Deck 2: Examining Our Social World

Question 1

Deduction and induction are two different but equally valuable approaches in examining the relationship between variables.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Knowledge based on tradition and authority simplifies people's lives because it:

A) provides them with basic rules about socially and legally acceptable behavior.
B) is impossible to gain knowledge through any other means.
C) provides only clear and correct information to them.
D) exposes myths and misconceptions.
E) sharpens critical thinking skills that affect their everyday lives.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A common source of knowledge is _____, a socially accepted source of information that includes "experts," parents, government officials, police, judges, and religious leaders.

A) mythology
B) authority
C) superstition
D) heredity
E) intelligence

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is a tradition?

A) Jane throws the bouquet at her wedding as it is a custom that her family follows.
B) Jack eats five almonds every day as his mother says that they are good for health.
C) A girl gets married to her best friend because she loves him.
D) Teens copy celebrities' dressing style to look fashionable.
E) People use social media frequently these days.

Question 5

Research findings often challenge personal attitudes and beliefs that people cherish.

Question 6

Formulating a hypothesis is the first step in the scientific method.

Question 7

In participant observation, researchers interact with the people they're studying.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of authority?

A) Jane throws the bouquet at her wedding as it is a custom that her family follows.
B) Jack eats five almonds every day as his mother says that they are good for health.
C) A girl gets married to her best friend because she loves him.
D) Teens copy celebrities' dressing style to look fashionable.
E) People use social media prevalently these days.

Question 9

In a survey, questionnaires should be self-administered.

Question 10

To explain behavior, sociologists rely on the scientific method.

Question 11

Content analysis is usually expensive and time consuming than other data collection methods.

Question 12

Knowledge based on tradition and authority complicates people's lives.

Question 13

Structured interviews use open-ended questions.

Question 14

Causation is also known as correlation.

Question 15

Sociological research influences social policies.

Question 16

A control variable is a characteristic that is constant and unchanged during the research process.

Question 17

Researchers today operate under much stricter guidelines than they did in the past.

Question 18

Sociological research supports overgeneralizations.

Question 19

Much of one's knowledge is based on _____, a handing down of statements, beliefs, and customs from generation to generation.

A) tradition
B) authority
C) learning
D) heredity
E) intelligence

Question 20

In a survey, questions in a questionnaire can only be close-ended.

Question 21

Which of the following is true of the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable?

A) An independent variable is a characteristic that has an effect on the dependent variable, the outcome.
B) An independent variable is a characteristic that is constant and unchanged during the research process, while a dependent variable varies during the research process.
C) An independent variable is not used in a hypothesis, while a dependent variable is used in a hypothesis.
D) An independent variable uses a dependent variable to acquire knowledge based on tradition and authority.
E) An independent variable uses a dependent variable for deductive reasoning.

Question 22

Which of the following is a reason for researchers to select samples to represent the population?

A) The population may be so large that it would be too expensive and time consuming to conduct the research.
B) Using the whole population to conduct researches will yield inaccurate results.
C) Samples are better for inductive reasoning-based researches, while the whole population can be used only for deductive reasoning-based researches.
D) Samples are better as they use the concept of conventional wisdom over critical thinking.
E) Samples yield more accurate results as they do not influence social policies.

Question 23

Which of the following is true of knowledge based on tradition and authority?

A) It can be misleading or wrong.
B) It exposes myths.
C) It challenges overgeneralizations.
D) It is the same as knowledge gained by sociological research.
E) It influences social policies.

Question 24

_____ is an inquiry process that begins with a specific observation, followed by data collection, a conclusion about patterns or regularities, and the formulation of hypotheses that can lead to theory construction.

A) Decisive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Comparative reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Qualitative reasoning

Question 25

Which of the following is a variable?

A) Blood pressure of a person
B) Climate change in a city
C) Marriage of a couple
D) Childhood memories of a person
E) Attitude of a person

Question 26

To explain behavior, sociologists rely on the _____, a body of objective and systematic techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring knowledge, and testing hypotheses and theories.

A) archival research
B) scientific method
C) behavioral epigenetics
D) conventional wisdom
E) innate knowledge

Question 27

In a country called Novea, teen suicide rates dropped by 39 percent from 1995 to 2015, but 70 percent of the citizens believe that the rate has gone up.The reason behind this misperception is the increase in the media focus on teen suicides.This is an example of _____.

A) overgeneralization
B) conventional wisdom
C) inductive reasoning
D) tradition
E) sampling

Question 28

A(n) _____ is one in which each person or thing, such as an email address, has an equal chance of being selected because the selection process is random.

A) probability sample
B) dependent variable
C) non probability sample
D) independent variable
E) control variable

Question 29

As concepts are abstract and may vary among individuals and cultures, scientists rely on _____ to measure concepts.

A) variables
B) traditions
C) researches
D) beliefs
E) theories

Question 30

Which of the following defines a population?

