Deck 1: The Sociological Perspective and Research Process

Question 1

Because of his radical views and his emphasis on social action, not just the study of society, the work of Karl Marx has been largely discredited today.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Sociologist Talcott Parsons suggested that the division of household labor between husband and wife is one of the fundamental sources of conflict in industrialized societies.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Sociology emerged in Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Although he founded functionalism and its emphasis on social order, sociologist Emile Durkheim observed that rapid social change and a more specialized division of labor produced strains leading to a breakdown in traditional organization, values, and authority.

Question 5

Sociologist Robert K. Merton stated that in order for social institutions and other social units to be considered functional, their functions must be intended and recognized by all participants.

Question 6

All of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology focus analysis at the macrolevel, examining whole societies, large-scale social structures, and social systems.

Question 7

Sociologists understand that there are multiple causes and effects of social issues.

Question 8

The sociological imagination helps us place personal troubles, such as losing our job or attempting suicide, into a larger social context, where we can distinguish whether and how personal troubles may be related to public issues.

Question 9

Sociologist George Herbert Mead was one of the first scholars to note that a dual?heritage creates conflict for people of color. He called this duality double-consciousness-the identity conflict of being black and American.

Question 10

Middle-income countries are nations with highly industrialized economies; technologically advanced industrial, administrative, and service occupations; and relatively high levels of national and personal income.

Question 11

All sociological theories and theorists may be categorized as functionalist, conflict, or symbolic interactionist.

Question 12

American sociology grew along with European sociology during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Question 13

Although Weber emphasized that sociology should be value free, he did not believe that human behavior could be analyzed through application of the objective criteria used to study other natural phenomena.

Question 14

The first department of sociology in the United States was established at the University of Chicago, where the faculty was instrumental in starting the American Sociological Society (now known as the American Sociological Association).

Question 15

According to Durkheim, social facts can only be explained by other social facts.

Question 16

In regard to negative consequences of industrial society, sociologist Max Weber was more concerned about the impact of rational bureaucracy than of class struggle.

Question 17

Sociologists are in agreement that sociological research can and should be value free.

Question 18

All conflict theorists regard class conflict as the central and most important source of social change.

Question 19

The early sociologists were in agreement that human behavior could be studied using the same techniques used in the natural sciences.

Question 20

According to the functionalist perspective, societies develop social structures (institutions) that persist because they play a part in helping society survive. These institutions include the family, education, government, religion, and the economy.

Question 21

When studying the problem of suicide, sociologists are most interested in explaining its?__________.

A) ​psychological dimensions
B) ​relationship to the individual
C) ​structural origins
D) ​media coverage

Question 22

A __________ is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

A) ​culture
B) ​society
C) ​nation
D) ​country

Question 23

Sociology is defined as the __________.

A) ​systematic study of human society and social interaction
B) ​analysis of deviant groups and individuals
C) ​scientific analysis of premodern people
D) ​academic discipline that examines individual human behavior

Question 24

__________ is a socially constructed concept used by many people to specify groups of people based on physical characteristics such as skin color.

A) ​Ethnicity
B) ​Nationality
C) ​Race
D) ​Genealogy

Question 25

__________ refers to the fact that the lives of people everywhere are intertwined closely so that one nation's problems are part of a much larger global context.

A) ​Societal cohesiveness
B) ​Universal cooperation
C) ​Global interdependence
D) ​International interlock

Question 26

A significant difference between high-income and low-income countries is that low-income countries tend to be __________.

A) more industrialized
B) ​more agrarian
C) ​less populated
D) ​smaller

Question 27

A broken thermometer that measures the same temperature every day lacks both reliability and validity.

Question 28

Quantitative research and qualitative research both follow the same research model.

Question 29

Which of these is not part of the sociological approach to the study of society and social interaction?

A) ​systematic research techniques
B) ​presentation of research findings
C) ​search for patterns in human behavior
D) ​application of commonsense or everyday understandings

Question 30

Which of these groups has the lowest rate of suicide?

