Deck 1: The Sociological Imagination

Question 1

A trouble is

A)an issue.
B)deeply and significantly social.
C)caused by character flaws.
D)outside an individual's control.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Emile Durkheim defined social facts as

A)census statistics.
B)having the remarkable property of existing outside the individual
C)fundamentally psychological.
D)things we know to be true.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Durkheim wrote that he was not forced to speak French or to use the legal currency, but it was impossible for him to do otherwise.Durkheim was writing about

A)mechanical solidarity.
B)social relativity.
C)social facts.
D)social interaction.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The payoff for those who possess _____________ is that they can understand their inner life in terms of institutional arrangements and larger historical forces.

A)the sociological imagination
B)common sense
C)independent thinking
D)a sense of self

Question 5

An American traveling to Ghana, Africa, on business notices that the "men, including the men I was with, hold hands.One day one of the men I was with took my hand as we walked.In order not to offend him, I took his hand in mine".The American is responding to a(n)

A)trouble.
B)issue.
C)social fact.
D)traditional action.

Question 6

The quality of mind that enables us to connect seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces to the most basic incidents of an individual's life is

A)the sociological imagination.
B)the structure of opportunities.
C)independent thinking.
D)common sense.

Question 7

Peter Berger argues that the logic of sociology presupposes a measure of suspicion about the way in which human events are officially interpreted by authorities.This suspicion speaks to __________, which defines the sociological consciousness.

A)solidarity
B)the debunking motif
C)rationalisation
D)false consciousness

Question 8

Sociology is the scientific study of

A)human activity in society.
B)mental processes.
C)people.
D)multiple personalities.

Question 9

In examining patterns of courtship and marriage, sociologists would emphasise which of the following in shaping a couple's decision to marry?

A)the personalities of the couples
B)the importance of love
C)personal preferences
D)social considerations such as age, sex, race, income, etc.

Question 10

"Because I refuse to shave under my arms, I have to pay a price.On a personal level, this price was my mother's hostility.On a public level, the price is dealing with the stares of strangers." This statement illustrates

A)mechanical solidarity.
B)social relativity.
C)the power of social facts.
D)the idea of double consciousness.

Question 11

A woman writes, "I can't be anything but what my skin colour tells people I am.I am black because I look black.It does not matter that my family has a complicated biological heritage".She is writing about the power of

A)social facts.
B)troubles.
C)the sociological imagination.
D)rationalisation.

Question 12

Suicide rates represent one example of what Durkheim would call

A)social statics.
B)troubles.
C)social dynamics..
D)currents of opinion.

Question 13

The number of cellular phones per 1 000 people in South Africa has steadily increased each year since its introduction.A sociologist studying these rates would

A)agree that cellular phones are necessary.
B)think about the forces behind this increase in cellular phone use.
C)contemplate the individual reasons for owning a cellular phone.
D)wonder how cellular phone manufacturers keep up with demand.

Question 14

Currents of opinion are broadly reflected in

A)personal biographies.
B)rates summarising various behaviours.
C)advertisements.
D)newspaper headlines.

Question 15

Sociologists argue that people fall in love

A)when they experience a violent, irresistible attraction to another person.
B)only once in the course of a lifetime.
C)when certain conditions are met.
D)with people like themselves

Question 16

Only when people _________________ do they come to know the power of social facts.

A)grow older
B)cooperate
C)comply
D)rebel against the established ways of doing things

Question 17

From a sociological point of view, a ________ is the day-to-day activities from birth to death that make up a person's life.

A)social fact
B)sociological imagination
C)biography
D)autobiography

Question 18

Peter L.Berger equates the sociologist with

A)a curious observer who, walking down the neighbourhood streets of a large city, is fascinated with what he or she cannot see taking place behind the building walls.
B)an internal revenue service auditor.
C)a judge giving instructions to a jury.
D)a talk show host interviewing guests.

Question 19

Unemployment is a(n) __________ when it results from corporate downsizing.

