Deck 5: Social Groups and Formal Organizations

Question 1

Secondary groups differ from primary groups in that secondary groups are

A)not as important.
B)rare in contemporary society.
C)extremely informal.
D)larger and more anonymous.

Answer 1

D
larger and more anonymous.

Question 2

Which of the following might be likened to a spider's web?

A)Reference group
B)Social network
C)Aggregation
D)Out-group

Answer 2

B
Social network

Question 3

_____ are people who think of themselves as belonging together and who interact with one another.

A)Categories
B)Groups
C)Primary categories
D)Aggregates

Answer 3

B
Groups

Question 4

An example of a category is

A)drivers waiting at a red light.
B)a family.
C)college women who are over six feet tall.
D)the American Sociological Association.

Question 5

_____ is made of people who temporarily share the same physical space,but do not see themselves as belonging together.

A)group
B)aggregate
C)primary group
D)category

Question 6

Within a larger group,a(n)_____ is a cluster of people who choose to interact with one another.

A)clique
B)out-group
C)reference group
D)category

Question 7

The tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small,self-perpetuating elite is known as

A)six degrees of separation.
B)voluntary association.
C)the iron law of oligarchy.
D)soft power.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true about the findings of Stanley Milgram's research on "the small world phenomenon"?

A)The findings are true beyond the shadow of a doubt.
B)Subsequent research discovered that Milgram actually did not conduct the study at all,but made it up.
C)The correct number of degrees of separation has since been discovered to be twelve.
D)Milgram's sample and methods were flawed,but some subsequent research has come to similar conclusions.

Question 9

Jeff is a financial advisor.He belongs to two different organizations for financial advisors,and he likes to go to their annual meetings.The financial organizations that Jeff belongs to are examples of

A)secondary groups.
B)inner circles.
C)primary groups.
D)aggregates.

Question 10

In what is known as a _____,people experience intimate,long-term,face-to-face association and cooperation.

A)secondary group
B)category
C)primary group
D)tertiary group

Question 11

When you drive into a small American town,you are likely to see a sign that identifies some of the town's _____,such as the Lions,Elks,Eagles,or Knights of Columbus.

A)inner circle
B)voluntary associations
C)primary groups
D)categories

Question 12

The _____ of society refers to the process by which ordinary aspects of life are rationalized and efficiency comes to rule them,including such things as food preparation.

A)alienation
B)goal displacement
C)McDonaldization
D)bureaucracy

Question 13

In Guantanamo,prisoners made up the

A)in-group.
B)out-group.
C)reference group.
D)inner circle.

Question 14

Which of the following might be termed "simply a statistic"?

A)Group
B)Aggregate
C)Voluntary association
D)Category

Question 15

A formal organization with a hierarchy of authority,impersonality of positions,and written-down procedures is

A)a bureaucracy.
B)the opposite of McDonaldization.
C)an example of goal displacement.
D)a meritocracy.

Question 16

A group towards which one feels loyalty is known as a(n)

A)in-group.
B)out-group.
C)reference group.
D)aggregate.

Question 17

How many levels are there from "sociology faculty" (count this as one level)to "board" (count this as another level)in a typical university?

A)Three
B)Five
C)Seven
D)Eleven

Question 18

Many voluntary associations are controlled by

A)an inner circle.
B)an outer circle.
C)people outside of the organization.
D)hereditary posts.

Question 19

Stanley Milgram's research led to the phrase "_____ degrees of separation."

A)two
B)three
C)six
D)fifteen

Question 20

_____ has standards that we refer to as we evaluate ourselves.

A)in-group
B)out-group
C)reference group
D)aggregate

Question 21

Marx used the term _____ to refer to workers' lack of connection to the product of their labor.

A)powerlessness
B)alienation
C)goal displacement
D)McDonaldization

Question 22

Who is caring for us in the security state?

A)The clergy
B)Elected officials
C)Bureaucrats
D)The people

Question 23

Lu-Ellen worked in an office containing 100 cubicles.Few had windows,and those that did looked out on a parking lot.She felt very much a cog in a machine.But after work,Lu-Ellen and three or four friends out of the 100 cubicles often went out for a drink together.There she let her hair down and felt more human,and she and her coworkers got to know each other as people.In this manner,Lu-Ellen was resisting

A)goal displacement.
B)red tape.
C)alienation.
D)McDonaldization.

Question 24

In a(n)_____,preconceived ideas of what someone is like actually lead to the person behaving in ways that match those ideas.

