Question 1

A(n)_____ is a testable statement about a relationship between two variables.

Accepted Answer

A) theory 
B) paradigm 
C) relationship 
D) empirical correlation 
E) hypothesis

Question 2

Steve had a hunch that female students were more punctual than males in the classes that he taught. So, he began to keep track for a week in each class of how many male and female students came in after the class was scheduled to begin. His results supported his hypothesis. Steve is using

Accepted Answer

A) inductive reasoning. 
B) qualitative analysis. 
C) deductive reasoning. 
D) ordinary human inquiry. 
E) statistical analysis.

Question 3

Theory is directly relevant to "why" questions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The best example of a researcher who developed widely accepted theories based upon inductive reasoning is:

Accepted Answer

A) Erving Goffman. 
B) Emile Durkheim. 
C) Karl Marx. 
D) Max Weber. 
E) Guillermina Jasso.

Question 5

Which of the following would be studied using a microtheory, rather than a macrotheory?

Accepted Answer

A) Dating behaviors among college students 
B) The ways in which the courts and the police departments interact within states 
C) The effect of changes in welfare laws on urban poverty 
D) Trends of minority representation within the military 
E) Violent crime trends over a 30-year period

Question 6

Feminist paradigms focus only on how inequities hurt women.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Walking with an open umbrella on a beautiful day or going home on semester break and calling your mom or dad Mr. or Mrs. (with their surname)are techniques used by _____ to understand social norms or rules.

Accepted Answer

A) structural functionalists 
B) conflict theorists 
C) feminists 
D) ethnomethodologists 
E) critical race theorists

Question 8

The idea that knowledge is based on observation made through one of the five senses rather than on belief alone is termed:

Accepted Answer

A) conflict theory. 
B) social systems theory. 
C) structural functionalism. 
D) positivism. 
E) critical race theory.

Question 9

The Minamata disease, a disease which produced severe nervous disorders and birth defects, was traced to the fact that the Chisso chemical company dumped mercury into a bay where Japanese villagers fished. The villagers of Minamata, where the company was located, refused to sue the chemical company. However, the residents of Niigata, a fishing village forty miles up the river from the factory, sued the chemical company. Which of the following explanations flows from the conflict paradigm?

Accepted Answer

A) The Minamata victims were less likely to be tied socially, economically, and physically to the company than were the Niigato victims. 
B) The Japanese culture frowns on lawsuits. 
C) The chemical company controlled more of the village resources in Minamata than in Niigato. 
D) People in Niigato aren't as nice as people in Minamata. 
E) There were fewer victims in Minamata than in Niigato.

Question 10

Chen is beginning a research study in which he has an idea of what he's looking to find, but is letting his own observations shape the specifics of his theory. What approach is he taking to conduct his research?

Accepted Answer

A) Deductive theory 
B) Grounded theory 
C) Conflict theory 
D) Ethnomethodology 
E) Structural functionalism

Question 11

All quality social science research is tightly intertwined with social theory.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Which of the following topics would a macrotheory be more likely to explain than a microtheory?

Accepted Answer

A) The effect of the judge's instructions on jury deliberations 
B) The relationships between government, family, and the economy 
C) The grandparent-grandchild relationship 
D) Student-faculty interactions 
E) Dating behaviors

Question 13

Which of the following illustrates the use of the inductive method?

Accepted Answer

A) Hypothesis, observations, accept or reject hypothesis 
B) Observations, pattern finding, and generalizations 
C) Theory, hypothesis, observations, and generalizations 
D) Theory, observations, and generalizations 
E) Generalizations, theory, and observations

Question 14

While doing research on crime, Professor Middler notes that crime creates jobs in law enforcement and related careers. He also notices that crime reinforces community norms when criminals are caught and punished. Professor Middler has probably adopted the _______ approach to the study of crime.