A)issue
B)trouble
C)private matter
D)social fact

Question 20

Durkheim wrote, "Even when, in fact, I can struggle free from these rules and successfully break them, it is never without being forced to fight against them".This statement is a reference to

A)mechanical solidarity.
B)social relativity.
C)social facts.
D)social interaction.

Question 21

Marx's legacy has been obscured by

A)his inability to accurately describe capitalism.
B)a personality disorder.
C)the failure of communism.
D)the fact that he published in German (not English).

Question 22

The name sociology and the corresponding academic discipline was born during the

A)American Revolution.
B)Civil War.
C)Vietnam era.
D)Industrial Revolution.

Question 23

Who invented the term sociology?

A)Auguste Comte
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Max Weber
D)Karl Marx

Question 24

"Within a few decades, a social order that had existed for centuries vanished, and a new one, familiar in its outline to us in the twentieth century, appeared." This assessment applies to which historical event?

A)European colonisation
B)the Industrial Revolution
C)the Cold War
D)the emergence of sociology

Question 25

The __________ refers to a time of the most rapid colonial expansion in history.

A)Age of Reason
B)Age of Imperialism
C)Middle Ages
D)European Century

Question 26

The period in history known as the Age of Imperialism (1880-1914)

A)was one of the most peaceful periods in modern history.
B)represents the most rapid colonial expansion in history.
C)preceded the period in history known as the Industrial Revolution.
D)corresponds with the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Question 27

The Industrial Revolution transformed the nature of work in which one of the following ways?

A)machine production was replaced by hand production.
B)people now could say, "I made this; this is a unique product of my labour".
C)products became standardised, and workers performed specific tasks in the production process.
D)the workers' power over the production process increased dramatically.

Question 28

Sociologists do not define the cause of unemployment simply in terms of individual shortcomings because

A)profit-generating strategies include laying off employees.
B)people may decide to quit their jobs.
C)employees have the power to stay if they really want to.
D)most people are good workers.

Question 29

In addition to the Industrial Revolution, which one of the following helps to explain the emergence of sociology as a discipline?

A)mechanisation
B)the widespread acceptance of the scientific method
C)the Age of Imperialism
D)rationalisation

Question 30

The addition of external sources of power from burning coals and oil to hand tools and modes of transportation is

A)standardisation.
B)affective action.
C)modernisation.
D)mechanisation.

Question 31

One fundamental feature of the Industrial Revolution is

A)craftsmanship.
B)solidarity.
C)manual labour.
D)mechanisation.

Question 32

The sociological imagination allows a person to

A)see the connection between self and immediate relationships.
B)distinguish between mechanical and organic solidarity.
C)see that problems can be solved by changing the character of the individual.
D)make a distinction between troubles and issues.

Question 33

The Communist Manifesto is associated with

A)W.E.B.DuBois.
B)Karl Marx.
C)Emile Durkheim.
D)Max Weber.

Question 34

Which of the following explanations would someone use to explain an issue?

A)"She had the opportunity but didn't take it."
B)"He is lazy."
C)"There is a flaw or breakdown in an institutional arrangement."
D)"She didn't try very hard in school."

Question 35

Which one of the following is not a characteristic of an issue?

A)an issue is a public matter.
B)an issue is caused by flaws in institutional structures.
C)the cause of an issue can be traced to personal weaknesses.
D)issues transcend the life of any one individual.

Question 36

The early sociologists spent most of their professional lives attempting to understand the consequences of which one of the following events?

A)World War I
B)World War II
C)the Industrial Revolution
D)the Enlightenment

Question 37

When in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million are unemployed, that is

A)an issue.
B)a trouble.
C)a series of private troubles.
D)a result of basic character flaws.

Question 38

The obesity rate in the United States is greater than 30 per cent.According to Mills, the key to resolving this issue involves focusing on

A)the character flaws of the 92 million plus Americans who are obese.
B)ways to increase the motivation of obese Americans.
C)understanding the underlying social forces that contributed to the current obesity rate.
D)greater awareness of nutritional guidelines

Question 39

The resolution of an issue involves changing

A)institutions.
B)individual character.
C)motivation level.
D)human nature.

