Deck 10: Social Institutions: Politics,Education,and Religion

Question 1

C.Wright Mills identifies the small and unified group of people who occupy the highest positions of the major economic,political,and military institutions and exercise tremendous influence in American social life as

A) the power elite.
B) a variety of organizations and institutions that represent different interest groups.
C) political action committees that raise money and advocate on behalf of their donors.
D) the media.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The methods and tactics of managing and influencing government are called

A) power.
B) totalitarianism.
C) fascism.
D) politics.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father,Hussein bin Talal,as ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999.This makes his government a

A) monarchy.
B) totalitarian state.
C) pluralist polity.
D) democratic republic.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is a political system called that denies ordinary people participation or representation in their government?

A) pluralist
B) democratic
C) socialist
D) authoritarian

Question 5

What do schools,churches,and governments all have in common?

A) They are all secular institutions.
B) They are all less important today than in the past.
C) They are all social institutions.
D) They function only at the macro level.

Question 6

The majority of appointed U.S.Treasury secretaries have been either former partners or managers of Goldman Sachs,a global investment management firm.Sociologists would argue that this overlap between private business and the federal government is an example of

A) pluralism.
B) authoritarianism.
C) totalitarianism.
D) the power elite.

Question 7

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama,but he became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army.In doing so,he became powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president.What was Noriega's government if this is the only information on which to base your answer?

A) totalitarian
B) authoritarian
C) democratic
D) a monarchy

Question 8

Organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials are called

A) power elites.
B) media groups.
C) special interest groups.
D) unions.

Question 9

According to a recent study,what percentage of the American population makes up the power elite?

A) 5 percent
B) considerably less than 1 percent
C) 12.5 percent
D) 42 percent

Question 10

Robert Dahl developed ________ to argue that corporations,political parties,professional organizations,and ethnic and religious groups provide checks and balances for each other so that no one group has too much power.

A) special interest groups
B) democracy
C) the pluralist model
D) the power elite

Question 11

Systems and structures that persist over time and help organize group life are called

A) social controls.
B) social institutions.
C) social norms.
D) pluralistic situations.

Question 12

Robert is walking down the street late at night when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet.Sociologists would say that Robert's mugger had ________ but not ________.

A) power; authority
B) authority; power
C) authoritarianism; power
D) totalitarianism; total power

Question 13

In 1970,Salvador Allende became the president of Chile through open elections.By supporting a military coup,the assassination of Allende,and the following dictatorship,the United States helped end Chile's

A) theocracy.
B) totalitarian regime.
C) constitutional monarchy.
D) democracy.

Question 14

Since 1917,all Puerto Ricans have been considered U.S.citizens,but they are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections.In this sense they are

A) ruled by a 527 committee.
B) part of a totalitarian government.
C) disenfranchised.
D) a pluralistic society.

Question 15

Which of the following techniques is used to disenfranchise part of the American population today?

A) requiring polling places to be put in as many locations as possible
B) requiring that poll taxes be paid in order to vote
C) denying people who have been convicted of felonies the right to vote for the rest of their lives
D) requiring a literacy test to get a ballot

Question 16

Why do politics,education,and religion all appear in the same chapter of your text?

A) All three exist only at the macro level.
B) All three exist only at the micro level.
C) Political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.
D) All three are important to sociologists but have less effect on everyday life.

Question 17

Kim Jong-un,the current leader of North Korea,and his father Kim Jong-il,North Korea's former leader,have both restricted the basic human rights of their citizens.What type of government does North Korea have?

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) republic
D) totalitarian

Question 18

The term that refers to the legitimate use of power is called

A) government.
B) politics.
C) authority.
D) state.

Question 19

What is the MOST extreme form of authoritarianism called?

A) totalitarianism
B) monarchy
C) dictatorship
D) the power elite

Question 20

What is it called when a government bars an individual,either temporarily or permanently,from voting?

A) suffrage
B) disenfranchisement
C) pluralism
D) voting conviction

Question 21

John F.Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign.Voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio.Why?

A) The Kennedy campaign put out better television advertisements.
B) Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would have made him look better on camera.
C) The radio program was shorter than the television program and omitted some of Kennedy's key arguments.
D) Kennedy smiled a lot.

Question 22

It is the job of the White House press secretary to field questions from the press and explain the president's policies and attitudes in language that is compelling and persuasive.According to this job description,he or she could be called a(n)

A) 527 committee member.
B) spin doctor.
C) member of the power elite.
D) technocrat.

Question 23

Which of the following would be an example of social media?

