Deck 6: Social Groups and Organizations

Question 1

Someone who occupies a central role or position of dominance and influence in a group would be a:

A) coordinator
B) role designator
C) status occupant
D) leader
E) none of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is something groups must do in order to function effectively?

A) choose leaders
B) define boundaries
C) set goals
D) assign tasks
E) all of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The most important quality of primary groups that is missing in secondary groups is:

A) group goals.
B) small size.
C) interaction.
D) shared expectations.
E) intimacy.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following is a characteristic of an association?

A) It can be characterized as a special-interest group.
B) It is created to serve a specific purpose.
C) It has official ways of doing things.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 5

At a restaurant eight people sit down to eat, and as the meal progresses they break up into smaller groups to talk. These smaller groups are called:

A) dyads.
B) triads.
C) out-groups.
D) subgroups.

Question 6

In general, social groups, regardless of their nature, have which of the following?

A) permanence beyond the meeting of members
B) means for identifying members
C) goals or purposes
D) norms for behavior
E) all of the above

Question 7

People have formed a social group when they:

A) have a purpose.
B) share certain role expectations.
C) attach importance to what they re doing together.
D) begin to feel special in contrast with others.
E) all of the above

Question 8

Which of the following would be a sociological example of the term group ?

A) tennis fans
B) pedestrians on a street
C) nursing majors at a university
D) people sitting on a bus

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of social groups?

A) common goals
B) common identity
C) feeling of unity
D) group life expectancy of at least three months
E) shared norms

Question 10

People who meet together and are few enough members so that all members know one another are known as a(n):

A) total group.
B) aggregate.
C) small group.
D) deviant group.
E) out group.

Question 11

School class rings, code words, and special handshakes all serve what function?

A) define group boundaries
B) develop primary relationships
C) develop secondary relationships
D) gain entry into reference groups
E) make members feel good

Question 12

What is the sociological name for strangers waiting in line to buy concert tickets?

A) group
B) clique
C) social aggregate
D) social category
E) social collection

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a primary group?

A) members of a local historical society
B) all the passengers on a given train
C) college students
D) members of a family
E) members of a national honor society.

Question 14

Instrumental leadership refers to leadership that emphasizes the:

A) necessity of absolute compliance from members.
B) emotional well-being of members.
C) personal satisfaction of job performance by all members.
D) use of tools in the decision-making process.
E) completion of tasks by members.

Question 15

A(n) ____________ is a formal, rationally organized social structure with clearly defined patterns of activity in which, ideally, every series of actions is functionally related to the purposes of the organization.

A) gesellschaft
B) association
C) collective conscience
D) bureaucracy
E) corporation

Question 16

Three students stay after class to go over their notes. This group would be called a:

A) triad.
B) dyad.
C) triage.
D) trio.

Question 17

Secondary groups:

A) are impersonal.
B) are formally organized.
C) usually have specific goals.
D) are characterized by less intimacy than primary groups.
E) all of the above are characteristics of secondary groups

Question 18

How would a sociologist describe you and the people you meet and talk to at the bus stop everyday on your way to work?

A) secondary group
B) social aggregate
C) temporary group
D) primary group
E) occasional group

Question 19

Who first developed a framework to describe bureaucracies?

A) Karl Marx
B) Solomon Asch
C) Georg Simmel
D) Max Weber
E) mile Durkheim

Question 20

Which of the following statements about reference groups is correct?

A) People experience anticipatory socialization if they want to join a group badly enough.
B) Reference groups only influence their members.
C) Membership in a reference group is an ascribed status.
D) Reference groups only influence behavior in positive ways.
E) Reference groups are of almost no importance in modern societies.

Question 21

The style of leadership in which the leader works to keep relations among group members harmonious and morale high is known as:

A) expressive.
B) instrumental.
C) bureaucratic.
D) hostile.
E) heavy-handed.

Question 22

A splinter group within the larger group is called a:

A) subgroup.
B) reference group.
C) association.
D) triad.
E) expressive group.

Question 23

Which of the following statements is true about institutions in society?

