Deck 6: Social Control

Question 1

________ are less diverse, more dominated by tradition, and informal controls are more typical and usually effective.

A) Heterogeneous societies
B) Subcultures
C) Homogeneous societies
D) Counterculture

Answer 1

C

Question 2

________ is a central fact of social organization and essential for social order.

A) Government
B) Social control
C) Religion
D) Formal structure

Answer 2

B

Question 3

________ is defined as the attempt to manipulate the consciousness of citizens so that they accept the dominant beliefs, comply willingly with laws, and do not question the existing distribution of societal power.

A) Ideological social control
B) False consciousness
C) Direct social control
D) None of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

________ social control refers to the attempts to punish or neutralize organizations or individuals who deviate from society's norms.

A) Direct
B) Manipulative
C) Dominant
D) Ideological

Question 5

Images and ideologies promoted in the media support ________.

A) capitalism
B) racism
C) sexism
D) all the above

Question 6

There is a ________ bias in the mainstream media.

A) liberal
B) reformist
C) conservative
D) radical

Question 7

Which of the following statements is not identified as a reason why sport is an important mechanism of an ideological control?

A) The Olympics and other international sporting events are treated as a political contest, a symbolic world war in which nations win or lose, thus, prompting citizens to unite behind their flag and their athletes.
B) There is the integral relationship between sport and nationalism, which is obvious in the blatantly militaristic pageantry that surrounds sport contests.
C) Sport deflects people's attention away from the serious social problems.
D) Sport is a valid means of upward mobility for people from the lower classes.

Question 8

The application of the medical model to individuals exhibiting certain behaviors personalizes the problem and deflects attention away from the ________ sources for the behavior.

A) psychological
B) biological
C) social
D) institutional

Question 9

A less clear role of the government is to ________, which is done in the interest of preserving order.

A) stifle dissent
B) organize interest groups
C) train the labor force
D) educate children

Question 10

The ________ of mental illness works as a system of social control.

A) understanding
B) labeling
C) diagnosis
D) treatment

Question 11

Although the media does investigative reporting and occasionally questions the system, its overall impact is ________ the system.

A) not supportive of
B) critical of
C) supportive of
D) neutral toward

Question 12

The term ________ refers to the efforts by President George W. Bush and the members of his cabinet to convince the public, following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, that we must come together against the terrorist threat and that we must spend more to enhance our security.

A) caution
B) problem-solving
C) manipulation
D) responsible action

Question 13

The ________ in society benefit from the existing power arrangements, so they use their influence to encourage the repression of challenges to the government.

A) poor
B) affluent
C) deviants
D) middle class

Question 14

________ believe that the political system is made up of a number of interest groups of more-or-less equal power.

A) Order theorists
B) Conflict theorists
C) Cultural theorists
D) Systems theorists

Question 15

The goals of ideological social control include ________.

A) having citizens accept the dominant ideology
B) persuading the members of society to comply willingly with the law
C) persuading the members of society to accept without question the existing distribution of societal power and rewards
D) all of the above

Question 16

When ________ increase(s), relief programs are initiated or expanded by the government.

A) the "outcast" class
B) social movements
C) social disorder
D) unemployment

Question 17

In complex societies, such as the United States, social control tends to be more ________ and appears to be more ________ than in traditional societies.

A) formal / repressive
B) informal / liberal
C) covert / liberal
D) none of the above

Question 18

From the dominant view, for social order to prevail and anarchy to be avoided, society needs to ________.

A) develop more public assistance programs
B) participate more in organized labor activity
C) ensure that existing power relationships are maintained over time
D) maintain family values

Question 19

In attempting to establish social control, society targets the poor, the mentally ill, criminals, and political dissidents as ________.

A) subcultures
B) deviants
C) conflict theorists
D) none of the above

Question 20

________ is the improvement of the human race through the control of hereditary factors; this is the ultimate form of social control.

A) Planned reproduction
B) Eugenics
C) Evolution
D) Echelon

Question 21

Identify which of the following is/are the assumption(s) of the conflict theorists.

A) The state exists to serve the ruling class.
B) The law and the legal system reflect and serve the needs of the ruling class.
C) Law is a body of rules enacted by representatives of the people in the interests of the people.
D) Both a and b

Question 22

________ is the attempt to improve the human race through the control of hereditary factors.

A) Labeling
B) Eugenics
C) Social control
D) Socialization

Question 23

The notion that sports is a means of upward social mobility for large numbers of the lower classes is

A) factually supported by the research.
B) a myth.
C) frequently found to be true.
D) a source of controversy in sociology.

Question 24

In his novel, 1984, ________ predicted that the government would monitor every word, every thought, and every facial expression of citizens using sophisticated electronic devices.