Accepted Answer

A) conflict theory 
B) social Darwinism 
C) structural functionalism 
D) ethnomethodology 
E) symbolic interactionism

Question 15

In a study of women the following notation was used: Y = f(X)where Y represented fertility plans and X represented occupational plans. This states:

Accepted Answer

A) that fertility plans are a function of (or are affected by)occupational plans. 
B) that occupational plans are a function of (or are affected by)fertility plans. 
C) that occupational plans are not a function of fertility plans. 
D) that fertility plans are a function of (or are affected by)occupational plans and is a hypothesis. 
E) that occupational plans are a function of (or are affected by)fertility plans and is a hypothesis.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT TRUE of paradigms?

Accepted Answer

A) Paradigms shape the kinds of observations we are likely to make. 
B) Paradigms determine the kinds of facts we will discover. 
C) Paradigms shape the conclusions that we draw from facts. 
D) Paradigms determine whether we look at micro or macro concerns. 
E) Paradigms are selected by a researcher to achieve desired results.

Question 17

Many cultures view the United States as a society committed to capitalism, an economic arrangement that they believe inevitably creates inequality. These views and feelings represent:

Accepted Answer

A) an objective fact of nature. 
B) a law of nature. 
C) a paradigm. 
D) a theory. 
E) a research question.

Question 18

Which of the following outlines the steps in the traditional science model?

Accepted Answer

A) Empirical observations, theoretical understanding, operationalization of concepts, a testable hypothesis 
B) Theoretical understanding, a testable hypothesis, operationalization of concepts, empirical observations 
C) Theoretical understanding, operationalization of concepts, a testable hypothesis, empirical observations 
D) Operationalization of concepts, a testable hypothesis, empirical observations, theoretical understanding 
E) A testable hypothesis, operationalization of concepts, empirical testing, theoretical understanding

Question 19

You must always have a fully developed theory before beginning observations.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

A sociologist with a symbolic interactionist orientation would be MOST likely to do research on which of the following questions?

Accepted Answer

A) Is conflict inevitable in the sibling relationship? 
B) What function does marriage serve for society? 
C) What is the effect of economic conditions on the crime rate? 
D) Which unstated norms govern the interactions between family members? 
E) What is the effect of the environment on the poverty rate?

Exam 2: Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research

A(n) _____ is a testable statement about a relationship between two variables.

Steve had a hunch that female students were more punctual than males in the classes that he taught. So, he began to keep track for a week in each class of how many male and female students came in after the class was scheduled to begin. His results supported his hypothesis. Steve is using

Theory is directly relevant to "why" questions.

The best example of a researcher who developed widely accepted theories based upon inductive reasoning is:

Which of the following would be studied using a microtheory, rather than a macrotheory?

Feminist paradigms focus only on how inequities hurt women.

Walking with an open umbrella on a beautiful day or going home on semester break and calling your mom or dad Mr. or Mrs. (with their surname) are techniques used by _____ to understand social norms or rules.

The idea that knowledge is based on observation made through one of the five senses rather than on belief alone is termed:

Chen is beginning a research study in which he has an idea of what he's looking to find, but is letting his own observations shape the specifics of his theory. What approach is he taking to conduct his research?

All quality social science research is tightly intertwined with social theory.

Which of the following topics would a macrotheory be more likely to explain than a microtheory?

Which of the following illustrates the use of the inductive method?

While doing research on crime, Professor Middler notes that crime creates jobs in law enforcement and related careers. He also notices that crime reinforces community norms when criminals are caught and punished. Professor Middler has probably adopted the _______ approach to the study of crime.

In a study of women the following notation was used: Y = f(X) where Y represented fertility plans and X represented occupational plans. This states:

Which of the following is NOT TRUE of paradigms?

Many cultures view the United States as a society committed to capitalism, an economic arrangement that they believe inevitably creates inequality. These views and feelings represent:

Which of the following outlines the steps in the traditional science model?

You must always have a fully developed theory before beginning observations.

A sociologist with a symbolic interactionist orientation would be MOST likely to do research on which of the following questions?