Deck 24: Social Change: Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies

Question 1

This chapter's Seeing Sociology in the News article explains how:

A) Somali refugees took over the neighborhood.
B) Somali refugees left town and the town died.
C) Somali refugees increased in size to some 12 millions people.
D) Somali refugees saved a dying town.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The concept of modernity refers to changes in social patterns brought on by which of the following?

A) the fall of the Roman Empire
B) the Enlightenment
C) the Industrial Revolution
D) globalization

Answer 2

C

Question 3

For Tönnies, the essence of Gesellschaft is:

A) faith in established tradition.
B) rational self-interest.
C) kinship.
D) neighborhood and friendship.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Modernity is the concept used for the social patterns that began to change the world about when?

A) 1492
B) 1600
C) the 1750s
D) the 1920s

Question 5

The fact that the coins we use is an idea that came from Middle East centuries ago is an example of which of the following?

A) invention
B) discovery
C) diffusion
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 6

Ferdinand Tönnies described modernity as the loss of:

A) Gemeinschaft.
B) Gesellschaft.
C) social diversity.
D) personal choice.

Question 7

Which of the following are common causes of social change?

A) discovery of existing things
B) diffusion from one cultural system to another
C) invention of new ideas and things
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 8

Sociologists point out that:

A) some societies change and others do not.
B) social change happens all the time.
C) all social change is good.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 9

Social change is almost always:

A) controversial.
B) planned.
C) good for everyone in a society.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 10

Emile Durkheim claimed that the defining trait of modernity was:

A) faith in established tradition.
B) kinship.
C) common beliefs.
D) an increasing division of labor.

Question 11

Moving on has always been an important part of the experience of U.S. society. Remembering the map in the chapter, in which part of the country are there a larger number of households that stay put, where the same people have lived for thirty years or more?

A) Florida
B) the Southwest
C) the West Coast
D) the Great Plains

Question 12

Ralph Linton explained that most familiar elements to our way of life:

A) actually came to us from other cultures.
B) are unique to our own society.
C) were unknown even a few decades ago.
D) were discovered completely by accident.

Question 13

Peter Berger describes modernization in terms of several important changes. Read the responses below and select the one that is NOT a trait that Berger links to modernity.

A) the decline of large cities
B) the expansion of personal choice
C) increasing social diversity
D) a future orientation and growing awareness of time

Question 14

Which of the following concepts refers to changes brought on by the Information Revolution?

A) feudalism
B) tradition
C) modernity
D) postmodernity

Question 15

Max Weber's thesis on the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism highlighted the importance of which of the following in the process of social change?

A) invention
B) ideas
C) social conflict
D) cultural diffusion

Question 16

Demographic change in the United States over the course of the last century includes a trend towards:

A) smaller household size.
B) a larger share of elderly people.
C) living in cities.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 17

Karl Marx highlighted which of the following in the process of social change?

A) invention
B) ideas
C) social conflict
D) cultural diffusion

Question 18

A criticism of Tönnies's thinking about modernity is that he:

A) saw modernity as entirely positive.
B) claimed modern people are business-like in their relationships.
C) overlooked the fact that strong social ties still exist in modern society.
D) did not see the Industrial Revolution as making much difference in social patterns.

Question 19

The chapter opening story of the inhabitants of a New York apartment who live a century apart demonstrates:

A) change over the last century has been dramatic.
B) that, in some ways, life has clearly improved.
C) that, in some ways, life has not improved.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 20

Sociologists explain that the consequences of social change are:

A) always positive.
B) always negative.
C) usually both positive and negative.
D) impossible to assess.

Question 21

Individuals experience modern mass societies in terms of:

A) pronounced moral relativism.
B) little personal choice.
C) too little privacy.
D) powerlessness.

