Deck 1: What Is Sociology and Why Should I Care

Question 1

The general textbook definition of Sociology is

A) the practice of studying historic societies.
B) applying social skills and critical thinking to everyday life.
C) the belief that all human life can be measured by comparison of interactions.
D) the scientific study of society, culture, group behavior, and social interaction.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Microsociology examines

A) individual day-to-day interactions, relationships, experiences.
B) large context of groups, social institutions, the functions of society.
C) relationships between people in small groups and isolated events.
D) comparison across societies from different cultures and time periods.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Macrosociology examines

A) individual day-to-day interactions, relationships, experiences.
B) large context of groups, social institutions, the functions of society.
C) relationships between people in small groups and isolated events.
D) comparison across societies from different cultures and time periods.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The goal of a Social Problems course is

A) to educate students about the unique social problems in the U.S. that have little hope of ever being solved.
B) to expose both the misguided notions about social problems that have contributed to conventional thinking, as well as offer examples of solutions based on critical thinking and careful observation that actually work.
C) to make students comfortable and confident in their own conventional thinking about the way the world works.
D) to promote a specific political agenda that all sociologists adhere to in their studies of society.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary benefits of storytelling, according to Mehl-Madrona?

A) Stories allow us to understand a person's world from their point of view and help us to develop empathy.
B) Stories offer a way to consider life beyond our own individual existence, and can stimulate thought about the possibilities of life and people's places in it.
C) Stories help spark our imagination and relax; they are purely for entertainment purposes.
D) Stories can be instructive, because they frequently contain an element of morality which help demonstrate the formation of our social identities.

Question 6

The sociological perspective is

A) grounded in wanting to craft and promote specific narratives of the human story.
B) an unbiased approach to human social life, behaviors, groups, and interactions that can be focused on an individual level or a broader societal level.
C) sharing one's own individual beliefs and experiences to contribute to broader conventional thinking.
D) a combination of anthropology, history, psychology, political science, and economics.

Question 7

C. Wright Mills defines the sociological imagination and suggests that the "promise" of sociology is found in

A) the expression of a sociologist's personal world view and imparting one's unique wisdom for the world.
B) telling the story of an individual and/or their social groups by identifying the intersection between biography and history, or the interplay between the person and the world.
C) macrosociology and understanding the big picture of how the world works.
D) the practice of theorizing explanations for how other countries can become more developed like the U.S.

Question 8

How can the sociological imagination be applied to the Covid-19 pandemic?

A) By examining the individual lifestyle choices and behaviors that determine how people will make it through the pandemic.
B) By comparing the U.S. epidemiological response and government recover efforts with that of other countries.
C) By considering specific segments of the population, features of the health care system, as well as specific industries in our economy where there are many forces beyond individuals' control that influence how people are able to manage the pandemic physically and financially.
D) By unpacking the lessons learned from past pandemics the world has faced and applying those historical lessons to today's issues.

Question 9

How do sociologists handle their own bias in their work?

A) Sociologists embrace their biases and prejudices in their work in order to offer their own unique wisdom and conventional thinking to the greater understanding of society.
B) One can never be certain that they are being completely objective. Given these difficulties, the objective and unbiased sociological perspective is a goal to aspire to rather than an absolute technique or provable tactic.
C) By virtue of the scientific method, sociologists are able to abandon all bias and prejudice in their studies of the social world.
D) The discipline of sociology is equipped with a diverse set of world views and perspectives that is collectively responsible for reviewing all work and culling out any individual bias in any given study.

Question 10

The three foundational theories in sociology-structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism-are often referred to collectively as

A) classical sociological theory.
B) socialism.
C) contemporary sociological theory.
D) Social Science.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a useful metaphor for understanding the perspective of structural functionalism?

A) The interplay in a society of important institutions such as the government, the education system, health care, and the economy
B) The interrelationships of individual and distinct human body parts that are collectively responsible for keeping the human body alive
C) The inequality and unequal treatment across different race/ethnicity groups in a society
D) The parts of a clock all working interdependently to perform the tasks of keeping and displaying the time

Question 12

Examples of social institutions include all but which of the following:

A) Racism
B) Legal system
C) Mass Media
D) Religion

Question 13

According to structural functionalism, if something does not contribute to society in a positive way, then that condition or phenomenon is considered

A) dysfunctional.
B) obsolete.
C) deviant.
D) contradictory.

Question 14

Three key points to remember about structural functionalism are balance, contributions to society, and

A) equity: fair and just access to opportunities.
B) synergy: how the parts of society fit together.
C) justice: equal distribution of resources.
D) philanthropy: promoting the welfare of others.

Question 15

The basis of structural functionalism comes from the work of the French philosopher _____ considered the father of sociology, and the French sociologist _____ whose work was central to the development of sociology as a whole and structural functionalism in particular.

A) Auguste Comte (1798-1857); Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)
B) Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) ; Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
C) Charles Darwin (1809-1882) ; Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)
D) Auguste Comte (1798-1857) ; Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Question 16

What was the term Durkheim used to describe the integration that people experience as a result of having similar lifestyles and performing the same or similar tasks and traditions as part of a whole well-functioning system?

