Deck 4: CLEP: Sociology

Question 1

Aging
-Marvin's aunt has asked him to help her write a book about her life. They have gone through each phase: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. What is the collective term for the phases of one's life?

A)Life expectancy
B)Life course
C)Ageism
D)Rite of passage
E)Memoir

Answer 1

B
Life course refers to the various stages of one's life starting at childhood and ending with old age. Every person's life course is shaped by their personality, socialization, culture, and historical events. Rite of passage refers to a single pivotal event in a person's life.

Question 2

Aging
-Which of the following is an example of anticipatory socialization? Choose all that apply.

A)A college freshman attending orientation
B)A soon-to-be parent attending a parenting class
C)An education student working as a teaching assistant
D)None of the above

Answer 2

A,B,C
All of the choices listed are examples of anticipatory socialization. When a person prepares to enter a new phase in life, it is common to gather information about the new role. This type of socialization may give the person a chance to practice some of the expected behaviors.

Question 3

Aging
-Sam's neighbor is an elderly man named Fred who doesn't like Sam and his friends. Fred believes all teenagers are lazy, loud, and rude. What is the term for Fred's blanket beliefs about teenagers?

A)Age stratification
B)Disengagement theory
C)Age stereotyping
D)Adult socialization
E)None of the above

Answer 3

C
Fred's blanket beliefs about teenagers are called age stereotyping. Another example is the common belief that all elderly people are forgetful. Both examples are stereotypes because they are not true about the entire population of each age category.

Question 4

Aging
-Maria has never used a computer in her 63 years. When her company began using them, she began making mistakes. Once a model employee, Maria was put on probation. What is the term for the institutionalized age discriminatory practices, such as this?

A)Age stratification
B)Age stereotype
C)Age differences
D)Ageism
E)Age socialization

Question 5

Aging
-Eddie is a nineteen-year old man who has decided to enter the military. In boot camp he encounters a new world where everyone has the same shaved head and uniform and must act according to a specific set of rules different from any Eddie has encountered before. What process is Eddie facing?

A)De-socialization
B)Reintroduction
C)Brain washing
D)Re-socialization
E)Primary group

Question 6

Aging
-In adulthood, a person is expected to learn many different roles, including those of employee, spouse, and parent. These roles learned through what process?

A)Aging
B)Adult socialization
C)De-socialization
D)Life course
E)Disengagement

Question 7

Aging
-According to psychologist Erik Erikson, what is the chief mission for adolescents?

A)Attending school
B)Learning from parents
C)Forming their own identity
D)Decide what to be in adulthood

Question 8

Aging
-What is an age cohort?

A)Group of people of similar age
B)Group of people born in the same area
C)Hierarchy of groups by age
D)Institutional age discrimination
E)Belief about a particular age

Question 9

Aging
-Which of the following is a functionalist belief about age groups?

A)Conflict over resources exists
B)Stereotypes are based upon value
C)Differences cause ageism
D)Worth depends upon contributions to society

Question 10

Aging
-Which sociological perspective believes that age groups, like class groups, must compete for resources and that different age groups possess different levels of power and status?

A)Functionalist
B)Conflict theory
C)Symbolic interaction
D)Ritualism
E)Disengagement

Question 11

Aging
-What is the term for the projected number of years an age group will live?

A)Life goals
B)Ageism
C)Life expectancy
D)Aging
E)Age Cohort

Question 12

Aging
-Which of the following is not a standard characteristic of retirement?

A)Financial stability
B)Break from identity associated with job
C)Income from pension or social security
D)Change in power status

Question 13

Community Patterns
-Which definition best fits community? Choose all that apply.

A)Social relationships between people in a particular location
B)A group of people living in a city or town
C)Impersonal relations between people
D)A system that provides people with sense of belonging

Question 14

Community Patterns
-What is the term for behavior that does not fit the social norms of a community?

A)Anti-norm
B)Deviance
C)Violation
D)Illegal
E)Anti-authority

Question 15

Community Patterns
-A person may feel stressed within a community because they cannot meet commonly held goals, such as home ownership. What theory explains how this person might feel?

