Deck 1: Sociology: a Unique Way to View the World

Question 1

The scientific study of social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behavior is ______.

A) psychology
B) anthropology
C) biology
D) sociology

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of a dyad?

A) two students studying for an exam
B) a family and a neighborhood
C) the Republican and Democratic national parties
D) Google and Facebook

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The entire world is becoming interconnected in a process known as ______.

A) socialization
B) globalization
C) interaction
D) assimilation

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is an underlying assumption of sociology?

A) People are antisocial by nature.
B) The processes of conflict and change are dysfunctional and avoidable.
C) Interactions between individuals and groups are a two-way process.
D) There is little continuity and recurrent behavior in human interactions.

Question 5

Though research shows that biological factors play a part in the behaviors of men and women, the ______ that people learn as they grow up determines how those biological tendencies are played out.

A) culture
B) commonsense beliefs
C) levels of analysis
D) environment

Question 6

Sociological findings indicate that racial groupings are ______.

A) based on biological differences among people
B) consistent across cultures
C) socially constructed
D) static

Question 7

Which of the following statements is supported by sociological findings?

A) Most marriages in the United States do not last.
B) Those who marry at age 19 or after, have more education, and have higher levels of income than the average person have the highest divorce rates.
C) Those who are in the working class or lower tend to have more stable marriages.
D) Divorce rates average below 45% depending on demographic variables.

Question 8

Which of the following definitions best describes the sociological imagination?

A) the ability to understand the relationship between individual experiences and public issues
B) the ability to assess the accuracy of commonsense assumptions about the social world
C) the ability to ask questions that are answerable through research
D) the ability to analyze the interconnected parts that make up our social world

Question 9

Gabriella's roommate dropped out of college. Though she didn't tell Gabriella why she chose to leave school, Gabriella knows that her roommate struggled financially after both her parents lost their manufacturing jobs. Instead of blaming her roommate for her academic issues, Gabriella considers how her roommate's life has been affected by economic factors beyond her control. Sociologists would say that Gabriella is using ______ to view her roommate's problem.

A) a sociological imagination
B) counterfactual thinking
C) the social world model
D) her commonsense beliefs

Question 10

The types of questions sociologists ask ______.

A) focus on issues that can be studied objectively and scientifically
B) make ethical judgments about individual values and beliefs
C) are unanswerable philosophical musings
D) are aimed at determining the right or wrong answers to value-driven opinions

Question 11

Which of the following questions might sociologists ask themselves as they conduct research?

A) What are the ethical implications of abortion?
B) Is abortion right or wrong?
C) Are there specific instances in which abortion is acceptable or unacceptable?
D) Why are opinions about abortion changing in the United States?

Question 12

Which of the following social sciences studies humanity in its broadest context?

A) economics
B) anthropology
C) psychology
D) political science

Question 13

Which of the following is a subfield of anthropology?

A) international relations
B) behavioral genetics
C) game theory
D) linguistics

Question 14

______ focuses on groups, institutions, and societies, whereas ______ focuses on the behavior and mental processes of individuals.

A) Psychology; anthropology
B) Sociology; anthropology
C) Psychology; sociology
D) Sociology; psychology

Question 15

A sociological perspective allows us to see ______ that others tend to overlook.

A) social institutions
B) biological factors
C) social patterns
D) personal problems

Question 16

Graduates with a bachelor's degree in sociology are most likely to find their first job in which of the following fields?

A) engineering
B) social services/counseling
C) medicine
D) teaching

Question 17

Which of the following helps us picture the levels of analysis in our social surroundings as an interconnected series of small groups, organizations, institutions, and societies?

A) structural functionalism
B) rational choice theory
C) dramaturgy
D) social world model

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a social unit?

A) politics
B) an activist
C) a community advocacy group
D) change

Question 19

Which of the following is a social institution?

A) a small group of nurses
B) the status of medical professionals in society
C) two doctors who share a medical practice
D) healthcare

Question 20

Which of the following social processes teaches individuals how to behave in their society?

A) acculturation
B) change
C) conflict
D) socialization

Question 21

Globalization is an example of a ______.

A) social structure
B) social process
C) social institution
D) social environment

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of a social process?

A) veterans
B) two soldiers
C) the military
D) conflict

Question 23

Valerie is a member of her college lacrosse team. The team is supported by the university, fans, corporate sponsors, and is connected to other teams, their sports conference governing board, and all of the individual team members' families and friends. In this example, Valerie's team is a social unit, and the team's supporters and connections are ______.