A)hidden corporate culture
B)open corporate culture
C)self-fulfilling stereotype
D)diverse workplace setting

Question 25

_____ refer(s)to the ways that individuals affect groups,and the ways that groups influence individuals.

A)Coalitions
B)Group dynamics
C)A triad
D)A dyad

Question 26

The text gives an example of Coors Brewery changing over time regarding diversity.It eventually adopted the slogan "Coors cares." But what exactly does Coors-like other corporations-care about?

A)The bottom line
B)Filling its upper management positions with women and minority group members
C)Diversity
D)The public good

Question 27

A group of three people is known as a

A)dyad.
B)triad.
C)coalition.
D)medium-sized group.

Question 28

What is the main technological factor in the rise of the security state?

A)Electricity
B)The computer
C)Mechanical automation
D)International travel

Question 29

What happens when the head of a bureaucracy resigns,retires,or dies?

A)The organization's mission is over.
B)The organization goes through a period of turmoil followed by adaptation.
C)In most cases,the bureaucracy informs neither its employees nor the public of the fact.
D)The organization continues without skipping a beat.

Question 30

In the case of job _____,the bosses in many companies tend to groom workers who have winning characteristics similar to their own.

A)satisfaction
B)termination
C)promotion
D)demotion

Question 31

How many relationships are possible in a group of four?

A)Two
B)Four
C)Six
D)Twelve

Question 32

In _____,even after an organization achieves its goal and no longer has a reason to continue,it continues anyway.

A)red tape
B)McDonaldization
C)goal displacement
D)a bureaucracy

Question 33

How big a proportion of the U.S.workforce is made up of women,minorities,and immigrants?

A)One-tenth
B)One-fourth
C)More than half
D)Nearly three-fourths

Question 34

According to research by Kanter (1977,1983),self-fulfilling stereotypes are part of a(n)_____ corporate culture.

A)hidden
B)overt
C)written-down
D)employee-friendly

Question 35

In a _____,everyone interacts directly with all the other members.

A)small group
B)coalition
C)medium group
D)large group

Question 36

In a _____,some members of a group align against others.

A)coalition
B)dyad
C)triad
D)small group of any size

Question 37

A _____ is the smallest possible group.

A)single person
B)dyad
C)triad
D)group of five

Question 38

In terms of our willingness to help another person in need,as a group becomes _____,our feeling of responsibility to help becomes _____.

A)smaller; smaller
B)larger; smaller
C)larger; larger
D)over ten people in size; more urgent

Question 39

According to Weber,in a bureaucracy,assignments flow _____ and accountability flows _____.

A)downward; downward
B)downward; upward
C)upward; downward
D)upward; upward

Question 40

Coalitions and arbitration are characteristics of

A)dyads.
B)triads.
C)all groups.
D)diffusion of responsibility.

Question 41

_____ leader keeps the group moving toward its goals.

A)instrumental
B)inexperienced
C)expressive
D)diffusion-of-responsibility

Question 42

Someone who influences other people

A)is a follower.
B)and who holds a formal position in a group is a leader.
C)is a leader.
D)can only be an authoritarian leader.

Question 43

The key to preventing groupthink might be

A)limiting opinions to the contrary.
B)the widest possible circulation of research by social scientists.
C)curtailing media gathering of information.
D)the consultation to leaders by inner circle members who reflect the leader's viewpoint.

Question 44

An individual who leads by giving orders is a(n)_____ leader.

A)democratic
B)authoritarian
C)laissez-faire
D)expressive

Question 45

_____ leader increases harmony and minimizes conflict in a group.

A)instrumental
B)inexperienced
C)expressive
D)diffusion-of-responsibility

Question 46

An individual who leads by trying to reach a consensus is a(n)_____ leader.

A)democratic
B)authoritarian
C)laissez-faire
D)expressive

Question 47

In Milgram's experiment,_____ of the students administering the shocks turned the lever all the way to "Danger: Severe Shock."

A)none
B)some
C)most
D)all

Question 48

Solomon Asch's experiment demonstrated the power of

A)authoritarian leadership.
B)democratic leadership.
C)peer pressure.
D)laissez-fair leadership.

Question 49

Who is more likely to become a leader?

A)Someone who is born to be a leader
B)Someone who is tall
C)Someone who is judged not to be attractive
D)Someone who is short

Question 50

An individual who leads by being highly permissive is a(n)_____ leader.

A)democratic
B)authoritarian
C)laissez-faire
D)expressive