Deck 12: Exploring the Sociological Imagination

Question 1

Which of the following is not one of the questions Mills asked in utilizing the sociological imagination?

A) Where does this society stand in human history?
B) Where will this society stand as it develops into the future?
C) What is the structure of the particular society as a whole?
D) What varieties of men and women now prevail in this society and in this period?

Answer 1

Where will this society stand as it develops into the future?

Question 2

According to Mills, what concept best aids in answering the questions Mills poses as the basis for using the sociological imagination?

A) Social structure
B) Social status position
C) Social institutions
D) Social relationship

Answer 2

Social relationship

Question 3

A student in your class was asked to describe the process of "critical thinking"from a sociological perspective. The following is her answer. "Critical thinking is a process used to develop questions,answers and solutions to social problems. In order to practice critical thinking a sociologist is committed to continually to improving how s/he thinks in order to think about relevant background information, and evaluate the information to solve a social problem. How would you rate this answer?

A) Excellent (all components discussed with clear and correct explanations)
B) Good (all components discussed, but the explanations are not as clear as they should be)
C) Mediocre (a component is missing and/or the explanations are not clear or are irrelevant)
D) Unacceptable (more than one component is missing and the explanations are unclear and/or are irrelevant)

Answer 3

Mediocre (a component is missing and/or the explanations are not clear or are irrelevant)

Question 4

Which of the following is not one of the steps in the process of intellectual deliberation?

A) Committing to improving how people think and act
B) Thinking about background information using sociological concepts
C) Evaluating background information to answer a question
D) Collecting relevant background information based on what people think and do

Question 5

As a sociologist if you are engaging in critical thinking you must emphasize and focus on the __________.

A) sociological imagination
B) social context
C) social structure
D) sociological approach

Question 6

Which of the following represents the utilization of the sociological imagination?

A) A study of postsecondary student's experiences
B) A study of the education system
C) A study of the association between economic conditions and violent behaviour
D) All of the above

Question 7

What did C. Wright Mills mean when he said people will feel like they have "suddenly awakened in a house with which they had only supposed themselves to be familiar"?

A) Mills meant that when people use the sociological imagination they will understand that their day-today experiences are their own personal experiences not shared by others in society.
B) Mills meant that when people use the sociological imagination they will understand that their day-today experiences are not purely personal experiences.
C) Mills meant that when people use the sociological imagination they will understand the importance of focusing mainly on their personal social context to make sense of their social problems.
D) Mills meant that when people use the sociological imagination they will understand the importance of changing social relationships and focusing on collective action.

Question 8

Questioning students as to why they are attending college or university and understanding the importance of a college or university degree is an example of:

A) taking one's "social-ness" into consideration
B) gaining a better understanding of the education system
C) exploring one's social identity
D) using sociological imagination

Question 9

What was Mills referring to when he discussed the promise of the sociological imagination?

A) Mills believed that using a sociological imagination leads to a better understanding of human experience and motivates social action in order to improve the human experience.
B) Mills believed that using a sociological imagination allows sociologists to study the historical elements of society in order to better understand the present human experience.
C) Mills believed that using a sociological imagination allows for a comparison of past and present human experiences in order to better understand the future of society.
D) Mills believed that using a sociological imagination leads to the process of critical thinking which helps understand the human experience but does not motivate change.

Question 10

All but one of the following is an element of the process of critical thinking. Which is not one of theelements?

A) Reflexive disposition
B) Intellectual habits
C) Reflexive context
D) Intellectual deliberation

Question 11

Analyzing and accounting for the human experience based on concepts, ideas, theories and the broader social context is known as _____.

A) grand theorizing
B) sociological imagination
C) abstracted empiricism
D) critical thinking

Question 12

Analyzing and accounting for the human experience based on facts that are collected on the basis of our senses and observations is known as _____.

A) grand theorizing
B) sociological imagination
C) abstracted empiricism
D) critical thinking

Question 13

The social relationship between the Canadian government and the First Nations people of Attawapiskat can be considered to be __________ because the cultural differences between the two groups affects their social relationship.

A) ethno-racialized
B) unbalanced
C) authoritative
D) classed

Question 14

What does it mean to argue that all social relationships can be described as classed, gendered or ethno- racialized?

A) This means that in relationships people's achieved social status positions overdetermine what they do and think.
B) This means that in relationships people determine their social status positions by how they behave with others.
C) This means that in relationships people's ascribed social status positions overdetermine what they do and think.
D) This means that in relationships people's social status positions are determined by their class, gender and race.

Question 15

A key element in using your sociological imagination is the ability to view your own day-to-day private troubles from:

A) the perspective of broader social context of public issues.
B) the perspective of cultural biases.
C) the perspective of as an outsider.
D) the perspective of as an insider.

Question 16

Which of the following would be an example of the use of the sociological imagination?

A) A study of an individual's sleeping patterns
B) A study of the content of dreams
C) A study of the association between economic conditions and deviance
D) A study of the association between eye color and recycling behaviour

Question 17

What did Mills argue about social imagination and social relationship?

A) Using the sociological imagination to understand an issue
B) Engaging in critical analysis of an issue
C) Applying relevant concepts to an issue
D) Translating personal responses into collective action

Question 18

Which of the following sociological theorists was least concerned with changing social relationships as a result of studying human experience and social context?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) C. W. Mills
D) Harriet Martineau

Question 19

When sociologists practice grand theorizing they engage in:

A) balancing an understanding of concepts and observations.
B) focusing on sociological concepts, ideas and theories.
C) building on facts about claims made through senses.
D) understanding human attitudes, actions and thoughts.

Question 20

Using 'a quality of mind' to understand the social context of the Attawapiskat uncovers that the housing crisis is embedded in:

A) the First Nation's people as a group and the Canadian government as a social institution.
B) the Canadian government as a social institution, and ethno-racialized social relationships.
C) the ethno-racialized social groups, classed relationships between the government and the First Nations people.
D) the particular social groups, social institutions, ethno-racialized relationships, and classed relationships.