Deck 6: Networks, Groups, Bureaucracies, and Societies

Question 1

Solange wanted to see how many people it would take to hand-deliver a package from Vancouver, British Columbia, to her aunt in St. John's, Newfoundland. Which of the following concepts would explain her research results?

A) network
B) organization
C) group
D) society

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following factors has been identified as the one most responsible for the effectiveness of Nazi genocide in places such as the Netherlands?

A) the intense and widespread hatred of Jews and other undesirables
B) the existence of a well-organized bureaucracy
C) the availability of new technology, such as Zyklon B gas
D) the large number of people involved

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Sixty-five percent of the research participants in Milgram's study believed they administered maximum (dangerous) levels of electric shock to a stranger. Which of the following groups of participants did the 65 percent form?

A) people who were in the same room as a victim whom they could see and hear
B) people who were in a different room from a victim whom they could see and hear
C) people who were in a different room from a victim whom they could see but not hear
D) people who were in a different room from a victim whom they could neither see nor hear

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Steve is asked by his best friend to beat up a boy at their school whom Steve actually likes. According to the textbook, why would Steve do what his best friend asks?

A) because Steve is a rebel and thinks that beating people up for fun is "cool"
B) because Steve looks for any chance he can get to demonstrate his masculinity
C) because Steve's best friend has authority over him so he will conform
D) because Steve's loyalty to his best friend outweighs any reservations against an immoral act

Question 5

In the Glen Ridge rape case, which community value was betrayed by Charles Figueroa?

A) the subordination of women
B) tolerance of male misconduct
C) intense group loyalty
D) lack of compassion

Question 6

Using a hand-delivered poster, Jasmine has decided to ask all of the people in her apartment building for ideas about where she should look for a summer job. Why will this tactic likely bring her success?

A) because most people in the building are employed and therefore are more likely to know of employment opportunities
B) because many people in the building may be unemployed and therefore likely know which companies may be hiring
C) because most people in the building are likely to be strangers and therefore have a range of diverse connections
D) because most people would be impressed by such innovation and daring, and happily recommend her

Question 7

Nasser told the teacher about how the boys were teasing and bullying one of the girls at recess. According to the textbook, why might Nasser have spoken out about the event when none of the other boys dared to?

A) He believed in justice over social belonging.
B) He did not want to let the girl down.
C) He may not have been fully socialized into the group.
D) He wanted the girl to like him.

Question 8

During the Vietnam War, American soldiers massacred 504 civilians in a village called My Lai. What dynamic helps explain the cause of this calamity?

A) norms of solidarity
B) the boot camp effect
C) kill or be killed instinct
D) innovative cruelty

Question 9

Nobody spoke up when the authorities asked who in the company was the leader of the scam. Media reports commented on how all of the employees stood by the company despite the fact that laws had been broken. According to the textbook, which of the following reasons would NOT have played a role in building the loyalty of this staff?

A) a strong sense of solidarity among the staff
B) a strong sense of pride in their work
C) a strong authority structure
D) a well-oiled bureaucratic machine

Question 10

Solange wanted to see how many people it would take to hand-deliver a package from Vancouver, British Columbia, to her aunt in St. John's, Newfoundland. On average, how many people's hands would this endeavour take?

A) three
B) six
C) nine
D) twelve

Question 11

What was the question that perplexed Robert Brym's father regarding the Holocaust?

A) Why were so many Jews killed in Russia but not in Poland?
B) How did the Nazis become such efficient killing machines?
C) What would turn ordinary people into systematic murderers of innocent people?
D) When were soldiers trained into murderers of defenceless people?

Question 12

Some writers claim that no more than "six degrees of separation" exist between any two persons in the world. Which of the following makes this decree of connectivity possible?

A) groups
B) networks
C) organizations
D) bureaucracies

Question 13

What is the most important process that goes on in social networks?

A) change of cultural norms
B) exchange of resources
C) accumulation of resources
D) change in solidarity levels

Question 14

According to the textbook, what percentage of the 3.3 million Polish Jews survived World War II?

A) 9 percent
B) 19 percent
C) 29 percent
D) 39 percent

Question 15

Which of the following is a common feature of most networks?

A) high visibility
B) descriptive names that explain their purpose
C) lower importance than that of formal organizations
D) existence at an inconspicuous level of society

Question 16

Darien is looking for a job. Whom should he approach for his best chance at success?

A) his girlfriend Winona
B) his brother Rafael
C) his mother's best friend Phillip
D) his father's boss Mr. Pink

Question 17

Which factor influencing conformity did Milgram study?

A) solidarity
B) authority
C) bureaucracy
D) groupthink

Question 18

During World War II, why were many ordinary people able to murder millions of Jewish, Roma, and other people?