A) ​white Americans
B) ​African Americans
C) ​Asian/Pacific Islanders
D) ​Native Americans

Question 31

__________ studied suicide in what was probably the first sociological study to use scientific research methods.

A) ​Emile Durkheim
B) ​Max Weber
C) ​Karl Marx
D) ​C. Wright Mills

Question 32

Sociological studies on suicide that have compared rates of suicide with other variables, such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education, are examples of quantitative research.

Question 33

Sociologist C. Wright Mills coined the term __________ for the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.

A) ​conflict perception
B) ​sociological imagination
C) ​reality perception
D) ​symbolic interaction approach

Question 34

According to Mills, the sociological imagination enables one to distinguish between personal troubles that must be solved within the immediate social setting and __________ that affect large numbers of people and often require solutions at the societal level.

A) ​unimportant troubles
B) ​non-private difficulties
C) ​public issues
D) ​societal dysfunctions

Question 35

The world's __________ countries are nations with highly industrialized economies; technologically advanced industrial, administrative, and service occupations; and relatively high levels of national and personal income.

A) ​high-income
B) ​middle-income
C) ​low-income
D) ​semi-periphery

Question 36

One person's inability to find a job may be an example of a __________, whereas widespread unemployment as a result of changes in the economy, such as the outsourcing of jobs, is an example of a __________.

A) ​dysfunction; psychological difficulty
B) ​personal trouble; public issue
C) ​psychological difficulty; private issue
D) ​public issue; personal trouble

Question 37

People throughout the world share the same biosphere; environmental pollution in one area may have an adverse effect on people in other places. This makes environmental problems an example of __________.

A) ​international interlock
B) ​universal cooperation
C) ​societal cohesiveness
D) ​global interdependence

Question 38

China, Brazil, and Mexico are considered examples of __________.

A) ​middle-income countries
B) ​periphery countries
C) ​high-income countries
D) ​low-income countries

Question 39

The cultural heritage or identity of a group, based on factors such as language or country of origin, is termed __________.

A) ​ethnicity
B) ​religion
C) ​race
D) ​genealogy

Question 40

Any research question may be answered using any of the various research methods.

Question 41

In her work, sociologist Harriet Martineau was a strong advocate for_____________.

A) ​building a stronger middle class
B) ​the importance of cultural relativism
C) ​recognizing the forces for stability and change in society
D) ​social equality and reform

Question 42

French sociologist Emile Durkheim coined the term __________ to refer to the patterns of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but that exert social control over every person in society.

A) ​social statics
B) ​social facts
C) ​sociological imagination
D) ​sociological generalizations

Question 43

Based on British social theorist Herbert Spencer's theory, __________ is the belief that those species of animals, including human beings, that are the most adapted to their environment will survive and prosper, whereas those that are poorly adapted will eventually die out.

A) ​social Darwinism
B) ​social eugenics
C) ​social statics and dynamics
D) ​social relativism

Question 44

A major criticism of Spencer's theory of social Darwinism is that ______________ .

A) ​other biological organizations exercise more control over their environments than do humans
B) ​it may be used to justify racial/ethnic, gender, and class inequalities in society
C) ​it explains society in an era that is less tumultuous than that of the Industrial Revolution
D) ​he plagiarized the work of Charles Darwin

Question 45

Which of these early scientific thinkers first used the phrase "survival of the fittest" to explain his theory of society?

A) ​Karl Marx
B) ​Emile Durkheim
C) ​Auguste Comte
D) ​Herbert Spencer

Question 46

Comte believed that societies are made up of __________ or forces for order and stability, as well as social dynamics or forces for social change.

A) ​social facts
B) ​social statics
C) ​social mores
D) ​social symbols

Question 47

During the __________, massive social changes occurred as technological innovations shifted the economic base of countries in Europe, and later the United States, from agriculture to manufacturing.