A) Institutions move frequently and change their address, so they are mobile.
B) Institutions provide stability in the organization of a society that balances change and uncertainty.
C) Institutions are so corrupt today that it is unclear how they function to benefit the majority of people in our society.
D) Institutional patterns have always been ideal types rather than identifiable fundamental relationships.

Question 24

A characteristic of bureaucracy is that power and responsibility making are typically:

A) informal and unplanned.
B) democratic and open to discussion.
C) horizontal.
D) hierarchical.
E) longitudinal.

Question 25

When another person joins a dyad, a(n) _____ results.

A) subgroup
B) reference group
C) association
D) triad
E) expressive group

Question 26

What term is used to describe how an organization s written rules and regulations apply equally to all its members with no exceptions due to social or psychological differences?

A) impartiality
B) apathy
C) clear-cut division of labor
D) hierarchical delegation of power and responsibility
E) distinction between public and private spheres

Question 27

Michels Iron Law of Oligarchy holds that bureaucracies:

A) eventually lead to political dictatorship.
B) are inevitable in any democratic society.
C) are outdated forms of social organization.
D) always become dominated by a small group of self-serving elites.
E) eventually come to meet the needs of their members.

Question 28

A _____ is a system of fundamental beliefs and values.

A) gesellschaft
B) gemeinschaft
C) collective conscience
D) bureaucracy
E) organic

Question 29

Which of the following is a characteristic of a bureaucracy?

A) a clear-cut division of labor
B) a hierarchy
C) rules and regulations
D) impartiality
E) all of the above

Question 30

The style of leadership in which the leader actively proposes tasks and plans to guide the group toward achieving its goals is known as:

A) expressive.
B) instrumental.
C) bureaucratic.
D) hostile.
E) heavy-handed.

Question 31

In a(n) _____, the society s collective conscience is strong and there is a great commitment to that collective conscience.

A) organically integrated society
B) mechanically integrated society
C) corporation
D) bureaucracy
E) association

Question 32

A(n) _____ depends on the cooperation of individuals in many different positions who perform specialized tasks.

A) organically integrated society
B) mechanically integrated society
C) corporation
D) bureaucracy
E) association

Question 33

Relationships that are impersonal and independent are known as:

A) gesellschaft.
B) gemeinschaft.
C) reference.
D) bureaucracy.
E) organic.

Question 34

Which of the following would NOT be regarded by Weber as a major characteristic of bureaucracy?

A) heavy reliance on written rules and regulations
B) a clear-cut division of labor
C) a tendency toward favoritism and nepotism
D) a clear distinction between public and private spheres
E) None of these are major characteristics of bureaucracy according to Weber.

Question 35

Someone who occupies a central role or position of dominance and influence in a group is known as the:

A) leader.
B) dictator.
C) boss.
D) superior.
E) bully.

Question 36

Relationships that are intimate, cooperative, and personal are known as:

A) gesellschaft.
B) gemeinschaft.
C) reference.
D) bureaucracy.
E) organic.

Question 37

According to Robert Michels, oligarchy often develops in bureaucracies:

A) if there are no reference groups.
B) when there are too many people to permit group decision making.
C) when leadership is too authoritarian.
D) if leaders are not selected from the appropriate class backgrounds.
E) when the level of creativity among members is too limited for democracy.

Question 38

In a bureaucracy, people are hired because they:

A) have collective conscience.
B) belong to the right associations.
C) have personal contacts within the company.
D) have the ability and skills to do the job.
E) are used to working in corporations.

Question 39

_____ emerges from people s commitment and conformity to the society s collective conscience.

A) Gesellschaft
B) Gemeinschaft
C) Collective conscience
D) Bureaucracy
E) Social solidarity

Question 40

Which social category allows an individual to help define beliefs, attitudes, and values and to guide behavior?

A) association
B) incorporation
C) reference group
D) expressive group
E) subgroup

Question 41

A hallmark of bureaucracy in its ideal form is its impartiality towards members.

Question 42

Leadership is always held by the same person within a group.

Question 43

Society s fundamental needs are fulfilled through:

A) social networking.
B) primary group relationships.
C) economic networks at the large group level.
D) social institutions.

