all macrosociological theorists
b. They were all German researchers.
c. They all followed the Chicago School.
d. They were all functionalists.
18. Emile Durkheim’s work is the foundation for which major theoretical perspective?
a. Conflict theory
b. Symbolic interactionism
c. Functionalism
d. Feminism
19. Robert Merton suggested that human behavior has _____.
a. functions and dysfunctions
b. qualitative and quantitative components
c. elements of conformity and individualism
d. manifest functions and latent functions
20. Which of the following is nota criticism of functionalism?
a. Functionalism is inherently conservative, given its emphasis on stability.
b. Functionalism understates the roles of power and conflict in society.
c. Functionalism states that inequality is necessary for the equitable distribution of societal resources.
d. Functionalism overstates the role of individual behavior in social change.
21. According to Karl Marx, capitalism
a. is built on the exploitation of workers.
b. is negotiated by cultural values.
c. involves racist oppression.
d. includes the domination of men over women.
22. The sociological perspective focused on the positive role of social change is _____.
a. functionalism
b. conflict theory
c. symbolic interactionism
d. none of the above
23. According to Durkheim, during an economic crisis:
a. people will blame others for taking their jobs.
b. inequality will cause the rich to gain.
c. people will blame individuals, not the system, for failure.
d. none of the above.
24. According to Marx, class conflict is:
a. embedded in the system of capitalism.
b. irrelevant to capitalism.
c. caused by the working class.
d. caused by the capitalist class.
25. According to the text, the problem of the color line described by W.E.B. DuBois:
a. extends to the 21st century.
b. ended with desegregation.
c. ended at the turn of the 20th century.
d. never existed.
26. According to feminist theory, prior to _____, women were largely absent from sociological research.
a. the Industrial Revolution
b. the Civil War
c. the second–wave of feminism
d. World War II
27. Contemporary feminist scholarship has produced which of the following?
a. Gender conflict between men and women
b. Vital knowledge about women
c. Conflict between workers and employers
d. All of the above
28. “Inequality is inevitable and purposeful for society.” This statement best represents which theoretical perspective?
a. Conflict theory
b. Feminism
c. Functionalism
d. Symbolic interactionism
29. “Individuals are subordinated to society.” This statement best represents which theoretical perspective?
a. Conflict theory
b. Feminism
c. Functionalism
d. Symbolic interactionism
30. Using a sociological perspective, C. Wright Mills points out that unemployment is _____.
a. a product of the situation
b. related to the structure of society and social institutions
c. only an individual problem
d. none of the above
31. To study human behavior, sociologists use _____.
a. debunked myths
b. empirical analysis
c. media
d. common sense
32. Sociology differs from media programs that feature human problems in that
a. the media are interested in individuals—sociologists are not.
b. sociologists use research techniques and theories that the media may not use to explain social issues.
c. sociologists do not study the types of problems that appear on television programs.
d. the media focuses on problem behavior, sociology does not.
33. Sociologists believe that persistent problems in the U.S. are
a. largely the result of individual behavior.
b. caused by people with psychological problems.
c. embedded in society.
d. the consequence of free will.
34. Elaine Bell Kaplan’s research on black teenage motherhood concluded that
a. the black community condones teen pregnancy.
b. the black teens felt embarrassed and stigmatized by being pregnant.
c. black women don’t value success as much as white women do.
d. the black teens always developed complete sexual identities.
35. Peter Berger’s concept of debunking refers to
a. the ability to use common sense.
b. the “unmasking” tendency of sociology.
c. taking people’s actions for granted.
d. using empirical evidence to support common sense.
36. Sociological research on education has debunked many common assumptions. It has found that
a. the education system is primarily a way to learn and to get ahead.
b. poor children rarely have the same resources in schools that middle-class and elite students have.
c. today, girls are achieving more rapidly than boys in the areas of math and science.
d. social cliques do not form until adulthood.
37. The text includes a discussion of the practice of footbinding in China in order to demonstrate all of the following,
except
a. itiseasiertodebunkknowledgeofanother’sculturethanofone’sown.
b. behavior that is taken for granted in one society may be viewed as bizarre from the perspective of another
society.
c. sociological debunking may question practices that are otherwise taken for granted.
d. sociologists rely on anecdotal evidence to support conclusions.
38. What role do sociologists play while conducting their research on society?
a. Sociologists are usually strangers to the practices they study.
b. Sociologists must avoid studying aspects of society that they have a personal interest in.
c. Sociologists achieve critical distance through their willingness to question the forces that shape behavior.
d. Most sociologists are primarily academics and typically study only areas within the academy.
39. Which of these do sociologists not consider part of the concept of diversity?
a. Studying group differences in opportunities within society
b. The process of social change
c. The formation of group identity
d. The allocation of resources
40. Which of the following is not true about the global perspective in sociology?
a. Sociologists consider comparing and contrasting societies across cultures valuable.
b. The global perspective is essential to the study of change in society.
c. Although societies are interconnected, their social and economic systems remain very separated.
d. A global perspective goes beyond simple comparisons of cultures.