A) They believed that Jews and others were a threat to the existence of the German people.
B) Social norms required a population that would question authority.
C) They wanted to quell rebellion from Jewish and Roma leaders.
D) Bureaucracy is highly inefficient and most people had no idea of the large scale of the killings.

Question 19

In her analysis of the Holocaust, Hannah Arendt wrote that, in the Nazi regime, evil became normal. Which social phenomenon made this possible?

A) religion
B) organization
C) conformity
D) solidarity

Question 20

How can those who helped to save the lives of prisoners during the Holocaust be best described, compared to those who either actively participated in the killings or who pretended not to know what was happening?

A) Those who helped to save the prisoners were more conformist.
B) Those who helped to save the prisoners were more poorly socialized.
C) Those who helped to save the prisoners were less anti-Semitic.
D) Those who helped to save the prisoners were more devoutly religious.

Question 21

Lori and Tim have been married for nine years. If their marriage is to continue, which of the following should characterize their relationship?

A) the existence of a "free rider"
B) the possibility of shifting responsibility for the relationship onto a larger collective
C) the existence of intense and intimate involvement
D) the possibility of coalitions with others

Question 22

Athena lives in a house with several other people who regularly host vegan potlucks for interested people in the community. What do Athena and her roommates belong to?

A) a dyad
B) a triad
C) a social group
D) a social category

Question 23

What is the principal primary group in most people's lives?

A) their co-workers
B) their classmates
C) their family
D) their congregation

Question 24

Which of the following is a defining attribute of members of a social category?

A) common activity
B) similar status
C) shared network
D) strong identity

Question 25

According to recent research, what is the effect of online networks on social relations?

A) They replace offline relationships.
B) They weaken offline relationships.
C) They strengthen offline relationships.
D) They become primary sources of social identity.

Question 26

In which of the following groups are members emotionally involved with one another over an extended period of time and engage in a broad range of activities together?

A) a formal organization
B) a secondary group
C) a social category
D) a primary group

Question 27

Which of the following exemplifies a secondary group?

A) a married couple
B) a high school clique
C) a concert audience
D) elderly parents with adult children

Question 28

Lewis is web surfing when he gets an idea to look up as many people who share his birthday as possible. What do Lewis and these people form?

A) a dyad
B) a triad
C) a social group
D) a social category

Question 29

People who share a similar status but are not aware of any shared identity are defined as which of the following?

A) a social category
B) a social group
C) a dyad
D) a triad

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of triads?

A) One partner can mediate a conflict between the others.
B) One partner can be constrained for collective good.
C) Withdrawal of one member destroys the unit.
D) The relations need not be intimate and intense.

Question 31

Which type of group agrees on basic social norms and the statuses and roles each other will play but does not have these things formally defined in writing?

A) a dominant group
B) a primary group
C) a secondary group
D) a social category

Question 32

Tamla and Bruce have been married for six years and have just adopted a baby named Maya. Tamla, Bruce, and Maya together form which type of social group?

A) a primary group
B) a secondary group
C) a social category
D) a kinship category

Question 33

Which type of group is characterized by weak emotional bonds and a narrow range of activities?

A) a dominant group
B) a primary group
C) a secondary group
D) a social category

Question 34

Josh sometimes uses "divide and conquer" tactics to obtain his goals in social relationships. In which of the following relationships is he most likely to fail in such an attempt?

A) his marriage
B) his group of friends
C) his scouts' club
D) a department in his workplace

Question 35

How are social categories different from social groups?

A) Members do not identify with each other.
B) Members do not share any characteristics.
C) Members do not share similar statuses.
D) Members are in daily interaction.

Question 36

Which of the following social relationships can outlive a withdrawal of one partner?

A) a dyad
B) a triad
C) a competition
D) a coalition

Question 37

Sevina has lived in Toronto for several years. According to Wellman's research, which of the following characterizes her social life?

A) hundreds of ties of varying closeness
B) hundreds of close personal ties
C) hundreds of strictly functional ties
D) hundreds of dysfunctional ties

Question 38

What is the foundation upon which social networks are built?

A) the individual
B) dyads and triads
C) communities and collectivities
D) websites in cyberspace

Question 39

Which of Tönnies's conclusions about urban networks has research disproved?

A) Social ties are superficial and functionally specific.
B) Social ties are few and emotionally charged.
C) Social ties are homogeneous.
D) Social ties are diverse.

Question 40

People who share an identity and interact regularly on the basis of that identity are defined as which of the following?

A) a social category
B) a social group
C) a dyad
D) a triad

Question 41

Curtis attends a large university and knows very few people in his classes. In his sociology class, however, he was required to meet weekly with a group of four other people to work on a term project. After the term was over, they kept meeting weekly to discuss classes and life at university. What type of social group do Curtis and the others make?