A) It is any well-defined group of people or things about which researchers want to know something.
B) It is a well-formed group of people who share the same ethnicity, race, and social status.
C) It is any well-defined group of people who are related to each other by a common language or religion.
D) It is a group of people who are spread across the world but would help each other in the time of crisis.
E) It is any group of things that remain unchanged for a particular time period.

Question 31

Why is sociological research important in people's everyday lives?

A) It encourages overgeneralizations.
B) It exposes myths.
C) It is isolated from social policies.
D) It fails to explain why people behave irrationally.
E) It is often misleading and wrong.

Question 32

In obtaining a sample, researchers decide whether to use:

A) probability or non probability sampling.
B) dependent or independent sampling.
C) constant or variable sampling.
D) reliable or non reliable sampling.
E) controlled or uncontrolled sampling.

Question 33

_____ sharpens critical thinking skills that affect our everyday lives.

A) Tradition
B) Authority
C) Conventional wisdom
D) Sociological research
E) Belief

Question 34

Joshua takes 15 minutes to reach his school.He has to be at the school at 7.00 a.m.every day.Therefore, he decides that he has to leave home at 6.45 a.m.every day to reach on time.Which of the following types of reasoning does Joshua use to arrive at this decision?

A) Decisive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Comparative reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Qualitative reasoning

Question 35

_____ is the degree to which a measure is accurate and really measures what it claims to measure.

A) Reliability
B) Probability
C) Validity
D) Consistency
E) Competency

Question 36

The _____ includes careful data collection, exact measurement, accurate recording and analysis of the findings, thoughtful interpretation of results, and, when appropriate, generalization of the findings to a larger group.

A) archival research
B) scientific method
C) behavioral epigenetics
D) conventional wisdom
E) innate knowledge

Question 37

Sandy observes that the students who use laptops and e-learning tools secure the highest grades.She conducts a research study to determine whether this observation is true.Which of the following types of reasoning does Sandy use to construct her theory?

A) Decisive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Comparative reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Qualitative reasoning

Question 38

A(n) _____ refers to an abstract idea, mental image, or general notion that represents some aspect of the world.

A) concept
B) overgeneralization
C) myth
D) social policy
E) research method

Question 39

Which of the following is true of sociological research?

A) It is based on a handing down of customs from generation to generation.
B) It is a socially accepted source of information.
C) It is misleading and wrong at a macro level.
D) It is based on tradition and authority.
E) It helps explain why people behave as they do.

Question 40

_____ is an inquiry process that begins with a theory, prediction, or general principle that is then tested through data collection.

A) Decisive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Comparative reasoning
D) Inductive reasoning
E) Qualitative reasoning

Question 41

Every 10 years, the U.S.Census Bureau mails forms to every home in the United States to collect federally mandated data.Which of the following data collection methods is used by the Census Bureau?

A) Secondary analysis
B) Field research
C) Experiment
D) Survey
E) Evaluation research

Question 42

_____ is the relationship between two or more variables.

A) Correlation
B) Castigation
C) Causation
D) Cognition
E) Cohesion

Question 43

Which of the following statements is most likely an example of causation?

A) Illiteracy is associated with poverty.
B) Unsafe sex is linked to sexually transmitted diseases.
C) Teen suicide is linked with relationship issues.
D) Obesity is associated with heredity.
E) Adultery is associated with divorce.

Question 44

_____ provide information on characteristics such as national college graduation rates.

A) Quantitative data
B) Non numeric data
C) Qualitative data
D) Incomputable data
E) Inductive data

Question 45

Sociologists and other scientists try to establish correlation because _____.

A) causation is difficult to prove
B) causation is restricted only to humans
C) causation is restricted only to inductive reasoning
D) causation does not work for qualitative research
E) causation is an obsolete method

Question 46

Data that is collected at one point in time is known as _____.

A) dependent data
B) longitudinal data
C) scientific data
D) cross-sectional data
E) random data

Question 47

Which of the following statements is an example of correlation?

A) Drunken driving is the cause of road accidents.
B) Unsafe sex leads to transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
C) Consumption of excessive sugar leads to diabetes.
D) Obesity is associated with heredity.
E) Adultery leads to divorce.

Question 48

In a(n) _____, there's little or no attempt to get a representative cross section of the population.

A) convenience sample
B) non probability sample
C) nonjudgmental sample
D) independent sample
E) constant sample

Question 49

_____ yield in-depth descriptions of why some college students drop out whereas others graduate.

A) Quantitative data
B) Numeric data
C) Qualitative data
D) Computable data
E) Deductive data

Question 50

In _____, sociologists focus on a numerical analysis of people's responses or specific characteristics, studying a wide range of attitudes, behaviors, and traits.

A) quantitative research
B) correlational research
C) qualitative research
D) statistical research
E) inductive research

Question 51

Non probability samples are very useful when sociologists:

A) need to give an equal chance of selection to each person in a population.
B) need to generalize the results to a larger population.
C) are researching a subject that is as sensitive and important as medicine.
D) attempt to get a representative cross section of the population.
E) want to get insights on how people feel about a particular topic before launching a larger study.