41. Which of the following was not a condition that led to the development of sociology?
a. Rapid growth of capitalism
b. The disappearance of traditional sources of authority
c. Contact between societies was increasing
d. The increasingly important role of religion
42.
Alexis de Tocqueville referred to the ability of the majority in a democracy to impose its will on everyone else as
_____
a. the “tyranny of democracy.”
b. “unenlightened despotism.”
c. “manifest destiny.”
d. the “tyranny of the majority.”
43. Which of the following is an observation that Alexis de Tocqueville made in hi s study of American society?
a. Americans had little independence of mind, despite their emphasis on individualism.
b. Individual freedom was widespread despite the principle of majority rule.
c. Democratic values had little impact on American social institutions.
d. Americans were mostly controlled by capitalist values.
44. What do Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber all have in common?
a. They are largely discredited sociologists.
b. They are classical thinkers whose ideas continue to influence the social sciences.
c. They were all German economists.
d. They were all political rebels who were imprisoned for their ideas.
45. According to Durkheim, public rituals, including punishment, are important because they
a. make people afraid of authority and less likely to commit crime.
b. create a bond among the members of society.
c. give members of society an opportunity to meet the key figures of authority.
d. create sui generis.
46. InDurkheim’sviewofsociety,peoplecometobelievewhatsocietyexpectsthemtobelievebecause
a. they internalize the existence of society in their minds.
b. they are subject to coercion and exploitation.
c. they do not believe that they have free will.
d. the bourgeoisie force values on the proletariat.
47. According to the text, Durkheim’s major contribution to the discipline of sociology was the understanding of the
a. effects of capitalism on society.
b. social basis of human behavior.
c. relationship that exists between man and nature.
d. effect of verstehen on our conception of reality.
48. Marx used the term _____ for those people in society who are discarded by the capitalist system and _____ for
those in the working class.
a. proletariat; bourgeoisie
b. lumpenproletariat; proletariat
c. bourgeoisie; petty bourgeoisie
d. petty bourgeoisie; lumpenproletariat
49. The early American sociologists are characterized by their
a. extremely theoretical approach to problems.
b. adherence to the conflict perspective primarily.
c. belief that sociology could alleviate the negative consequences of society.
d. lack of interest in research.
50. The organic metaphor refers to
a. seeing a particular society as untarnished by the influence of others.
b. sociologists working in the community, not being strictly academic.
c. seeing society as a system of interrelated functions and parts.
d. understanding behavior from the perspective of those engaged in it.
51. Social Darwinists believed that
a. social evolution did not work in the same way as biological evolution.
b. over time complexity would revert to simplicity and societies would become more primitive.
c. social reforms should not be implemented because they interfered with the natural progression of society.
d. humans could shape the evolution of society.
52. _____ was the first Black person in any field to earn a Ph.D from Harvard.
a. W.E.B. Du Bois
b. Ida B. Wells-Barnett
c. Jane Addams
d. Robert Park
53. When one part of society is not working, it affects the rest of society and causes social problems. This statement
reflects the _____ approach.
a. conflict
b. symbolic interactionist
c. functionalist
d. microsociological
54. How do functionalists view disorganization within society?
a. They believe it must result in change to re-establish equilibrium in society.
b. They view disorganization as normal for society.
c. They believe that disorganization in one part of society will affect only those directly involved.
d. They believe that change is for the worse, stemming from instability.
55. In what way does symbolic interaction theory differ from conflict theory and functionalism?
a. Conflict theory and functionalism are theoretical frameworks and symbolic interactionism is not.
b. Conflict theory and functionalism focus on immediate social interaction and symbolic interactionism does
not.
c. Symbolic interactionism does not examine society in terms of its abstract institutions, and conflict and
functionalist theory do.
d. Symbolic interactionism is a macro-level approach; conflict theory and functionalism are not.
56. Feminist theory is a type of contemporary theory that does not
a. analyze the status of men and women in society.
b. havethegoalofimprovingwomen’slives.
c. provide new ways of seeing the world.
d. see women as more powerful than men.
57. The text emphasizes that _____ is most responsible for a person’s chance in life.
a. human biology
b. inherited traits
c. social location
d. individual personality
58. The fundamental principle or lesson of sociology is that
a. it is not possible to truly understand human behavior.
b. the social context shapes what people do and think.
c. it is easiest to study the most extreme and unusual behavior.
d. sociology just restates the obvious in empirical ways.
59. Which of the following social thinkers is associated with the concept of the sociological imagination?
a. Max Weber
b. Emile Durkheim
c. Wright Mills
d. Charles Murray
60. Applying the sociological _____ means that one has the ability to see the societal patterns that influence individual
and group life.
a. perspective
b. ideal
c. faith
d.
consensus