Deck 1: The Sociological Perspective

Question 1

The nations of Europe, Israel, Japan, and Australia fall into which of the following categories of countries?

A) low-income nations
B) middle-income nations
C) high-income nations
D) None of the above is correct.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was:

A) Robert K. Merton.
B) Auguste Comte.
C) Emile Durkheim.
D) Karl Marx.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Almost all of Latin America and Asia falls within which of the following categories?

A) low-income nations
B) middle-income nations
C) high-income nations
D) very rich nations

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following categories contains countries in which average income is typical for the world as a whole and in which people are as likely to live in a rural area as in an urban area?

A) low-income nations
B) middle-income nations
C) high-income nations
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 5

Three campus roommates are talking about why they are in college. A sociological view of going to college highlights the effect of:

A) age, because college students tend to be young.
B) class, because college students tend to come from families with above-average incomes.
C) our place in history, because a century ago going to college was not an option for most people.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 6

The idea that the social world guides our actions and life choices just as the seasons influence activities and choice of clothing describes:

A) the basis of what philosophy calls "free will."
B) the essential wisdom of the discipline of sociology.
C) the fact that people everywhere have "common sense."
D) the fact that people from countries all around the world make mostly identical choices about how to live.

Question 7

Following the thinking of C. Wright Mills, we would have expected the sociological imagination to be more widespread:

A) during times of peace and prosperity.
B) among the very rich.
C) among very religious people.
D) during times of social crisis.

Question 8

If marginality encourages sociological thinking, we would expect people in which category listed below to make the most use of the sociological perspective?

A) the wealthy
B) disabled persons or people who are a racial minority
C) politicians
D) the middle class

Question 9

By stating that the sociological perspective shows us "the strange in the familiar," the text argues that sociologists:

A) focus on the bizarre elements of society.
B) reject the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives.
C) believe that people often behave in strange ways.
D) believe that even people who are most familiar to us have some very strange habits.

Question 10

Peter Berger described using the sociological perspective as seeing the ______ in the _______.

A) good worst tragedies
B) new old
C) specific general
D) general particular

Question 11

The text presents a portrait of a "global village." Which of the following statements about this village is True?

A) Half the people are North Americans.
B) Half the people are rich.
C) Half the people are Africans.
D) Half the people do not get enough to eat.

Question 12

C. Wright Mills claimed that the "sociological imagination" transformed:

A) common sense into laws of society.
B) people into supporters of the status quo.
C) personal problems into public issues.
D) scientific research into common sense.

Question 13

Because there is more social isolation in rural areas of the United States than in urban areas, we would expect suicide rates to be:

A) higher in urban areas.
B) higher in rural areas.
C) high in both urban and rural areas.
D) low in both urban and rural areas.

Question 14

Which discipline defines itself as "the systematic study of human society"?

A) sociology
B) psychology
C) economics
D) history

Question 15

According to Emile Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate typically has:

A) more clinical depression.
B) less money, power, and other resources.
C) lower social integration.
D) greater self-esteem.

Question 16

A sociological analysis of childbearing around the world suggests that the number of children born to a woman reflects:

A) her preference for family size.
B) how many children she can afford.
C) whether she herself was born into a poor or rich society.
D) the desires of her husband.

Question 17

The United States falls within which category of the world's nations?

A) low-income nations
B) middle-income nations
C) high-income nations
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 18

What might a sociologist say about people's selection of marriage partners?

A) People marry because they fall in love.
B) When it comes to romance, it's all a matter of personal taste.
C) Typically, a person marries someone of similar social position.
D) When it comes to love, opposites attract.

Question 19

Sociologists use the term "social marginality" to refer to:

A) people who have little understanding of sociology.
B) having special social skills.
C) being defined by others as an "outsider."
D) people who are especially sensitive about their family background.

Question 20

In the United States today, the suicide rate is highest for which category of people listed below?

A) white males
B) African American males
C) white females
D) African American females

Question 21

According to Comte, people begin to see society as a natural-rather than a supernatural-phenomenon as their society enters which stage of development?