A) George Orwell
B) F. Scott Fitzgerald
C) Karl Marx
D) Aldous Huxley

Question 25

____ assume that the state exists to serve the ruling class and to protect the current distribution of wealth and power.

A) Cultural theorists
B) Systems theorists
C) Conflict theorists
D) Order theorists

Question 26

Religious groups are noticeably involved with social control in their

A) use of force.
B) application of ridicule.
C) ostracism techniques.
D) use of guidelines for behavior and punishments for disobedience.

Question 27

Social control is sometimes necessary because

A) the person is instinctively anti-social.
B) socialization is imperfect and deviants do appear.
C) physical force is the most effective means of conformity.
D) all of the above

Question 28

________ refers to the improvement of the human race through control of hereditary factors.

A) Eugenics
B) Psychosurgery
C) Psychotherapy
D) Natural selection

Question 29

________ theorists argue that social order is maintained because there is a normative consensus among the members of society, as they accept the legal order and the state, which are believed to serve the common good.

A) Order
B) Conflict
C) Evolution
D) Behavioral

Question 30

________ assume that, when domestic order prevails and challenges to the economic and political system are successfully thwarted, the interests of the ruling class are served.

A) Cultural theorists
B) Conflict theorists
C) Order theorists
D) Systems theorists

Question 31

The conservative bias in the media is a result of

A) religious influences.
B) governmental interference.
C) the use of censorship.
D) the need of the media corporations for advertising and for people to buy the advertised products.

Question 32

The ________ theory proposed by Richard Quinney is closely related to the Marxian view of the role of law in capitalist society.

A) liberal democratic
B) power elite
C) interest-group
D) dominant-class

Question 33

A religious group preserves the status quo by

A) engaging in nonviolent protests against social injustice.
B) creating martyrs who died protesting social inequities.
C) teaching acceptance of the imperfections in society.
D) making overt criticisms of governmental policies from the pulpit.

Question 34

________ believe that the law and the legal system reflect and serve the needs of the ruling class.

A) Cultural theorists
B) Order theorists
C) Interaction theorists
D) Conflict theorists

Question 35

________ social control is more effective than overt social control measures because individuals impose control on themselves.

A) Ideological
B) Formal
C) Informal
D) Repressive

Question 36

According to Peter Berger, which of the following is a source of social control?

A) force
B) economic rewards
C) ridicule
D) all of the above

Question 37

The dominant view of the function of the law in U.S. society is based on liberal democratic theory and is congruent with the ________ model.

A) order
B) conflict
C) evolutionary
D) behavioral

Question 38

The dominant view in U.S. society is based on ________ theory and is congruent with the ________ model.

A) power elite / conflict
B) labeling / conflict
C) bias / order
D) liberal democratic / order

Question 39

________ theorists argue that social order is the result of government force or the threat of force, economic dominants using the law, the media, or other institutions to hold power over the relatively powerless.

A) Order
B) Conflict
C) Evolution
D) Behavioral

Question 40

Radical criminologists propose the view of law that is based on the ________ theory.

A) order
B) conflict
C) evolutionary
D) behavioral

Question 41

According to Piven and Cloward, the social control function of public assistance programs is to

A) offer employment skills to the poor.
B) defuse social unrest in times of mass unemployment.
C) alert the unemployed to alternative means of employment.
D) establish social change.

Question 42

According to Scarpitti and Anderson, the people labelled mentally ill are frequently

A) neurotic.
B) sociopathic.
C) outgroups of society.
D) psychotic.

Question 43

According to Parenti in Make-Believe Media: The Politics of Entertainment, media dramas teach us

A) collective action is preferable to individual action.
B) as a system, free enterprise needs critical examination.
C) society's ills are caused by individuals.
D) the need to control the excesses of the police.

Question 44

The religions of the working class

A) condemn radical political movements.
B) preach political activism.
C) condemn government authority.
D) undermine the legitimacy of upper-class rule.

Question 45

Little League programs for youngsters are designed to

A) foster sportsmanship.
B) eliminate racism.
C) reinforce American values.
D) initiate personal development.

Question 46

Ideological social control is accomplished through

A) the socialization of youth.
B) frontal attacks on competing ideologies by politicians and teachers.
C) propaganda efforts.
D) all of the above

Question 47

It can be argued that the Olympic games

A) are unpatriotic.
B) undermine social mechanisms.
C) are a political contest.
D) promote a feeling of fraternity among their fans.

Question 48

In Nazi Germany, the practice of eugenics was tried on

A) Jews.
B) gypsies.
C) the feebleminded.
D) all of the above

Question 49

The National Violence Initiative offers a plan

A) to use genetic and biochemical indicators to identify potentially violent children.
B) to curb domestic violence.
C) to deal with child abuse.
D) to monitor pedophiles.

Question 50

According to Michael Parenti, government authorities in the United States have resorted to ________ in an effort to control behavior unacceptable to the existing order.