A) the social institution
B) the environment
C) the national society
D) the social processes

Question 24

Which aspect of education is best explained using a micro-level analysis?

A) professor and student interaction
B) state boards of education
C) policy and laws governing education
D) world literacy programs

Question 25

Which aspect of education is best explained using a meso-level analysis?

A) professor and student interaction
B) state boards of education
C) policy and laws governing education
D) world literacy programs

Question 26

Which aspect of education is best explained using a macro-level analysis?

A) professor and student interaction
B) state boards of education
C) policy and laws governing education
D) national society

Question 27

Which of the following is a micro-level explanation for spousal abuse?

A) There are not enough resources for battered women.
B) Societies that teach men to equate physical strength and domination produce more abusers.
C) Fluctuations in spousal abuse are related to levels of unemployment; frustration resulting in abuse occurs more often when families are strained financially.
D) An abused woman may fear her children will be harmed if she leaves her partner.

Question 28

Which of the following is a meso-level social unit?

A) the United States
B) the government of Massachusetts
C) a group of students at UMass Amherst
D) North America

Question 29

Which of the following involves looking at entire nations, global forces (such as international organizations), and international social trends?

A) micro-level analysis
B) meso-level analysis
C) macro-level analysis
D) globalization

Question 30

Which of the following is a macro-level social unit?

A) the United Nations
B) Hawaii
C) the Chickamauga Cherokee of Alabama
D) Berlin, Germany

Question 31

Which of the following is TRUE of the social world model and levels of analysis?

A) Social patterns, such as those that relate to marriage and the family, can be examined at each level of analysis.
B) Distinctions between levels of analysis are sharply delineated.
C) Worldwide patterns cannot tell us anything about individual human behavior.
D) Macro-level analysis is less complicated than micro-level and meso-level analysis.

Question 32

Sociology focuses on the attributes, motivations, and behaviors of individuals.

Question 33

The ideas underlying sociology are scientific findings considered to be true, and are no longer matters of debate.

Question 34

Rapid social change can lead to conflict.

Question 35

Sociologists do not study controversial issues.

Question 36

Of the subfields of anthropology, physical anthropology has the most in common with sociology.

Question 37

A sociological perspective allows us to learn how to change our local environments.

Question 38

The social world includes social structures and social processes.

Question 39

A dyad is an example of a social unit.

Question 40

A small group is an example of a social institution.

Question 41

All social institutions are interrelated.

Question 42

Change is a social process.

Question 43

Meso-level analysis involves examining organizations, institutions, and ethnic communities that are smaller than the nation, but that are still beyond the everyday personal experience and control of individuals.

Question 44

The National Organization for Women is a meso-level social unit.

Question 45

The idea that people are social by nature is one of the major ideas underlying sociology. Describe two additional core assumptions of the discipline.

Question 46

Briefly describe how commonsense beliefs and sociological findings differ from one another.

Question 47

What are some commonsense beliefs you hold about the social world? Describe what factors led you to hold those beliefs. What evidence would be necessary for you to change those beliefs?

Question 48

Briefly discuss what sociologists mean by "using the sociological imagination." Provide an example.

Question 49

In general, what type of questions do sociologists ask?

Question 50

What do sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, and economics have in common?

Question 51

What are three examples of traits and knowledge that are developed in most sociological training that employers generally want?

Question 52

Compare and contrast social units and social institutions. Provide at least two examples of each.

Question 53

Define social processes and provide at least two examples.

Question 54

List and briefly explain the three levels of analysis in the social world discussed in the text.

Question 55

What do the authors of the text mean when they state that "the social world is a human creation"?

Question 56

Drilling for oil affects all levels of the sociological world. Using your knowledge of sociology, explain how this behavior (drilling for oil) affects human relationships on the micro, meso, and macro levels.

Question 57

Imagine you wanted to study child poverty from a micro, meso, and macro level. For each of the three levels of analysis, describe what question or questions you might ask to learn more about child poverty and why that level of analysis is appropriate for your question.

Question 58

Explain how social units, social structures, and social institutions are related. Using examples from your own life, illustrate the interconnectedness of these concepts.

Question 59

Imagine you are a sociologist asked to study the issues pertaining to the high school dropout rate. What factors would you focus on in your study? Why?