A) Mechanical solidarity
B) Organic solidarity
C) Gemeinschaft
D) Gesellschaft

Question 17

What was the term Durkheim used to describe the integration that people experience as a result of being divided in their labors and more specialized such that relationships are developed based on need from each other?

A) Mechanical solidarity
B) Organic solidarity
C) Gemeinschaft
D) Gesellschaft

Question 18

Durkheim felt that in those societies characterized by ______, the collective conscience would be strong, as people in such societies are on the same page with regard to social life; however, this becomes more difficult with increasing industrialization and division of labor.

A) heterogeneity
B) anomie
C) organic solidarity
D) mechanical solidarity

Question 19

According to Durkheim, which type of suicide is attributed to normlessness, where the norms that organize people's lives no longer have value or are broken, causing people great fear and anxiety?

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

Question 20

While ______ tends to focus on a consensus model to explain the social order (where everyone is on the same page about social life), ______ argues that this does not reflect the way the world actually works.

A) conflict theory ; symbolic interactionism
B) symbolic interactionism ; conflict theory
C) functionalism ; symbolic interactionism
D) functionalism ; conflict theory

Question 21

Which sociological theory argues that those with economic, social, and political power will use that power to keep what they have and to prevent others from acquiring it or even challenging it?

A) Functionalism
B) Conflict theory
C) Symbolic interactionism
D) Postmodern theory

Question 22

Under capitalism, Karl Marx (1818-1883) said that society consists of which classes, divided in what way?

A) The aristocracy and the peasants separated by land ownership
B) The traditionalists who preferred mechanic solidarity and the revolutionaries who were pushing for organic solidarity
C) Men and women divided by the patriarchy division of labor
D) The bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (workers) divided by ownership of the means of production

Question 23

Both conflict theorists, ______ was completely focused on class relations in the capitalist system whereas ______ was more interested in the ways that our economic structure is kept in place by our culture, interactions, value system, and norms.

A) Durkheim ; Marx
B) Marx ; Weber
C) Durkheim ; Weber
D) Comte ; Marx

Question 24

Max Weber (1864-1920) argued that in capitalism and its related society, people became trapped in

A) a verstehen (understanding) where a sympathetic understanding of the true human condition is strong and overshadows the profit motive.
B) chaotic and normless lives that are unstructured and only motivated by greed and profit.
C) an iron cage of rationality whereby people do not realize how limited they have become in their reliance on logic and technology in place of their traditions, values, and emotions.
D) stagnant cycles of starting and failing at new businesses without any efficient, goal-oriented, or logical processes.

Question 25

What is the purpose of Erving Goffman's (1922-1982) concept of dramaturgy?

A) To demonstrate that we are all acting and following scripts in our interactions, hoping to achieve good impression management when we are performing front stage, and able to be our true selves when we are backstage.
B) To recognize how people can become very dramatic if they are unable to achieve their goals or conform to the rules of society.
C) To explain the dynamics between the different actors and roles of the bourgeoisie, the proletariat, and the lumpenproletariat.
D) To illustrate that all of life is a stage, and people are free to authentically express themselves without fear of how their audience will perceive them.

Question 26

An intersectional theory approach incorporates

A) perspectives from two or more founding classical sociological theorists.
B) the overlapping views of functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.
C) multiple intersecting issues of power and control in society and how each intersection is distinct across variables such as gender, race/ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation.
D) theories from sociology as well as psychology and criminology.

Question 27

Which theorists were among the first to see the connections between popular culture and capitalism, and were also among the first to note the influence of the media in shaping people's understanding of social institutions and various classes of people?

A) Critical theorists
B) Conflict theorists
C) Feminist theorists
D) Queer theorists

Question 28

This theory began with the Civil Rights movement and focuses on institutional discrimination.

A) Feminist theory
B) Critical race theory
C) Critical theory
D) Intersectional theory

Question 29

This theory highlights mini-narratives offering varying insights and explanations of a given event as opposed to grand narratives which serve to justify dominant beliefs.

A) Postmodernism
B) Critical theory
C) Feminist theory
D) Queer theory

Question 30

Deconstructionism refers to

A) pursuit of an objective truth to explain the human life.
B) taking apart and examination of existing narratives and explanations of life, rather than the pursuit of an objective truth.
C) abolishing dominant social institutions in favor of communism.
D) encouraging people to break down their false narratives and identities to embrace their back-stage selves.

Question 31

The conclusions drawn from sociological research are generally based on

A) causality.
B) statistical proof.
C) probabilities.
D) educated guesswork.

Question 32

In order for a survey's results to be generalizable, the respondents to the survey must be

A) interested and excited to participate in the survey.
B) the entire population of a given group of interest.
C) a representative sample of a given population.
D) manipulated or tricked into giving raw and honest answers as opposed to risking their performance of impression management.

Question 33

In a scientific experiment, what is a control group?

