Deck 1: The Sociology of Sport: What Is It and Why Study It

Question 1

When compared with past research in the sociology of sport,current research is more likely to focus on

A)video games containing cognitive challenges.
B)physical culture in particular social worlds.
C)noncompetitive games.
D)activities that improve physical fitness.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a concern among sociologists who study sports?

A)The social worlds created around sports.
B)Sports as social phenomena.
C)The motivation and personalities of athletes.
D)The cultural meaning and importance of sports.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the author,one of the problems with a single definition of sport is that it might lead some sociologists to

A)ignore people who lack the resources to formally organize their games.
B)ask too many critical questions and destroy the enjoyment of sports.
C)focus too much attention on the games of people in low income groups.
D)ignore the political importance of sports in society.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is not one of the three key concepts used in sociology?

A)Social structure.
B)Social conflict.
C)Social interaction.
D)Culture.

Question 5

When sociologists say that sports are "contested activities," they mean that

A)all sports involve some form of contest or competition.
B)sports exist to enable people to have contests with each other.
C)people in any society must compete with each other to play sports.
D)people may struggle over what sports are and who should play them.

Question 6

Sociology helps us examine

A)the connection between biology and social activities.
B)social life in context.
C)politics and economics through history.
D)connections between our bodies and our family backgrounds.

Question 7

Sport facilities and programs are most likely to be supported by government agencies and tax money when people see sports as

A)promoting the development of individuals.
B)benefiting the expansion of particular businesses.
C)contributing to the common good.
D)reaffirming the status quo.

Question 8

Physical activity participation rates are most likely to be high in a society when the definition of sport focuses on

A)challenging activities that produce an adrenaline rush for participants.
B)organized,competitive activities played at scheduled times and places.
C)those activities that will enable athletes to win Olympic medals.
D)a wide range of physical activities that are pleasurable for participants.

Question 9

Official definitions of sport have important implications because they identify the activities that

A)are best for the general health of people in a society.
B)attract attention global attention and increase tourism.
C)receive the most financial and political support.
D)reflect the cultural traditions of average people.

Question 10

According to the definition often used by people in North America,which of the following would be an example of a sport?

A)Jogging with friends on the weekend.
B)Racing in the Indianapolis 500.
C)Jumping rope in an aerobics class.
D)Playing chess in a city tournament.

Question 11

Official definitions of sports in the United States emphasize

A)formally organized,competitive activities.
B)health-related activities that reduce obesity rates.
C)activities in which there are no winners or losers.
D)age-integrated activities that can be played anywhere.

Question 12

People in the sociology of sport are mostly concerned with studying

A)the social worlds created in and around sports.
B)the physical environments in which sports are played.
C)the differences between top athletes and others who play sports.
D)the reasons why some teams and athletes are winners and others are losers.

Question 13

One of the most hotly contested aspects of sports in society is

A)who plays sports under what conditions.
B)whether scientists should study sports.
C)the process for making up rules in specific games.
D)who can identify themselves athletes in relationships with others.

Question 14

The author explains that the purpose of the text is to help the reader understand the "deeper game" associated with sports.This "deeper game" refers to

A)hidden strategies used by coaches and athletes as they play sports.
B)performance statistics for teams and players.
C)connections between sports and the larger social world.
D)underlying personality characteristics of people in sports.

Question 15

It is difficult to develop a single definition of sports because

A)men and women define sports in completely different terms.
B)genetic differences lead people to define sports differently.
C)people generally resist organized physical activities.
D)the organization and meaning of sports vary by culture.

Question 16

Sports are social constructions.This means that they are

A)planned activities that make society more efficient.
B)based on a foundation of socialist ideas.
C)created by people as they interact with each other.
D)unrelated to political and economic factors in society.

Question 17

According to the definition often used by people in North America,sport is an activity that involves

A)complex cognitive skills combined with complex physical skills.
B)physical challenges or competitive contests.
C)both cooperation and teamwork.
D)serious psychological and physical strategies.

Question 18

According to the author,culture consists of

A)rules and procedures that some people impose on others.
B)activities such as opera and classical music.
C)ways of living that are common only among upper-class people.
D)ways of life that people create as they live together.

Question 19

Social structure consists of

A)ways of life that people learn as they become adults.
B)established patterns of relationships and social arrangements.
C)organizational processes developed by unrelated work groups.
D)rules developed by individuals working on schedules.

Question 20

The author points out that sport cultures are

A)created as people in sports interact with each other.
B)essentially the same all over the world.
C)activities that remain the same through history.
D)organized so they have the same meanings in all societies.

Question 21

The author explains that a sociological approach to studying sports

A)will grow if it produces knowledge that is useful to many people.
B)is useless when it is critical and idealistic.
C)produces knowledge that enables athletes to train more effectively.
D)is useful because it proves that sport has essential and unchanging qualities.

Question 22

The great sport myth is based on the belief that

A)people are genetically wired to play sports.
B)sports are more socially important than religion.
C)people prefer sports over religion as a source personal meaning.
D)sport is essentially pure and good.

Question 23

Ableist ideology is used to

A)promote the idea that variations in ability are normal and natural.
B)undermine the general perspective of ableism.
C)identify people as disabled.
D)create accessible physical environments.