A) theological stage
B) metaphysical stage
C) scientific stage
D) post-scientific stage

Question 22

In which of the countries noted below did sociology first appear as a formal discipline?

A) the United States
B) Japan
C) France
D) China

Question 23

We would expect the sociological perspective to be most likely to develop in a place that was:

A) very traditional.
B) experiencing many social changes.
C) very poor.
D) small and socially isolated.

Question 24

Making use of the sociological perspective encourages:

A) challenging commonly held beliefs.
B) accepting conventional wisdom.
C) the belief that society is mysterious.
D) people to be happier with their lives as they are.

Question 25

Which of the following is a reason that it is important to understand the world beyond our own borders?

A) Nations the world over are increasingly interconnected.
B) Many problems that we face in the United States are far more serious elsewhere.
C) Studying other societies is a good way to learn more about ourselves.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 26

More than 1 million immigrants enter the United States each year and many (including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gloria Estefan) have become well known. These facts support the conclusion that:

A) the world's nations are increasingly interconnected.
B) other nations have little effects on life in rich countries such as the United States.
C) people around the world share little in terms of their ways of life.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 27

Read the following statements. Only one of them is True. Which one is it?

A) Because the United States is so rich, there is little reason for us to learn about other nations.
B) Gaining a global understanding is important to college students because most new U.S. jobs involve international trade.
C) There is no longer very much poverty in the world.
D) People the world over have ways of life that are mostly the same.

Question 28

The major goal of sociology's pioneers, including Comte and Durkheim, was:

A) to change social patterns and events.
B) to help build an "ideal society."
C) to discover how society actually operates.
D) to prevent disruptive social change.

Question 29

Examples of people applying their knowledge of sociology at work include people in:

A) law enforcement, understanding which categories of people are at high risk of becoming victims of crime.
B) medicine, understanding patterns of health in a community.
C) business, dealing with different categories of people.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 30

The ancient Romans saw the stars as gods. Comte would classify Roman society as which of the following types?

A) scientific stage
B) metaphysical stage
C) theological stage
D) post-scientific stage

Question 31

Comte described the earliest human societies as being at which stage of societal development?

A) theological stage
B) metaphysical stage
C) scientific stage
D) post-scientific stage

Question 32

Thomas Hobbes's idea that society reflects a selfish human nature illustrates the thinking common at which of Comte's stages of societal development?

A) theological stage
B) metaphysical stage
C) scientific stage
D) None of the above.

Question 33

Which of the following historical changes is among the factors that stimulated the development of sociology as a discipline?

A) the founding of the Roman Catholic church
B) the rise of industrial factories and cities
C) the power of tradition
D) a belief that our futures are defined by "fate"

Question 34

Sociologist Lenore Weitzman carried out research showing that women who divorce:

A) typically remarry within one year.
B) claim they are happier than before.
C) suffer a significant loss on income.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 35

Learning more sociology helps us to:

A) assess the truth of "common sense."
B) assess the opportunities and constraints in our lives.
C) be more active participants in society.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 36

The term "sociology" was coined in 1838 by:

A) Karl Marx.
B) Herbert Spencer.
C) Adam Smith.
D) Auguste Comte.

Question 37

Sociology differs from the older discipline of philosophy by focusing on:

A) what the ideal society should be.
B) human nature.
C) the place of God in shaping human events.
D) how society actually operates.

Question 38

Sociology provides an advantage to students preparing for later careers by preparing them for work:

A) only as teaching sociologists.
B) only in criminal justice or social work.
C) only as clinical sociologists.
D) in all of the above careers and many others, including business, education, and law enforcement.

Question 39

Sarah is spending a summer living in another country where people have a way of life that differs from her own. A sociologist might expect that this experience would lead her to:

A) end up with a greater understanding of both a new way of life and her own way of life.
B) accept what people in the United States call "common sense."
C) assume that people's lives reflect simply the choices they make.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 40

In the box about Barbara Ehrenreich working at low-wage jobs, we learned that she:

A) was able to make a good living right from the start.
B) worked very hard but never made enough money to pay for her basic needs.
C) found most of her coworkers to be dull and lazy.
D) ended up convinced that personal ability is everything.