A) a primary group
B) a secondary group
C) an interest group
D) an out-group

Question 42

Which of the following factors discussed in the textbook is the most important for creating a successful army?

A) camaraderie
B) brilliant officers
C) a hated enemy
D) an ideology acceptable to all soldiers

Question 43

In the classic experiment on prejudice, what strategy did the researchers utilize to break down the in-group/out-group barriers among 11-year-old boys at a summer camp?

A) They controlled the conflict, and then performed an intervention.
B) They created emergencies that required the boys to work together in order to solve them.
C) They had small-group counselling sessions focused on resolving group differences.
D) They conducted classes, highlighting to the groups that their in- and out-group distinctions were meaningless.

Question 44

When are the dangers of groupthink the greatest?

A) when the group is large
B) when the group is under pressure
C) when the group has only recently been formed
D) when the group is in conflict

Question 45

Which of the following groups of people is least likely to express dissenting views in front of one another?

A) a sociology class
B) a group of friends
C) co-workers
D) a group of farmers at the Saturday farmers' market

Question 46

Which of the following factors increases the likelihood of group conformity?

A) being a person with a low status in a group
B) being from a society that values individualism
C) being in a pair of intimate friends
D) having a lone dissenter as part of a group

Question 47

Which of the following explanations of the origin of group boundaries does the Robber's Cave Study support?

A) increasing self-esteem
B) increasing available resources
C) competition for scarce resources
D) competition for new members

Question 48

What was the focus of the Asch experiment?

A) group size
B) group functions
C) group conformity
D) group solidarity

Question 49

What type of group comprises members who are acquainted with one another and get together for a specific purpose, often for only a short period of time?

A) an in-group
B) a primary group
C) a secondary group
D) an out-group

Question 50

Doug attends a yoga class at his local community centre every Tuesday evening. What type of social group is Doug's yoga group?

A) primary group
B) secondary group
C) activity category
D) society of equals

Question 51

According to the textbook, when are bystanders to a crime least likely to get involved to stop it or to help?

A) when others around them step in to help first
B) when no one else around them steps in to help
C) when they believe that official help (e.g., the police) is on the way
D) when they are afraid of being victimized themselves

Question 52

Selena attends a large university and knows very few people in her classes. In her sociology class, however, she is required to work with a group of four other people on a term project. What kind of social group do Selena and her group project classmates make?

A) an out-group
B) a primary group
C) a secondary group
D) a reference group

Question 53

According to the textbook, which of the following do sociologists consider to be essential to group cohesion?

A) emotional bonds
B) clear boundaries
C) conformity
D) formal organization

Question 54

According to Stouffer's classic 1949 study of soldiers in World War II, what was the principal motivator in compelling Allied soldiers to take part in combat?

A) the belief in upholding liberty
B) a hatred of Nazism
C) the belief in freedom for all humankind
D) feelings of solidarity with comrades

Question 55

Selecting Common Ground is an organization that brings together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian children for summer camps. What strategy is being employed here toward breaking down in-group and out-group conflict?

A) a vacation from conflict
B) potential conversion to another faith
C) time out for spiritual renewal
D) face-to-face contact and interaction

Question 56

A white professor in a largely white university classroom states that the Jewish Holocaust did not happen and was largely made up by Jews as part of their plan to gain sympathy and take over the world. According to the textbook, who would be most likely to challenge the professor's views?

A) a Jewish Canadian male student
B) a non-Jewish female British student
C) a Chinese male exchange student
D) a non-Jewish male Canadian student

Question 57

Marilyn has worked at the RCMP office for 23 years as an exhibits clerk. She has seen most of the police officers over the years as they come in to sign out their exhibits for court. What type of social group do Marilyn and these officers form?

A) an out-group
B) a primary group
C) a secondary group
D) a reference group

Question 58

At a rave party, a 15-year-old was drugged and then raped repeatedly by a number of the partygoers. Some onlookers snapped pictures that they subsequently posted on Facebook, and others just ignored what was happening. When a witness to the affair was contacted by police, his statement was, "I didn't know her. I assumed she was a willing participant. Besides, no one else was calling 911." What is the term used to describe his reaction to the event?

A) groupthink
B) bystander apathy
C) intervention hesitation
D) appearance of unanimity

Question 59

Approximately what percentage of Asch's research participants consistently gave the correct answers in the face of group pressure to select a wrong answer choice?

A) 25 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 100 percent

Question 60

According to the textbook, what type of group places the most pressure on its members to obey its rules?

A) primary group
B) secondary group
C) social category
D) network

Question 61

According to the textbook, approximately what percentage of German Jews were married to non-Jews in 1933?