A) The group of sociologists or social scientists that is charged with carrying out a valid study
B) The variable that is manipulated to see what kind of impact its change may have on the dependent variable
C) The cause and effect variable-the one we want to see changed in some way
D) The group that does not experience any intervention or change in the independent variable in order to serve as a safeguard and comparison group for the experimental group

Question 34

In sociology, what methods are used most commonly?

A) Surveys and qualitative designs
B) Autobiographies
C) Embedded multi-year ethnographies
D) Experimental and quasi-experimental designs

Question 35

Instead of large representative samples and using mathematical calculations to describe the population under study, _____ researchers study fewer cases in more depth and detail.

A) quasi-experimental
B) qualitative
C) theoretical
D) quantitative

Question 36

Participant observation research is another term for

A) biographical analysis.
B) quasi-experimental analysis.
C) representative sample survey.
D) ethnography.

Question 37

The ultimate goal of ethnographic research is ______, which means writing about what was seen, heard, and understood in such a way that the reader gets a vivid image, as if they were standing next to the researcher as he or she made those observations.

A) replicability
B) generalizability
C) deconstruction
D) thick description

Question 38

What is a life history approach?

A) Ethnography
B) A researcher tells their own story and analyzes it sociologically.
C) The researcher interviews subjects repeatedly over time to gain detailed insights into a respondent's behavior and attitudes.
D) Using biographical and archival data

Question 39

The example of the domestic violence diversion program director who told the author that the program had "a 100% success rate" because no offender ever returned to the program demonstrates that

A) most well-meaning organizations and programs do not require sociological analysis to determine if they are achieving their goals.
B) people do not generally understand how statistics operate.
C) most people have not been trained in how to conduct and evaluate social science research to best answer questions such as how successful a given program may be.
D) it is extremely difficult to confront macro-level scale social problems when people have unrealistic perspectives.

Question 40

In defining a social problem, C. Wright Mills focuses on

A) personal issues that individuals are unhappy about and want to discuss with a professional.
B) problems that affect a large number of people and is a topic deemed worthy of societal intervention in the form of programs, laws, and/or policies.
C) individual struggles that the larger society thinks are unimportant but that cause even a small number of people to suffer.
D) public issues that are often debated as to whether they have positive or negative impacts on society.

Question 41

When enough people in a society agree that a condition or situation exists that threatens the quality of their lives and their values, and they further agree that something should be done about that condition, this constitutes

A) a social problem.
B) organic solidarity.
C) personal troubles.
D) class consciousness.

Question 42

C. Wright Mills would designate the issue of teenage access and addiction to prescription painkillers nationwide as a _____ and the struggle of one family with a daughter who is abusing painkillers as a _____

A) personal issue ; public trouble.
B) personal trouble ; public issue.
C) public trouble ; personal issue.
D) public issue ; personal trouble.

Question 43

Claims makers are people who

A) have professional or educational expertise in order to be qualified to determine or claim whether or not an issue is a social problem.
B) identify a problem or condition in society as harmful to others and make the claim (backed by evidence and credentials) that the public should pay attention to the issue.
C) share their personal experience with an individual struggle that helps inform public debates over whether or not to claim a struggle is a social problem.
D) seek to profit from falsely identifying social problems so that they can formally represent individuals who file claims about those issues.

Question 44

Two key factors in defining a social problem are

A) major media campaigns and educational outreach.
B) powerful individual stories of suffering and federal government policy attention.
C) large-scale negative impact on many people and widespread agreement that the issue is worthy of concern.
D) political backing and public consensus that a given issue is solvable.

Question 45

Some claims makers have influence in society to convince people of the importance of a given issue and attempt to shape and reshape the society's cultural values on an issue-usually by changes in laws and/or social policy. These people are known as

A) moral entrepreneurs.
B) professional claims makers.
C) lobbyists.
D) systemic attributors.

Question 46

Which stage of the evolution of a social problem involves claims makers and moral entrepreneurs bringing about awareness and promoting actions be taken to face a given issue?

A) Stage 1: Identifying the problem
B) Stage 2: Elevation of the problem
C) Stage 3: Debating the causes
D) Stage 4: Changing social policy

Question 47

Social problems are generally attributed to factors beyond any one individual's control due to structural factors. This is referred to as

A) social constructionism.
B) personal attribution.
C) systemic attribution.
D) moral entrepreneurship.

Question 48

Contextualizing one drunk driver's failure to moderate alcohol intake and/or avoid driving by focusing on the broader failure of laws to better prevent and punish drunk driving is an example of

A) social constructionism.
B) personal attribution.
C) systemic attribution.
D) moral entrepreneurship.

Question 49

Sociologists contribute to Stage 4 in the evolution of a social problem by

A) confirming whether a given issue is related to personal or systemic attribution.
B) advocating for change and positioning with one side of a given debate.
C) researching an issue to see if it merits a designation as a social problem.
D) analyzing and providing accurate information about a problem to inform policymakers, or even by applying their expertise to offer insight and guidance to influence policy changes or approaches.

Question 50

This view essentially argues that social problems are determined by people (such as policymakers, the general public, or other influential people in society) as part of a very subjective and political process.

A) Social constructionism
B) Personal attribution
C) Systemic attribution
D) Moral entrepreneurship