A) political parties summarizing their campaign platforms on television
B) a public radio program that tells you where to go if you want to volunteer to work on a political campaign
C) a magazine that provides information on candidates' policy positions but also describes their family lives, hobbies, and favorite books
D) politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents directly

Question 24

A Palestinian woman named Nariman Tamimi recorded a video of her teenage daughter slapping Israeli soldiers on the family's property.Nariman posted the video on social media; after it went viral,Nariman was arrested and accused of participating in an assault on Israeli soldiers.This reaction to Nariman's video demonstrates the importance of

A) creating a simulacrum to fool the public.
B) the role that organizations play in war conflicts.
C) political action committees.
D) using "new media" to communicate with the general public.

Question 25

What large-scale social change has made celebrity politicians more popular and successful?

A) the increasing importance of television
B) the increasing focus on political platform and policies
C) the increasing need to connect with young voters
D) the increasing importance of Hollywood stars to fund-raising

Question 26

The curriculum at schools like Trinity College at Cambridge (The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity)leaned heavily on theology during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in England.Today,the vast majority of university students will never take any theology classes.Why did this change?

A) Universities in those days were controlled by the state.
B) The Internet has altered social relations to such an extent that education in certain subjects no longer seems important.
C) There are more colleges now, so students who are told they must take theology classes can simply transfer to a different school.
D) The knowledge, values, and expectations required to succeed in contemporary society are different from those required then.

Question 27

What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?

A) math and science
B) only theology
C) natural philosophy and the works of ancient Greek philosophers
D) law, theology, and medicine

Question 28

What is the process called when students are tested and the test results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial,advanced,college prep,etc.)?

A) the hidden curriculum
B) socialization
C) tracking
D) charter schooling

Question 29

Short sentences or phrases on a political subject,designed to be catchy and memorable but not necessarily to convey much information,are called

A) position papers.
B) policy gripes.
C) press releases.
D) soundbites.

Question 30

Organizations designed to raise money to support the interests of a particular group are called

A) political action committees.
B) media groups.
C) simulacrums.
D) power elites.

Question 31

In the past,most voters formed political opinions by listening to speeches,meeting with representatives of political parties,or attending town hall meetings.How do voters today tend to learn about political issues?

A) through websites maintained by political candidates
B) through human interest stories in the media
C) through newspaper and magazine articles that focus on the policy implications of political decisions
D) through intimate, firsthand knowledge of issues

Question 32

When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election,some political strategists argued it was partly due to Trump being a reality television celebrity because they feel that politics today

A) requires immense amounts of money to succeed.
B) has very little connection to the lives of everyday people.
C) rewards style over substance.
D) is mostly scripted by spin doctors.

Question 33

In Soviet Russia,it was a common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood and to treat the doctored photos as representations of reality rather than modifications of it.For example,Stalin's friends who turned into his enemies were cut out of pictures with him.These pictures were examples of

A) spin doctors.
B) simulacrum.
C) opinion leaders.
D) a free press.

Question 34

During the 2012 presidential election,singer and celebrity Beyoncé Knowles endorsed Barack Obama.What could Beyoncé be considered to the extent that people pay attention to her and care about what she says?

A) an opinion leader
B) a member of the power elite
C) a member of a special interest group
D) a political action leader

Question 35

What does Jean Baudrillard call an image in the media that people can no longer distinguish from the reality that it is supposed to represent?

A) simulacrum
B) hidden curriculum
C) telegenic
D) sacred

Question 36

Why are political action committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

A) Unlike giving to candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give political action committees.
B) Their members have positions of power within the media.
C) They have far and away the largest number of grassroots supporters.
D) Many of their members hold high political office.

Question 37

What feature of modern politics closely resembles short,limited Twitter posts?

A) press conferences
B) journalistic watchdogs
C) soundbites
D) news stories

Question 38

High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called

A) lobbyists.
B) opinion leaders.
C) political action leaders.
D) talking heads.

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a special interest group?

A) Penn State University
B) police unions
C) a parent group at a school
D) a student organization on campus

Question 40

What is the central means by which modern society transmits knowledge,values,and expectations to its members?

A) religion
B) politics
C) education
D) the hidden curriculum

Question 41

Jacobson and Rosenthal's Pygmalion in the Classroom showed that

A) IQ scores are the best predictors of classroom success.
B) students whom teachers expect to do well tend to fare better in the classroom.
C) there is no relationship between teachers' expectations about students and student performance.
D) all students enter the education system with equal chances for success.

Question 42

What does a sociological perspective tell us about education in the United States?

A) Anyone who works hard can get good grades.
B) Education is the pathway to material success and, as such, rewards the best and brightest individuals.
C) Tracking helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve material success.
D) Educational success often has as much to do with social stratification as it does with individual ability.

Question 43

What is one reason that critics might object to school vouchers?

A) They believe vouchers will undermine the independence of private schools.
B) They believe vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.
C) They believe vouchers will reduce the number of choices and amount of control parents have over their children's education.
D) They fear that vouchers will cause students to be socially, rather than educationally, disadvantaged.