A) electroshock
B) mind-destroying drugs
C) psychosurgery
D) all of the above

Question 51

Current trends indicate that the middle class is ________ and the gap between the haves and have-nots is ________ .

A) enlarging, shrinking
B) unchanged, shrinking
C) enlarging, unchanged
D) shrinking, increasing

Question 52

A 1983 Justice Department proposal had as its goal

A) the elimination of adolescent gangs.
B) the improvement of child-rearing methods.
C) the identification of the chronic offender.
D) the detection of child abuse.

Question 53

Social control is more difficult in the United States because the society is

A) homogeneous.
B) dominated by tradition.
C) directed by an overriding consensus on societal values.
D) composed of different groups with competing values.

Question 54

Psychologists and therapists are ________ of social control.

A) neutralizers
B) agents
C) resisters
D) unaware

Question 55

One-third of all corporate advertising is directed at influencing the public

A) on consumer practices.
B) on political and ideological issues.
C) on the need for government regulation.
D) on the quality of its products.

Question 56

Established religion in the United States tends to

A) reinforce the status quo.
B) challenge the political system.
C) change the economic system.
D) question existing government policy.

Question 57

According to Harvey Cox, many Americans view the capitalistic market as

A) omnipotent.
B) omniscient.
C) omnipresent.
D) all of the above

Question 58

Evidence of the effectiveness of ideological social control is visible in

A) the acceptance, by the downtrodden in U.S. society, of the legitimacy of the political and economic system.
B) the widespread acceptance of Marxian theory.
C) the social agitation developing among the poor.
D) the presence of police in poor neighborhoods.

Question 59

The average two- to eleven-year-old child watches television ________ hours a week.

A) eight
B) fifteen
C) twenty-five
D) forty

Question 60

The most obvious way that government officials attempt to shape public opinion is through

A) speeches, especially on television.
B) schools, especially in the classroom.
C) movies, especially war films.
D) books, especially Horatio Alger novels.

Question 61

Of all social control mechanisms among the Amish, the most potent is

A) excommunication.
B) witch burning.
C) public condemnation.
D) Meidung.

Question 62

The Meidung is applied more frequently to ________ and ________ .

A) males, the young
B) single people, the divorced
C) childless couples, widowed
D) none of the above

Question 63

In small, homogenous societies, which are less affected by the forces of tradition and are more diverse, social control tends to be more formal and repressive.

Question 64

Among the Amish, the "Meidung" is

A) known as the shunning.
B) the ultimate sanction.
C) used as a last resort.
D) all of the above

Question 65

According to Quinney's interest-group theory, law

A) supports the welfare of all.
B) represents a compromise of the divergent interests of society.
C) supports some interests at the expense of others.
D) must repress the lawless elements.

Question 66

Images and ideologies promoted in the media support imperialism, capitalism, racism, sexism, militarism, authoritarian violence, vigilantism, and anti-working class attitudes.

Question 67

Ideological social control is the attempt to punish or neutralize organizations or individuals who deviate from society's norms.

Question 68

In small, homogenous societies, which are less diverse and more dominated by tradition, informal controls are more typical and usually effective.

Question 69

The media does investigative reporting and occasionally questions the system; overall, it is critical of the system.

Question 70

The Meidung would be imposed if a member were to

A) leave the church.
B) marry an outsider.
C) buy a car.
D) all of the above

Question 71

Surveillance of Americans by the government reached its peak during

A) World War I.
B) the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s.
C) the Communist hysteria in the 1940s.
D) the anti-Japanese wave during World War II.

Question 72

In attempting to establish social control, society targets the poor, the mentally ill, criminals, and political dissidents as deviant.

Question 73

Amitai Etzioni's communitarian philosophy holds that a good society

A) respects the citizen's privacy.
B) seeks a balance between liberty and the common good.
C) never uses surveillance.
D) has no need of a police force.

Question 74

Because of the excesses of the FBI and other goverment agencies during the 1960s and 70s, which president issued an executive order placing greater controls over these agencies?

A) Carter
B) Ford
C) Nixon
D) Reagan

Question 75

In complex societies, societal control tends to be more formal and appears to be more repressive than that found in traditional societies.

Question 76

In direct violation of the right of habeas corpus, aliens are

A) being expelled from the United States.
B) incarcerated without a hearing.
C) monitored by federal agencies.
D) subject to police interrogation.

Question 77

There is a liberal bias in the mainstream media.

Question 78

Social control is a central fact of social organization and essential for social order.

Question 79

Ideological social control aims at control through ________ .

A) modifying the behavior of the person
B) manipulation of ideas
C) fear of punishment
D) none of the above

Question 80

Direct social control is defined as the attempt to manipulate the consciousness of citizens so that they accept the ruling ideology, comply willingly with laws, and don't question the existing distribution of societal power and rewards.