Question 24

The definition of sports in any particular context usually represents the ideas and interests of

A)the average person in that context.
B)some people more than others.
C)young people.
D)physical educators.

Question 25

Social class ideology in the United States is organized around

A)ideas and beliefs about what is defined as "cool" in society.
B)a generalized belief that people either have class or they don't.
C)the idea income and wealth inequality is normal a belief in meritocracy.
D)a denial that there are real economic differences between people.

Question 26

Racial ideology refers to

A)ideas and beliefs that are based on research about race.
B)idealized definitions of how blacks and whites should treat each other.
C)the biological factors that make people different from each other.
D)ideas and beliefs that people use to give meaning to skin color.

Question 27

When a coach accuses male players of not playing well by saying that they "play like girls," his statement is most likely to motivate the players if they

A)have sisters who are athletes.
B)accept dominant gender ideology.
C)believe that neither men nor women are naturally superior to each other.
D)have lesbian friends who are athletes.

Question 28

When sociologists study sports in society,their recommendations are sometimes controversial because they may call for changes in the

A)personal characteristics of the people who participate in sports.
B)structure and organization of sports and society.
C)media strategies used to cover sport programs and athletes.
D)strategies that athletes use to promote their own interests.

Question 29

Sports are logical topics for sociologists to study because

A)sports are more important than families are for most people.
B)media coverage has distorted the meaning and purpose of sports.
C)sports are such a pervasive part of many people's lives today.
D)nearly everyone in the world plays sports on a regular basis.

Question 30

Widespread acceptance of the great sport myth leads people to

A)play sports even when they don't find them enjoyable.
B)see little need to study sports from a critical perspective.
C)seek ways to change and improve sports.
D)define sports as wars without weapons.

Question 31

When girls and women first challenged dominant gender ideology by entering the male world of sports,they were

A)defined by most people as heroic.
B)seen as sexually attractive.
C)welcomed by men.
D)demonized as abnormal and immoral.

Question 32

Dominant gender ideology in most societies has traditionally emphasized that

A)female inferiority in sports is based in nature.
B)women are naturally more aggressive than men.
C)girls and boys should learn to play sports together.
D)competent women athletes are sexually attractive.

Question 33

After reading Sports in Society the author hopes that people will

A)create sports that are not influenced by politics or economics.
B)understand what it takes to be successful athletes today.
C)make informed choices about sports in their lives and their society.
D)develop research projects that are truly objective.

Question 34

Using sociology of sport knowledge to produce positive outcomes is most likely when

A)people realize that science is an objective enterprise.
B)sports are seen as essentially pure and good.
C)it is combined with critical thinking.
D)it is combined with market forces.

Question 35

The author explains that we should study sports as parts of the social world because sports are

A)closely connected with important ideas and meanings in social life.
B)the only activities that keep people fit and healthy.
C)truly democratic activities unrelated to social class and social inequality.
D)too often ignored by mainstream media around the world.

Question 36

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be studied by someone in the sociology of sport?

A)The physical demands associated with individual and team sports.
B)The relationship between sports and religion.
C)The ways that sports are included into social life.
D)The forms and meanings of sports from one group to another.

Question 37

Which of the following is a FALSE statement about ideologies?

A)Ideologies consist of ideas that people use to give meaning to the world.
B)Ideologies are stable and unchanging cultural perspectives.
C)Ideologies refer to the principles that underlie people's feelings and actions.
D)Ideologies emerge as people struggle over how to make sense of the world.

Question 38

When the sociology of sport is used to study sport participation among women,the primary focus would likely be on

A)the physical skills of women compared to men.
B)the need for women to take sports more seriously.
C)women's access to the time and resources needed to play sports.
D)the ability of women to grasp the complex rules that exist in many sports.

Question 39

Gender ideology refers to

A)ideas and beliefs based on scientific research about gender.
B)idealized definitions of how boys and girls ought to be raised.
C)ideas and beliefs about masculinity and femininity.
D)the biological origins of manhood and womanhood.

Question 40

When sociologists study ideologies,they focus on

A)the social characteristics of extremist groups.
B)webs of shared ideas and beliefs that people use to make sense of the world.
C)how people struggle to dominate each other in social groups.
D)beliefs and orientations that are grounded in human biology.

Question 41

While discussing sports and major spheres of social life,the author notes that

A)sports usually affect family life in negative ways.
B)new social media have changed the way fans consume sports.
C)sports are becoming less commercialized around the world today.
D)sports are related to the economy but not to politics or religion.

Question 42

When the author says that the human body is social,this means that

A)muscular bodies have always been defined in positive ways.
B)all bodies are basically the same from one culture to another.
C)bodies have an essential physical quality that never changes.
D)meanings given to the body and body parts change over time.

Question 43

Ideologies are different than the ideas and beliefs of individuals because they

A)are likely to change more rapidly than individuals ideas and beliefs.
B)influence organization of social worlds.
C)are never taken for granted by people.
D)emphasize equality among all people.

Question 44

The connections between ideologies and sports are

A)complex.
B)unchanging.
C)meaningless.
D)based on irrationality.

Question 45

When people in a society generally see the body as machine and sport as performance,it is likely that

A)they will focus on bodily pleasure and joy in sports.
B)athletes will use technology to control and manage their bodies.
C)there will be no need for drug testing in sports.
D)people will view their bodies as unchangeable and beautiful.