Question 22

To say that modern society has a "mass scale" means that many fewer people:

A) live in small communities.
B) have a strong sense of cultural heritage.
C) are very sure about what is right and wrong.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 23

Mass-society theory offers a criticism of modern society as having:

A) become less and less affluent.
B) pushed minorities to the margins.
C) become an impersonal mass of socially rootless people.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 24

Durkheim's greatest concern about modern societies focused on:

A) a rise of anomie.
B) increasing personal choice.
C) increasing productive specialization.
D) increasing personal privacy.

Question 25

For Weber, preindustrial societies are characterized by a focus on:

A) personal choice.
B) tradition.
C) productive specialization.
D) rationality.

Question 26

Read the following four statements about modern society. One statement would never be made by someone who thinks we live in a "mass society." Which is it?

A) There are more poor people than in the past.
B) Kinship ties are weaker than in the past.
C) Religious beliefs play a smaller role in society.
D) People experience moral uncertainty about how to live.

Question 27

Which of the following thinkers was, on balance, most critical of modern society?

A) Max Weber
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Peter Berger
D) None of these people was critical of modern society.

Question 28

Karl Marx understood modernity in terms of which of the following?

A) the rise of rationality
B) increasing productive specialization
C) the rise of the capitalist economic system
D) the loss of traditional community

Question 29

David Riesman described tradition-directed social character as which of the following?

A) eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B) rigid conformity to established ways of life
C) being highly individualistic
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 30

The class-society approach to modernity focuses on which of the following?

A) marked social stratification
B) productive specialization
C) loss of traditional community
D) rationality

Question 31

A number of sociologists contributed to a mass-society theory of modernity. Which of the following sociologists is NOT one of them?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Ferdinand Tönnies
D) Max Weber

Question 32

The problem mass-society theory sees with the expansion of bureaucracy and the state is that:

A) as bureaucracy and the state grow, people in local communities have little control over their lives.
B) government is not very efficient.
C) there is an increase in social inequality.
D) people feel the need for more personal freedom.

Question 33

David Riesman described other-directed social character as which of the following?

A) eagerness to adopt the latest fashions and fads
B) rigid conformity to established ways of life
C) being highly individualistic
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 34

If you were following the class-society approach, which factor would you focus on as shaping modern society the most?

A) rationality
B) interdependency
C) capitalism
D) anomie

Question 35

A mass society is one that:

A) has expanding bureaucracy.
B) is affluent in terms of economic production.
C) has lost much of its traditional social ties.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 36

Max Weber saw which of the following as evidence of modernization?

A) the rise of capitalism
B) the rise of science
C) the spread of bureaucracy
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 37

The class-society theory of modernity is based on the ideas of which of the following sociologists?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Ferdinand Tönnies

Question 38

Durkheim's concept of organic solidarity is roughly the same as Tönnies's concept of:

A) gemeinschaft.
B) gesellschaft.
C) blasé urbanite.
D) specialization.

Question 39

Applying mass-society theory, you would claim that the biggest problem facing individuals in modern society is:

A) poverty.
B) too much tradition.
C) powerlessness.
D) establishing a clear personal identity.

Question 40

Max Weber defined modernity in terms of which of the following concepts?

A) capitalism
B) specialization
C) self-interest
D) rationality

Question 41

The Kaiapo of Brazil's rain forest and the Hog Hammock community off the coast of Georgia show us that:

A) "progress" is typically good.
B) social change is usually good for everyone.
C) people do not have to change if they do not want to.
D) people sometimes gain money at the cost of losing their cultural foundation.

Question 42

Following class-society theory, the key problem of living in a modern society is:

A) economic inequality with most people feeling powerless.
B) too much personal freedom.
C) difficulty building a clear personal identity.
D) too much rationality.

Question 43

Modernization means that fewer people live in small, traditional communities.

Question 44

Modernization typically decreases social diversity.

Question 45

William Ogburn's theory of cultural lag states that non-material culture usually changes faster than material culture.

Question 46

Social change results from invention, discovery, and cultural diffusion.

Question 47

What did Herbert Marcuse have to say about science?

A) Science is the key to modern affluence.
B) Science is not new to modern societies it has existed for centuries.
C) Science causes as many problems as it solves.
D) Science is only one dimension of "rationality."

