Deck 10: Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion

Question 1

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama, but he became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army. In doing so, he became powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. What was Noriega's government if this is the only information on which to base your answer?

A) totalitarian
B) authoritarian
C) democratic
D) a monarchy

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Since 1917, all Puerto Ricans have been considered U.S. citizens, but they are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections. In this sense, they are

A) ruled by a 527 committee.
B) part of a totalitarian government.
C) disenfranchised.
D) a pluralistic society.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea, and his father Kim Jong-il, North Korea's former leader, have both restricted the basic human rights of their citizens. What type of government does North Korea have?

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) republic
D) totalitarian

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The majority of appointed U.S. Treasury secretaries have been either former partners or managers of Goldman Sachs, which is a global investment management firm. Sociologists would argue that this overlap between private business and the federal government is an example of

A) pluralism.
B) authoritarianism.
C) totalitarianism.
D) the power elite.

Question 5

The system of government that excludes participation and representation of ordinary citizens is called

A) pluralist.
B) democratic.
C) socialist.
D) authoritarian.

Question 6

________ is the MOST extreme form of authoritarianism.

A) Totalitarianism
B) Monarchy
C) Dictatorship
D) The power elite

Question 7

In 1970, Salvador Allende became the president of Chile through open elections. What did the United States help end in Chile when it supported a military coup, the assassination of Allende, and the subsequent dictatorship?

A) theocracy
B) totalitarian regime
C) constitutional monarchy
D) democracy

Question 8

Robert is walking down the street late at night when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert's mugger had ________ but not ________.

A) power; authority
B) authority; power
C) authoritarianism; power
D) totalitarianism; total power

Question 9

Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father, Hussein bin Talal, as ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999. This makes his government a

A) monarchy.
B) totalitarian state.
C) pluralist polity.
D) democratic republic.

Question 10

What are the methods and tactics of managing and influencing government called?

A) power
B) totalitarianism
C) fascism
D) politics

Question 11

The power elite consists of ________ of the American population, according to a recent study.

A) 5 percent
B) considerably less than 1 percent
C) 12.5 percent
D) 42 percent

Question 12

Robert Dahl developed ________ to argue that corporations, political parties, professional organizations, and ethnic and religious groups provide checks and balances for each other so that no one group has too much power.

A) special interest groups
B) democracy
C) the pluralist model
D) the power elite

Question 13

Politics, education, and religion are often discussed together in sociology because

A) all three exist only at the macro level.
B) all three exist only at the micro level.
C) political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.
D) all three are important to sociologists but have less effect on everyday life.

Question 14

What are organizations formed with the purpose of raising and spending money in order to influence elected officials called?

A) power elites
B) media groups
C) special interest groups
D) unions

Question 15

According to C. Wright Mills, a small and unified group of people occupy the highest positions of the major economic, political, and military institutions and exercise tremendous influence in American social life. What does he call this group?

A) the power elite
B) a variety of organizations and institutions that represent different interest groups
C) political action committees that raise money and advocate on behalf of their donors
D) the media

Question 16

What is the term for the legitimate right to wield power?

A) government
B) politics
C) authority
D) state

Question 17

What are systems and structures within society that shape the activities of groups and individuals called?

A) social controls
B) social institutions
C) social norms
D) pluralistic situations

Question 18

Which of the following techniques is used to disenfranchise part of the American population today?

A) requiring polling places to be put in as many locations as possible
B) requiring that poll taxes be paid in order to vote
C) denying people who have been convicted of felonies the right to vote for the rest of their lives
D) requiring a literacy test to get a ballot

Question 19

What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?

A) They are all secular institutions.
B) They are all less important today than in the past.
C) They are all social institutions.
D) They function only at the macro level.

Question 20

________ occurs when a government bars an individual temporarily or permanently from voting.

A) Suffrage
B) Disenfranchisement
C) Pluralism
D) Voting conviction

Question 21

Which of the following does the textbook suggest is associated with helping incumbents win reelection at staggeringly high rates?

A) recognition
B) money
C) track record
D) political parties

Question 22

Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, and some political strategists argued it was partly due to Trump being a reality television celebrity. These political strategists likely feel that politics today

A) requires immense amounts of money to succeed.
B) has very little connection to the lives of everyday people.
C) rewards style over substance.
D) is mostly scripted by spin doctors.

Question 23

________ are organizations designed to raise money to support the interests of a select group or organization.

A) Political action committees
B) Media groups
C) Simulacrums
D) Power elites

Question 24

In Soviet Russia, it was a common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood and to treat the doctored photos as representations of reality rather than as modifications of it. For example, Stalin's friends who turned into his enemies were cut out of pictures with him. These pictures were examples of

A) spin doctors.
B) simulacrum.
C) opinion leaders.
D) a free press.