A)Deviance theory
B)Adaptation theory
C)Strain theory
D)Delinquency theory
E)None of the above

Question 16

Community Patterns
-According to sociologist Robert Merton, which of the following is not a way that a person might try to adapt to a community norm?

A)Overthrow
B)Retreat
C)Rebel
D)Conform
E)Innovate

Question 17

Community Patterns
-What happens when a small community grows into a city?

A)Urbanization
B)Ruralizing
C)Deviance
D)Strain Theory
E)Population Change

Question 18

Community Patterns
-What attribute did sociologist Georg Simmel notice in his study of city life?

A)Increased sensitivity to events and other people
B)A stronger focus on economic relations rather than personal relations
C)More emotional attachment between citizens than in a rural area
D)A slower pace of daily life
E)All of the above

Question 19

Community Patterns
-What term best describes small communities within larger cities?

A)Ethnic urban village
B)Suburbanites
C)Urbanites
D)Ecological zone
E)Urban village

Question 20

Community Patterns
-What is public opinion?

A)Beliefs expressed by propaganda to citizens
B)Beliefs of political officials expressed to citizens
C)Beliefs of citizens expressed to political officials
D)Beliefs of a mob as expressed to one another
E)None of the above

Question 21

Community Patterns
-How are small, traditional communities affected during the process of modernization?

A)They deteriorate
B)They do not change
C)They become more tight-knit
D)All of the above

Question 22

Community Patterns
-What is the principle behind the German phrase "Gemeinschaft und Gesellchaft"?

A)Increase in number of people in a community
B)People living in towns and communities
C)Large society scaling back to a community size
D)Small communities moving toward more social organization
E)Small communities within larger cities

Question 23

Culture
-Which of the following statements about culture is false?

A)It can be both material and non-material.
B)It helps provide stability.
C)It provides meaning.
D)It remains the same over time.
E)It is complex.

Question 24

Culture
-Which of the following characteristics do all cultures have in common? Choose all that apply.

A)Use of symbols
B)High use of technology
C)Traditions
D)None of the above

Question 25

Culture
-What is the main role of language in a culture?

A)To set forth standards for society members to follow
B)To identify commonly held principles
C)To provide a source of communication
D)To allow members to keep their culture separate from others
E)All of the above

Question 26

Culture
-Which is an example of language being used to create social inequality? Choose all that apply.

A)Using the terms "girl" or "boy" when referring to an adult
B)A Spanish speaking child learning English
C)Using the term "hillbilly"
D)None of the above

Question 27

Culture
-Which of the following is an example of social sanctions in action?

A)A teacher praising a child for good behavior
B)A judge sentencing a criminal
C)An employee being fired for improper conduct
D)All of the above

Question 28

Culture
-What word describes commonly held beliefs and ideas in a society?

A)Norms
B)Traditions
C)Education
D)Values
E)Success

Question 29

Culture
-Which of the following is an example of a subculture in the U.S.?

A)States
B)Amish
C)Schools
D)The middle class
E)New York City

Question 30

Culture
-Sara is in a sorority and enjoys the close-knit group of which she is part. However, she tends to think her sorority sisters are superior to other students and has trouble understanding other viewpoints on campus. Of what is this situation a good example?

A)Cultural relativism
B)Popular culture
C)Ethnocentrism
D)Values
E)Counterculture

Question 31

Culture
-While traveling in the Middle East, Mark was surprised to see his favorite fast food chain. What is the term for the spread of aspects of a single culture across other cultures?

A)Global nature
B)Ethnocentrism
C)Global values
D)Global culture
E)Popular culture

Question 32

Culture
-What is the reflection hypothesis?

A)Belief that the world will echo the values of the media
B)Belief that the media mirrors the values of the people
C)Belief that the general population imitates the values of those in power
D)Belief that cultures will reflect the values of other cultures over time
E)None of the above.

Question 33

Culture
-Melissa was excited to begin a job teaching English near Tokyo, Japan. She expected the culture to be different from her own, but she was still surprised by how disoriented she felt and how much she missed familiar food and customs. In this example, what was Melissa experiencing?