A) ​Neolithic Revolution
B) ​Industrial Revolution
C) ​Agricultural Revolution
D) ​Urbanization Revolution

Question 48

Sociologists use the term __________ to refer to the relative location of a person or group within the larger society, based on wealth, power, prestige, or other valued resources.

A) ​caste
B) ​class
C) ​ethnicity
D) ​ranking

Question 49

The term __________ refers to the biological and anatomical differences between females and males.

A) ​sex
B) ​biology
C) ​gender
D) ​sociobiology

Question 50

Critics of Durkheim have argued that _______________________ .

A) ​his work is of little sociological value or importance
B) ​he focused too heavily on social inequality and social change
C) ​his emphasis on structure overlooks the meanings that social phenomena hold for people
D) ​he was not systematic, and therefore not scientific in his approach to the study of society

Question 51

__________ is the term for the process by which an increasing proportion of a population lives in cities rather than in rural areas.

A) ​Urbanization
B) ​Suburbanization
C) ​Industrialization
D) ​Modernization

Question 52

Which of these is not a change brought on by industrialization and urbanization?

A) ​a rapid increase in the number and size of cities
B) ​a shift from agriculture to industrial manufacturing
C) ​people changing from being consumers to being producers
D) ​the need for wages to buy food and lodging

Question 53

Barbara was born female, which refers to her __________; she acts very feminine, which refers to her __________.

A) ​gender; sex
B) ​biology; sociobiology
C) ​sex; gender
D) ​genealogy; sex

Question 54

Interest in the systematic study of people's behavior and ideas took hold during the nineteenth century primarily in response to __________.

A) ​the agricultural revolution
B) ​industrialization and urbanization
C) ​enlightenment and new forms of religion
D) ​increases in rural poverty

Question 55

British sociologist __________ translated and condensed Comte's work and was noted for her study of social customs in Great Britain and the United States.

A) ​Emily Durkheim
B) ​Jane Addams
C) ​Harriet Martineau
D) ​Sarah Spencer

Question 56

Durkheim used the term __________ for the condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society.

A) ​social disorganization
B) ​social dysfunctionalism
C) ​cultural breakdown
D) ​anomie

Question 57

__________ refers to the process by which societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries.

A) ​Ruralization
B) ​Urbanization
C) ​Suburbanization
D) ​Industrialization

Question 58

French philosopher Auguste Comte's philosophy, the belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry, became known as __________,

A) ​absolutism
B) ​positivism
C) ​functionalism
D) ​specific methodology

Question 59

Durkheim observed that rapid social change and a more specialized division of labor produce strain in society; these strains lead to a breakdown in traditional organization, values, and authority and to a dramatic increase in __________.

A) ​anomie
B) ​social disorganization
C) ​social solidarity
D) ​cultural conflict

Question 60

The basis for Durkheim's theory of society is the principle that _____________ .

A) ​people are the products of their social environments
B) ​the evolution of society is based on the concept of "survival of the fittest"
C) ​society is comprised of the dual processes of social statics and social dynamics
D) ​conflict between different economic classes is necessary to produce social change

Question 61

Marx termed the tools, land, factories, and money for investment that form the economic basis of a society the __________.
Trappings of the bourgeoisie

A) ​means of production
B) ​instruments of capitalism
C) ​trappings of the bourgeoisie
D) ​factory system

Question 62

Tom works on the assembly line at the local Ford automobile factory. According to Marx, Tom would be considered a member of the __________ because he does not own the means of production.

A) ​bourgeoisie
B) ​petite bourgeoisie
C) ​proletariat class
D) ​laissez-faire class

Question 63

Which of these concepts is most comparable to the contemporary concept of the sociological imagination?

A) ​verstehen
B) ​positivism
C) ​social Darwinism
D) ​anomie

Question 64

From a functionalist perspective, the wife/mother is responsible for the __________ tasks, including housework, caring for the children, and providing emotional support for the entire family.