Question 25

What feature of modern politics closely resembles short, limited Twitter posts?

A) press conferences
B) journalistic watchdogs
C) sound bites
D) news stories

Question 26

Singer and celebrity Beyoncé Knowles endorsed Barack Obama during the 2012 presidential election. What could Beyoncé be considered, to the extent that people pay attention to her and care about what she says?

A) an opinion leader
B) a member of the power elite
C) a member of a special interest group
D) a political action leader

Question 27

________ is the central means by which modern society transmits knowledge, values, and expectations to its members.

A) Religion
B) Politics
C) Education
D) The hidden curriculum

Question 28

________ is the term Jean Baudrillard uses to refer to an image or media representation that does not reflect reality in any meaningful way but is treated as real.

A) Simulacrum
B) Hidden curriculum
C) Telegenic
D) Sacred

Question 29

Identify the true statement about social media and politics.

A) In the 2016 presidential election, all three major-party candidates (Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump) used Facebook and Twitter extensively in their campaigns, but Bernie Sanders stood out in the ways that he utilized these social media platforms.
B) A filter bubble is created by search engine algorithms that deliver customized findings based on a user's online history and social media circles.
C) Echo chambers refer to how fraudulent news stories can spread quickly online.
D) Fomenting distrust of reliable mainstream news outlets imperils their function as a check and balance on power that the framers of the Constitution had in mind.

Question 30

________ are short sentences or phrases on a political subject, designed to be catchy and memorable but not necessarily to convey much information.

A) Position papers
B) Policy gripes
C) Press releases
D) Sound bites

Question 31

John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign. Voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?

A) The Kennedy campaign put out better television advertisements.
B) Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would have made him look better on camera.
C) The radio program was shorter than the television program and omitted some of Kennedy's key arguments.
D) Kennedy smiled a lot.

Question 32

Which of the following terms is used for a person who is stripped of voting rights, either temporarily or permanently?

A) disenfranchised
B) suffrage
C) authoritarianism
D) monarchy

Question 33

________ are high-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public.

A) Lobbyists
B) Opinion leaders
C) Political action leaders
D) Talking heads

Question 34

The curriculum at schools like Trinity College at Cambridge (The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity) leaned heavily on theology during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in England. Today, the vast majority of university students will never take any theology classes. Why did this change?

A) Universities in those days were controlled by the state.
B) The Internet has altered social relations to such an extent that education in certain subjects no longer seems important.
C) There are more colleges now, so students who are told they must take theology classes can simply transfer to a different school.
D) The knowledge, values, and expectations required to succeed in contemporary society are different from those required then.

Question 35

An example of social media is

A) political parties summarizing their campaign platforms on television.
B) a public radio program that tells you where to go if you want to volunteer to work on a political campaign.
C) a magazine that provides information on candidates' policy positions but also describes their family lives, hobbies, and favorite books.
D) politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents directly.

Question 36

In the past, most voters formed political opinions by listening to speeches, meeting with representatives of political parties, or attending town hall meetings. How do voters today tend to learn about political issues?

A) through websites maintained by political candidates
B) through human interest stories in the media
C) through newspaper and magazine articles that focus on the policy implications of political decisions
D) through intimate, firsthand knowledge of issues

Question 37

What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?

A) math and science
B) only theology
C) natural philosophy and the works of ancient Greek philosophers
D) law, theology, and medicine

Question 38

Political action committees are much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past because

A) unlike giving to candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give political action committees.
B) their members have positions of power within the media.
C) they have far and away the largest number of grassroots supporters.
D) many of their members hold high political office.

Question 39

The large-scale social change making celebrity politicians more popular is the increasing

A) importance of television.
B) focus on political platform and policies.
C) need to connect with young voters.
D) importance of Hollywood stars to fundraising.

Question 40

________ is/are an example of a special interest group.

A) Penn State University
B) Police unions
C) A parent group at a school
D) A student organization on campus

Question 41

Sociologists have noted that the informal teaching practices and power relationships by which schools operate produce a disconnect between democratic values and what actually goes on in schools. To what concept are such arguments referring?

A) teacher expectations
B) the hidden curriculum
C) simulacra
D) educational inequality

Question 42

Public schools that are run by private entities are called

A) charter schools.
B) religious schools.
C) homeschools.
D) secular schools.

Question 43

How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?

A) Homeschooled students perform better in reading, but worse in math and science.
B) Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
C) No one knows, because there is no way to test homeschooled students.
D) Homeschooled students do well only if their parents are certified as teachers; otherwise, they do fairly poorly.

Question 44

Schools that blend high school and college are called

A) charter schools.
B) early college high schools.
C) junior colleges.
D) college achievement schools.

Question 45

In Schooling in Capitalist America, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis argued that schools train a labor force in the skills and attitudes necessary for the health of a modern economy. What are these skills and attitudes?