A)Cultural relativism
B)Global culture
C)Culture shock
D)Cultural diffusion
E)Effects of the time difference

Question 34

Culture
-Which is a true statement about human fertility? Choose all that apply.

A)It is based upon the biological ability of women
B)It is based upon social values and practices
C)It is women reproducing at the highest possible rate
D)None of the above

Question 35

Culture
-What is the main contributor to the rise in world population?

A)Increased fertility
B)Lower mortality
C)Incidence of fecundity
D)Rise in immortality
E)Decrease in cancer

Question 36

Culture
-Which of the following is not a characteristic of population composition?

A)Marital status
B)Education
C)Household family size
D)Sex
E)Migration

Question 37

Culture
-Clara took a poll of her school and found that for every 100 females there were 102 males. What is this type of measurement called?

A)Sex ratio
B)Population determination
C)Population pyramid
D)Gender gap
E)Life expectancy

Question 38

Culture
-What does a high infant mortality rate most likely indicate?

A)High fertility rate
B)Lack of proper health care
C)High fecundity rate
D)Dense population
E)Migration

Question 39

Culture
-What do migration patterns affect?

A)Fertility
B)Family size
C)Population density
D)Popularity of a locale

Question 40

Culture
-Which is the best example of the difference between population distribution and population density?

A)New York City is very dense while Brooklyn has a better distribution.
B)Rural areas are distributed, while urban areas are dense.
C)Density is family size, while distribution is how far apart family members live.
D)Density is gender related, while distribution is ethnically related.
E)San Francisco is dense, while California has an uneven distribution.

Question 41

Culture
-Marella and her family have decided to leave their country because of food is lacking and there is political unrest. What are these factors known as in relation to migration patterns?

A)Push factors
B)Coercive factors
C)Pull factors
D)Migratory factors

Question 42

Economic Institute
-What is an economy?

A)Regulation of goods and services
B)Goods and services
C)State ownership of production, and distribution
D)Pursuit of profit
E)System of production, distribution, and use of goods

Question 43

Economic Institute
-Mark lost his job when the local factory closed, so he decided to go to college and pursue a career in the service industry. What is the term for when an economy changes from a focus on manufacturing to a focus on services?

A)Industrialization
B)Globalization
C)Displacement
D)Deindustrialization
E)None of the above

Question 44

Economic Institute
-Lisa is an on call nurse at her local hospital. When the hospital patient census is high, she is called in to work, but during times of low patient numbers, she is without income. What is the term for a worker who is only used on a temporary or as needed basis?

A)Secondary staff
B)Contingent workers
C)Lower class
D)Contingency staff
E)All of the above

Question 45

Economic Institute
-Which sociological perspective sees work as a way to teach societal values?

A)Functionalist
B)Conflict
C)Socialization
D)Symbolic-interaction

Question 46

Economic Institute
-Sam's work in a factory is physically challenging, while Steve's job in a bank allows him to sit at his desk much of the day. Sam is angry that his income is only fifty percent of what Steve earns. How does this scenario support the beliefs of conflict theorists?

A)It supports the belief in private ownership.
B)It shows how social order is maintained.
C)It shows compensation per skill-set.
D)It shows how people learn values from work.
E)It shows that uneven pay will create class conflict.

Question 47

Economic Institute
-Some people work steady jobs with good pay and benefits while others work jobs with low pay and regular employee turnover. What is the term for this division in the labor market?

A)Pluralist economy
B)Dual labor market
C)Occupational segregation
D)Gender segregation
E)Glass ceiling

Question 48

Economic Institute
-Elizabeth has worked at the same company for twenty years. She started as a secretary and worked her way up to mid-level manager within ten years. She has attempted to move into upper management, but has been unsuccessful, while two men who joined the company after her are now top managers. What is the term for the effect that Elizabeth may be facing?

A)Occupational segregation
B)Gender gap
C)Glass ceiling
D)Sexual harassment
E)Credentialism

Question 49

Economic Institute
-Tim has a degree in law, but has been working at a bookstore since his law firm downsized last year. What is the term for someone who works in a position that is below their education level?