A) ​expressive
B) ​instrumental
C) ​compatible
D) ​independent

Question 65

In the Marxian framework, the __________ comprises those who own and control the means of production.

A) ​bourgeoisie
B) ​working class
C) ​proletariat class
D) ​laissez-faire class

Question 66

Sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois observed that a dual heritage creates conflict for people of color: an identity conflict of being black and American. Du Bois referred to this duality as __________.

A) ​double-consciousness
B) ​the dual-labor market
C) ​the double bind
D) ​functional conflict

Question 67

Functionalist Talcott Parsons suggested that complementary roles for men and women in the family contribute to social stability. The husband/father performs the __________ tasks, which involve leadership and decision-making responsibilities in the home, and employment outside the home to support the family.

A) ​expressive
B) ​instrumental
C) ​reproductive
D) ​interdependent

Question 68

German sociologist Georg Simmel analyzed how social interactions vary depending on the __________. He concluded that interaction patterns differed between a dyad and a triad.

A) ​sex of the social group
B) ​size of the social group
C) ​social class of the social group
D) ​race of the social group

Question 69

The basis for Marx's theory of society is the belief that _______________ .

A) ​people are the products of their social environments
B) ​the evolution of society is based on the concept of "survival of the fittest"
C) ​society is comprised of the dual processes of social statics and social dynamics
D) ​conflict between different economic classes is necessary to produce social change

Question 70

Some of Marx's critics have argued that he focused too heavily on the impact of _____.

A) ​class
B) ​gender
C) ​race-ethnicity
D) ​stability and order

Question 71

__________ perspectives are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system composed of interrelated parts, each of which (ideally) contributes to the overall stability of the society.

A) ​Functionalist
B) ​Conflict
C) ​Interactionist
D) ​Developmental

Question 72

Marx argued that when workers are paid less than the value of their labor, this exploitation results in __________, a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself.

A) ​class conflict
B) ​alienation
C) ​anomie
D) ​bourgeoisie

Question 73

Unlike others who believed that values could not be separated from the research process, German social scientist __________ emphasized that sociology should be value free-conducted in a scientific manner to exclude the researcher's personal values and economic interests.

A) ​Emile Durkheim
B) ​Max Weber
C) ​Karl Marx
D) ​Herbert Spencer

Question 74

Automobiles provide transportation and independence. But they are also responsible for a great deal of air pollution and contribute to global warming. Merton would consider these negative impacts to be __________.

A) ​dysfunctions
B) ​latent functions
C) ​unavoidable functions
D) ​manifest functions

Question 75

Jane Addams is best known as ____________________ .

A) ​the first President of the American Sociological Society
B) ​the founder of Hull House
C) ​the first woman to conduct sociological research
D) ​former First Lady of the United States

Question 76

 __________ states that societies develop social structures, or institutions, that persist because they play a part in helping society survive. These institutions include the family, education, government, religion, and the economy.

A) ​Postmodernism​
B) ​Symbolic interactionism
C) ​Conflict theory
D) ​Functionalism

Question 77

Which of these sociologists is not considered a founder of sociological study within the United States?

A) ​Jane Addams
B) ​W. E. B. Du Bois
C) ​Max Weber
D) ​Robert Parks

Question 78

Which of these is not part of the theoretical contributions of Max Weber?

A) ​the importance of verstehen
B) ​being value free in one's research
C) ​an emphasis on class struggle
D) ​concern about the impact of bureaucracy

Question 79

The first department of sociology in the United States was established at __________.

A) ​the University of Michigan
B) ​Columbia University
C) ​Harvard
D) ​the University of Chicago

Question 80

A __________ is defined as a set of logically interrelated statements that attempts to describe, explain, and (occasionally) predict social events.

A) ​hypothesis
B) ​law
C) ​theory
D) ​generalization