Question 52

Kyra wants to carry out research to study depression in teenage students.She visits a school and randomly chooses 200 teenage students to be a part of her study.Which of the following sampling methods is used by Kyra to carry out her research?

A) Convenience sampling
B) Probability sampling
C) Judgment sampling
D) Dependent sampling
E) Constant sampling

Question 53

Which of the following is the most desirable characteristic of a probability sample?

A) The results of a probability sample can be generalized to the larger population.
B) There's no attempt to get a representative cross section of the population in a probability sample.
C) A sampling criterion is used in the probability sampling approach.
D) A probability sample is useful when sociologists are exploring a new topic.
E) A probability sample is not considered as a representative of a population.

Question 54

_____ is a relationship in which one variable is the direct consequence of another.

A) Correlation
B) Castigation
C) Causation
D) Cognition
E) Cohesion

Question 55

Murray outlines his sampling technique, the sample size, and the characteristics of the respondents in his research.According to the steps in the scientific method, using the deductive approach, Murray is:

A) presenting the results of his research.
B) collecting data for his research.
C) analyzing the results of his research.
D) reviewing the literature for his research.
E) describing the data collection methods used in his research.

Question 56

Which of the following is true of longitudinal studies?

A) They are useful in examining trends in behavior or attitudes.
B) They use data collected at one point in time.
C) They are collected from same respondents at the same point of time.
D) They are collected from different respondents at the same point of time.
E) They are useful when one data about a particular year is needed.

Question 57

_____ is a method for collecting that data that includes questionnaires, face-to-face or telephone interviews, or a combination.

A) Survey
B) Field research
C) Secondary analysis
D) Causation
E) Castigation

Question 58

When people call into TV contest shows to vote, such as American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, they are an example of a(n):

A) convenience sample.
B) non probability sample.
C) non judgmental sample.
D) independent sample.
E) constant sample.

Question 59

Michelle is presenting her research at a local conference.She has concluded that the program she reviewed is very effective in its mission.According to the steps in the scientific method, using the deductive approach, Michelle is:

A) selecting the topic for her research.
B) collecting data for her research.
C) analyzing and explaining results of her research.
D) reviewing the previous works related to her research.
E) choosing a research design for her research.

Question 60

Peter is sending out questionnaires via e-mail to 7,000 students on campus to gather data about their eating habits.Which of the following data collection methods is most likely used by Peter in this scenario?

A) Survey
B) Field research
C) Experiment
D) Evaluation research
E) Secondary analysis

Question 61

Is correlation the same as causation?

Question 62

What are the various limitations of content analysis?

Question 63

Explain independent, dependent, and control variables.

Question 64

Which of the following is an advantage of evaluation research?

A) It is versatile because it includes qualitative and quantitative approaches.
B) It addresses all the factors that affect behavior.
C) It is not affected by any social contexts.
D) Conflicts of interests don't influence evaluation research.
E) The findings of evaluation research are always reliable, unbiased, and accurate.

Question 65

What do sociologists focus on during quantitative research? Explain with an example.

Question 66

Explain briefly about knowledge based on tradition and authority.

Question 67

What do sociologists examine in qualitative research? Explain with an example.

Question 68

In the context of major data collection methods, what are the strengths of surveys?

Question 69

_____ are preferred because the results can be generalized to a larger population.

A) Random sample surveys
B) Cross-sectional sample surveys
C) Non probability sample surveys
D) Specialized surveys
E) Class-specific surveys

Question 70

What are the two types of sampling methods used by researchers to select a sample?

Question 71

Explain questionnaires and interviews and describe how they are used in a survey.

Question 72

What are the seven steps present in the scientific method?

Question 73

All ethical standards have at least three golden rules.What are those rules?

Question 74

Which of the following is one of the major limitation of surveys that use mailed questionnaires?

A) They are expensive.
B) They are not anonymous.
C) They are tedious to administer.
D) They have low response rates.
E) They have a slow turnaround.

Question 75

Sociological research sharpens critical thinking skills that affect our everyday lives.Justify this statement with an example.

Question 76

Which of the following is a limitation of secondary analysis of existing data?

A) The data is mostly inaccessible.
B) This method is inconvenient and tedious.
C) This method is expensive when compared with other methods.
D) Researchers cannot look at trends and changes over time.
E) Determining the accuracy and authenticity of historical data may be difficult.

Question 77

Explain deductive and inductive reasoning.

Question 78

In the procedure called _____, the interviewer uses a computer to select random telephone numbers, reads the questions to the respondent from a computer screen, and then enters the replies in precoded spaces, saving time and expense by not having to reenter the data after the interview.

A) volunteering
B) computer-assisted telephone interviewing
C) digital voicing
D) computer-interviewer manipulation
E) manual-telephone interviewing

Question 79

Researchers have two principal options to deal with the time issue.What are they?

Question 80

Does sociological research challenge overgeneralization?