Question 44

According to Randall Collins,our educational system is much like a "tribal initiation rite," a "secret society," or a "closed occupational caste." For Collins,it is not a rational system that produces more efficient production but a mechanism for

A) creating gender inequality in the workforce.
B) reproducing the existing class structure.
C) punishing those who deviate from mainstream American values.
D) teaching the values and ideals we need to function in society today.

Question 45

Sociologists have noted that the informal teaching practices and power relationships by which schools operate produce a disconnect between democratic values and what actually goes on in schools.About what concept are such arguments referring?

A) teacher expectations
B) the hidden curriculum
C) simulacra
D) educational inequality

Question 46

Schools that blend high school and college are called

A) charter schools.
B) early college high schools.
C) junior colleges.
D) college achievement schools.

Question 47

What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?

A) the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002
B) a rise in immigration, leading to a large population of non-English-speaking students
C) the deterioration of the infrastructure in educational institutions
D) the rise of the Internet

Question 48

How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?

A) Homeschooled students perform better in reading, but worse in math and science.
B) Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
C) No one knows because there is no way to test homeschooled students.
D) Homeschooled students do well only if their parents are certified as teachers; otherwise, they do fairly badly.

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?

A) Though curriculum may recognize and celebrate diversity, most professors and administrators are white and heterosexual.
B) History books are rewritten to emphasize the role of women and minorities.
C) Schools attempt to change how they teach.
D) Schools attempt to address the gaps and exclusions that exist in their curriculum.

Question 50

In his book,Savage Inequalities,former teacher Jonathan Kozol conducted an ethnography of public schools in major cities across the United States.According to his study,how do schools reinforce inequality?

A) by busing students to schools far away from their homes, disrupting their schedules, and removing them from their natural peers
B) by using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools
C) by "teaching to the test," which removes many more creative subjects from the curriculum
D) by privileging athletes and giving them a much easier educational path

Question 51

Public schools that are run by private entities are called

A) charter schools.
B) religious schools.
C) homeschools.
D) secular schools.

Question 52

What variable would account for the dramatic jump in test scores evidenced by the students in Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion in the Classroom?

A) difficult work
B) better books and other instructional materials
C) teacher attitudes
D) community support

Question 53

Which of the following is an advantage cited by supporters of school vouchers?

A) Vouchers provide more funding for public schools.
B) Vouchers provide better pay for teachers, which improves the quality of education across the board.
C) Vouchers create more schools that specialize in math and science.
D) Vouchers give more choices to parents for their children's education.

Question 54

According to Randall Collins,why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?

A) They understand how complicated their professions are and want to make sure that everyone who enters them is well trained.
B) They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thus minimizing competition and ensuring that there is a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
C) They know that the world is changing quickly, and they want to make sure that new doctors and lawyers are fully versed in the intricacies of twenty-first-century life.
D) They tend to invest in private schools, so they make a profit from education.

Question 55

How does the textbook define the "hidden curriculum"?

A) the ideal of a self-denying, highly moral life accompanied by self-sacrifice
B) higher grades given for the same work, or a general rise in student grades without a corresponding rise in learning
C) subjects that are rarely taught, which require students to seek them out on their own time
D) lessons that students learn indirectly through the method in which the curriculum is presented and the way the school is organized

Question 56

What does sociologist Randall Collins argue is the true function of schools?

A) They train a workforce in computer and technology skills so students can work in a twenty-first-century information economy.
B) They teach traditional American values like respect, hard work, and punctuality.
C) They reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to that of their parents.
D) They teach students to have a profound intellectual engagement that allows them to establish a meaningful relationship with the society in which they live.

Question 57

According to the textbook,what is the goal of early college high schools?

A) to make education cheaper because college teachers are paid less when teaching in these institutions
B) to move skilled workers into the economy faster
C) to make it easier for students from underserved backgrounds to enter college
D) to slow down the educational process and to keep more young people in school and out of the workforce where too many people are underemployed

Question 58

In Schooling in Capitalist America,Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis argued that schools train a labor force in the skills and attitudes necessary for the health of a modern economy.What are these skills and attitudes?

A) critical thinking
B) independence and initiative
C) the mathematical skills needed to work with computer software and the drive needed to create new things
D) taking orders and performing repetitive tasks

Question 59

What does the sociologist Randall Collins recommend to reform the American educational system?

A) The first two years of college should be combined with high school to make the transition easier.
B) The federal government should fund high schools so poor areas do not have poorly funded schools.
C) It should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.
D) Standardized test scores should not be requested on college applications.

Question 60

What was Jonathan Kozol's impression of the poorly funded schools he visited in urban Chicago?

A) Children are resilient and can overcome even the worst conditions.
B) They were extraordinarily unhappy places.
C) Even though they were poorly funded, a small group of dedicated teachers could still make a difference in children's lives.
D) They could only succeed when federal education programs closely regulated them.