A) critical thinking
B) independence and initiative
C) the mathematical skills needed to work with computer software and the drive needed to create new things
D) taking orders and performing repetitive tasks

Question 46

What is the definition for the "hidden curriculum" concept?

A) the ideal of a self-denying, highly moral life accompanied by self-sacrifice
B) higher grades given for the same work, or a general rise in student grades without a corresponding rise in learning
C) subjects that are rarely taught, which require students to seek them out on their own time
D) lessons that students learn indirectly through the method in which the curriculum is presented and the way the school is organized

Question 47

What was Jonathan Kozol's impression of the poorly funded schools he visited in urban Chicago?

A) Children are resilient and can overcome even the worst conditions.
B) They were extraordinarily unhappy places.
C) Even though they were poorly funded, a small group of dedicated teachers could still make a difference in children's lives.
D) They could only succeed when federal education programs closely regulated them.

Question 48

Which of the following is an advantage of school vouchers often cited by the vouchers' supporters?

A) Vouchers provide more funding for public schools.
B) Vouchers provide better pay for teachers, which improves the quality of education across the board.
C) Vouchers create more schools that specialize in math and science.
D) Vouchers give parents more choices in their children's education.

Question 49

According to Randall Collins, our educational system is much like a "tribal initiation rite," a "secret society," or a "closed occupational caste." For Collins, it is not a rational system that produces more efficient production but a mechanism for

A) creating gender inequality in the workforce.
B) reproducing the existing class structure.
C) punishing those who deviate from mainstream American values.
D) teaching the values and ideals we need to function in society today.

Question 50

To reform and improve the American educational system, what does the sociologist Randall Collins recommend?

A) The first two years of college should be combined with high school to make the transition easier.
B) The federal government should fund high schools so poor areas do not have poorly funded schools.
C) It should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.
D) Standardized test scores should not be requested on college applications.

Question 51

What is the process called when students are tested and the results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial, advanced, college prep, etc.)?

A) the hidden curriculum
B) socialization
C) tracking
D) charter schooling

Question 52

Former teacher Jonathan Kozol conducted an ethnography of public schools in major cities across the United States for his book Savage Inequalities. In his study, Kozol found that school reinforce inequality by

A) busing students to schools far away from their homes, disrupting their schedules, and removing them from their natural peers.
B) using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools.
C) "teaching to the test," which removes many more creative subjects from the curriculum.
D) privileging athletes and giving them a much easier educational path.

Question 53

According to Randall Collins, why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?

A) They understand how complicated their professions are and want to make sure that everyone who enters them is well trained.
B) They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thereby minimizing competition and ensuring that there are a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
C) They know that the world is changing quickly, and they want to make sure that new doctors and lawyers are fully versed in the intricacies of twenty-first-century life.
D) They tend to invest in private schools, so they make a profit from education.

Question 54

Which of the following is an objection to school vouchers often cited by the vouchers' critics?

A) They believe vouchers will undermine the independence of private schools.
B) They believe vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.
C) They believe vouchers will reduce the number of choices and amount of control parents have over their children's education.
D) They fear that vouchers will cause students to be socially, rather than educationally, disadvantaged.

Question 55

What is the goal of early college high schools according to the textbook?

A) to make education cheaper because college teachers are paid less when teaching in these institutions
B) to move skilled workers into the economy faster
C) to make it easier for students from underserved backgrounds to enter college
D) to slow down the educational process and to keep more young people in school and out of the workforce, where too many people are underemployed

Question 56

Randall Collins argues that the true function of schools is that they

A) train a workforce in computer and technology skills so students can work in a twenty-first-century information economy.
B) teach traditional American values like respect, hard work, and punctuality.
C) reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to that of their parents.
D) teach students to have a profound intellectual engagement that allows them to establish a meaningful relationship with the society in which they live.

Question 57

Jacobson and Rosenthal's Pygmalion in the Classroom showed that

A) IQ scores are the best predictors of classroom success.
B) students whom teachers expect to do well tend to fare better in the classroom.
C) there is no relationship between teachers' expectations about students and student performance.
D) all students enter the education system with equal chances for success.

Question 58

Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?

A) Curriculum may recognize and celebrate diversity, but most professors and administrators are white and heterosexual.
B) History books are rewritten to emphasize the role of women and minorities.
C) Schools attempt to change how they teach.
D) Schools attempt to address the gaps and exclusions that exist in their curriculum.

Question 59

What variable would account for the dramatic jump in test scores evidenced by the students in Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion in the Classroom?

A) difficult work
B) better books and other instructional materials
C) teacher attitudes
D) community support

Question 60

What does a sociological perspective tell us about education in the United States?