Question 40

Auguste Comte defined sociology as the scientific study of the collective and cumulative results of the human intellect.The words collective and cumulative suggest that sociology involves the study of

A)people and history.
B)social and psychological forces.
C)social interactions across cultures and throughout time.
D)the mind and body.

Question 41

During World War II, Japanese pilots committed suicide by flying small planes into targets.This suicide would qualify as

A)egoistic.
B)altruistic.
C)anomic.
D)fatalistic.

Question 42

In his writings, Karl Marx expressed profound moral outrage over the plight of the

A)bourgeoisie.
B)middle class.
C)proletariat.
D)intellectual class.

Question 43

According to Karl Marx, the character of class conflict is shaped directly and profoundly by

A)social facts.
B)solidarity.
C)the means of production.
D)sociological imagination.

Question 44

___________________ suicide occurs when individuals kill themselves because they see their futures as hopelessly blocked.

A)Egoistic
B)Altruistic
C)Anomic
D)Fatalistic

Question 45

The term ___________________ describes a state in which ties attaching individuals to others in the society are weak.

A)egoistic
B)altruistic
C)anomic
D)fatalistic

Question 46

The Communist Manifesto begins with the line

A)"A specter is haunting Europe - the specter of Communism."
B)"Workers of all countries, unite."
C)"I am not a Marxist."
D)"The global economy is restless, anxious, and competitive."

Question 47

When people commit __________ suicide, it is on behalf of the group they love more than themselves.

A)egoistic
B)altruistic
C)anomic
D)fatalistic

Question 48

Marx believed that ________ was the first economic system that could maximise the immense productive potential of human labour and ingenuity.

A)capitalism
B)socialism
C)communism
D)democracy

Question 49

A quiltmaker may work years creating a one-of-a-kind object from fabrics saved or purchased and then give it to a special person.Weber would classify the quiltmaker's actions as driven by

A)rationalisation.
B)specialisation.
C)an emotion, such as love, loyalty, or revenge.
D)value-rational motives.

Question 50

Land, tools, equipment, factories, modes of transportation, and labour are

A)owned by the proletariat.
B)part of the means of production.
C)essential for providing services.
D)owned by the intellectual classes.

Question 51

With mechanisation, the rise of two distinct classes emerged.The one that owns the means of production is called

A)the proletariat.
B)the bourgeoisie.
C)the socialists.
D)the communists.

Question 52

___________________ suicide occurs when people kill themselves because they have been cast into a lower status.

A)Egoistic
B)Altruistic
C)Anomic
D)Fatalistic

Question 53

When people are cast into a lower status, they must reduce their requirements, restrain their needs, and practise self-control.This situation describes a(n) ______ situation.

A)egoistic
B)altruistic
C)anomic
D)fatalistic

Question 54

_________________ is the author of Suicide.

A)Emile Durkheim
B)Karl Marx
C)W.E.B.DuBois
D)Max Weber

Question 55

Weber maintained that with industrialisation, behaviour was less likely to be guided by __________ and more likely to be instrumental-rational.

A)efficiency or expediency
B)subjective meaning
C)tradition or emotion
D)rational thought

Question 56

Max Weber maintained that the sociologist's task was to focus on

A)social facts.
B)social action.
C)the broad reasons people pursue goals.
D)debunking "reality".

Question 57

Max Weber focused on the Industrial Revolution and its effect on

A)the means of production.
B)social actions.
C)ties that bind individuals to one another.
D)the colour line.

Question 58

From a sociological perspective, suicide is

A)an act of intentionally killing oneself.
B)the result of personal disappointment and sorrow.
C)self-hatred actualised.
D)the severing of relationships.

Question 59

Durkheim observed that as a society industrialised,

A)class conflict increased.
B)value-rational action guided behaviour.
C)the means of production shaped life chances.
D)ties that bound individuals to one another changed in profound ways.

Question 60

Karl Marx described capitalism in all but one of the following ways.