Question 44

Primary groups are characterized by face-to-face association and cooperation.

Question 45

We function as part of large groups by serving as employees in a large corporation or as a patron of a large business.

Question 46

Social interactions and decisions of individuals make sense in the collective context of:

A) social organization.
B) personal value systems.
C) whether people are acquaintances or close.
D) the number of competing primary groups in a person s life.

Question 47

Groups tend to:

A) descend to the level of the worst member.
B) mimic or copy the behavior of the most successful member.
C) often pattern their rules after historical precedents that are part of collective memory.
D) ascend to the level of a core of regular leaders.

Question 48

Taken together, all the fans at a basketball game have the characteristics necessary to be referred to as a social group.

Question 49

People are sometimes defined as being a part of a specific group because they share certain characteristics.

Question 50

The American Sociological Association is a(n):

A) loose network of people interested in sociology.
B) primary group.
C) special interest group.
D) occupational identity.

Question 51

People with similar characteristics do not become a social group unless concrete, dynamic interrelations develop among them.

Question 52

In a bureaucracy, a clear distinction is made between the employee s personal lives and their working lives.

Question 53

Social groups can be large, small, or long-lasting, but cannot be temporary.

Question 54

A professional association is:

A) a secondary group.
B) a primary group.
C) the source of role order in an occupation.
D) a splinter or subgroup of bureaucracy.

Question 55

All groups must have a purpose, a goal, or a set of goals.

Question 56

It is not important for group members to know what needs to be done or who is doing it.

Question 57

The strength of weak ties refers to:

A) the influence of family and primary groups even at a geographic distance.
B) how institutions use bureaucratic rules to bind diverse people together.
C) the likelihood of finding something you need through an acquaintance in a network.
D) how pattern-driven human beings are because we copy one another in social action.

Question 58

Associations tend to have goals that are not clearly defined.

Question 59

People traveling on a bus that have no interaction with one another are considered a social group.

Question 60

New members are more threatening to small groups than to large groups.

Question 61

Gesellschaft relationships are impersonal and independent.

Question 62

Purposefully created special-interest groups that have clearly defined goals and official ways of doing things are called associations.

Question 63

Social solidarity emerges from people s commitment and conformity to the society s collective conscience.

Question 64

One thing that most bureaucracies have in common is a structure that separates those whose responsibilities include keeping in mind the overall needs of the entire organization from those whose responsibilities are much more narrow and task-oriented.

Question 65

Secondary groups have specific goals, formal organization, and much less intimacy than primary groups.

Question 66

Institutions are systems for organizing standardized patterns of social behavior.

Question 67

The benefit of true bureaucracies is that they embody all of the features of Weber s model.

Question 68

An association is a formal, rationally organized social structure with clearly defined patterns of activity in which, ideally, every series of actions is functionally related to the purposes of the organization.

Question 69

A reference group is a group or social category that an individual uses to help define beliefs, attitudes, and values and to guide behavior.

Question 70

A major problem with large scale social groups is that they generally lack common identity and a feeling of unity, and they fail to share and communicate common goals.

Question 71

Associations are splinter groups within a larger group.

Question 72

A mechanically integrated society depends on the cooperation of individuals in many different positions who perform specialized tasks.

Question 73

Primary groups involve intimacy, informality, and emotional investment in one another.

Question 74

A mechanically integrated society is one in which a society s collective conscience is strong and there is a great commitment to that collective conscience..

Question 75

Applying Robert Michels concept, you can conclude that ANY of the formally organized bureaucracies will inevitably develop oligarchy.

Question 76

A bureaucracy is a formal, rationally organized social structure with clearly defined patterns of activity that are functionally related to the purposes of the organization.

Question 77

Bureaucracy is a modern form of large association.

Question 78

Gemeinschaft relationships are intimate, cooperative, and personal.

Question 79

In order to function properly, groups benefit from focusing on defining boundaries, choosing leaders, and allowing these characteristics to emerge in an organic fashion.

Question 80

When individuals alter their behavior and attitudes toward those in a group they wish to join, they are engaging in anticipatory socialization.