Question 61

According to your textbook,what do all religions have in common?

A) God(s) or other supernatural beings
B) moral laws about the proper way to offer prayer and sacrifice to a god
C) a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane
D) certain days that are considered holy

Question 62

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer that is recited five times each day.This means that,in theory,five times each day every Muslim is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time.What function or dysfunction of religion does the adhan help bring about?

A) It supports economic development.
B) It creates social solidarity.
C) It reinforces sexism.
D) It creates a bias against homosexuals.

Question 63

In the Sermon on the Mount,in the Christian New Testament,believers are told,"Whatever you want men to do to you,do also to them." Of which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you?

A) Religion helps us understand our lives as meaningful.
B) Religion provides morals, values, rules, and norms for participants.
C) Religion gives people a set of social connections.
D) Religion reinforces sexism and provides separate roles for men and women.

Question 64

A society that separates church and state is a(n)________ society.

A) secular
B) agnostic
C) fundamentalist
D) traditional

Question 65

"Wives,submit yourselves unto your own husbands,as unto the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife,even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible,like this one,to justify gender roles.Conflict theorists might argue that this is a ________ of religion because it ________.

A) dysfunction; is homophobic
B) function; promotes equality
C) function; teaches us a basic sociological tenet
D) dysfunction; promotes sexism

Question 66

Religion fulfills what role in society from a structural functionalist perspective?

A) It makes women subservient to men.
B) Its shows religious organizations how to become agents of change.
C) It is an instrument against oppression and exploitation.
D) It provides its adherents with a set of values, norms, and rules by which to live.

Question 67

How is a sociological definition of religion different from a commonsense,everyday definition?

A) A sociological definition looks only at the macro elements of religion.
B) A sociological definition looks only at the way religion is created and re-created through everyday interaction.
C) A sociological definition must be broad enough to encompass all varieties of religious experiences.
D) A sociological definition cannot take into account personal relationships with God.

Question 68

Why might the number of Christians who identify as evangelical in the United States be rapidly increasing?

A) Evangelical churches tend to be the wealthiest churches in America.
B) Evangelicals focus on an unchurched spirituality.
C) Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts.
D) Evangelicals are the oldest religious group in America.

Question 69

According to Max Weber,Protestant values contributed to the rise of

A) opinion leaders.
B) hidden curriculum.
C) religion.
D) capitalism.

Question 70

Religious groups that emphasize literal interpretation of sacred texts are called

A) secular.
B) unchurched.
C) fundamentalist.
D) intrinsic.

Question 71

In 2008,the Obama family's search for a church to attend in Washington,D.C.,was big news.A sociological analysis of the national curiosity about the president's church might argue that

A) following the media occupies an increasingly large part of everyone's time.
B) America is an increasingly secular nation.
C) the president has a high level of intrinsic religiosity.
D) being a Christian is an unofficial requirement for the presidency.

Question 72

Intrinsic religiosity can be defined as

A) any approach to religion that meets the fundamental needs of a person.
B) the process by which worldly concerns come to dominate a person's life.
C) a person's inner religious life.
D) a cosmology that justifies a set of behaviors in terms of absolute good or evil.

Question 73

The fact that school schedules are organized around Christmas is evidence

A) that the United States is a secular society.
B) that the majority of Americans celebrate Christmas.
C) of nothing; it is just a coincidence.
D) that the United States is not a totally secular society.

Question 74

The former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene,but she voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene.This indicates that

A) America is both a secular and religious society at the same time.
B) America is a strongly secular society.
C) America is a deeply religious society and the separation of church and state is more or less a myth.
D) the Supreme Court has consistently been more religious than the American public.

Question 75

According to Mark Juergensmeyer's book,Terror in the Mind of God,what accounts for the rise in religious violence across the world?

A) the rise of Christian Evangelical fundamentalism
B) the rise of Muslim fundamentalism
C) the growing dissatisfaction with the growing separation of the church and state in various countries
D) the rise of extremist religious beliefs that can grant a sense of control to people who feel powerless

Question 76

What is religiosity?

A) a measure of the diversity of religion within a society
B) a measure of the variety of religious experiences a person may have over the course of his or her lifetime
C) the extent of a person's commitment to a religion
D) the degree to which religion can provide solutions to everyday problems

Question 77

Attending religious services would be an example of

A) intrinsic religiosity.
B) extrinsic religiosity.
C) unchurched spirituality.
D) spirituality.

Question 78

A democratic government does not equally represent all citizens.

Question 79

What is a term for someone who labels himself or herself "spiritual but not religious"?

A) fundamentalist
B) evangelical
C) atheist
D) unchurched

Question 80

What are religions called that worship one divine figure?

A) pluralistic
B) secular
C) monotheistic
D) Judeo-Christian