A)Underemployment
B)Unemployment
C)Settling for less
D)Contingency
E)Secondary labor

Question 50

Economic Institute
-Which of the following is an example of someone who engages in emotional labor? Choose all that apply.

A)Social worker
B)Factory worker who loves his job
C)Flight attendant
D)None of the above

Question 51

Economic Institute
-What is it called when four or fewer companies handle the production of more than half of all of a particular good or service?

A)Shared monopoly
B)Oligarchy
C)Monopoly
D)Socialism
E)Capitalism

Question 52

Educational Institute
-Which of the following is true about education?

A)It is a formal institution that offers socialization.
B)It does not offer socialization.
C)It is not required in the United States.
D)It must only occur in a government run school.
E)It has always been available to all classes.

Question 53

Educational Institute
-According to functional theorists, which of following is not a function of education?

A)To promote social change
B)To teach norms
C)To promote social control
D)To promote order
E)To teach social values

Question 54

Educational Institute
-As Americans scramble for jobs in an economy with a high unemployment rate, many employers have begun requiring additional credentials for positions that normally would not require a higher education. What is this practice of requiring more education than is necessary?

A)Discrimination
B)Employee-bias
C)Credentialism
D)Cognitive elite
E)Credential tracking

Question 55

Educational Institute
-Mario is a student with a great amount of potential. He attends school each day, but his clothing is often unwashed and full of holes. His teacher seems to expect very little of him and does not encourage him and his grades begin to descend. Of what is this an example?

A)Parent teacher expectancy effect
B)Student expectancy effect
C)Cognitive learning
D)Cognitive ability
E)Teacher expectancy effect

Question 56

Educational Institute
-Which of the following is a way to test cognitive ability? Choose all that apply.

A)Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
B)IQ test
C)Advanced Placement Test
D)None of the above

Question 57

Educational Institute
-Lisa has low grades, but she scored high on IQ and SAT tests. Which of the following statements is true?

A)She likely has a high standardized ability.
B)The teacher's teaching method is incorrect.
C)She may have cheated.
D)The test results were not accurate.
E)She will do better in school later in life.

Question 58

Educational Institute
-Standardized tests, such as IQ tests, are meant to predict how well a student will perform in an academic environment. What is the term for how well these tests actually predict student performance?

A)Predictive validity
B)Academic measurement
C)Academic prognosis
D)Rate of success
E)None of the above

Question 59

Educational Institute
-According to the authors of The Bell Curve, who are the cognitive elite?

A)People with intelligence high enough to qualify as geniuses
B)People with high intelligence, high income, and a high position in society
C)People who excel in an academic environment despite low IQ
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 60

Educational Institute
-Rita was placed in the remedial group in her elementary class due to a low score on an IQ test. She remained in remedial groups throughout school. What is the term for dividing students according to cognitive ability?

A)Standardization
B)Cognitive grouping
C)Discrimination
D)Tracking
E)Teacher expectancy effect

Question 61

Educational Institute
-According to research on differences between male and female students, which of the following is a false statement?

A)Scores of females on standardized tests do not accurately predict grades.
B)Overall, teachers favor male students, since they are often more vocal.
C)Overall, teachers treat women of different ethnicities unequally.
D)Females and males have almost equal verbal scores.
E)Females score higher on average on math and science standardized tests than males.

Question 62

Educational Institute
-Two test takers, one African-American and one white, are told that a test they are about to take will measure their intelligence. The African-American student scores lower than the white student. The two take a similar test, but this time they are not told anything before the test and both students have almost the same score. What does such an experiment test?

A)Cognitive ability according to ethnicity
B)The stereotype effect
C)Test-taking procedures
D)Cognitive elitism
E)None of the above

Question 63

Educational Institute
-Why has there been an increase in female-headed households?