Question 41

Herbert Spencer described human society as having much in common with:

A) animal societies.
B) planets and stars.
C) the human brain.
D) the human body.

Question 42

To evaluate a theory, sociologists:

A) gather data or facts.
B) follow the conventional wisdom of their society.
C) are guided by what they personally want to be True.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 43

Looking at the United States, high suicide rates are typical of states in which people:

A) live densely packed in cities.
B) live spread apart in rural areas.
C) have higher incomes.
D) live in a warmer climate.

Question 44

When did sociology become established as an academic discipline in the United States?

A) during the Middle Ages
B) about 1800
C) about 1900
D) about 1975

Question 45

Sociologists cannot identify "laws of society" that allow us to predict individual human behavior:

A) because human behavior is patterned but also spontaneous.
B) because sociology is still very young.
C) because no sociologist ever tried to discover such laws.
D) All of the above.

Question 46

_____ is a way of understanding the world based on science.

A) Theology
B) Positivism
C) Metaphysics
D) Free will

Question 47

In deciding what kinds of questions to ask in their research, sociologists are guided by:

A) one or more theoretical approaches.
B) their own common sense.
C) our society's traditional wisdom.
D) sheer chance.

Question 48

The theoretical approach in sociology that assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability is the:

A) structural-functional approach.
B) social-conflict approach.
C) symbolic-interaction approach.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 49

Which term is used to describe relatively stable patterns of social behavior?

A) social structure
B) eufunctions
C) social functions
D) social dysfunctions

Question 50

Identify the three sociologists who played a part in the development of sociology's structural-functional approach.

A) Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois
B) Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim
C) Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Auguste Comte
D) Harriet Martineau, Robert Merton, W.E.B. Du Bois

Question 51

Which theoretical approach was used by early sociologists Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim?

A) the structural-functional approach
B) the social-conflict approach
C) the symbolic-interaction approach
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 52

Who was the U.S. sociologist who distinguished between the manifest functions and the latent functions of social patterns?

A) Robert K. Merton
B) William Graham Sumner
C) Talcott Parsons
D) C. Wright Mills

Question 53

Using the structural-functional approach, which of the following questions might you ask about marriage?

A) What do people think marriage means?
B) How does marriage benefit women and men unequally?
C) What are the consequences of marriage for the operation of society?
D) How can we help people find more pleasure in their marriages?

Question 54

According to Comte's approach, the kind of thinking favored by people such as Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, becomes common in a society at which stage of societal development?

A) theological stage
B) metaphysical stage
C) scientific stage
D) All of the above.

Question 55

Most of today's sociologists agree with Auguste Comte that science is a crucial part of sociology, but most also recognize that:

A) human beings are partly creative and spontaneous.
B) human behavior is often more complex than natural phenomena.
C) no rigid "laws of society" hold everywhere and at all times.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 56

A statement of how and why specific facts are related is called a(n):

A) approach.
B) precept.
C) concept.
D) theory.

Question 57

If we state that children raised in single-parent families are at high risk of being single parents themselves, we have constructed a(n)_____ of family life.

A) approach
B) precept
C) concept
D) theory

Question 58

Social structures sometimes have negative consequences for the operation of society as a whole. What is the term for these negative consequences?

A) social structure
B) eufunctions
C) social functions
D) social dysfunctions

Question 59

Which of the following best describes the focus of the structural-functional approach?

A) the meaning people attach to their behavior
B) patterns of social inequality
C) the consequences of social patterns for the operation of society
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 60

According to Comte, people living in Europe during the Middle Ages thought of society as:

A) a system operating according to its own laws.
B) chaotic and having little form.
C) an expression of God's will.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 61

The "framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change" is the:

A) structural-functional approach.
B) social-conflict approach.
C) symbolic-interaction approach.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 62

Karl Marx, speaking for the social-conflict approach, argued that the point of studying society was:

A) to understand how society really operates.
B) to compare U.S. society to others.
C) to foster support for a nation's government.
D) to bring about needed change.