A) Anyone who works hard can get good grades.
B) Education is the pathway to material success and, as such, rewards the best and brightest individuals.
C) Tracking helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve material success.
D) Educational success often has as much to do with social stratification as it does with individual ability.

Question 61

According to Mark Juergensmeyer's book, Terror in the Mind of God, what accounts for the rise in religious violence across the world?

A) the rise of Christian Evangelical fundamentalism
B) the rise of Muslim fundamentalism
C) the growing dissatisfaction with the growing separation of the church and state in various countries
D) the rise of extremist religious beliefs that can grant a sense of control to people who feel powerless

Question 62

According to Max Weber, Protestant values contributed to the rise of

A) opinion leaders.
B) hidden curriculum.
C) religion.
D) capitalism.

Question 63

The fact that school schedules are organized around Christmas is evidence

A) that the United States is a secular society.
B) that the majority of Americans celebrate Christmas.
C) of nothing; it is just a coincidence.
D) that the United States is not a totally secular society.

Question 64

In the Sermon on the Mount of the Christian New Testament, believers are told, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." Of which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you?

A) Religion helps us understand our lives as meaningful.
B) Religion provides morals, values, rules, and norms for participants.
C) Religion gives people a set of social connections.
D) Religion reinforces sexism and provides separate roles for men and women.

Question 65

How is a sociological definition of religion different from a commonsense, everyday definition?

A) A sociological definition looks only at the macro elements of religion.
B) A sociological definition looks only at the way religion is created and re-created through everyday interaction.
C) A sociological definition must be broad enough to encompass all varieties of religious experiences.
D) A sociological definition cannot take into account personal relationships with God.

Question 66

Religion fulfills what role in society from a structural functionalist perspective?

A) It makes women subservient to men.
B) Its shows religious organizations how to become agents of change.
C) It is an instrument against oppression and exploitation.
D) It provides its supporters with a set of values, norms, and rules by which to live.

Question 67

Attending religious services would be an example of

A) intrinsic religiosity.
B) extrinsic religiosity.
C) unchurched spirituality.
D) spirituality.

Question 68

What is religiosity?

A) a measure of the diversity of religion within a society
B) a measure of the variety of religious experiences a person may have over the course of their lifetime
C) the extent of a person's consistent and regular practice of their religious beliefs
D) the degree to which religion can provide solutions to everyday problems

Question 69

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer that is recited five times each day. This means that, in theory, five times each day every Muslim is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. What function or dysfunction of religion does the adhan help bring about?

A) It supports economic development.
B) It brings people together.
C) It reinforces sexism.
D) It creates a bias against homosexuals.

Question 70

Why might the number of Christians who identify as evangelical in the United States be rapidly increasing?

A) Evangelical churches tend to be the wealthiest churches in America.
B) Evangelicals focus on an unchurched spirituality.
C) Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts.
D) Evangelicals are the oldest religious group in America.

Question 71

An elementary school student notices that exhibiting good behavior and following the instructions of the teacher can go a long way to earning him decent grades in school. This example highlights what sociological term about the education system?

A) tracking
B) unschooling
C) hidden curriculum
D) flipped classroom

Question 72

What is a term for someone who labels themselves "spiritual but not religious"?

A) fundamentalist
B) evangelical
C) atheist
D) unchurched

Question 73

What do all religions have in common?

A) God(s) or other supernatural beings
B) moral laws about the proper way to offer prayer and sacrifice to a god
C) a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane
D) certain days that are considered holy

Question 74

Religions that worship one divine figure are considered

A) pluralistic.
B) secular.
C) monotheistic.
D) Judeo-Christian.

Question 75

A society that separates church and state is a(n) ________ society.

A) secular
B) agnostic
C) fundamentalist
D) traditional

Question 76

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible, like this one, to justify gender roles. Conflict theorists might argue that this is a ________ of religion because it ________.

A) dysfunction; is homophobic
B) function; promotes equality
C) function; teaches us a basic sociological tenet
D) dysfunction; promotes sexism

Question 77

What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?

A) the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002
B) a rise in immigration, leading to a large population of non-English-speaking students
C) the deterioration of the infrastructure in educational institutions
D) the rise of the Internet

Question 78

The former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene, but she voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene. This indicates that

A) America is both a secular and religious society at the same time.
B) America is a strongly secular society.
C) America is a deeply religious society, and the separation of church and state is more or less a myth.
D) the Supreme Court has consistently been more religious than the American public.

Question 79

Intrinsic religiosity can be defined as

A) any approach to religion that meets the fundamental needs of a person.
B) the process by which worldly concerns come to dominate a person's life.
C) a person's inner religious life.
D) a cosmology that justifies a set of behaviors in terms of absolute good or evil.

Question 80

Religious groups that emphasize a literal interpretation of sacred texts are called

A) secular.
B) unchurched.
C) fundamentalist.
D) intrinsic.