A)Increase in unwed mothers
B)Increase in divorce
C)Increase in unwed mothers and divorces
D)Increase of power for women
E)Increase in death of fathers

Question 64

Educational Institute
-In some states where gay marriage is not allowed, what type of legal relationship might gay and lesbian couples pursue?

A)Cohabitation
B)Dual-earner marriage
C)Domestic partnership
D)Wedding
E)Divorce

Question 65

Educational Institute
-On what grounds are most divorces granted in the United States today?

A)Irreconcilable differences
B)Wife earning more than husband
C)One or both partners cheating
D)Difference in religion
E)Commuter marriages

Question 66

Educational Institute
-Sara's parents divorced three years ago. Her mother married a man named Tim last fall. Sara now lives with her mother, Tim, and Tim's two children. What type of family is this?

A)Domestic partnership
B)Blended family
C)Civil union
D)Separated family
E)Extended family

Question 67

Educational Institute
-For inheritance purposes, industrial societies often trace families through both their mother and father's descendants. What type of descent is this?

A)Patrilineal
B)Matrilineal
C)Dual lineal
D)Bilateral
E)Dual lateral

Question 68

Educational Institute
-In many societies, it is common for people to marry within their own social class, ethnicity, and religion. What is this practice called?

A)Patrilocal
B)Endogamy
C)Martilocal
D)Exogamy
E)None of the above

Question 69

Educational Institute
-Five-year old Ella takes a doll away from her little brother and tells him dolls are only for girls. What is the process by which she learned this idea?

A)Biological determinism
B)Gender socialization
C)Discrimination
D)Gender identity
E)Anti-feminism

Question 70

Educational Institute
-What is Title IX?

A)Law against gender discrimination in schools
B)Law against gender discrimination in churches
C)Law forbidding media to show gender stereotypes
D)Law against gender discrimination in homes

Question 71

Educational Institute
-Which of the following is a downside of gender conformity? Choose all that apply.

A)A man taking steroids
B)A woman being promoted to manager
C)A woman with anorexia
D)None of the above

Question 72

Educational Institute
-What is the term for the forced separation of genders in a country where women are not allowed to work outside the home, attend school and in some cases, leave home without a male family member as escort?

A)Gender institution
B)Gender differences
C)Gender apartheid
D)Gender discrimination
E)All of the above

Question 73

Educational Institute
-Which of the following theories does not explain why women are still paid less than men despite passage of the 1963 Equal Pay Act?

A)Human capital theory
B)Human conflict theory
C)Dual labor market theory
D)Gender segregation
E)Discrimination

Question 74

Educational Institute
-Mary works as a teacher at an elementary school, while her husband Dan works in construction. Most of the people Mary works with are women while Dan works with all men. What is the term for this separation of genders in the work force?

A)Gender socialization
B)Gender segregation
C)Occupational conformity
D)Discrimination
E)Overt Discrimination

Question 75

Educational Institute
-What is the term for women working outside the home but still performing most of the household chores such as cooking and cleaning?

A)Gender segregation
B)Anti-feminism
C)Gender socialization
D)Role reversal
E)Second shift

Question 76

Educational Institute
-What is the rate by which groups, such as women, participate in the work force called?

A)Affirmative action
B)Labor force participation rate
C)Equal opportunity rate
D)Labor rate
E)Human capital rate

Question 77

Groups
-Which of the following is a characteristic of a group within a society?

A)Have common goals and norms
B)Possess a feeling of being a "we"
C)Interact with one another
D)All of the above

Question 78

Groups
-Sara and Elizabeth are talking about English class while waiting for the start of the school day. Lisa arrives and begins to discuss dance class, but her conversation is aimed toward Sara. What is isolating one person in a group of three called?

A)Dyadic formation
B)Triadic segregation
C)Triadic change
D)Secondary group
E)Primary group

Question 79

Groups
-What is the term for changes in group behavior as the group size changes?

A)Tertius gaudens
B)Group growth
C)Group size effects
D)Primary group growth
E)Triadic segregation

Question 80

Groups
-Which is a good example of a primary group to which a person might belong? Choose all that apply.

A)Marine Corp unit
B)Family
C)Neighborhood
D)None of the above