A)a boundless thirst
B)a werewolf-like hunger
C)socially conscious
D)blood-sucking

Question 61

W.E.B.DuBois described the African American as "two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keep it from being torn asunder".DuBois was describing

A)the sociological imagination.
B)a trouble.
C)an issue.
D)double consciousness.

Question 62

W.E.B.DuBois coined the phrase

A)the "ties that bind people to one another".
B)the "strange meaning of being black".
C)the "means of production".
D)the "course and consequences of social action".

Question 63

If an individual pursues a college degree because everyone in his or her family going back five generations is college-educated, the action can be classified as

A)traditional.
B)affectional.
C)value-rational.
D)instrumental rational.

Question 64

Who maintained that "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line"?

A)Karl Marx
B)Max Weber
C)Jane Addams
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 65

DuBois wrote that the world was able "to endure this horrible tragedy by deliberately stopping its ears and changing the subject in conversation".The tragedy was

A)the scramble for Africa's resources, including the slave trade.
B)double consciousness.
C)mechanisation, which left people without jobs.
D)the carnage of World War I and World War II.

Question 66

Which sociologist believed that every historical period is characterised by a system of production that gives rise to specific types of confrontation between an exploiting and an exploited class?

A)Karl Marx
B)Max Weber
C)Jane Addams
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 67

________________ is the sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others and of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.

A)The sociological imagination
B)A trouble
C)An issue
D)Double consciousness

Question 68

If an individual pursues college for the love and pleasure of learning, the action is

A)traditional.
B)affectional.
C)value-rational.
D)instrumental.

Question 69

Which one of the following classical sociologists is credited with founding Hull House?

A)Karl Marx
B)Jane Addams
C)Emile Durkheim
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 70

_________ argued that capitalism has unleashed "wonders far surpassing Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, and Gothic cathedrals".

A)Karl Marx
B)Max Weber
C)Jane Addams
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 71

Who believed that the sociologist's task is to study social facts?

A)Karl Marx
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Jane Addams
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 72

Which sociologist recommended that "Knowing one another better reinforces the common connection of people such that the potential for caring and empathetic moral actions increase"?

A)Karl Marx
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Max Weber
D)Jane Addams

Question 73

Which sociologist maintained that the sociologist's task is to analyse and explain the course and the consequences of social action?

A)Emile Durkheim
B)Max Weber
C)Jane Addams
D)W.E.B.DuBois

Question 74

"The workers have nothing to lose but their chains; they have a whole world to gain.Workers of all countries unite." These famous lines were expressed by

A)Karl Marx.
B)Emile Durkheim.
C)Max Weber.
D)W.E.B.DuBois.

Question 75

Jane Addams maintained that Hull House

A)was overall a failed experiment in social engineering.
B)could not address the needs of the working poor.
C)was analogous to a community college.
D)was the equivalent of an applied university.

Question 76

W.E.B.Dubois traced the _________ to the scramble for Africa's resources, beginning with the slave trade.

A)colour line
B)double consciousness
C)troubles
D)disenchantment

Question 77

If an individual pursues a college degree taking the easiest classes and paying people to write essays and papers, the action is classified as

A)traditional.
B)affectional.
C)value-rational.
D)instrumental rational

Question 78

In analysing the cellular phone, Emile Durkheim would most likely focus on

A)the potential of the cellular phone to strengthen and cultivate ties by allowing people to connect 24/7.
B)the means of production as it relates to wireless phones.
C)the ways in which people embrace or reject cellular phones as a way of achieving goals.
D)the 'scramble' for the resources needed to produce cellular phones and the ways in which non-European labour is exploited in the process.

Question 79

If scientists discover how to control the aging mechanisms and human life expectancy increases to 150 years, the category of people best able to give insights about the consequence of this change would be

A)the early sociologists.
B)those born after this discovery is made.
C)those who live both before and after the discovery.
D)those born a century or more after the discovery.

Question 80

______________ is first-hand knowledge gained by living and working among those being studied.

A)Solidarity
B)Social research
C)Sympathetic knowledge
D)Double consciousness