Question 63

The social-conflict approach draws attention to:

A) how elements contribute to the overall operation of society.
B) how people construct meaning in their interaction.
C) patterns of social inequality.
D) the stable aspects of society.

Question 64

Which theoretical approach would highlight the fact that, on average, African American families have less income than white families?

A) the race-conflict approach
B) the gender-conflict approach
C) the structural-functional approach
D) the symbolic-interaction approach

Question 65

Which woman helped launch the discipline of sociology by studying the evils of slavery and also by translating the writings of Auguste Comte?

A) Harriet Martineau
B) Jane Addams
C) Elizabeth Cady Stanton
D) Dorothea Dix

Question 66

Unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social pattern are called:

A) latent functions.
B) manifest functions.
C) eufunctions.
D) dysfunctions.

Question 67

Robert Merton explained that what is functional for one category of a society's population:

A) is functional for everyone.
B) may not be functional for another category.
C) is unlikely to change over time.
D) may not be functional in the future.

Question 68

Which of the following statements might be made by a sociologist using the gender-conflict approach?

A) Men and women share in the joys of family life.
B) Men earn more than women in the workplace.
C) Gender functions in an important way to keep society operating.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 69

Using the social-conflict approach, a sociologist might highlight which of the following?

A) income differences among young people in high school
B) gender inequality in college sports
C) racial inequality in a company's hiring and promotion practices
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 70

Which pioneering sociologist founded Chicago's Hull House to assist immigrants and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

A) Jane Addams
B) Harriet Martineau
C) W.E.B. Du Bois
D) Herbert Spencer

Question 71

The main characteristic of the _____ approach is its view of society as orderly and stable.

A) structural-functional
B) social-conflict
C) social-interaction
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 72

Which early sociologist received the first doctorate ever awarded by Harvard University to a person of color?

A) Jane Addams
B) Harriet Martineau
C) W.E.B. Du Bois
D) Herbert Spencer

Question 73

Which of the following early sociologists had an important influence on the development of the social-conflict approach?

A) Karl Marx
B) Talcott Parsons
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Herbert Spencer

Question 74

Which of the following is an accurate criticism of the structural-functional approach?

A) It ignores inequality that can generate tension and conflict.
B) It focuses too much on social dysfunction.
C) It focuses too much on power divisions in society.
D) It is a politically liberal view of society.

Question 75

Which early U.S. sociologist studied the African American community and served as a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)?

A) Jane Addams
B) Harriet Martineau
C) W.E.B. Du Bois
D) Herbert Spencer

Question 76

Which of the following is the best example of a latent function of going to college?

A) providing skills needed for later jobs
B) keeping young people out of the labor force, which may not have jobs for them
C) gaining the knowledge required to be an active and thoughtful citizen
D) giving young people experience living on their own

Question 77

W.E.B. Du Bois described African Americans as having a "double consciousness" because:

A) most felt that, compared to white people, they had to be twice as careful in how they acted.
B) there is a double disadvantage in being both poor and black.
C) black people have to work twice as hard as whites to get the same reward.
D) black people are citizens who have a second identity based on skin color.

Question 78

The recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern are referred to as:

A) latent functions.
B) manifest functions.
C) eufunctions.
D) dysfunctions.

Question 79

W.E.B. Du Bois claimed that _____ was the major problem facing the United States during the twentieth century.

A) class
B) race
C) gender
D) ethnicity

Question 80

Looking at the operation of U.S. schools, the social-conflict approach might lead a sociologist to conclude that:

A) the function of schools is to teach needed skills.
B) the meaning of schooling varies from child to child.
C) schools have been a major path to social advancement.
D) tracking provides some students with far better schooling than others.