Question 1

Which of the following social positions is an ascribed status?

Accepted Answer

A)   one that is earned.
B)   one that is reached as a result of negotiation.
C)   one assigned to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or abilities.
D)   one attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts. C

Question 2

Define the concepts of in-groups, out-groups, and reference groups, and describe  the role of each type of group. Give examples to illustrate your answer.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary.
 In-group and out-group are terms coined by William Graham Sumner to express 'we' and 'they' feelings. An in-grou can be defined as any group or category to which people feel they belong. The existence of an in-group, an 'us', implies the existence of an out-group, a 'them'. An out-group is a group to which people do not feel they belong. A reference group is any group that an individual uses as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behaviour. Reference groups have two basic purposes. They serve a normative function by setting and enforcing standards of conduct and belief. They also perform a comparison function by serving as a  standard against which people can measure themselves and other. So, for example, let's say you are a university football player. Your in-group is your own team. Your out-group is the opposing team. Your reference group is your favourite professional football team.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true of laws?

Accepted Answer

A)   They reflect continually changing standards of right and wrong.
B)   They arise out of a social process.
C)   They represent a universal consensus on appropriate sanctions.
D)   They are created because of a perceived need for formal social control. C

Question 4

Which of the following statements about crime in Canada is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)   Almost half of the crimes reported in Canada fall into the category of violent crimes.
B)   The highest crime rate is found in small urban areas.
C)   In 2007, the national crime rate reached its highest level in 30 years.
D)   Rural areas have higher rates of property crime than do large urban areas.

Question 5

A man with a wife and two children loses $50,000 in an unlicensed gambling den. What type of crime has he committed?

Accepted Answer

A)   a white-collar crime
B)   a victimless crime
C)   spousal abuse
D)   a property crime

Question 6

Heather is popular at her new high school. She hangs around with the other popular girls. She no longer hangs out with Molly, her best friend from elementary school. Molly is in the computer club and the chess club, and can't afford the latest styles. In relation to Heather's friends, what is Molly part of?

Accepted Answer

A)   the in-group
B)   the primary group
C)   the out-group
D)   the secondary group

Question 7

Jimmy has finally got up the nerve to ask Miranda out on a date. Spotting her across the cafeteria, he makes eye contact and starts to move toward her. She turns her back on him. Jimmy, perceiving this as a rejection, loses his nerve and doesn't approach her, when in fact, Miranda had just heard her name called by someone else. Of what is Jimmy's reaction an example?

Accepted Answer

A)   The meanings we attach to the behaviour of others shape our response to them.
B)   Non-verbal signals are less relevant to social interaction than verbal signals are.
C)   The meanings others attach to our behaviour shape our behaviour towards them.
D)   Human beings merely react to one another's actions.

Question 8

According to Émile Durkheim, to what are our understandings of crime and deviance linked?

Accepted Answer

A)   social prosperity
B)   incarceration rates
C)   social solidarity
D)   social roles

Question 9

The "iron law of oligarchy" is a principle of organizational life stating what?

Accepted Answer

A)   organizations are established on the basis of common interests.
B)   bureaucracies imprison human initiative and creativity in an iron cage of rules and directives.
C)   each individual in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
D)   even democratic organizations will become bureaucracies ruled by a few individuals.

Question 10

To what does obedience refer?

Accepted Answer

A)   Using initiative in order to achieve an organization's goals.
B)   Going along with one's peers, who have no special right to direct that person's behaviour.
C)   Compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure.
D)   Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm.

Question 11

Define the differences between ascribed and achieved statuses, and give
 examples to support your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define the differences between ascribed and achieved...

Question 12

Entrenched interests seek to maintain the status quo and use their power over which of the following to do so?

Accepted Answer

A)   culture
B)   values
C)   sanctions
D)   norms

Question 13

Dominant groups do NOT generally have the ability to do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mold the "definition of the situation".
B)   Define a society's values.
C)   Define social reality.
D)   Arrange all social interactions to benefit themselves exclusively.

Question 14

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Western European countries have higher violent crime rates than the United States.
B)   The United States has lower homicide rates than Scandinavian countries do.
C)   Rates of car theft are higher in the United States than in Italy.
D)   The Unites States has an imprisonment rate more than 6 times greater than that of Canada.

Question 15

Which theoretical perspective would argue that those with less power and influence, such as Aboriginal Canadians, are more likely to find themselves incarcerated than members of the dominant group?

Accepted Answer

A)   conflict theory perspective
B)   anomie theory perspective
C)   functionalist perspective
D)   symbolic interactionist perspective

Question 16

A student was asked the following question: "Briefly list and explain the basic forms of adaptation in Merton's anomie theory of deviance". As an answer, the student wrote the following: Merton argued that conformity to social norms involves acceptance of both the overall societal goal and the approved means to acquire the goal; the innovator accepts the goals of society but pursues them with means that are regarded as improper; the ritualist has abandoned the goal of material success and become compulsively committed to the institutional means; and finally the retreatist who feels alienated from the dominant means and goals and may seek a very different social order. How would you judge this student's answer?

Accepted Answer

A)   Excellent (all stages are correct in the right order with clear and correct explanations) 
B)   Mediocre (one or two stages are missing, or the stages are in the wrong order, or the explanations are not clear, or the explanations are irrelevant) 
C)   Unacceptable (more than two stages are missing and the order is incorrect and the explanations are not clear and/or they are irrelevant) 
D)   Good (all stages are correct in the right order, but the explanations are not as clear as they should be)

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a social control measure instituted after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)   Stricter identification requirements for Canadians wishing to enter the United States.
B)   Encouragement by governments and police agencies to report the potentially suspicious activities of others.
C)   Mandatory fingerprinting of newborns in Canada.
D)   Having to take your shoes off to pass through airport security.

Question 18

In Émile Durkheim's view, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   People become deviant by associating with those of like persuasion.
B)   People accept or reject the goals of a society and/or the socially approved means to fulfill their aspirations.
C)   There is nothing inherently deviant or criminal in any act; the key is how society responds to the act.
D)   Labelling an individual is the most crucial stage in that person becoming a deviant.

Question 19

Which of the following was illustrated by William Chambliss' study of the Saints and the Roughnecks?

Accepted Answer

A)   perceptions of the actor influence responses to the act.
B)   the activity, and not the actor, is what provokes a sanctioning response.
C)   athletic high school-aged males tend to be troublemakers.
D)   neither the act nor the actor are as significant to the outcome as the rule structure governing sanctions.

Question 20

The economy is an example of a social institution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 3: Social Structure, Interaction & Deviance