A) 11 percent
B) 22 percent
C) 33 percent
D) 44 percent

Question 62

National police forces routinely encounter problems in investigating and prosecuting Internet crimes, because such criminal activity is international and existing laws still apply only to national territories. What criticism against bureaucracies is relevant in this case?

A) bureaucratic ritualism
B) bureaucratic inertia
C) oligarchy
D) dehumanization

Question 63

At the corporation where Claudio works, daily directives are issued by the CEO and CFO. Departmental managers, who know what is really happening in the daily operation, are not consulted. What criticism against bureaucracies is relevant in this case?

A) bureaucratic ritualism
B) bureaucratic inertia
C) oligarchy
D) dehumanization

Question 64

The large organization that Josh works for issues each employee a number, has each employee sign in to work via time clock, and never addresses employees by name, only by number. What criticism against bureaucracies is relevant in this case?

A) bureaucratic ritualism
B) bureaucratic inertia
C) oligarchy
D) dehumanization

Question 65

Harpreet works in an employment agency. Her managers have her fill out so many forms and reports that she hardly has any time left to help her clients find work. What criticism against bureaucracies is relevant in this case?

A) bureaucratic ritualism
B) bureaucratic inertia
C) oligarchy
D) dehumanization

Question 66

What is the focus of the conflict theory approach to group conformity?

A) the ways that individuals can be mobilized to achieve group goals
B) the interpretations that group members can make of group goals
C) the ways that group inequalities can be strengthened by conformity
D) the ways that groups attempt to maximize the benefits of membership

Question 67

During World War II, German in-group boundaries included defining out-group membership as any person who had a Jewish grandparent. What effect did this have on German society?

A) It was unnecessary, as the German/Jewish boundary was already well defined.
B) It created a strong boundary that cut deeply into the fabric of German society.
C) It solved a big problem that had been challenging German census takers.
D) It deeply unified people of faith and conscience against the German government.

Question 68

According to the textbook, what type of formal organization is the most widespread and influential?

A) a bureaucracy
B) a network
C) a cohort
D) a category

Question 69

Some enthusiasts learn to joust and participate in tournaments at medieval fairs. What do medieval knights represent for these enthusiasts?

A) social category
B) status category
C) reference group
D) secondary group

Question 70

In the early nineteenth century, the French army became notably more efficient than the British. The French organized and promoted officers on the basis of merit, whereas the British officers were people from rich families who could buy their positions. Which form of organization did the French army represent?

A) an ideal type
B) a network
C) a corporation
D) a bureaucracy

Question 71

With what kind of group are people interacting when they interact with others in their minds only?

A) a dominant group
B) a subordinate group
C) a primary group
D) a reference group

Question 72

In large organizations, why is it likely that organization heads (CEOs) often have no idea what is happening on the front lines?

A) because most CEOs focus their attention on different kinds of organizational operations
B) because most employees are not honest about the gap between their organization's mandate and what they actually do
C) because most employees do not know what the real mandate of their organization is, so they do not report relevant information to CEOs
D) because people who work on the front lines of an organization have little if any direct contact with CEOs, so information is lost or distorted as it moves upward

Question 73

According to Weber, what fact counters most people's commonsense notions about bureaucracies?

A) They are ritualistic.
B) They are highly efficient.
C) They are dehumanizing.
D) They are ruled by only a small number of people.

Question 74

Which of the following best exemplifies a formal organization?

A) one person's Twitter followers
B) one person's yoga partners
C) a car dealership
D) a family based on legal marriage

Question 75

Michaela begs her parents to buy her a particular brand of expensive boots because her friends have been teasing her about the less expensive pair she has been wearing. For Michaela, what type of group are her friends in this situation?

A) a secondary group
B) an out-group
C) a dominant group
D) a reference group

Question 76

Which of the following best exemplifies an imagined community?

A) a basketball team
B) Jamaican Canadians
C) people born in 1993
D) you and your ideal romantic partner

Question 77

What do we call secondary groups that are formed in order to achieve certain, specific objectives?

A) imaginary communities
B) social networks
C) formal organizations
D) in-group communities

Question 78

How does the size of an organization contribute to bureaucratic inefficiency?

A) It makes directions easy to ignore.
B) It makes reporting unmanageable.
C) It increases the number of possible rivalries and coalitions.
D) It increases the number of possible rivalries, but not coalitions.

Question 79

Entry-level employees of large corporations often think that the upper management has little idea of their clients' needs; information that the entry-level staff collect in direct contact with clients does not filter up to the management. Which of the following strategies would be most likely to solve this problem?

A) reducing managerial salaries
B) reducing the number of managers
C) reducing the number of entry-level employees
D) reducing the number of levels in the corporate hierarchy

Question 80

Which of the following is most likely to contribute to increasing intermarriage between two ethnic groups?

A) similar status
B) similar size
C) dissimilar status
D) dissimilar size