Question 48

Social change is usually controversial.

Question 49

In global perspective, we see that some societies change, but others do not.

Question 50

Herbert Marcuse challenged Max Weber by claiming that modern societies:

A) are much too rational.
B) are irrational because they fail to meet most people's needs.
C) have made great strides in reducing inequality.
D) have little effect on the individual.

Question 51

Scholars who take a postmodernist approach claim that:

A) in many respects, modernity has failed.
B) science holds the important answers.
C) people should be optimistic about their future.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 52

Read the four statements below. Only one is correct which is it?

A) Members of traditional societies conform members of modern societies do not.
B) Members of modern societies conform members of traditional societies do not.
C) Members of both traditional and modern societies conform, but to different degrees and for different reasons.
D) Neither members of traditional nor modern societies conform.

Question 53

Karl Marx claimed that conflict between classes had the effect of preventing social change.

Question 54

Modernization typically reduces the range of personal choice about how to live.

Question 55

Following mass-society theory, the key problem of living in a modern society is:

A) finding any personal freedom.
B) dealing with persistent poverty.
C) gaining a sense of power.
D) building a confident personal identity in a quickly changing and morally relativistic world.

Question 56

The concept "postmodernity" refers to which of the following?

A) Societies that have yet to industrialize.
B) Societies that keep their traditions.
C) Societies that have entered the postindustrial era.
D) Societies that are just beginning to industrialize.

Question 57

In the United States, our culture makes us think that modernity always involves which of the following?

A) progress
B) inequality
C) tradition
D) celebrating the past

Question 58

Although a number of indicators show that life in the United States is getting better, some indicators suggest that life is getting worse. Which of the following is a bigger problem than it used to be?

A) infant mortality
B) poverty among old people
C) suicide among young people
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 59

Read the four statements below about postmodernism. One of them is not correct which one is it?

A) The future probably will not be as good as the present.
B) Science does not hold all the answers.
C) Cultural debates are intensifying.
D) The family and other social institutions are not changing.

Question 60

Modernity is the product of social changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution.

Question 61

Karl Marx considered the defining trait of modern society to be capitalism.

Question 62

Ferdinand Tönnies described gesellschaft as based on the power of the community over the individual.

Question 63

Emile Durkheim understood modernization in terms of changes in societal solidarity.

Question 64

Modern people, claims mass-society theory, tend to develop tradition-directed personalities and hold to conventional ways of life.

Question 65

Mass-society theory argues that the scale of social life is increasing leaving people feeling lost in a world of vast and impersonal bureaucracies.

Question 66

According to mass-society theory, the mass media transform people in countless local communities forming a national culture.

Question 67

Durkheim considered a rising suicide rate a good indicator that mechanical solidarity was getting stronger.

Question 68

The class-society theory of modernity is derived largely from the social-conflict approach of Karl Marx.

Question 69

Max Weber worried that modern societies were prone to a condition he called "anomie."

Question 70

Difficulty forming a personal identity is a problem of modernity highlighted by mass-society theory.

Question 71

Emile Durkheim's concept of mechanical solidarity parallels Tönnies's concept of gesellschaft.

Question 72

According to Emile Durkheim, modern societies are held together by difference, a process he called "organic solidarity."

Question 73

Sociologist Peter Berger suggests that the rising popularity of wearing wristwatches is a good indicator that a traditional society is beginning to modernize.

Question 74

While Max Weber linked modern alienation to inequality, Karl Marx linked modern alienation to expanding bureaucracy.

Question 75

A criticism of mass-society theory is that it pays too much attention to social inequality.

Question 76

David Riesman's other-directed people are characterized by superficiality, weak beliefs, and an openness to change.

Question 77

Max Weber declared modern societies to be "disenchanted."

Question 78

The class-society theory states that modernization has greatly reduced social inequality.

Question 79

Saying that people are "essentially united in spite of all separating factors" is a good way to describe what Tönnies called gemeinschaft.

Question 80

Karl Marx was a major architect of mass-society theory.